# Chord Mojo 2 Thread ___ [product released January 31, 2022 -- starting on page 95 of thread]



## TheEldestBoy (Feb 3, 2022)

👉 NOTE: Mojo 2 was released on January 31, 2022.
👉 To jump to the release moment in this thread go to page 95.
👉 Link to page 95 here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-2-thread.885405/page-95


Hi Guys,

How long ago was the Chord Mojo released?

The Hugo 2 is out now.

Any idea on when the Mojo 2 might come out?
Any rumours, etc?


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## Ra97oR

https://www.xilinx.com/products/silicon-devices/fpga.html

That should gives a good indication when the next gen comes out.


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## Colors

Hope they fix the RF noises with smartphones. Was a deal breaker for me and returned two despite loving the SQ.


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## racebit

I would be very happy with Mojo2 = Mojo + PentaConn (for double output power) + Dual channel Coax input (for mscaler)
That should be very simple to do. But I guess they will increase tap number, they always do with every new dac.

I just hope they keep the Mojo simple) and cheap, without all the garbage that infests the other chord dacs (except Qtest): bluetooth, remote, useless output connectors and buttons.


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## racebit (Oct 26, 2018)

Ra97oR said:


> https://www.xilinx.com/products/silicon-devices/fpga.html
> 
> That should gives a good indication when the next gen comes out.


Could you please give some guidance on that relation. I found that Mojo uses the Artix-7. What do you think it will be replaced with on Mojo2? I did not find a roadmap on that page.


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## Whazzzup

The hampster wheel works it seems.


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## chihangs

I too really looking forward to the mojo 2 . Currently mojo poly user and enjoying it very much. 
Would love to upgrade to mojo 2 when it comes out and hope it will still work with current poly . 
All my iem cables all use 3.5 Trs. All other dap these days either use 2.5 or 4.4. 
I would like to wait for mojo 2 and stick with 3.5 and enjoy chords dac sound. Hugo 2 is too big for portable and the power is a bit over kill for my sensitive iem that makes it sound a bit harsh and not comfortable to my ears. 

Really hope chord is working on the mojo 2 project


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## racebit

chihangs said:


> Would love to upgrade to mojo 2 when it comes out and hope it will still work with current poly .
> All my iem cables all use 3.5 Trs. All other dap these days either use 2.5 or 4.4.
> I would like to wait for mojo 2 and stick with 3.5 and enjoy chords dac sound. Hugo 2 is too big for portable and the power is a bit over kill for my sensitive iem that makes it sound a bit harsh and not comfortable to my ears.
> Really hope chord is working on the mojo 2 project


I also hope it works with Poly, but for the opposite reason. i don't care about Bluetooth or any Poly feature, so I hope Mojo 2 does not come with it.
But I am almost sure Mojo 2 will work with Poly. If not it would be a big blow to Poly users.
Mojo has two 3.5mm connectors. I think the right choice for Mojo 2 would be one 3.5mm and one 4.4mm to make everybody happy


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## chihangs

racebit said:


> I also hope it works with Poly, but for the opposite reason. i don't care about Bluetooth or any Poly feature, so I hope Mojo 2 does not come with it.
> But I am almost sure Mojo 2 will work with Poly. If not it would be a big blow to Poly users.
> Mojo has two 3.5mm connectors. I think the right choice for Mojo 2 would be one 3.5mm and one 4.4mm to make everybody happy


To be honest .... I would like chord to stick to one 3.5 port  and have the extra space to improve on sound or battery life . 
I guess everything little space counts in this smal case.


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## racebit

chihangs said:


> To be honest .... I would like chord to stick to one 3.5 port  and have the extra space to improve on sound or battery life .
> I guess everything little space counts in this smal case.


But I think the 4.4mm improves sound quality and battery life.
The 4.4mm is likely to become the future universal connector for headphones.
4.4mm is balanced, and I although Chord Dacs do not benefit directly from balanced output nor does any headphone benefit directly from balanced output...
...balanced output provides a trick, it gives more than double the output power without requiring more power.
That means two important things:
1. Having more output power improves sound quality, as less output power reduces bass performance. This is because Mojo output power decreases with higher impedance, and headphones have higher impedance on bass frequencies.
2. If balanced requires less than half the power for the same output power, that means more than double the battery life.
Please anybody correct if I am wrong.


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## Paubing60

I hope if they do a mojo 2, the price isn't too much higher then the original

Did the hugo 2 have a significant price difference between the original hugo?


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## iDesign

USB C would be a nice logical progression for the Mojo 2.


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## chihangs

iDesign said:


> USB C would be a nice logical progression for the Mojo 2.


If mojo 2 use usb c then it won’t be able to connect with poly which is micro usb.


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## iDesign

chihangs said:


> If mojo 2 use usb c then it won’t be able to connect with poly which is micro usb.


The Poly creates so many issues. Can you imagine Chord not moving the design of the new Mojo forward because they have to always be concerned about backwards compatibility? That means the devices cannot change in size/shape, move to a new USB standard, etc. etc. Chord's product strategy sometimes feels shortsighted.


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## Hanesu

I want a Mojo/Poly combination in one machine - of course in the size of the Mojo! ☺️


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## Paubing60

Hanesu said:


> I want a Mojo/Poly combination in one machine - of course in the size of the Mojo! ☺️


If Chord made some form of miniature all in one music streamer, I might just need to buy it!


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## BusyPooping

Hanesu said:


> I want a Mojo/Poly combination in one machine - of course in the size of the Mojo! ☺️


That would be interesting!  And kinda sounds expensive.


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## singingbee

Hello everyone! 

Chord will be announcing new exciting products at the hi end munich show may 9 to 12. Hoping mojo 2 will be there. Stay tuned!


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## racebit (May 8, 2019)

singingbee said:


> Hello everyone!
> 
> Chord will be announcing new exciting products at the hi end munich show may 9 to 12. Hoping mojo 2 will be there. Stay tuned!


It probably is the DX digital amp, or the ADC Davina, all high end products, appropriate for this show. A low end such as Mojo2 would be more appropriate for CanJam London in July or CanJam Socal in June.


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## apirat

I’d like to see something slightly more portable than the Mojo. I love my Mojo, but it’s a bear to carry in a pocket.


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## joshnor713

So, so much for that Mojo 2, huh? No portable love at this High End Munich.


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## iDesign (May 9, 2019)

joshnor713 said:


> So, so much for that Mojo 2, huh? No portable love at this High End Munich.


Fortunately Rob Watts is not Tim Cook and the Mojo isn't an iPhone where you should expect an 3G/S, 4/S, 5S/C/E, 6/S/+, 7/+, 8/+, X/S/R cycle. The Mojo in its  current form is still an outstanding device that arguably reshaped the audiophile portable device segment. How many companies exited the portable DAC/Amp category or shuttered since the advent of the Mojo? I can't imagine a meaningful update to the Mojo that is truly needed at this time.


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## joshnor713

iDesign said:


> Fortunately Rob Watts is not Tim Cook and the Mojo isn't an iPhone where you should expect an 3G/S, 4/S, 5S/C/E, 6/S/+, 7/+, 8/+, X/S/R cycle. The Mojo in its  current form is still an outstanding device that arguably reshaped the audiophile portable device segment. How many companies exited the portable DAC/Amp category or shuttered since the advent of the Mojo? I can't imagine a meaningful update to the Mojo that is truly needed at this time.



I don't think anyone is expecting an iPhone-like release schedule. The Mojo came out in 2015, so don't think it's unreasonable to be thinking of a sequel. Yes, the current Mojo is fantastic, but that doesn't mean it can't be improved upon. And we also have the Hugo 2 to go off of as an example.


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## racebit

iDesign said:


> The Mojo in its  current form is still an outstanding device that arguably reshaped the audiophile *portable* device segment.



I don't know (or care) about portable segment, but I can say Mojo is an outstanding *desktop* device.
I would welcome however more output power (4.4mm connector would provide that without requiring any other change), and 768K input as H2. So these two minute changes would expand Mojo capability several fold.


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## singingbee

They announced this and 2 other products which im not interested.
Will wait next for canjam if they will announce the new mojo 2?


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## iDesign (May 10, 2019)

joshnor713 said:


> I don't think anyone is expecting an iPhone-like release schedule. The Mojo came out in 2015, so don't think it's unreasonable to be thinking of a sequel. Yes, the current Mojo is fantastic, but that doesn't mean it can't be improved upon. And we also have the Hugo 2 to go off of as an example.


Each to their own, but I don't subscribe to the consumerist society and throwaway mentality where people are so conditioned that they’re essentially saying, "take my money, I don’t know why I need it but I will buy anything that's new." I would rather see Chord continue developing honest products that are designed without planned obsolescence. Instead I hope they focus on projects like DAVINA that might bring new technologies/leanings that eventually find their way to a complete Mojo successor. "Mojo 2" has become the equivalent of psychological or charm pricing-- Chord can add USB-C and the 768k input as small running changes without needing to market it as a sequel.


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## sodesuka

Yeah uh, I need that USB-C upgrade if nothing else. Don't really care about consumerism stuff or something (nor what people do with their money).


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## Ra97oR

There are a couple of things that need fixing for Mojo 2 and a few things that would be nice to have:

Current issue:
RF noise
Hiss with IEMs
USB C needed for the next gen Mojo
Faster charging

Nice to have:
Less heat but keeping class A output stage
Longer battery life
BT LDAC & aptX HD

Very nice to have:
Built in Poly with uSD card slot


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## warriorpoet

Ra97oR said:


> There are a couple of things that need fixing for Mojo 2 and a few things that would be nice to have:
> 
> Current issue:
> RF noise
> ...


Very, very nice to have, 5mm shorter


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## Alexgbl (Jul 3, 2019)

Hi guys, just writing here personal preferences in case Chord’s marketers are studying public’s to develop their next product:

Generally would like to have HQ “pocket” product for everyday usage with earphones and phone.

1. USB C with magnet, like in new MACs: lots of portable DACs are struggling with occasional disconnections when using on the go in pocket (current Mojo, Shure, etc.)
2. Flatter form factor to put under the the phone as a “sandwich”: would be perfect to have next product in same shape as a middle sized mobile phone (Ultrasone Panther is good example).
3. Concentrate on SQ of amplification section instead of power: better have HQ, but low amplification to use with earphones  (good example: Opus #2 - not powerful, but great for earphones).
4. Bluetooth DAC imbedded: for more active usage experience.

PS: Shape of “Poly” / WiFi section can be same for “sandwich” type connection (good example are A&K’s player+amplifier sandwich constructions)

+1 more, as a fantasy  
Would like to have same DAC that could be connected with phone by NFC (without any dongles)


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## soundperfection

So what would you guys like to see in a chord mojo 2.

I wouldnt mind if it was a little more rectangle shaped and already came with built in music player with a small simple monochrome screen. As for the sound signature I would like it to have it to be a warmer version of the hugo 2.


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## Colors

How about we fix the RFI issues? Thanks.


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## joesuburb

Am I the only one that uses a Dragonfly Red because of the form factor and the MQA support for Tidal?  MQA isn't as important as the form factor to me, but between the two, I just don't bother investing in the Mojo.


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## Earbones (Jul 16, 2019)

I’d like to see an ultra-portable product from Chord, not even necessarily a Mojo 2 (although I’d very much like to see that as well), but a more of a “baby brother” to the Mojo.

-Something without a battery that runs off a USB connection, ultra-low power draw for use with mobile devices.

-Super inky low noise-floor for sensitive IEMs.

Speaking of sensitive IEMs, I wouldn’t mind if the device was designed with them in mind, as in a great DAC paired with a low output amp. I’m so sick of this trend which dictates that every new minuscule device must be capable of powering a cruise ship, at the expense of hissing with IEMs. Who does this even benefit? What kind of jackass goes mobile with some 600 Ohm pair of open backs? If you’re going to haul a two pound planar magnetic with you to Starbucks, man up and get a larger mobile amp. Stop demanding manufacturers ruin every tiny device for us IEM travelers, lol.

But I digress. Anyway...

-Sized similarly to a Dragonfly or Apogee Groove. But skip the obsolete flashdrive design like the Dragonfly (no idea why Audioquest has stuck with that, honestly)... Form factor more like the Groove, but with the usual Chord sculptural qualities.

-A simple, bullet-proof USB-C input. Single 3.5mm output.

-Heavy for it’s size, and with a rubberized base so it stays where you put it.


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## caleb7720

soundperfection said:


> So what would you guys like to see in a chord mojo 2.
> 
> I wouldnt mind if it was a little more rectangle shaped and already came with built in music player with a small simple monochrome screen. As for the sound signature I would like it to have it to be a warmer version of the hugo 2.



A more modern / sharper design would be a welcome change.


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## Wheel Hoss

Just get rid of random ear-piercing pops when I’m connected to my phone and not in airplane mode and I’m golden


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## singingbee

There's no announcement per jude canjam london video. Will it be a surprise?


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## joshnor713

caleb7720 said:


> A more modern / sharper design would be a welcome change.



Will be interesting to see how Chord deals with that in light of the Poly. It wouldn't make sense if the new model isn't compatible with Poly, seeing as how much they've invested in it.


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## soundperfection

I chord dap would be really interesting tho


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## Soundscrayz

I had serious battery issues with both of my shortly owned Mojos, it would be great for the Mojo 2 ot fix that and the RF issue. I quite like the Hugo 2 but the price is a bit hard to stomach


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## 118900 (Aug 25, 2019)

Wheel Hoss said:


> Just get rid of random ear-piercing pops when I’m connected to my phone and not in airplane mode and I’m golden


Might be cable length. A while ago there were issues with iOS not supporting external DACS which was resolved but on one forum I read people saying longer cable lengths eliminated the problem of clicks during sound reproduction.  No idea how or why but maybe worth a try.


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## flyte3333

Soundscrayz said:


> I had serious battery issues with both of my shortly owned Mojos



What battery issues did you have?


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## GDuss

I would like to see it have a desktop mode like the Hugo2, where if you leave it plugged in to power, it keeps the battery charged at a % that is better for long-term battery health (i.e. not 100%).  Or better yet, a mode that can bypass the battery and run entirely on AC power.  Admittedly it is meant to be a portable device, but many people use it as a desktop DAC.


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## racebit

GDuss said:


> I would like to see it have a desktop mode like the Hugo2, where if you leave it plugged in to power, it keeps the battery charged at a % that is better for long-term battery health (i.e. not 100%).  Or better yet, a mode that can bypass the battery and run entirely on AC power.  Admittedly it is meant to be a portable device, but many people use it as a desktop DAC.


My Mojo has been permanently connected to mains and to a desktop PC since the day I received it more than 3 years ago. Never used it mobile. No problems with the battery so far.
You need to note that the battery is an important part of the Mojo sound quality.  Battery is not as good as supercapacitors (TT2) but is much better (SQ wise) than regular power supplies found on normal desktop dacs. Note that when removing the battery of H2 for TT2, Chord put supercapacitors in its place.
A Mojo TT with supercapacitors would be great, although I think it would be much more expensive than Mojo. But something below 2K would be heaven to desktop users who cannot afford TT2.


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## human bass

Ra97oR said:


> There are a couple of things that need fixing for Mojo 2 and a few things that would be nice to have:
> 
> Current issue:
> RF noise
> ...


Maybe they could pattern to use the THX AAA tech. It is very power efficient, therefore generating less heat and improving battery life. Then combine that a balanced output and it will be able to drive hungry headphones for quite some time.


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## brucegill

Prices of the mojo seem to have come down in the UK.


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## paulgc

brucegill said:


> Prices of the mojo seem to have come down in the UK.



Yes, 25% reduction. Not just in the UK! so the question becomes... why???


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## Mightygrey

soundperfection said:


> So what would you guys like to see in a chord mojo 2.
> 
> I wouldnt mind if it was a little more rectangle shaped and already came with built in music player with a small simple monochrome screen. As for the sound signature I would like it to have it to be a warmer version of the hugo 2.


1 x 3.5mm and 1 x 4.4mm inputs. 

LDAC / upgradable Bluetooth. 

Native MicroSD playback. 

USB-C. 

Filter / tuning options. 

No RFI buzzing.


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## .Sup

racebit said:


> I don't know (or care) about portable segment, but I can say Mojo is an outstanding *desktop* device.
> I would welcome however more output power (4.4mm connector would provide that without requiring any other change), and 768K input as H2. So these two minute changes would expand Mojo capability several fold.


Hmm. Can you explain to me how a different connector by itself makes for a higher output? I am genuinely interested.


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## ChrisIsAwesome

I'm also curious about mojo 2 having noticed the price drop from retailers.

I think filter options would be cool in line with hugo2.


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## eugenius

I trust Chord to have the sound quality covered.
What they are weak on is ergonomics/usability. 

I'd like to see:
- field replaceable battery
- well sorted USB-C fast charging
- separate volume control for each output
- input signal detect with auto-switch

Bonus:
- latest Bluetooth
- desktop mode

And of course fixes for:
- no heat problems when playing while charging
- no interference from mobile phones


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## JohnM-73

eugenius said:


> I trust Chord to have the sound quality covered.
> What they are weak on is ergonomics/usability.
> 
> I'd like to see:
> ...



Thumbs up to all the above! If they offered a finish in brushed aluminium (as well as the usual black option) too I think I’d have my perfect transportable DAC!


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## Ike1985

Mightygrey said:


> 1 x 3.5mm and 1 x 4.4mm inputs.
> 
> LDAC / upgradable Bluetooth.
> 
> ...



This man absolutely nailed it, hugo3 should be the same as well.  Chord goes through such difficulty to bring the noise floor down so low and then rf interference completely destroys it. This is one of the greatest benefits of wireless technology.


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## eugenius

I don't see Chord making a balanced Mojo2. They don't like balanced in principle and even Hugo2 doesn't have it. 

I don't see Mojo2 becoming a player either. Unlike hardware, software is hard for a small company.


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## majo123

I too have been wondering about the price drop and it would be nice to see a revision. 
USB C and balanced I would love to see also, maybe chord doesn't like balanced (don't know there stance on this) but industry wise it's a big selling point now and feel if they were or are making a mojo revision then to not go down the balanced road would cost them dearly in today's market....i love mojo truly and it still is a fine dac which easily competes but I pick my daps up for the better layering and stage that balanced on them seems to bring,  a revision maybe all that' is needed though to achieve what I feel is missing....still a great dac though.


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## Bender Rodriguez

I'm thinking the price drop is to compete with the relatively new Dragonfly Cobalt.  I was looking to upgrade from DFR, and the lower price Mojo convinced me to go in that direction rather than get the DFC.


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## eugenius

A price drop would be a bad idea. Launch a much better product and increase the price a bit, to keep your premium status.
People will pay if the ownership experience is excellent. I'm guessing Qutest was a bigger sales success than 2qute, despite the price increase.


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## Satir (Nov 11, 2019)

Just small incremental improvements to existing Mojo. Another vote for Mojo 2 in silver as well as existing black finish. Existing Poly to function with Mojo 2, with Poly offered in silver to match a Mojo 2 in silver. If anyone from Chord Electronics reads these messages, please keep my recommendation in mind with all the others. Keep up the fine work on your excellent audio products.


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## iDesign (Nov 13, 2019)

I understand the desire for the next iteration to work with the Poly but I would hate to see the Mojo return in the same enormous chassis and with it’s inputs/outputs illogically placed on opposing sides— the i/o design was hardly ideal since portable devices are typically carried in a bag or pocket. I will be quite disappointed if Chord doesn’t opt for USB-C and improve the issues with heat and their charging algorithms. Battery failures in the Mojo were all too common and a user replaceable battery and included charger would be welcome changes.


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## jaehuang

More Taps (maybe approaching the Hugo2's tap length of 50k.
Better EMI/RFI shielding (to avoid that occasional mobile phone buzz)
Switchable desktop mode (battery and charge bypass)
USB-C 
Coaxial input that can take the MScaler's output haha
An easy and elegant way to attach the Mojo2 to your mobile phone (built-in magnetic back, magnetic backed cases, etc...)

I'd like to see Chord develop a DAP... but that's unlikely to happen.


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## sabloke

If Chord was really business savvy they would strike a deal with Fiio and develop a DAP with them. Imagine something like the M11 with Chord's DAC in it. Or even better, do it with LG so I can also use my DAp to make phone calls


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## baconStrips1111

I hope that their next iteration has the following features:

Bluetooth: Aptx HD, Ldac

Usb c
An additional mini sd slot
A large internal battery, preferably to be exchanged easily
4.4 mm balanced output
Maybe the option to attach a microphone capability for calls with a phone.

A good app to customize the experience


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## ksorota

I would love to see a kind of docking station for desktop use.  The dock would have reg. component outputs, power input and maybe use a magnetic port connection.  

It would allow the user to have multiple dock setups (home, office) and still use it for portable without having to worry about USB port fatigue.  Also reduce the need for adapters to go from 3.5 to (your port of choice).  Pocketable for the commute in the morning, then throw it on the dock at work which presumably your headphones or speakers are already plugged into.  The power could bypass the battery and allow for low battery degradation when in constant plug in use.


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## Infoseeker

baconStrips1111 said:


> I hope that their next iteration has the following features:
> 
> 
> 
> 4.4 mm balanced output



The balanced output is unneeded
When you have such a clean and powerful single ended output.


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## sabloke

Infoseeker said:


> The balanced output is unneeded
> When you have such a clean and powerful single ended output.



Don't care much about balanced but a 4.4mm port should last longer than a 3.5mm one. Give me a SE 4.4mm port or two


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## nanaholic

sabloke said:


> If Chord was really business savvy they would strike a deal with Fiio and develop a DAP with them. Imagine something like the M11 with Chord's DAC in it. Or even better, do it with LG so I can also use my DAp to make phone calls



That would actually be the most stupid thing ever, one that would be made by management that only looks at short term profit but not the long term business prospects, and thankfully Chord isn't like that.

The only thing that makes Chord products like Mojo and Hugo special is the secretly guarded software written by Rob Watts that resides inside the FPGA chip, even the FPGA chip itself is nothing special which anyone can buy from Xilinx and burn in their own digital-to-analog algorithm. Any risk that could lead to losing Rob's software and source code would literally make Chord go bankrupt as they lose their secret weapon, and partnering with any rival OEM like Fiio will exponentially increase that risk.

The best thing Chord can do and is doing right now is keeping their stuff as secret as possible and only let others connect to their devices externally and can only see their device as nothing but a black box.


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## sabloke (Dec 18, 2019)

nanaholic said:


> That would actually be the most stupid thing ever



Is it really?  A third party wouldn't need access to FPGA chip programming for that. I didn't hear about Sabre or other hi-fi audio chips going out of business for working too closely with Fiio, A&K or LG.


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## nanaholic (Dec 18, 2019)

sabloke said:


> Is it really?  A third party wouldn't need access to FPGA chip programming for that. I didn't hear about Sabre or other hi-fi audio chips going out of business for working too closely with Fiio, A&K or LG.



That's because AKM and ESS Sabre DAC DACs chips are build using physical transistor gates, and OEMs buy fully formed and completed chips from them. To reverse engineer AKM or Sabre DAC chips, you'll need to di-package the DAC chip (difficult to do without breaking anything) and examine the chip transistor layout using electro-microscope to see the physical gate layouts (millions of those on a chip) and connection (billions of those) in the chips, copy that design but still have your own chip fabrication capacity (or source someone to do it for you) to replicate that tech, and none of that is cheap or easy. (You can copy that design and program it using FPGA, but then just buying a FPGA chip would be at least 5-6 times more expensive than buying the chip from AKM or ESS itself, combined with all the previous efforts then why bother?)

If you have the source code for an FPGA, you can burn your own FPGA chip with nothing more than a desktop PC and a standard FPGA connection kit purchased from Xilinx with a few clicks of a button. That's what the F and P standards for - field programmable. You use software to draw up the transistor gate layout virtually on a PC, the software translate that into codes which the chip can then interpret within itself. If you don't give completely formed chips to Fiio or whom ever, whenever they request a change in the programming could give them clues to how the FPGA is programmed and a chance to reverse engineer the code, the risk is much higher and the barrier to replicate the tech is several orders of magnitudes lower - again if I have the code, for less than 10k I can duplicate the FPGA chip used in the Mojo or Hugo - and then just open up a Mojo and copy the electronics inside are you are done, compared to the millions alone that you would need to copy an AKM or ESS Sabre DAC chip.

Completely different beast and technology at work here.


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## SupperTime

No word on MOJO 2?


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## singingbee

SupperTime said:


> No word on MOJO 2?





 maybe CES in january 2020


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## SupperTime

singingbee said:


> maybe CES in january 2020


MOJO 2? With a poly 2?


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## joshnor713

SupperTime said:


> MOJO 2? With a poly 2?



Or Mojo 2 that works with Poly 1. I ain't freakin buying another Poly.


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## nanaholic

SupperTime said:


> MOJO 2? With a poly 2?



With all the Hugo 2 pictures obviously it's going to be the 2Go (Poly for Hugo 2)


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## eugenius (Dec 24, 2019)

Yes, they said Hugo2 will get a streamer companion before. 

I hope they add DSP / Room correction to that, there's no excuse to have a high end digital only product without it in 2020.


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## SupperTime

I'm happy for the Hugo 2 users and potential 2 go module users. 


But I sure would enjoy a MOJO 2
Whatever if may bring over MOJO 1


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## Soundsgoodtome

Are there more solid info here or mojo2 is pure speculation?


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## SupperTime

Sounds like spec now... I don't think
Think we getting one this year


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## psikey

sabloke said:


> If Chord was really business savvy they would strike a deal with Fiio and develop a DAP with them. Imagine something like the M11 with Chord's DAC in it. Or even better, do it with LG so I can also use my DAp to make phone calls


No they wouldn't. Chinese company would just reverse engineer it and create their own version. Not big on honouring patents etc.

Its also why Mojo didn't work with CCK with iPhone as Apple wanted full access to design to approve as a direct ISO sypport.


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## daytrader

I just hope they re-tweak the battery supply so to help battery charging capacity death over time. At the very least a low battery power light to know when to charge on/off, to better manage charging performance.  To many people have claimed poor battery health issues to a point of not holding a charge anywhere near original spec after repeated charging.


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## Charente

I was thinking about getting a MOJO, considering the price they are at now ... my feeling is that Mojo 2 (or whatever) will be quite a price if and when it launches. What do Chord charge for a new battery for the current MOJO ? ... presumably this has to be done in the UK ?


----------



## flyte3333

Any new dealer rumours/speculation about Mojo2?


----------



## mwhals

Charente said:


> I was thinking about getting a MOJO, considering the price they are at now ... my feeling is that Mojo 2 (or whatever) will be quite a price if and when it launches. What do Chord charge for a new battery for the current MOJO ? ... presumably this has to be done in the UK ?



I read that it is $200 for a new mojo battery.


----------



## mwhals

Thinking about a Mojo Poly, but it has been out so long. Hugo 2 is out, so I would expect a Mojo 2 one of these days.


----------



## Hanesu

Once more: I am hoping for a Mojo-Poly-all-in-one-combination in the size of the Mojo!


----------



## mwhals

Hanesu said:


> Once more: I am hoping for a Mojo-Poly-all-in-one-combination in the size of the Mojo!



Hugo 2 still has the 2Go, so I figure Chord will still have a Poly with Mojo 2.


----------



## Hanesu

mwhals said:


> Hugo 2 still has the 2Go, so I figure Chord will still have a Poly with Mojo 2.



But Mojo was the first to have the "2Go" (Poly), so maybe it is the first that does not need it anymore because finally it is integrated!


----------



## gimmeheadroom

Yeah, a DAP from Chord would be the cat's meow. But, I would want hardware MQA support and Chord seems very unlikely to deliver that.

BTW I have had my Mojo for several years and it spent about a year plugged in to a constant USB charge and the last month charging whenever the PC was on. Still runs fine in play+charge mode. I don't use it portably.


----------



## daytrader

gimmeheadroom said:


> Yeah, a DAP from Chord would be the cat's meow. But, I would want hardware MQA support and Chord seems very unlikely to deliver that.
> 
> BTW I have had my Mojo for several years and it spent about a year plugged in to a constant USB charge and the last month charging whenever the PC was on. Still runs fine in play+charge mode. I don't use it portably.


But it sounds better running on dc vs ac, the idea behind the Mojo‘s sound quality along with its portability.  This is why good power supplies matter greatly when using ac.


----------



## Mightygrey

I'd prefer Chord to deliver what they're great at rather than dabbling in software and UI. Just give us a great form-factor, great-sounding DAC with USB-c, good battery, and hi-res bluetooth capability.


----------



## mwhals

I just wonder if it worth buying Mojo and Poly now is just wait.


----------



## 474194 (Apr 19, 2020)

I agree Chord should just focus on core competencies.  Seems like they are trying to re-invent the wheel with the foundational software instead of using proven open-source software.  Not even considering the music software on top of the foundational software which is a questionable choice.

That being said, with current conditions I don't think their will be another Mojo for at least a year plus.  It's like Entertainment studios not releasing any new movies or TV Shows.  Everything is going to be on hold.

I was fortunate enough to make the current Mojo a neutral sounding device with no warmth.  Someone likened it to a Hugo1 signature.  That's my primary for the Mojo2 was a neutral signature.  I have the best of both worlds now, A Hugo1 sound sig + small form factor portability.  Hope to continue the tradition if Mojo2 released one day.


----------



## SupperTime

Mightygrey said:


> I'd prefer Chord to deliver what they're great at rather than dabbling in software and UI. Just give us a great form-factor, great-sounding DAC with USB-c, good battery, and hi-res bluetooth capability.


yes the gofigure app for the poly was and is a disaster


----------



## Mightygrey

AC-12 said:


> I was fortunate enough to make the current Mojo a neutral sounding device with no warmth.


Do you mind if I ask how you did that? Consider me curious.


----------



## 474194 (Apr 21, 2020)

Mightygrey said:


> Do you mind if I ask how you did that? Consider me curious.



I'm running a pure SQ (PCM via CPU via i2S audio bus via optical) signal.  No USB contamination in the chain and then top if off with a glass optical cable (lifts veil) on the source side.  No iOS/Android + Apps re-sampling either in the chain.  Utilising same playback software on $10,000 music streamers.  No RFI.

On the other end running neutral monitors.  Everything measures flat so it was a real surprise it turned out neutral.  Something unexpected, but most welcomed.

Not sure just neutral monitors alone or a combo of zero noise digital source + neutral monitors.

The poster that mentions the Mojo sounds more like the Hugo1 than the Hugo1 with a neutral monitor is a regular on the Chord Summit-Fi threads (has experience with most if not all Chord sigs) whom has owned a Hugo1.  It makes sense as what was learned on the Hugo1 was applied to the Mojo (Hugo 1.5 tech-wise).
 
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-dac-amp-☆★►faq-in-3rd-post-◄★☆.784602/post-15550380
 
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-dac-amp-☆★►faq-in-3rd-post-◄★☆.784602/post-15555583 

I take into consideration cable signatures as well (taught to me by TOTL CIEM Shootout Nic):

IMO (Not Nic's):



Digital Source
Cable
Headphone
OpinionNeutralNeutralNeutralOptimalNeutralWarmNeutralGood, Can be GreatNeutralNeutralWarmGood, Can be GreatNeutralWarmWarmToo WarmWarmNeutralNeutralGood, Can be GreatWarmNeutralWarmToo WarmWarmWarmNeutralToo WarmWarmWarmWarmWar(m) Crime

I don't think many people do as I see pure 'warm' rigs regularly.


----------



## SupperTime

AC-12 said:


> I'm running a pure SQ (PCM via CPU via i2S audio bus via optical) signal.  No USB contamination in the chain and then top if off with a glass optical cable on the source side.  No iOS/Android + Apps re-sampling either in the chain.  Utilising same playback software on $10,000 music streamers.  No RFI.
> 
> On the other end running neutral monitors.  Everything measures flat so it was a real surprise it turned out neutral.  Something unexpected, but most welcomed.
> 
> ...


i want to feed my dac without any usb poop.
i have a cardas cable usb but other that that just using a regular usb port from my laptop, what do you recommend i do to make the signal better?


----------



## 474194

SupperTime said:


> i want to feed my dac without any usb poop.
> i have a cardas cable usb but other that that just using a regular usb port from my laptop, what do you recommend i do to make the signal better?



I'll get back in May as the product is sold out for now.  Due to conditions, I'm not sure when the product will be available again.  I listed some Pro and Cons in another thread, but will copy and paste here.  It really has changed my Chord experience:

Pros:

I can actually listen to RBCDs now.  RW was right all along about RBCD.
PrAT.  The music slows down a bit, takes a deep breathe and then just performs at such a amazing beautiful pace.  I cannot live without this Pro now.  It's like a completely different Chord device.
I can control UI wirelessly with almost zero lag / latency even with an Apple Watch or IR Remote Control which is a great option for portability.
Separation of duties and true Plug-and-Play. Any iOS updates will not cause issues with SQ or connectivity issues.   The back-end handles the processing and the playback.  The front-end only handles the UI.  So no silly re-sampling via iOS or an iOS app.   I'm using Lifatec glass optical so I can swap between Hugo2 and Mojo with no issues, it's just an optical source like a TV/PS4/Mac optical out; but with an audiophile-grade implemention of a WM8804 optical decoder.
It takes away the warmth of the Mojo.  Since I'm using a neutral CIEM monitor.  The combo of an ground loop-free, noise floor-free and rfi/rf noise-free and neutral monitor turns the Mojo into a neutral device.  No warmness at all.  It makes sense since Mojo measures flat but very sensitive to it's environment (USB and RF noise) which may contribute to this warmness.  Those environmental concerns are completely eliminated by going battery-power and optical.
I need a battery pack.
No USB involvement.  PCM data from CPU travels via i2S audio bus to WM8804 optical decoder to Lifatec glass optical.  It's pure SQ at it's finest.  Optical gives the Chord devices better depth for a more 3D sound vs just wide.  RW is a depth fanatic and I'm trying to learn to become one too.
I'm no longer looking at uber-expensive exaggerated TOTL CIEMs.  I'm focusing on neutral flat accurate CIEM monitors only as I'm running the most neutral, accurate, resolute and transparent transportable (Hugo2) along with the most neutral cable (SilverFi R4) one can procure.  Neutral and accurate plays well through different time periods, while exaggerated FOTM comes and go.  It doesn't make sense to me using an exaggerated transducer when everything in the chain measures flat.  This can change tho as having a complete flat neutral foundation allows you to optimise the CIEM whether flat or exaggerated.
The music file plays via RAM not SD card.  RAM > SD card for music playback.
It runs the same back-end / playback software as the highest-end of music streamers.
Cons:

I have to extract SACD redbook layer now instead of DSD stuff.  I try to run everything PCM now.
I need a battery pack.


----------



## Hanesu (Apr 23, 2020)

mwhals said:


> I just wonder if it worth buying Mojo and Poly now is just wait.



Of course in the end only Chord knows, but currently there does not seem to be any sign of a new Mojo in near future....unfortunately. So me personally, I wouldn`t wait....


----------



## Hanesu

AC-12 said:


> I agree Chord should just focus on core competencies.  Seems like they are trying to re-invent the wheel with the foundational software instead of using proven open-source software.  Not even considering the music software on top of the foundational software which is a questionable choice.



On the other hand, I feel traditional audio companies earlier or later _have_ to re-invent the wheel - at least in certain ways. Because audio is envolving in a more and more wireless and cloud based world in that nothing is possible without software anymore. If they don`t start to at least dip their feet into this word, they are going to die the same death as some of the analog camera makers, for example. 

I agree though, that these first steps haven`t been going well for many small companies. I think the intelligent solution would be to cooperate with other companies.


----------



## Facta

Hi. Chord announced an official 25% off on Mojo a while ago that ended recently. How likely a Mojo 2.0 launch be, if one were to take a wild guess, USB C and Bluetooth being much needed additions as accepted by most?


----------



## Earbones (Aug 2, 2020)

Couple months since the last post here... Anybody heard anything? If they are in fact doing a sequel, we’ve gotta be close to hearing some tangible rumors by now...


----------



## gimmeheadroom

My local shop has 25% off Chord still advertised. But they are not showing any new Chord items.


----------



## Facta

gimmeheadroom said:


> My local shop has 25% off Chord still advertised. But they are not showing any new Chord items.



Link,  please?


----------



## gimmeheadroom

Facta said:


> Link,  please?



audigo.cz


----------



## No Disc

474194 said:


> I'll get back in May as the product is sold out for now.  Due to conditions, I'm not sure when the product will be available again.  I listed some Pro and Cons in another thread, but will copy and paste here.  It really has changed my Chord experience:
> 
> Pros:
> 
> ...



What is "The product"  ?


----------



## Celamojo

would be interested to see a new Mojo at the same price range.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

It's time for a Chord Mojo 2.     The Ifi Diablo is now in the market and it competes directly with the Chord Mojo.    The Diablo is a great product.     If Chord stands pat, the Diablo is going to each the Mojo's lunch.     Here is to a Chord Mojo 2 in 2021.


----------



## surfgeorge

I heard a rumor that a Mojo successor was presented to a dealer. But don’t know anything else. Not even sure how reliable that rumor was. So for now just take it as fake news


----------



## alekc

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> It's time for a Chord Mojo 2.     The Ifi Diablo is now in the market and it competes directly with the Chord Mojo.    The Diablo is a great product.     If Chord stands pat, the Diablo is going to each the Mojo's lunch.     Here is to a Chord Mojo 2 in 2021.


I am not considering Diablo as a Mojo replacement since I've ifi micro stack and loosing xbass and 3d makes it pointless in my book since it means loosing some of joy and sound signature I'm looking for in case of ifi. I also do not see Signature as a competent Mojo replacement unless you really need output power to drive power hungry cans considering all the flaws Signature shares with older micro products including channel inbalance on low volume. Still would like to see Mojo upgrade but not necessary in 2021.  If only Chord could make their streaming products better I would consider adding Poly as an upgrade.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

alekc said:


> I am not considering Diablo as a Mojo replacement since I've ifi micro stack and loosing xbass and 3d makes it pointless in my book since it means loosing some of joy and sound signature I'm looking for in case of ifi. I also do not see Signature as a competent Mojo replacement unless you really need output power to drive power hungry cans considering all the flaws Signature shares with older micro products including channel inbalance on low volume. Still would like to see Mojo upgrade but not necessary in 2021.  If only Chord could make their streaming products better I would consider adding Poly as an upgrade.


I don't own any ifi products, so the Diablo was the first I had heard.  It sounds great.    So, if I am in a Hifi store that has both, I'd probably buy the Diablo over the Mojo today.    The Diablo is priced in the gap between the Mojo and the Hugo 2.   Pretty much in the sweet spot that Chord has not introduced a mobile product.

I own both a Mojo and a Poly and I agree that it would be better time spend fixing the Poly than the Mojo.    All of the networking issues need to be fixed and it should do a better job working with a default Player.     Implementing Tidal Connect would go a long way to solving most of its problems.


----------



## paulgc

Yes, Tidal Connect would be an interesting add to the Poly and 2go.


----------



## Earbones (Apr 4, 2021)

Might be time to reconsider how successful a venture the Mojo price-point was for Chord?

We’ve all been assuming that since it was a hit and a bunch of units were sold, that it was a financial win for Chord, and a successor was coming... but this might not be the case. Very often, entry-level products from high-end manufacturers end up costing more than earning, despite healthy sales.

I only bring this up because at this late hour, just going by Chord’s usual timeline of product refreshes, it’s highly likely somebody would have heard or seen _something_ tangible, if a second iteration of the Mojo were in fact coming. Something, anything. A credible rumor, for God’s sake. But there’s nothing. I mean, of course Coronavirus has slowed pretty much all boutique manufacturing, but it was already an old product more than a year ago.

At this point, with zero evidence that Chord is even considering a Mojo sequel, I’d say it’s more likely we’ll see a Hugo 3 than a Mojo 2.

I hate to be a downer, but I just don’t see another Mojo happening. I’d love to be wrong, and I’d be lying if I denied that part of the reason for this post is the hope that somebody over at Chord will spot it and say something, _anything_ to dispute it.

But until that happens, gentlemen, just let me say this: the ancient Mojo is still a terrific-sounding (albeit dated and feature-lacking) DAC by today’s standards. But perhaps it is what it is... a one-and-done that we were lucky to get, not the start of a product line.

The Mojo is dead. Long live the Mojo.


----------



## mikecheck95 (Apr 5, 2021)

Earbones said:


> Might be time to reconsider how successful a venture the Mojo price-point was for Chord?
> 
> We’ve all been assuming that since it was a hit and a bunch of units were sold, that it was a financial win for Chord, and a successor was coming... but this might not be the case. Very often, entry-level products from high-end manufacturers end up costing more than earning, despite healthy sales.
> 
> ...


https://audiofi.net/2021/03/the-right-chord-at-the-right-time/

Is this what you’re looking for?


*What products do you have lined up for release this year?*

I’m sure you don’t really expect me to pre-announce what we have coming through. What I will say is we have been very busy, we expect to launch new mobile and new desktop items, and have been working hard on software updates for 2Go and Poly, and hardware issues that delayed the 2Yu coming to the market.


----------



## kumar402

Wow this thread is running since 2018 and old Mojo is still going strong like a king. Come on guys its HD6X0 of portable DAC


----------



## episiarch

As I see it, Mojo 2 is gated by

Thermal headroom. An FPGA that delivers more compute in the same power/thermal envelope.
Pricing headroom. That more capable FPGA has to be roughly as affordable.
Rob's time. Operating in Mojo's tight power, pricing, and product positioning constraints requires tweaking some tradeoffs.
I don't know how near or far any of those may be right now, but to me each of them is a reason Chord has limits to how often it even has the ability to debut a new Mojo-like product.


----------



## mikecheck95 (Apr 6, 2021)

episiarch said:


> As I see it, Mojo 2 is gated by
> 
> Thermal headroom. An FPGA that delivers more compute in the same power/thermal envelope.
> Pricing headroom. That more capable FPGA has to be roughly as affordable.
> ...


John Franks hinted in an interview that Chord may be releasing new products in their mobile category. Unless they release a revised Poly I’m not sure what else it could be aside from a successor to the Mojo... a new leather case for the mojo? I’m placing my bets (and hopes) that we see a new mojo this year. Also.. look around. Mojos are out of stock everywhere right now.

https://www.xilinx.com/products/silicon-devices/fpga/artix-ultrascale-plus.html

https://audiofi.net/2021/03/the-right-chord-at-the-right-time/


----------



## 538110 (Apr 6, 2021)

There's this too:



> I don't know what specific products John was thinking of, but one of mine has been signed off for production, and production has started.



https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-16272151



> _And we expect to launch possibly four new products in the coming months._



Quote from the audiofi link from previous post.

So two products that has nothing to do with Rob Watts:  2YU and CD Player.  Pass, Rob Watts not involved, not interested.  Easy punt / pass.

At least one Rob Watts product and they mentioned releasing a mobile product, so Hugo3 or Mojo2 or something mobile TT?



> _What I will say is we have been very busy, we expect to launch new mobile and new desktop items_



And probably another product we won't care for like the Huei.


----------



## iFi audio

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> It's time for a Chord Mojo 2. The Ifi Diablo is now in the market and it competes directly with the Chord Mojo. The Diablo is a great product.



Thanks!


----------



## Earbones (Apr 6, 2021)

mikecheck95 said:


> https://audiofi.net/2021/03/the-right-chord-at-the-right-time/
> 
> Is this what you’re looking for?
> 
> ...


It’s definitely not a bad thing to hear.

That said (and maybe he’s just a little more cautious than me), if I were him I’d probably have been a little more forthcoming. Maybe not spill the beans entirely, but certainly give more of an indication if a Mojo successor were in the works or not. If you think about it, a statement of just slightly-more-transparent-vagueness is really a win-win. If you allude that you are not building a Mojo 2 then people are both excited by what you’re working on and will not be disappointed when it drops because they were expecting a Mojo 2. And if you allude that you are building a Mojo 2, then people go bananas, and your vendors start piling up pre-order interest before you even announce it.

I can see situations where my advocating for a more definitive statement would be jumping the gun, but with this scenario... Come on. We’re closing in on eight years since the original Mojo... Nearly a decade. Just say something either way, ha ha.


----------



## mikecheck95 (Apr 6, 2021)

Earbones said:


> It’s definitely not a bad thing to hear.
> 
> That said (and maybe he’s just a little more cautious than me), if I were him I’d probably have been a little more forthcoming. Maybe not spill the beans entirely, but certainly give more of an indication if a Mojo successor were in the works or not. If you think about it, a statement of just slightly-more-transparent-vagueness is really a win-win. If you allude that you are not building a Mojo 2 then people are both excited by what you’re working on and will not be disappointed when it drops because they were expecting a Mojo 2. And if you allude that you are building a Mojo 2, then people go bananas, and your vendors start piling up pre-order interest before you even announce it.
> 
> I can see situations where my advocating for a more definitive statement would be jumping the gun, but with this scenario... Come on. We’re closing in on eight years since the original Mojo... Nearly a decade. Just say something either way, ha ha


On their website... “mobile” is the mojo. The hugo is in its own category. They need to compete with that iFi Diablo if they want a share of the sub 1k portable market. They need something slightly more powerful than the mojo, with fixed battery issues and improved/up-to-date feature set. Reference sound, good measurements.


----------



## 538110 (Apr 6, 2021)

If the mobile category release is a Chord mobile case and the product in production is a desktop dac I will be somewhat disappointed.  With the FAD of USB dongles, there needs to be a balance in the force.  DAPs and USB dongles don't do it for me.  Only Chord will do.  Hugo2 is too burdensome to grab and go.

Because of COVID and dedicating this year to building music streamers (1 portable [in anticipation of a Mojo2], 1 desktop), I'm not ready for a Chord mobile product till end of the year.  But the rest on this thread deserve a Mojo refresh of some sort.  Please don't let it be a Chord mobile case.  _Oh... we partnered with Van Nuys to bring you a official Chord/Van Nuys Mojo/Poly case..._


----------



## Earbones (Apr 6, 2021)

mikecheck95 said:


> On their website... “mobile” is the mojo. The hugo is in its own category. They need to compete with that iFi Diablo if they want a share of the sub 1k portable market. They need something slightly more powerful than the mojo, with fixed battery issues and improved/up-to-date feature set. Reference sound, good measurements.


The Mojo is only the sole representative for mobile on their website because it’s currently the only truly mobile product they make. What they may make in the future for the mobile category is anybody’s guess... and speaks directly to my post that you’re quoting.

If, for instance, the ”new mobile item” that Chord is planning on launching turns out to be dongle with nearly the same performance as the Mojo but in a smaller package and price point, then many folks who were taking Franks’ hints as pointing to a Mojo 2 are going to be somewhat disappointed.

So all I was saying is that with this amount of time since the intro of the original Mojo, perhaps he shouldn’t be _quite_ so coy. A little coyness is fine, but if you’re teasing a Mojo 2, then tease a Mojo 2. Because right now, everybody is going to take any and all “mobile item” hints as proof-positive of a Mojo 2 coming soon. And if the hint is in fact about another product (the above theoretical dongle, for instance) then a lot of people will be disappointed... even if the dongle (or whatever) is a superb product in it‘s own right.

That all said, I absolutely agree that if Chord wants to compete in this segment, then their target needs to be the Diablo... iFi has laid down the gauntlet with that device. It’s a fantastic piece of kit at a price point well below what one would expect to pay for the sound, decoding, and streaming capabilities.


----------



## Poimandres

I was chatting with an authorized US Chord dealer a few weeks ago about ordering a mojo when most places were out of stock.  He stated that they were getting a new shipment in a week or so and that this would be the last shipment of mojo’s as Chord will be releasing the Mojo 2 in a few months.

Here’s to hoping it is true!


----------



## Earbones

Poimandres said:


> I was chatting with an authorized US Chord dealer a few weeks ago about ordering a mojo when most places were out of stock.  He stated that they were getting a new shipment in a week or so and that this would be the last shipment of mojo’s as Chord will be releasing the Mojo 2 in a few months.
> 
> Here’s to hoping it is true!


Here’s hoping indeed!


----------



## mikecheck95

Earbones said:


> The Mojo is only the sole representative for mobile on their website because it’s currently the only truly mobile product they make. What they may make in the future for the mobile category is anybody’s guess... and speaks directly to my post that you’re quoting.
> 
> If, for instance, the ”new mobile item” that Chord is planning on launching turns out to be dongle with nearly the same performance as the Mojo but in a smaller package and price point, then many folks who were taking Franks’ hints as pointing to a Mojo 2 are going to be somewhat disappointed.
> 
> ...


I hear you... I still think (and moreso hope) he was hinting at a Mojo 2. But you’re right...  it could be anything. A mojo, a dongle, a case (haha). It’d be awesome if he had dropped another hint and maybe they will if this gets enough attention. I like Chord... I hope they can pull it off with a diablo competitor. Right now the mojo only beats the Diablo in one major way: cost.


----------



## sabloke

If the new Mojo is not Chord's take on say Fiio BRT5, forget it.


----------



## Earbones

mikecheck95 said:


> *...and maybe they will if this gets enough attention.*


Now we’re on the same page entirely, ha ha


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

I’m





sabloke said:


> If the new Mojo is not Chord's take on say Fiio BRT5, forget it.


It will never happen and if it did, the product would suck.


----------



## sabloke (Apr 7, 2021)

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I’m
> It will never happen and if it did, the product would suck.


Whaaaaat? 😂

Let me tell you what sucked big time: being an early Poly adopter. I still suffer from PTSD from that combo. By the time Chord got working with the third firmware update I was sick of it and sold the pair.

What would be wrong with an LDAC endowed Mojo2 that lives in my pocket on the go and then gets plugged in via USB C cable to my laptop at the office?


----------



## 538110

Poimandres said:


> I was chatting with an authorized US Chord dealer a few weeks ago about ordering a mojo when most places were out of stock.  He stated that they were getting a new shipment in a week or so and that this would be the last shipment of mojo’s as Chord will be releasing the Mojo 2 in a few months.
> 
> Here’s to hoping it is true!



You guys may be on to something instead of /r/conspiracy.  I checked a top US site and Mojos are out of stock.  I've never really seen that happen.


----------



## 538110

IMO, the only Chord competitor's are the FPGA technology at a reasonable price and supply, Rob Watt's health and COVID.  The inability of the FPGA to progress or supply is what limited new Mojo's..  Even if Chord breaks even on Mojos, it's a great Marketing tool or gateway drug to their other products.

Off-the-shelf flavor of the month DACs are NOT.  I'm sure there are tons of forgotten DACs that were here today, gone tomorrow as they easily come and go throughout the Mojo's product cycle.

I'm at the extreme where I rather be waterboarded than to listen to a DAP or off-the-shelf DAC.  I welcome and excited about the possibility of a Mojo2, but I'm just not ready for it because I'm focusing on a desktop rig due to COVID.


----------



## rlanger

I really wanted to get a Chord Mojo to power my Sundaras. But the current form factor (micro USB) and battery issues that I read about really turned me off. So, I bought a cheap amp/dac to tide me over until a new portable Chord unit is released.

The funny thing is that my cheapy amp ticks all of my personal needs boxes... USB-C, a switch to change the amp from battery to USB power so that I can use it in desktop mode, multiple gain levels, bass boost, optional BT with LDAC support, and more than sufficient power to drive my cans.

I'd love all of these things in an updated Mojo, but would be willing to compromise on some features for the big boost in SQ that I expect.


----------



## sabloke

Outroduction said:


> I'm at the extreme where I rather be waterboarded than to listen to a DAP or off-the-shelf DAC.


Interesting. I have found M11 Pro to sound way more engaging, detailed and fun to listen to than Mojo. Sold them both when got an RME ADI-2 DAC that trashed them for sound quality.


----------



## alekc (Apr 7, 2021)

sabloke said:


> Interesting. I have found M11 Pro to sound way more engaging, detailed and fun to listen to than Mojo. Sold them both when got an RME ADI-2 DAC that trashed them for sound quality.



It all comes down to personal preferences and taste however I find it unfair to compare small portable product like Mojo with desktop dac like RME. TT2 is also more musical and detailed than Mojo for example but it is not a fair comparison either.


----------



## musicday

Hopefully Mojo 2 can do more then 750 mW@32 ohms.


----------



## kumar402

I hope in terms of technical advancement and to have more taps inside Mojo, they don't make it as thinner sounding as Hugo2. I enjoy the sound signature of Mojo AS-IS. May be better USB to reject noise etc but please don't  change sound signature.


----------



## mikecheck95 (Apr 8, 2021)

sabloke said:


> Interesting. I have found M11 Pro to sound way more engaging, detailed and fun to listen to than Mojo. Sold them both when got an RME ADI-2 DAC that trashed them for sound quality.


I found the mac better than the old mojo in some ways too


----------



## 538110 (Apr 8, 2021)

sabloke said:


> Interesting. I have found M11 Pro to sound way more engaging, detailed and fun to listen to than Mojo. Sold them both when got an RME ADI-2 DAC that trashed them for sound quality.



We are all at different stages in this hobby.  I prioritise listening fatigue and healthy listening (low volume).  I get great dynamics with the Hugo2 even at low volumes.  I'm just hoping the Mojo2 can complement the Hugo2 for on the go use case.

The Chord devices also scale depending on what you feed them.  I don't treat Chord portable devices like DAPs.  I treat them like if I was running a Chord DAVE or TT2.  So I run them from the backend music software (Summit-Fi music servers) side of things not via the frontend (iOS, Android, Chi-Fi SW).  Also, the Chord devices didn't resonate when I went USB.  Once I switched to optical, everything changed for the better.

I also use clocks on my portable sources as that improves the musicality, ooh soundstage, air, dynamics, refined highs, precise imaging, layered bass, etc.  My goal is to obtain military-use clocks (missile guidance systems) for the portable source.  Right now I'm just using a HiFi clock that you would typically find in Summit-Fi music servers.  Once you pass Summit-Fi clocks, that's State of the Art clocks category.  I hope I can get there.




BTW, have you ever been to the Mike Ball Great White Shark tour?  Or that's just for tourists.


----------



## sabloke

Can't see the point of Mojo as a mobile device if it performs best over coax or optical. Seriously, how how many phones with coax or optical output have you seen out there? You are also suggesting now there should be a DDC device between my Mojo and the phone? When riding public transport?   
As a desktop proposition, why go Mojo when for less money you can have a better standalone DAC?


----------



## 538110 (Apr 8, 2021)

It's either an USB cable or optical cable.  Pick your poison.  The DAC is not going to source itself.  Maybe lucky if the Mojo2 has an embedded eMMC or microSD.

I don't use a phone, I use a battery-powered SBC.  It's about 50mm all-around, so it's pocketable.  I use a rotary encoder and an IR remote for the controls and a 50mm German OLED display.  Nothing Chi-Fi in my system besides the battery, not even the OLED.

Like I said, we are all at different stages in this hobby.  And have different preferences.  I like pineapple on my pizza.  Maybe at another stage, I won't like pineapple on my pizza.  For now I like UK refined SQ.  Off-the-shelf DACs are like those Fast and Furious cars that pull out besides me a few times a week, blasting loud distorted exaggerated SQ.  They think they are all about SQ.  Maybe at one stage I was like that too, blasting loud music as if it were SQ.  But now I'm at the stage were I prefer refined UK SQ with zero background noise at a low volume.

The Mojo is a complement.  I know I'm at the extreme and I don't expect anyone to forego the convenience of a DAP.  But that's what DAPs are, convenience, not SQ.

Anyways, the Mojo2 is a distraction this year.  I need to focus on my desktop rig.  It's a tough grind as there is a lot of manual labor involved and a big rabbit hole.  I'm at the extreme here too as I only use battery power.  I don't use mains power.  Like I said, no fatigue, no noise.  Just pure unadulterated UK refined sound.  If you prefer off-the-shelf Chi-Fi sound, more power to you.  I'll check back here at Mojo2 release.  Crossing fingers, but again I'm not ready for a Mojo2 but if it's an option...


----------



## Mediahound

I'm suspecting there is going to be a replacement to the Mojo soon if not only because the official retail price of the Mojo was recently lowered from like $699 US to $499.


----------



## kumar402

Mediahound said:


> I'm suspecting there is going to be a replacement to the Mojo soon if not only because the official retail price of the Mojo was recently lowered from like $699 US to $499.


I guess it was launched at MRP of $599


----------



## GoldenOne




----------



## Mediahound

GoldenOne said:


>



These are potentially fake and are from:

https://www.olx.pl/d/oferta/wzmacni...hBlyCAovIBxmoPS6FLE_0ozUYrMscG6WGXx_hrcqJ2o1c

But if real, what is the 'M' button? I'm guessing a mini built-in  M-Scaler?


----------



## 538110 (Apr 28, 2021)

She's a beauty.  Thxs for sharing...

EDIT:  NVM, ignore until official announcement and photos of official packaging.  It just seems like just a plain white box.

Glad I dedicated this year on digital source.  Would be getting too hyped for a Mojo2 otherwise...  I don't think I could handle the hype.


----------



## GoldenOne

Mediahound said:


> These are potentially fake and are from:
> 
> https://www.olx.pl/d/oferta/wzmacni...hBlyCAovIBxmoPS6FLE_0ozUYrMscG6WGXx_hrcqJ2o1c
> 
> But if real, what is the 'M' button? I'm guessing a mini built-in  M-Scaler?


Yeah they could be. Though seemingly quite convincing if they are fake (hard to see the finish properly with the plastic in the way though).
I'm not sure what the M would be.
There haven't exactly been a huge number of improvements in FPGA capability in recent years afaik so for the mojo to suddenly include MScaler capability would be....surprising and likely eat into demand for their other products.


We'll have to wait and see I guess!


----------



## musicday (Apr 28, 2021)

Something great is coming in the next couple of months.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

GoldenOne said:


> Yeah they could be. Though seemingly quite convincing if they are fake (hard to see the finish properly with the plastic in the way though).
> I'm not sure what the M would be.
> There haven't exactly been a huge number of improvements in FPGA capability in recent years afaik so for the mojo to suddenly include MScaler capability would be....surprising and likely eat into demand for their other products.
> 
> ...


Is that's a fake, it's a really good one.   Hopefully, this is it.


----------



## iDesign

Clicks, adds to cart, and checks out. I’d like to gift my existing Mojo to a family member and the Mojo2 timing is perfect.


----------



## Mediahound

I suspect the 'M' button is indeed a mini MScaler button. Hint here from this livestream today where Colin from Chord says there will be some surprising Chord tech. inside new products:


----------



## GoldenOne

Mediahound said:


> I suspect the 'M' button is indeed a mini MScaler button. Hint here from this livestream today where Colin from Chord says there will be some surprising Chord tech. inside new products:



I imagine a dave successor is likely in the works. 

In regards to mscaler, honestly it wouldn't surprise me. If you look at the actual internals of the mscaler the chassis could likely be about 1/8th the current size.

Its more a question of will it eat into profits/revenue.

There isn't exactly much m-scaler competition other than something like hqplayer. And it certainly seems to sell well so I'm not sure if making it obsolete would be good from a business standpoint.

But maybe they're figuring that it would be a good way to get people to upgrade if they had it integrated into the next version of all the chord dacs (I can't imagine they'd have it in mojo but not bigger stuff).


----------



## Mediahound

GoldenOne said:


> In regards to mscaler, honestly it wouldn't surprise me. If you look at the actual internals of the mscaler the chassis could likely be about 1/8th the current size.



Rob Watts has stated that for the number of taps and amount of real-time processing the MScaler does, the size of the chassis is fully appropriate due the fan-less design for thermal cooling. The heart of the MScaler (near the underside rear) runs very hot and the chassis acts like a big heatsink.  

If a Mojo 2 has a mini MScaler in it, you can bet it will be a lot less taps.


----------



## GoldenOne

Mediahound said:


> Rob Watts has stated that for the number of taps and amount of real-time processing the MScaler does, the size of the chassis is fully appropriate due the fan-less design for thermal cooling. The heart of the MScaler (near the underside rear) runs very hot and the chassis acts like a big heatsink.
> 
> If a Mojo 2 has a mini MScaler in it, you can bet it will be a lot less taps.


I think the thing is though, the whole point of the mscaler is to allow for more intensive filters than could be run on the dac itself. 

Im not sure why they would have the option on the new mojo to enable/disable a 'better' filter other than mayyybe for battery life reasons?

It just seems an odd thing to have as an option rather than an integrated feature.


----------



## alekc

GoldenOne said:


> There isn't exactly much m-scaler competition other than something like hqplayer. And it certainly seems to sell well so I'm not sure if making it obsolete would be good from a business standpoint.



Depends on how would you define m-scaler competitor, but there are other software players like Audirvana that can handle upsampling despite hqplayer being most advanced in terms of settings. There are also other cd players/transports that can upsample just like Chord Blu. Simply other manufactures are not offering their upsampling hardware in a separate case as additional product like Chord does.


----------



## joshnor713

Probably a "Mode" button. Weren't a lot of people complaining about not having a "desktop mode" (not wanting to go thru the battery)?


----------



## alekc

Mediahound said:


> These are potentially fake and are from:
> 
> https://www.olx.pl/d/oferta/wzmacni...hBlyCAovIBxmoPS6FLE_0ozUYrMscG6WGXx_hrcqJ2o1c
> 
> But if real, what is the 'M' button? I'm guessing a mini built-in  M-Scaler?



olx is known service in Poland for selling mostly used stuff and has long record of scams. If this is the original source of the pictures that it must be fake.


----------



## Mediahound

joshnor713 said:


> Probably a "Mode" button. Weren't a lot of people complaining about not having a "desktop mode" (not wanting to go thru the battery)?



This actually makes more sense.


----------



## GoldenOne

alekc said:


> Depends on how would you define m-scaler competitor, but there are other software players like Audirvana that can handle upsampling despite hqplayer being most advanced in terms of settings. There are also other cd players/transports that can upsample just like Chord Blu. Simply other manufactures are not offering their upsampling hardware in a separate case as additional product like Chord does.


True. Though most of them seem to have drawbacks in various ways. 

Some of them there is very little info about the actual design or specification of the filter used, and so the benefit is questionable.

And others like many of the CD transports, cannot work as a usb ddc like the mscaler.

Personally my preferred tool for sound quality alone is still hqplayer and I found that I preferred the sound of it (and the flexibility) compared to the mscaler. But still nothing beats the mscaler's plug-and-play convenience.

It would be nice to see a new mscaler at a reduced cost as the current price is... Well prohibitive to most to say the least.


----------



## alekc

GoldenOne said:


> True. Though most of them seem to have drawbacks in various ways.
> 
> Some of them there is very little info about the actual design or specification of the filter used, and so the benefit is questionable.
> 
> ...



This why I've said it depends on how you define competitor to m-scaler. As for information about actual design I would also argue that exact implementation is not know in case of m-scaler unless I've missed some technical data? 

Indeed: reduced cost m-scaler would be a very interesting option however looking at Chord and other manufactures marketing strategy I wouldn't count on anything cheaper. The tendency is to introduce new producst with higer price tags. This also applies to Mojo segment where ifi had increased pricing for their new transportable dac/amps products and micro iDSD Signature predecessor: micro BL has been constantly mentioned as Mojo direct competitor or even killer.

Honestly speaking I think that best "gift" we could receive from Chord would be streaming solution, one that works flawlessly, out-of-the-box.


----------



## rlanger

Just the inclusion of micro-USB makes me believe there's no chance that this is a real product. If Chord chooses to release a product in 2021 with micro-USB, it's DOA IMO.


----------



## Mediahound

rlanger said:


> Just the inclusion of micro-USB makes me believe there's no chance that this is a real product. If Chord chooses to release a product in 2021 with micro-USB, it's DOA IMO.



They probably have to because that's how the Poly connects.


----------



## rlanger

Mediahound said:


> They probably have to because that's how the Poly connects.


Well, they don't "have to". Obviously they can choose to abandon Poly compatibility if they want to. IMO, they will lose more sales than they will gain from current Poly owners, if they don't include USB-C. 

Are they likely to piss a lot of people off? Probably. But I think the better solution would be to provide an upgrade path for current Poly owners.


----------



## Mediahound

The leaked pictures have now been taken offline from the link previously shared.



rlanger said:


> Obviously they can choose to abandon Poly compatibility if they want to. IMO, they will lose more sales than they will gain from current Poly owners, if they don't include USB-C.



The pics did show a USB-C port as well.


----------



## rlanger (Apr 28, 2021)

Mediahound said:


> The pics did show a USB-C port as well.


Yes, that's right. Just noticed that. Unfortunately, appears to be only a data port. Still need micro for charging. 🤮


----------



## joshnor713

As a Poly user, glad to see they haven't abandoned us


----------



## rlanger

joshnor713 said:


> As a Poly user, glad to see they haven't abandoned us


Of course. Still speculation, but it certainly offers a glimmer of hope.


----------



## sabloke (Apr 28, 2021)

The next Mojo will have a solid state battery to last a couple of weeks, an improved M-Scaler built-in, a 0.29 femto gagiligooglesecond re-clocking USB type C and I2S inputs, along with dual AES, coaxial and optical of course, and 2.5 million taps to match the next version of Dave. I read all this on a Chinese site that is in the know, so it must be true. Oh, and it will cost about $300, give not take $499.


----------



## 538110 (Apr 28, 2021)

Nothing to see here.  It seem like first-hand photos at first, but they are not the orginal poster's photos.

It's probably from a third-party company like Fidelizer which does Chord mods:

https://fidelizer-audio.com/tag/chord/




So if you see a Mojo with 2.5 termination and cosmetically change the logo by adding a subscript '2', you can easily mistaken it as a new 'Mojo2'.

Also, RW stated it's very difficult to even consider a HMS + DAC in one desktop unit much less for portable use.

Keep up the good work on the speculation front.  Seems like it's still out of stock and pls update on retail price changes.

Unfortunately, it looks like a USB-C mod.  It seems like a good attempt, but looks very knock-offish.  But then again, maybe they needed to make it backwards-compat for Poly users, so major overhaul internally but slight modifications externally.  If online photos were taken down, then it's /r/conspiracy time.  But then again, it wasn't a official retail Chord shop.  Just a rando website.


----------



## mikecheck95

Exciting news but do you really think chord would make something that looks like this?


----------



## Mediahound

mikecheck95 said:


> Exciting news but do you really think chord would make something that looks like this?



Yes.


----------



## 538110

That's another thing, the user interface seems off.  It doesn't seem like a professional layout, just something bolted on.

Also, Chord does a good job of keeping their movie scripts tight.  No leaks, no spoilers.


----------



## mikecheck95 (Apr 28, 2021)

Outroduction said:


> That's another thing, the user interface seems off.  It doesn't seem like a professional layout, just something bolted on.
> 
> Also, Chord does a good job of keeping their movie scripts tight.  No leaks, no spoilers.


The only thing I can think of is that they needed it to keep working with the Poly…. Honestly, I’d still buy it if it looked like this.


----------



## 538110 (Apr 28, 2021)

Oh, and Chord Mojo's packaging is tight and efficient so they can move product like Amado.

They wouldn't package in a huge plain white box.


----------



## Mediahound

Outroduction said:


> Oh, and Chord Mojo's packaging is tight and efficient so they can move product like Amado.
> 
> They wouldn't package in a huge plain white box.



Original Mojo box was very similar:






Although they did update the packaging a few years later.


----------



## mikecheck95 (Apr 28, 2021)

Mediahound said:


> Original Mojo box was very similar:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ya we have no idea if the packaging is “plain white” or what. Their packaging of their higher end products isn’t exactly sleek…

I’m still skeptical though…

what are you guys thinking? Should I be the guinea pig and try to order this from the sketchy Polish site?


----------



## 538110 (Apr 29, 2021)

Mediahound said:


> Original Mojo box was very similar:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Corrected.  Cheers.  Guess I'm in need of a Mojo2 since I'm a bit outdated.

If you get a chance can you go to https://archive.org/ and plug in any websites you have seen 'Mojo2' photos?

I want to try to see the before on photos taken down.

Your recent photo shows nice clear vacuum sealed plastic wrapping while the "Mojo2" photos posted seems a bit used and loose.  Maybe a lighting issue.


----------



## mikecheck95

Outroduction said:


> Corrected.  Cheers.  Guess I'm in need of a Mojo2 since I'm a bit outdated.
> 
> If you get a chance can you go to https://archive.org/ and plug in any websites you have seen 'Mojo2' photos?
> 
> I want to try to see the before on photos taken down.


I think if this is a legit Mojo 2 then the release is likely imminent. Either reviewers have been sent samples or there are units in back rooms waiting for the release to be announced. Where would it come from otherwise? Unless Chord is trying to build some hype... which is smart, and fun... wouldn't be out of character.


----------



## Mediahound

mikecheck95 said:


> I think if this is a legit Mojo 2 then the release is likely imminent. Either reviewers have been sent samples or there are units in back rooms waiting for the release to be announced. Where would it come from otherwise? Unless Chord is trying to build some hype... which is smart, and fun... wouldn't be out of character.



Colin from Chord announced in a livestream today (linked previously in this thread) that they have 3 new products set for release the 1st quarter of 2021, which is basically any time now.


----------



## sabloke

We are already in the second quarter but OK


----------



## Mediahound

sabloke said:


> We are already in the second quarter but OK


Maybe he said first half of 2021.


----------



## mikecheck95

Mediahound said:


> Colin from Chord announced in a livestream today (linked previously in this thread) that they have 3 new products set for release the 1st quarter of 2021, which is basically any time now.


I thought he said first half? (I'm watching right now) Still very exciting. Wouldn't be surprised if we see it in early May... Every shop, far and wide, has been sold out of the Mojo it seems. I do hope they have sorted the battery issues with the Mojo.


----------



## 538110 (Apr 29, 2021)

Just make sure to buy from official Chord retail shop.  It's a pandemic, planned dates super iffy.

Original Mojo thread started October 2015:

Chord Events:



Makes sense if you want to sell during holidays.


----------



## Triode User

GoldenOne said:


> It just seems an odd thing to have as an option rather than an integrated feature.


If a feature soaks up battery then you might want to be able to disengage?


----------



## mikecheck95

GoldenOne said:


> I think the thing is though, the whole point of the mscaler is to allow for more intensive filters than could be run on the dac itself.
> 
> Im not sure why they would have the option on the new mojo to enable/disable a 'better' filter other than mayyybe for battery life reasons?
> 
> It just seems an odd thing to have as an option rather than an integrated feature.


Perhaps to change the sample rate... or to turn it off for video playback.


----------



## chihangs

Super excited to the mojo2 …. Would be perfect if it works with poly and big improvement on sound quality


----------



## 538110 (Apr 29, 2021)

Me 2.  I'm scraping websites left and right to find the source of those photos or anything resembling Mojo2.  Anything leaking from dealers and distributors.  Intl websites are more difficult tho because they don't get cached or archived as domestic sites.

After a few hours have to give up.  Need food.


----------



## Mediahound

Of note, Chord has not stated the pics are fake.


----------



## lawshredpower

Perhaps someone got hold of those pics and decided to scam someone on polish OLX. Who knows?

Looks pretty Chord-y to me, especially that utterly unforgivable micro USB and USB-C jerry rig. Why not all USB C?

FIY, we had leaked photos of the 2Go for a while before dealers had any idea about it. A trustworthy dealer told when it comes to launches Chord lets them know usually at the same time as the customers or maybe a little before. So it's hard to get privileged info from dealers. Let's wait. I'm getting that Mojo2 anyway


----------



## Mediahound

lawshredpower said:


> Why not all USB C?



Because then it would not fit the Poly.


----------



## Baten

Mediahound said:


> Because then it would not fit the Poly.


That sounds like a bad design decision..


----------



## Mediahound

Baten said:


> That sounds like a bad design decision..



Not to me. The Poly is a fairly new product. It would be stupid to come out with a new Mojo that does't work with it. At least with this new Mojo 2, it appears to get the best of both since it also has USB-C.


----------



## CJG888

Frankly, that USB-C socket looks like it has been photoshopped on…


----------



## Mediahound

CJG888 said:


> Frankly, that USB-C socket looks like it has been photoshopped on…


Agreed although it's difficult to see it clearly since it's under a bag. Overall it looks quite Chord like though.


----------



## lawshredpower

Baten said:


> That sounds like a bad design decision..


Yeah, Poly’s an awful product. I’d like a Poly 2 as well. Without that constantly depleting battery and all the other issues.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

lawshredpower said:


> Yeah, Poly’s an awful product. I’d like a Poly 2 as well. Without that constantly depleting battery and all the other issues.


The Poly is fine.   It's the software that sucks.   If they fix the software, the Poly/Mojo would be fantastic.    Until they fix it, you are better off pairing your Mojo with a DAP.


----------



## 538110

Mediahound said:


> Of note, Chord has not stated the pics are fake.



Nice.  Back channel verification.  Having difficulty finding "fakes" or "mods" of the photos leans it may be a leak.  But since this isn't a Ming-Chi Kuo leak, still need some skepticism.

Very fun thread tho.  It's like rumors of a sport(s) player getting traded that would likely not happen, but now it's leaning like a the trade may happen.


----------



## 538110

Mediahound said:


> Not to me. The Poly is a fairly new product. It would be stupid to come out with a new Mojo that does't work with it. At least with this new Mojo 2, it appears to get the best of both since it also has USB-C.



Yes, if I invested twice the costs of a Mojo1 into a Poly; I would be upset if I could not use Poly with a Mojo2.


----------



## 538110 (Apr 29, 2021)

Like I always stress, we are all at different stages.  There are other more options out there more robust than the Poly for portable if you are not at the beginning stages.  One has to find out for themselves.  I guess it's difficult if your level is just how to install an app on a phone or your tech limitations is looking for a Chi-Fi solution.

For example, when you get a TT2 you start off with an iPhone/iPad but your TT2 ends up sounding like a DAP.  That's fine, your world is limited to that Apple ecosystem.  Same thing with Chi-Fi, your limited to that world.  But once you evolve and move to different stages, your world opens up for desktop as well as for portable:






ray-dude's system.

You just have to keep an open mind and when you level up stage.  Do you really want to run a TT2 with a iPhone or Chi-Fi DAP?  Same with Mojo2, if not for convenience-sakes, do you really want to bottleneck the Mojo2?  It's up to oneself to find out what's best for them, but there are other portable solutions out there if you don't limit yourself.  But I understand as Mojo is targeted towards the barely can install an app on the iPhone crowd.


----------



## thehutch

I’m pretty convinced this is photoshopped now that I looked closely at the USB-C. The module sticks out the bottom of the unit, which means it won’t sit flat on a table. No way that’s a real design choice, even for Chord…


----------



## Mediahound (Apr 29, 2021)

thehutch said:


> I’m pretty convinced this is photoshopped now that I looked closely at the USB-C. The module sticks out the bottom of the unit, which means it won’t sit flat on a table. No way that’s a real design choice, even for Chord…



There's probably a little lip protrusion there on the edge. It's not that unusual on products with curved edges. My cordless phone has that for the mini jack for plugging in a headset.


----------



## thehutch

Mediahound said:


> There's probably a little lip protrusion there on the edge. It's not that unusual on products with curved edges. My cordless phone has that for the mini jack for plugging in a headset.


the other images don’t show that – you can see both sides look flat on the edge but the USB-C port sticks out


----------



## Mediahound

thehutch said:


> the other images don’t show that – you can see both sides look flat on the edge but the USB-C port sticks out



Yeah, it would just be around that port only. It's a way for manufacturers to put a jack on a curved edge, without having to make the entire device thicker.


----------



## miketlse

Outroduction said:


> Even if Chord breaks even on Mojos, it's a great Marketing tool or gateway drug to their other products.


I would hope they made a profit, given that they have shipped so many, although they probably had to reinvest a lot of it, back into the various updates to the Poly firmware and GoFigure app.


----------



## lawshredpower

thehutch said:


> I’m pretty convinced this is photoshopped now that I looked closely at the USB-C. The module sticks out the bottom of the unit, which means it won’t sit flat on a table. No way that’s a real design choice, even for Chord…



Probably the rubber feet would be taller than that so it sits flat, if that’s the real deal


----------



## surfgeorge

I'll say I am not a fan of the design, but I am pretty convinced that this device is real.
I cannot imagine that anyone who creates a fake image would do so with a plastic wrapping.
I am still hoping that it is only a functional prototype, because that stuck-on USB-C for digital input looks aweful.

Would be good news for Poly-owners, but I would have preferred a clean slate approach.
I also cannot imagine that the "M" button refers to M-Scaler functions and believe the "Mode" interpretation is much more likely.
Most likely to activate desktop mode, maybe also some filtering options.

The biggest question seems to be how much has been changed under the hood.
Is it just a bug fix of the original Mojo, or is it a real upgrade?

I'll definitely wait for reliable feedback before considering buying one.
The original Mojo still has amazing SQ for the price and package, and I can't see myself letting it go.
If I don't need it as a portable unit anymore I might just build a network player with a RPi and Allo Digione HAT
That would be a mighty little player!


----------



## mammal

surfgeorge said:


> Is it just a bug fix of the original Mojo, or is it a real upgrade?


I read on Watts Up thread that Rob only releases new products when there is significant SQ improvement. I would have assumed a silent revision to address issues with the current product.


----------



## mikecheck95 (Apr 30, 2021)

Mediahound said:


> There's probably a little lip protrusion there on the edge. It's not that unusual on products with curved edges. My cordless phone has that for the mini jack for plugging in a headset.


It might not be unusual however when Chord talked about the aesthetic of the mojo they said they wanted it to look/feel like a smooth pebble I kind of struggle to see how this protrusion fits into that vision. Unless it's more subtle than it looks in the photo. As much as we tell ourselves it's about the music and the sound quality... people generally don't buy things that don't also look good and/or have a quality build. We need to keep in mind that Apple is the largest tech company by revenue and they basically got there by not only creating good products but also by having the aesthetic and build sorted.


----------



## 538110 (Apr 30, 2021)

miketlse said:


> I would hope they made a profit, given that they have shipped so many, although they probably had to reinvest a lot of it, back into the various updates to the Poly firmware and GoFigure app.



Mojo is a hit, whether profitably or HiFi impact.

But for Poly, I don't know if that cuts into the Mojo bottom line with it's probably higher than expected R&D costs.

IMO, Poly uses a $5 SBC.  Those $5 SBCs have sub-standard USB internals and ports as well as sub-standard 2.4 GHz WiFi.  They are even notorious for networking and USB data to intermingle with each other within the bandwidth allotted.  What you are paying for is Chord R&D / software / convenience / battery convenience / brand name.  Plus an aircraft aluminum case.  It's looks nice from the outside, but easy pass if I was shopping for a SBC and researched the internals.  Since your the closest thing to a Chord Insider, if you can get a hold of BOM (Bill of Materials), we can verify the SBC.  This is mainly a Financial perspective.

The software is also available freely and has been around for two decades.  They didn't innovate anything, just developed an interface to connect to the free software.

Yes, we should hope for Chord to make a profit.  I would hate to ever revert back to a off-the-shelf DAC.  That's just torture.


----------



## shizzin

Looks like a DIY to me and done is such a way as to even support the Poly still. USB-C would be welcome.


----------



## miketlse

Outroduction said:


> Mojo is a hit, whether profitably or HiFi impact.
> 
> But for Poly, I don't know if that cuts into the Mojo bottom line with it's probably higher than expected R&D costs.
> 
> ...



Your opinion is correct at the level of 'it is a computer fabricated on a single board'.
However no need for a BOM.
Just view the images on this wiki page, and you can see that Poly uses a circuit board custom designed by www.disignconsultants.com , who were also responsible for the software. I remember in the early days of the Poly thread, there was mention that they had specific design skills in RFI suppression/elimination. Owners posting about Poly enabling a 'dark background' to quiet music passages, provides evidence that the circuit board performs very well in terms RFI/electrical noise.

In conclusion, yes you can describe the Poly as a SBC, but it won't be a $5 SBC like the ones sold daily in their tens of thousands on Amazon.


----------



## Tanalasta

Whatever the implementation for Poly/Mojo2 is, I hope that it is better than that of the 2Go. 

The 2.4Ghz wifi has been frustrating. The previous owner sent back 3 units concerned it didn't work. It took me 30 minutes to troubleshoot the 2Go not even finding my wifi network before I realised I had to change my wifi router 2.4Ghz  channel to Channel 1 rather than Auto. (I did a back/forth and viola, the 2Go couldn't connect the moment I changed to channel 13 or Auto). And the connection between my GoFigure app on iPhone12Pro is also laggy and sometimes does not find the 2Go. The submit button for manual network entry didn't work on iOS (I had to download the GoFigure app on my Fiio m11Pro which is my only android device)

Look, I love the Hugo2/2Go combination and am listening to it as we speak (ROON -> 2Go/Hugo2 -> Empyrean). If the Mojo2/Poly was a smaller yet superior device, I'd be surprised. I auditioned the TT2 today and came away impressed with the further clarity and detail compared to the H2. Chord fits a lot of capability into a small footprint. Then I listened to the DCS Bartok but that's another story. 

With every generation, technology brings the gap closer as the higher end stuff trickles down.


----------



## 538110 (May 1, 2021)

miketlse said:


> Your opinion is correct at the level of 'it is a computer fabricated on a single board'.
> However no need for a BOM.
> Just view the images on this wiki page, and you can see that Poly uses a circuit board custom designed by www.disignconsultants.com , who were also responsible for the software. I remember in the early days of the Poly thread, there was mention that they had specific design skills in RFI suppression/elimination. Owners posting about Poly enabling a 'dark background' to quiet music passages, provides evidence that the circuit board performs very well in terms RFI/electrical noise.
> 
> In conclusion, yes you can describe the Poly as a SBC, but it won't be a $5 SBC like the ones sold daily in their tens of thousands on Amazon.



Thanks for the links.  I'll take a look in more detail when I have time.  I must have mistaken the Poly and the 2Go share the same board.  It's been a long time, but I remember someone posting details of the 2Go board which led me to the $5 SBC conclusion since I'm famliar with the 2Go SBC brand.

I admire your Chord can do no wrong passion.  I'm a SQ geek first so if something doesn't suit me I just move on to something that does.  I would not mind Poly for convenience, but when it comes to SQ first I need to find my own path.

My portable Music Server should compete with $3K desktop music servers and once I implement state of the art military-use clocks it should compete in the $5k-$10k.  If I just needed something for convenience, Poly should be fine if it's working solidly.

I just love where we are at with the options available at this time to pair a nice battery-powered Music Server with a portable/transportable Chord DAC.

I just want to make aware there's more out there if you keep an open mind than being locked up in an iOS/Android/Chi-Fi ecosystem where SQ is constrained and possibly resampled.

For some, buying a Chi-Fi 90 degree cable, Chi-Fi DAP, Poly or installing an app is a exciting solution and that's fine.  Since I'm a geek first, that just doesn't do it for me.

I'm out until something more official.


----------



## miketlse (May 2, 2021)

Outroduction said:


> Thanks for the links.  I'll take a look in more detail when I have time.  I must have mistaken the Poly and the 2Go share the same board.  It's been a long time, but I remember someone posting details of the 2Go board which led me to the $5 SBC conclusion since I'm famliar with the 2Go SBC brand.
> 
> I admire your Chord can do no wrong passion.  I'm a SQ geek first so if something doesn't suit me I just move on to something that does.  I would not mind Poly for convenience, but when it comes to SQ first I need to find my own path.
> 
> ...


You certainly misjudge me if you think that I have a Chord can do no wrong passion.
I have a passion for engineering, and I believe that Chord (plus Rob) have designed/engineered some excellent analogue and digital products. So I count myself as a Chord fan.

However all firms have strong areas and weaker areas, and for a long time I have had the opinion that for Chord, their weaker areas are the need to outsource streamer software, and the difficulty to balance maintaining a strong social media presence on head-fi v the human manhours that are needed to do it properly.
The comment about social media is not a specific dig at Chord, because many hifi manufacturers face the same difficulty, as described in this attached Andrew Everard article.
I openly admit that I have communicated with Matt about the issues raised in the article, plus various ideas/thoughts about different approaches to enable Chord to maintain a strong head-fi presence in the future.
However I have not discussed any further ideas for a year, because I knew from my own experience that once the full impact of covid had become apparent, Matt and his team would be working long hours just trying to keep Chord in existence, and the last thing they needed was me trying to distract them.


----------



## musicday

Is got to be any time now for the Mojo 2.


----------



## paulgc

musicday said:


> Is got to be any time now for the Mojo 2.


Based on what?


----------



## joshnor713

paulgc said:


> Based on what?


Desire


----------



## musicday

paulgc said:


> Based on what?


Reality.


----------



## lawshredpower

musicday said:


> Reality.



Ooh someone has inside info...


----------



## paulgc

lawshredpower said:


> Ooh someone has inside info...


I am just really curious now. With chip shortages globally, the 2yu still not in the wild after a year, just surprised a bit that a new version was that close. Love my MojoPoly (now after 2.0) and would very likely get the next version if it existed.


----------



## lawshredpower

paulgc said:


> I am just really curious now. With chip shortages globally, the 2yu still not in the wild after a year, just surprised a bit that a new version was that close. Love my MojoPoly (now after 2.0) and would very likely get the next version if it existed.


Same.

BTW, love your signature.


----------



## miketlse (May 16, 2021)

musicday said:


> Is got to be any time now for the Mojo 2.


I don't have inside information, so I can only give my personal design engineering viewpoint:

During the last 5 years, quite a few owners have posted about preferring a usb C connection.
During the last 5 years, quite a few owners have posted about preferring a change to the battery management, to allow mojo to be connected to the usb power 24/7
During the last 5 years, quite a few owners have posted about preferring a longer battery lifetime
During the last 5 years, quite a few owners have posted about preferring more taps
Overall there are several axes for improvement for a Mojo 2
On the base of that, I have thought about the 'mojo 2 image' posted on head-fi, and concluded:

I cannot convince myself that the image is true - if the image had shown that the entire case was deeper, allowing space for the UsbC socket (so that existing owners could still use Poly1), plus allowing room for a larger battery plus maybe a marginally larger volume so that heat could dissipate easier, plus the extra button to maybe enable a 'desktop mode' to allow Mojo to be connected to the power supply 24/7, I concluded that would be a good Mojo 1.5 compromise to answer most owners feedback without alienating existing Poly owners.
The problem is that the image, plus feedback from several other posters, suggests that the Mojo case is only increased in depth around the UsbC socket, so no extra volume to allow a larger battery, or increased volume for heat dissipation caused by extra taps. Apart from the ability to connect UsbC cables, and maybe a 'mode button', none of the other requests by Mojo owners are satisfied.
Overall the multiple requests for improvements to Mojo 1 are still valid, but the posted photo for a Mojo 2 does not seem to satisfy improvements to even realise a Mojo 1.5.
I think Rob/Chord are cleverer than that. I remain convinced that there will be a Mojo 2 eventually, but I can't convince myself that the posted image is anything but a fake.


----------



## b-lilja

I want to buy a Mojo, but they are sold out across the board after a sales markdown from $600 to $500...very typical for pre-release of a v2?


----------



## miketlse

b-lilja said:


> I want to buy a Mojo, but they are sold out across the board after a sales markdown from $600 to $500...very typical for pre-release of a v2?


That is what many posters are suspecting, but Chord are usually very tight lipped until the last minute, when they will often post on FB about some online press launch/video.
Quite a few people have posted that dealers are sold out, so maybe your best option is to wait until the Mojo2 launches, and then there may be plenty of dealers advertising pre-owned Mojos.


----------



## Mediahound

miketlse said:


> That is what many posters are suspecting, but Chord are usually very tight lipped until the last minute, when they will often post on FB about some online press launch/video.
> Quite a few people have posted that dealers are sold out, so maybe your best option is to wait until the Mojo2 launches, and then there may be plenty of dealers advertising pre-owned Mojos.


Or maybe try to find one used. It could literally be a year before a new version comes out. We just don’t know,  but in the meantime you could be enjoying a Mojo.


----------



## mammal

b-lilja said:


> I want to buy a Mojo, but they are sold out across the board after a sales markdown from $600 to $500...very typical for pre-release of a v2?





miketlse said:


> That is what many posters are suspecting, but Chord are usually very tight lipped until the last minute, when they will often post on FB about some online press launch/video.
> Quite a few people have posted that dealers are sold out, so maybe your best option is to wait until the Mojo2 launches, and then there may be plenty of dealers advertising pre-owned Mojos.


There was an interview with someone from Chord and also Rob has confirmed that something of his design went into production, so if you combine these two, something is coming out soon (within a couple of months I read). Will it be Mojo 2? Hard to say


----------



## miketlse

mammal said:


> There was an interview with someone from Chord and also Rob has confirmed that something of his design went into production, so if you combine these two, something is coming out soon (within a couple of months I read). Will it be Mojo 2? Hard to say


Yes hard to say, but several hints to build up the speculation levels among fans.
I think the hints have included 4 products, one of which is mobile, plus Robs design (but that could be a Mojo 2). The 2Yu seems to be not far away, but of course that is not a Rob product. You never know, but one of the products could be a new CD transport, to replace the Blu2.

We all just have to cross our fingers, and wait a bit longer.
In the meantime I expect there will be a lot of interest in the streamer firmware updates.


----------



## mammal

miketlse said:


> In the meantime I expect there will be a lot of interest in the streamer firmware updates.


Oh, yes please. 2Go did not work for my home set up at all, had to return it. I wonder if it is firmware fixable, or their selection of wifi chip was just too wrong.


----------



## miketlse

mammal said:


> Oh, yes please. 2Go did not work for my home set up at all, had to return it. I wonder if it is firmware fixable, or their selection of wifi chip was just too wrong.


I think there were 600 posts when the Poly 2.0 firmware was released, so I expect there will many owners testing the 2Go firmware on Tuesday, and posting feedback within a few hours.
Hopefully everything has been sorted, there will be no new issues.


----------



## joshnor713

miketlse said:


> That is what many posters are suspecting, but Chord are usually very tight lipped until the last minute, when they will often post on FB about some online press launch/video.
> Quite a few people have posted that dealers are sold out, so maybe your best option is to wait until the Mojo2 launches, and then there may be plenty of dealers advertising pre-owned Mojos.


It's not just when the new Mojo launches but when you can actually get your hands on one. Gonna be high demand.


----------



## mikecheck95

joshnor713 said:


> It's not just when the new Mojo launches but when you can actually get your hands on one. Gonna be high demand.


You need to keep checking their website and when the product is released jump on it. People who really want one will get one in the first run.


----------



## slumberman

mammal said:


> Oh, yes please. 2Go did not work for my home set up at all, had to return it. I wonder if it is firmware fixable, or their selection of wifi chip was just too wrong.


It’s our WiFi that create the issues, not the chip they chose, in my experience.  I used to have problems with 2Go when my network was based exclusively on the internet provider’s modem WiFi. Once I installed a proper mesh network and disconnected that one, I stopped having issues and I have the ability of streaming hi res via Roon around the house on my H2/2Go. 
looking forward to the update of course, but improvements to my network is what made it work properly in my case.


----------



## miketlse

joshnor713 said:


> It's not just when the new Mojo launches but when you can actually get your hands on one. Gonna be high demand.


True. Often chord reveal a new product to the public, then it takes 3 months for shipping to start, and then a few weeks for dealers to receive stock (especially if they were slow to pre-order).


----------



## CJG888

…and now global supply chains are under pressure!


----------



## thehutch

_Well_, I just ordered a Poly, so hoping our theoretically Mojo 2 is indeed backward compatible with it.


----------



## kumar402

thehutch said:


> _Well_, I just ordered a Poly, so hoping our theoretically Mojo 2 is indeed backward compatible with it.


Poly2 is also coming 
Nah...just messing with you. going by Chord history, you don’t need to worry.


----------



## lawshredpower

Refreshing the rumor mill…

no need to remind you guys this should be taken with all the salt in the world


----------



## Tanalasta

Interesting ... I wonder what else ...
Is there a high end or other audio show where announcements will be made shortly?


----------



## miketlse

Tanalasta said:


> Interesting ... I wonder what else ...
> Is there a high end or other audio show where announcements will be made shortly?


The earliest event on the Chord website is Canjam SoCal, but that is still 3 months away.
https://chordelectronics.co.uk/news-events/


----------



## miketlse

lawshredpower said:


> Refreshing the rumor mill…
> 
> no need to remind you guys this should be taken with all the salt in the world


Keep an open mind.  Maybe all the experimentation with variables means that Mojo2 can replicate Mojo1, but using less taps. This could free up enough space in the FPGA, for the code for the 4 filters.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

lawshredpower said:


> Refreshing the rumor mill…
> 
> no need to remind you guys this should be taken with all the salt in the world


If that is the headline new feature set for the Mojo 2, then you can count me out.   The Hugo 2 filters don't do much and replacement batteries for the current Mojo are easy to get.   Right now, the Chord Mojo is no longer competitive in the market.   I am hoping they change that.   It needs to sound a lot better than my iBasso DX300 which is currently competitive with the Hugo 2 for sound quality and it is a full featured music player with streaming, storage and full Android support.    If Chord isn't going to compete on feature set, it needs to win decisively in sound quality.


----------



## alxw0w

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Right now, the Chord Mojo is no longer competitive in the market.


Funny story. Tell us more about that.


----------



## jwbrent

lawshredpower said:


> Refreshing the rumor mill…
> 
> no need to remind you guys this should be taken with all the salt in the world



Well, I’ve been waiting for the announcement of the Mojo 2 having owned the original as well as a Hugo and Qutest in the past. I hope Chord increases the tap count to the Hugo 2/Qutest level. The addition of the filters is a nice plus in my mind. A new battery design sounds interesting although I never really had an issue with the battery on my Mojo, and I had it for a couple years or so.

I also hope they change the USB micro connectors to USB-C. One of my fantasies was the inclusion of a microSD slot, but then it would need wifi as well, so not likely.

Looking forward to reading more …


----------



## thehutch

jwbrent said:


> Well, I’ve been waiting for the announcement of the Mojo 2 having owned the original as well as a Hugo and Qutest in the past. I hope Chord increases the tap count to the Hugo 2/Qutest level. The addition of the filters is a nice plus in my mind. A new battery design sounds interesting although I never really had an issue with the battery on my Mojo, and I had it for a couple years or so.
> 
> I also hope they change the USB micro connectors to USB-C. One of my fantasies was the inclusion of a microSD slot, but then it would need wifi as well, so not likely.
> 
> Looking forward to reading more …


Unless they’re ready to release a Hugo 3, seems unlikely Mojo 2 would have same number of taps.


----------



## jwbrent

thehutch said:


> Unless they’re ready to release a Hugo 3, seems unlikely Mojo 2 would have same number of taps.



No, there’s precedence. After the original Hugo was on the market for a year or so, the Mojo was announced with the same tap count.


----------



## thehutch

jwbrent said:


> No, there’s precedence. After the original Hugo was on the market for a year or so, the Mojo was announced with the same tap count.


Ah, didn’t know that. Fingers crossed then.


----------



## PANURUS

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcoc...-xilinx-to-enter-new-markets/?sh=41e5dcb72aa3

Is here the new product in the Mojo2?


----------



## musicday

PANURUS said:


> https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcoc...-xilinx-to-enter-new-markets/?sh=41e5dcb72aa3
> 
> Is here the new product in the Mojo2?


Could be, the new improvement in the chip department is great.


----------



## Akorus

thehutch said:


> _Well_, I just ordered a Poly, so hoping our theoretically Mojo 2 is indeed backward compatible with it.


Well if they keep micro USB and the same casing it should but maybe they will switch to USB C


----------



## Southak

I asked Chord about the Mojo and was the current shortage due to them clearing the channel in preparation for Mojo 2 and they said the current shortage of product is due to chip shortage and they are working to rectify.


----------



## CJG888

Apparently Audio-gd are also having trouble sourcing enough FPGAs…


----------



## Southak

Yeah I would suggest that in the current climate it doesn't make sense for Chord to launch anything new.


----------



## surfgeorge

PANURUS said:


> https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcoc...-xilinx-to-enter-new-markets/?sh=41e5dcb72aa3
> 
> Is here the new product in the Mojo2?



Thanks for the interesting link!
If this new Xilinx chip is in the Mojo 2 I'd be very interested.
More power, more taps, lower power consumption. Now the Mojo 2 starts to really make sense.

The current supply situation is dreadful though and the launch may come later than originally planned by Chord


----------



## miketlse

surfgeorge said:


> YThanks for the interesting link!
> If this new Xilinx chip is in the Mojo 2 I'd be very interested.
> More power, more taps, lower power consumption. Now the Mojo 2 starts to really make sense.
> 
> The current supply situation is dreadful though and the launch may come later than originally planned by Chord


Yes, read the posts by @Rob Watts when he mentions that he is still waiting for the chips announced 7 years ago.


----------



## rkt31

Must have features in mojo 2, (1) normal, medium and ultra low gain mode for high impedance, medium impedance and ultra sensitive ultra low impedance iems/headphones (2) hf cut off filter (3) in built wireless connectivity with compatibility to mconnect app (4) doing away with light orbs (5) usb c or other more robust port (6) easily available replaceable battery (7) less thicker but slightly bigger form factor which can be easily tucked in pocket (8) tt2 like warm yet open sound not too warm like current mojo


----------



## slair76116

Bought both my MOJO and Poly from the UK at different times.  The MOJO battery has died on me and since I don't live in the UK I have to ship it back for replacement. The dealers said there will be a MOJO 2 soon but uncertain as to when, So I'm holding on to my MOJO poly to sell and get the MOJO 2. It wont make sense to replace battery when I can trade up for the new one. 

Financially it makes sense for Chord to make a new poly for the new MOJO 2.

What I'd like to see
1.) 4.4 Penta
2.) USB C
3.) User replaceable battery
4.) Same Price as Mojo was originally released at
5.) Better software for Poly


----------



## Another Audiophile

I have been advised that the chord mojo has officially been discontinued


----------



## WoodyLuvr (Aug 5, 2021)

Another Audiophile said:


> I have been advised that the chord mojo has officially been discontinued


*Were you informed by Chord? If not, and most unfortunately, you were "officially" misinformed then* as John has clearly stated, numerous times, that all official announcements (whether it be about a firmware update; introduction of a new model; or regarding the discontinuation of an existing model and the subsequent post support details) would always be first officially and fully announced through and directly by Chord and not second-hand thru a wholesaler, retailer, and/or other medium so as to avoid misinformation and misunderstanding. He has been pretty adamant about that and his track record thus far has reflected such.


----------



## Another Audiophile

WoodyLuvr said:


> *Were you informed by Chord? If not, and most unfortunately, you were "officially" misinformed then* as John has clearly stated, numerous times, that all official announcements (whether it be about a firmware update; introduction of a new model; or regarding the discontinuation of an existing model and the subsequent post support details) would always be first officially and fully announced through and directly by Chord and not second-hand thru a wholesaler, retailer, and/or other medium so as to avoid misinformation and misunderstanding. He has been pretty adamant about that and his track record thus far has reflected such.


I went to my dealer to buy a mojo and they told me they don't have any stock and the item has been discontinued by Chord.


----------



## thehutch

Stating the obvious, but discontinuing the Mojo could just mean they’re preparing to release Mojo 2 or something similar by another name.


----------



## iDesign (Aug 5, 2021)

WoodyLuvr said:


> …or regarding the discontinuation of an existing model.


Chord isn’t likely to author a press release, Facebook, or Instagram post confirming the discontinuation of the Mojo. They certainly did not for the Blu Mk II and many other products before it.


----------



## WoodyLuvr (Aug 6, 2021)

I didn't specifically say that social media would be the choice medium of an announcement but rather that it would be "*officially and fully announced through and directly by Chord and not second-hand thru a wholesaler, retailer, and/or other medium"*_. _If you properly register your product(s) you should receive a notice directly from Chord regarding a discontinuation... I most certainly have and my buddies' DAVE has received a number of update emails from Chord as well. Have you not received such an email regarding your DAVE?

But go right ahead, keep encouraging hearsay and other silly unsubstantiated rumors which I think you perfectly know was the main reason for my post. I simply just don't get why people enjoy misguiding others and/or making them hopeful for no rhyme or reason. I mean it isn't like the founder and owner of Chord hasn't clearly given an official response for the current shortage of Mojos which is due to difficulty in sourcing the required chips. Until Chord says differently why wouldn't we accept that answer? But no, many would rather fully embrace the rumor of a clandestine secret project that will launch with the next James Bond movie...


----------



## mikecheck95

WoodyLuvr said:


> I didn't specifically say that social media would be the choice medium of an announcement but rather that it would be "*officially and fully announced through and directly by Chord and not second-hand thru a wholesaler, retailer, and/or other medium"*_. _If you properly register your product(s) you should receive a notice directly from Chord regarding a discontinuation... I most certainly have and my buddies' DAVE has received a number of update emails from Chord as well. Have you not received such an email regarding your DAVE?
> 
> But go right ahead, keep encouraging hearsay and other silly unsubstantiated rumors which I think you perfectly know was the main reason for my post. I simply just don't get why people enjoy misguiding others and/or making them hopeful for no rhyme or reason. I mean it isn't like the founder and owner of Chord hasn't clearly given an official response for the current shortage of Mojos which is due to difficulty in sourcing the required chips. Until Chord says differently why wouldn't we accept that answer? But no, many would rather fully embrace the rumor of a clandestine secret project that will launch with the next James Bond movie...


Chord is not going to talk of a new release until they are sure their retailers have sold through their stock… there is quite a bit of evidence in this thread including an interview with chord in which they say chord will release new mobile products this year.


----------



## WoodyLuvr (Aug 6, 2021)

mikecheck95 said:


> Chord is not going to talk of a new release until they are sure their retailers have sold through their stock… there is quite a bit of evidence in this thread including an interview with chord in which they say chord will release new mobile products this year.


Of course, no argument there as I concur... to the point that I highly doubt Chord would announce a discontinuation to retailers.

Regarding the interview, yes but that doesn't necessarily mean it is going to be a Mojo 2 and that the Mojo will be discontinued.

Perhaps I am not communicating well. My point is that unless Chord specifically tells us something why even entertain some of the outlandish hearsay that is posted here?


----------



## Mightygrey (Aug 6, 2021)

WoodyLuvr said:


> My point is that unless Chord specifically tells us something why even entertain some of the outlandish hearsay that is posted here?


Person on "Chord Mojo 2 speculation thread" is unhappy to hear Chord Mojo 2 speculation.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Mightygrey said:


> Person on "Chord Mojo 2 speculation thread" unhappy to hear Chord Mojo 2 speculation.


😂 that’s good sense of humor


----------



## WoodyLuvr

Mightygrey said:


> Person on "Chord Mojo 2 speculation thread" is unhappy to hear Chord Mojo 2 speculation.


"*Speculation thread*"??? Oh my, too funny! I actually had completely missed the ending part of the thread title. The ole gray matter and me old eyes totally failed me there. I thought I was simply in the Chord Mojo thread and wondering why everyone was throwing down rumor gospel like that! As I was... profuse apologies *@Another Audiophile*, speculate away!


----------



## CarlosBryant

Maybe someone knows something similar to mojo?
Also on fgpa with similar price and size?
I tried mojo, in general I left a pleasant impression, now I also want to move in the direction of fpga dacs, but I don’t find anything similar.
Tried some expensive sources with fpga matrix, but they do not withstand any competition with the mojo in terms of price / quality.


----------



## Another Audiophile

WoodyLuvr said:


> "*Speculation thread*"??? Oh my, too funny! I actually had completely missed the ending part of the thread title. The ole gray matter and me old eyes totally failed me there. I thought I was simply in the Chord Mojo thread and wondering why everyone was throwing down rumor gospel like that! As I was... profuse apologies *@Another Audiophile*, speculate away!


LoL it's all good mate.


----------



## Another Audiophile

CarlosBryant said:


> Maybe someone knows something similar to mojo?
> Also on fgpa with similar price and size?
> I tried mojo, in general I left a pleasant impression, now I also want to move in the direction of fpga dacs, but I don’t find anything similar.
> Tried some expensive sources with fpga matrix, but they do not withstand any competition with the mojo in terms of price / quality.


Lets say that's why Chord DACs are so unique. Because there is nothing like them.


----------



## thehutch

WoodyLuvr said:


> "*Speculation thread*"??? Oh my, too funny! I actually had completely missed the ending part of the thread title. The ole gray matter and me old eyes totally failed me there. I thought I was simply in the Chord Mojo thread and wondering why everyone was throwing down rumor gospel like that! As I was... profuse apologies *@Another Audiophile*, speculate away!


Too funny


----------



## alxw0w (Aug 6, 2021)

CarlosBryant said:


> Maybe someone knows something similar to mojo?
> Also on fgpa with similar price and size?
> I tried mojo, in general I left a pleasant impression, now I also want to move in the direction of fpga dacs, but I don’t find anything similar.
> Tried some expensive sources with fpga matrix, but they do not withstand any competition with the mojo in terms of price / quality.


There are no other dacs like Chord. Yes some use FPGA but in a much different way.
And to be precise Mojo is not a FPGA dac. There is no such thing as FPGA dac. FPGA is used to do all math calculations and the actual DAC (the place where digital becomes analog) is a discrete delta sigma dac.
If you want to go up in the ladder go for Hugo2 or wait for Mojo2.


----------



## CarlosBryant

alxw0w said:


> discrete delta sigma dac.


it is interesting
I always thought that there the sound comes straight out of that big FPGA chip then amplified by op amps and output to the 3.5mm outputs


----------



## alxw0w

CarlosBryant said:


> it is interesting
> I always thought that there the sound comes straight out of that big FPGA chip then amplified by op amps and output to the 3.5mm outputs


Nope FPGA output would be noisy as hell. If you want to know more about Rob Watts approach to dacs, see my post where I gathered a couple of interviews/seminars with Rob:



alxw0w said:


> To all followers of this thread I've gathered a couple of interesting interviews/seminars with Rob regarding his dacs philosophy/approach.
> 
> RMAF17: DAC Design Masterclass
> 
> ...


----------



## 118900

Mightygrey said:


> Person on "Chord Mojo 2 speculation thread" is unhappy to hear Chord Mojo 2 speculation.


To be honest It’s one thing to speculate and to bandy around ideas, I think we would all be excited by Chord announcing the release of mojo 2 and are happy to discuss it, but it’s quite another to make a statement stating that “it is officially confirmed” that the mojo has been discontinued as this just creates false expectations.

I have asked my local dealer who is very tight with the local national distributor and he hasn’t heard anything whatsoever either about the mojo being discontinued or about a mojo 2 doing the rounds in Italy.

But frankly, in this game, everything changes in the space of a week anyway 🤪


----------



## 478423

For the person that said that mojo was discontinued, do you have a censored screenshot of the confirmation?


----------



## mikecheck95

juansan said:


> To be honest It’s one thing to speculate and to bandy around ideas, I think we would all be excited by Chord announcing the release of mojo 2 and are happy to discuss it, but it’s quite another to make a statement stating that “it is officially confirmed” that the mojo has been discontinued as this just creates false expectations.
> 
> I have asked my local dealer who is very tight with the local national distributor and he hasn’t heard anything whatsoever either about the mojo being discontinued or about a mojo 2 doing the rounds in Italy.
> 
> But frankly, in this game, everything changes in the space of a week anyway 🤪


They sign NDAs… dealers shouldn’t be confirming anything either way… if a dealer has told you anything in private (because you’re a good customer or regular customer) about a product being discontinuing this is in confidence that you will not go screenshot it and put it on a headphone forum.


----------



## 118900

mikecheck95 said:


> They sign NDAs… dealers shouldn’t be confirming anything either way… if a dealer has told you anything in private (because you’re a good customer or regular customer) about a product being discontinuing this is in confidence that you will not go screenshot it and put it on a headphone forum.


But then how can we speculate?????? 🤣🤣🤣😜


----------



## Another Audiophile

NeverExpectedSoundSoGood said:


> For the person that said that mojo was discontinued, do you have a censored screenshot of the confirmation?


I said that my dealer told me when I went to order a new mojo. The answer was “sorry we don’t have any stock and has been disconnected”.


----------



## Another Audiophile

mikecheck95 said:


> They sign NDAs… dealers shouldn’t be confirming anything either way… if a dealer has told you anything in private (because you’re a good customer or regular customer) about a product being discontinuing this is in confidence that you will not go screenshot it and put it on a headphone forum.


I would never do that. Just sharing my experience as part of the speculation thread. Time will tell…


----------



## Mightygrey

Lack of evidence aside, it makes sense that a new version of the Mojo will be upon us shortly. The Mojo was launched back in 2015, which is a pretty long time in the hifi world, and a veritable age in the personal audio world - just think of the amount of product updates that the likes of iFi, Astell&Kern etc have put out in that same time. The Mojo is probably the most important product in the Chord line-up, and it's getting very much long-in-the tooth. Sure, it changed the game when it was released back in the day, but a product with USB-micro and the (relatively) limited feature-set of the OG Mojo really isn't competitive these days.


----------



## 478423

I mean who knows, maybe Chord got frustrated with the perpetual chip shortage and despite a 2nd mojo or updated being super profitable from them just decided to abandon the idea. Unlikely though, but this is the speculation thread.


----------



## 118900

NeverExpectedSoundSoGood said:


> I mean who knows, maybe Chord got frustrated with the perpetual chip shortage and despite a 2nd mojo or updated being super profitable from them just decided to abandon the idea. Unlikely though, but this is the speculation thread.


It could well delay the development and introduction of a new model but I cannot believe it would cancel it entirely. The mojo really has put the chord name into the households of hundreds of thousands if I’m correct, this brings good publicity  which every company wants.


----------



## miketlse

Another Audiophile said:


> I would never do that. Just sharing my experience as part of the speculation thread. Time will tell…


Dealers have been dropping hints to customers, about Mojo 2 being near, for several years.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-dac-amp-☆★►faq-in-3rd-post-◄★☆.784602/post-15163569

Only time will tell, if this latest round of speculation, contains any real substance.


----------



## 118900

miketlse said:


> Dealers have been dropping hints to customers, about Mojo 2 being near, for several years.
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-dac-amp-☆★►faq-in-3rd-post-◄★☆.784602/post-15163569
> 
> Only time will tell, if this latest round of speculation, contains any real substance.


Yep. I remember that when the price dropped by approx 25% and I didn’t buy one thinking I would wait for the mojo 2.

and I waited and waited and waited until the price went back up and no new mojo came out and I ended up buying the original one and paying the full, original price 🤣🤣🤣


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

My guess is Chord will make some type of announcement on or before CanJam Socal.   Chord will be there and it will be a missed opportunity if they don't have anything to talk about on this issue when there.


----------



## Rob Watts

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> My guess is Chord will make some type of announcement on or before CanJam Socal.   Chord will be there and it will be a missed opportunity if they don't have anything to talk about on this issue when there.


Sadly I am not sure Chord or I will be allowed to attend CanJam Socal. Current USA restrictions prohibit UK citizens from visiting the USA - in spite of vaccinated US citizens now being allowed into the UK.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Rob Watts said:


> Sadly I am not sure Chord or I will be allowed to attend CanJam Socal. Current USA restrictions prohibit UK citizens from visiting the USA - in spite of vaccinated US citizens now being allowed into the UK.


That really sucks.   I wonder what other companies are impacted by these travel restrictions?


----------



## Rob Watts

All of Europe, Brazil, South Africa, China, Iran and India are prohibited. With Delta Covid taking off in SE Asia and Japan, it will not be long before these countries are added, or the policy changed. I think more restrictions are likely, as Covid looks like getting worse within the US. Delta Covid is very much more infectious.

Chord's US distributor will of course be attending.


----------



## Mightygrey

Rob Watts said:


> Sadly I am not sure Chord or I will be allowed to attend CanJam Socal. Current USA restrictions prohibit UK citizens from visiting the USA - in spite of vaccinated US citizens now being allowed into the UK.


If you were able to attend CanJam SoCal, might you have something interesting or new to share at the event? Thanks for stopping by!


----------



## Rob Watts

Nice try - but I wouldn't want to spoil the speculation on this thread!


----------



## Baten

Rob Watts said:


> Nice try - but I wouldn't want to spoil the speculation on this thread!



Rob Watts enters the speculation thread! Hype!
No juicy details on Mojo2. Sad panda =(


----------



## musicday

At least something is coming, so be happy and patience guys.


----------



## lawshredpower

Good to know Chord keeps an eye around here


----------



## Mightygrey

Rob Watts said:


> Nice try - but I wouldn't want to spoil the speculation on this thread!


----------



## Kelseyh123

All I ask is USB-C


----------



## Another Audiophile

Kelseyh123 said:


> All I ask is USB-C


just out of curiosity. What’s so wrong about the current connection?


----------



## Kelseyh123

Another Audiophile said:


> just out of curiosity. What’s so wrong about the current connection?


1) micro USB is rather flimsy and fragile as a connection compared to USBC which is why they are aren't used that much anymore 2) most new computers only suck as laptops only have usb c connections, therefore saving on less of a dongle.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Kelseyh123 said:


> 1) micro USB is rather flimsy and fragile as a connection compared to USBC which is why they are aren't used that much anymore 2) most new computers only suck as laptops only have usb c connections, therefore saving on less of a dongle.


I have a usb-c to micro. I don’t see any issue with the micro USB but I see where you are coming from.


----------



## thehutch

Kelseyh123 said:


> 1) micro USB is rather flimsy and fragile as a connection compared to USBC which is why they are aren't used that much anymore 2) most new computers only suck as laptops only have usb c connections, therefore saving on less of a dongle.


Also, micro USB has a specific orientation. USB-C is the same on both sides. When I ordered by Curious Cables Hugo link, they asked me which direction the micro USB port was on my Hugo because they had to make sure the cable matched the orientation.


----------



## Another Audiophile

thehutch said:


> Also, micro USB has a specific orientation. USB-C is the same on both sides. When I ordered by Curious Cables Hugo link, they asked me which direction the micro USB port was on my Hugo because they had to make sure the cable matched the orientation


I see, in my user case it doesn't matter at all.


----------



## miketlse

Rob Watts said:


> All of Europe, Brazil, South Africa, China, Iran and India are prohibited. With Delta Covid taking off in SE Asia and Japan, it will not be long before these countries are added, or the policy changed. I think more restrictions are likely, as Covid looks like getting worse within the US. Delta Covid is very much more infectious.
> 
> Chord's US distributor will of course be attending.


At least you should be ok for canjam london.


----------



## 118900

ok guys (I know, AGAIN!) I have left all threads and Head Fi have confirmed they will close my account. I wish all and every one of you (the nice ones at least) happy listening and for the company!


----------



## slair76116

My Mojo Poly battery is dead, Ill wait for Mojo 2 which again I was told by my reputed retailer I bought my first mojo off that the mojo 2 is around the corner...

I wish there was a specific date, hate not knowing....


----------



## jwbrent

Rob Watts said:


> Nice try - but I wouldn't want to spoil the speculation on this thread!



This sounds very interesting …

I’ve been waiting for a Mojo 2 ever since I sold my Mojo a couple years ago.


----------



## Kelseyh123

Hoping it still has the fun sound signature of the Mojo maybe with some filters. The Hugo 2 to me was a little lifeless.


----------



## Another Audiophile

My only hope is that there will be a way to use it with poly.


----------



## Kelseyh123

Another Audiophile said:


> My only hope is that there will be a way to use it with poly.


not if I has a usb c jack  good point I wonder if they will make it so the poly can connect in some way.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Kelseyh123 said:


> not if I has a usb c jack  good point I wonder if they will make it so the poly can connect in some way.


Well, they can always add a usb-c on top of the existing connections. Personally I couldn't care less about usb-c but that's just me. Technically Chord has to make sure that the poly can be used with any new product that will replace the mojo. If they don't then they will damage their reputation and brand.


----------



## Kelseyh123

Another Audiophile said:


> Well, they can always add a usb-c on top of the existing connections. Personally I couldn't care less about usb-c but that's just me. Technically Chord has to make sure that the poly can be used with any new product that will replace the mojo. If they don't then they will damage their reputation and brand.


agree need to have a plan


----------



## Mightygrey

Another Audiophile said:


> Well, they can always add a usb-c on top of the existing connections. Personally I couldn't care less about usb-c but that's just me. Technically Chord has to make sure that the poly can be used with any new product that will replace the mojo. If they don't then they will damage their reputation and brand.


Making any Mojo replacement hamstrung to be backward-compatible with a product that was as problematic and poorly realised as the Poly would be a compromise and a misstep in my opinion.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Mightygrey said:


> Making any Mojo replacement hamstrung to be backward-compatible with a product that was as problematic and poorly realised as the Poly would be a compromise and a misstep in my opinion.


Do you consider the poly a problematic device today?


----------



## Mightygrey

Another Audiophile said:


> Do you consider the poly a problematic device today?


I was a day-1 Poly owner, and soldiered on with it through incremental improvements for a good couple of years. It proved simply too difficult to spontaneously enjoy music with, so I passed it on. Is it problematic today? I couldn't say. Is it perfect, or even 'great'? No.


----------



## someyoungguy

Mightygrey said:


> I was a day-1 Poly owner, and soldiered on with it through incremental improvements for a good couple of years. It proved simply too difficult to spontaneously enjoy music with, so I passed it on. Is it problematic today? I couldn't say. Is it perfect, or even 'great'? No.


As a recent Poly owner I'd say Chord are in a difficult position. Anyone who has bought one recently will feel a bit shafted if a Mojo2 is released and their recently-purchased Poly is only compatible with Mojo1. Likewise, the battlers who have had Poly for a long time and kept with it may well feel their loyalty didn't count for much if they stayed with it through the problems and then it's value plummets and is quietly forgotten after a non-compatible Mojo2 release.

I guess the problem is the Mojo was designed as a portable DAC/amp and only later, after it's success - and the changing portable music/streaming landscape - Chord tried to add on extra functionality with the Poly. In itself there's nothing wrong with that, but it did feel to me like an odd compromise of an add-on rather than a fully functional unit. As far as functionality is concerned at present, it was okay for me - not great, not too bad. If you set it to one task - e.g. Roon streaming on a home network - then you can pretty much switch on and go, no problems, and there seem to be plenty of users in that boat that are perfectly happy. Switching between functions is still a bit of a hassle as it requires connecting via Bluetooth and GoFigure and rebooting Poly. The other main issue reported in the Poly thread seems to be with charging and battery life, since Poly never fully powers off; most of the time I would use it at home and plugged in. Another downside for me was that with Poly connected you can't use Mojo's wired inputs anymore - Poly makes it wireless only, and you have to disconnect it (which may mean taking both out of a case first) in order to connect a USB or optical cable - so it 'adds on' to Mojo's functionality but simultaneously hampers the original functions.

It seems like it would be a better bet to redesign the two as an integrated all-in-one unit, so that you wouldn't have the issues of charging two separate batteries housed in different devices, and could keep the wired inputs available on the outside of the unit. Maybe they could even offer different streaming and non-streaming versions so that users who are content with USB or SPDIF input can buy a cheaper, non-streaming version.

Still, for better or worse the leaked photos earlier in the thread (which seem pretty legit) show backwards compatibility with Poly, with a USB-C connection added underneath.


----------



## jarnopp

someyoungguy said:


> As a recent Poly owner I'd say Chord are in a difficult position. Anyone who has bought one recently will feel a bit shafted if a Mojo2 is released and their recently-purchased Poly is only compatible with Mojo1. Likewise, the battlers who have had Poly for a long time and kept with it may well feel their loyalty didn't count for much if they stayed with it through the problems and then it's value plummets and is quietly forgotten after a non-compatible Mojo2 release.
> 
> I guess the problem is the Mojo was designed as a portable DAC/amp and only later, after it's success - and the changing portable music/streaming landscape - Chord tried to add on extra functionality with the Poly. In itself there's nothing wrong with that, but it did feel to me like an odd compromise of an add-on rather than a fully functional unit. As far as functionality is concerned at present, it was okay for me - not great, not too bad. If you set it to one task - e.g. Roon streaming on a home network - then you can pretty much switch on and go, no problems, and there seem to be plenty of users in that boat that are perfectly happy. Switching between functions is still a bit of a hassle as it requires connecting via Bluetooth and GoFigure and rebooting Poly. The other main issue reported in the Poly thread seems to be with charging and battery life, since Poly never fully powers off; most of the time I would use it at home and plugged in. Another downside for me was that with Poly connected you can't use Mojo's wired inputs anymore - Poly makes it wireless only, and you have to disconnect it (which may mean taking both out of a case first) in order to connect a USB or optical cable - so it 'adds on' to Mojo's functionality but simultaneously hampers the original functions.
> 
> ...


It would always be better to make the best product you can for the given segment/set of constraints. It just depends how you define those constraints. If you are releasing “Mojo2” then you should have to match with Poly.  But, if you create something different, but still portable, you have more freedom. In my mind, the Mojo form factor is ok, and you could keep r modify he UI. For Poly, and I’ve said this before, I would add a physical on/off switch and a 3 position switch for Roon/network/hotspot modes. They can be colorful balls, or whatever, but the app is clunky to use, especially when that’s all its really used for.


----------



## someyoungguy

jarnopp said:


> It would always be better to make the best product you can for the given segment/set of constraints. It just depends how you define those constraints. If you are releasing “Mojo2” then you should have to match with Poly.  But, if you create something different, but still portable, you have more freedom. In my mind, the Mojo form factor is ok, and you could keep r modify he UI. For Poly, and I’ve said this before, I would add a physical on/off switch and a 3 position switch for Roon/network/hotspot modes. They can be colorful balls, or whatever, but the app is clunky to use, especially when that’s all its really used for.


Fully agree, a hardware solution for on/off and modes would be way easier to use.


----------



## iconaught

I've had a Mojo on order since May.  Each month the order was pushed out another month with the vendor saying that they are expecting shipments to arrive.  As of the August update, the vendor has said that Mojo has been discontinued by the manufacturer.  

One thing that I haven't seen here is whether or not anyone has heard that Chord has been impacted by Xilinx shortages and whether that manufacturer who has been impacted by substrate supply issues has resolved them or had resolved them for the product lines that supply the FPGA's that are in the Chord Devices.

I know that Xilinx has been warning about supply chain issues in their SEC Filings, not sure how this has manifested in supplying customers like Chord.

Would be keenly interested if Chord will be moving to smaller scale FPGA for Mojo (or any of their lines).  I would expect that this would result in longer battery life.  That said, given the Mojo is also a Class A/B (A Biased) amplifier, I expect that most of their battery life is spent in that component vs the FPGA.


----------



## miketlse

iconaught said:


> I've had a Mojo on order since May.  Each month the order was pushed out another month with the vendor saying that they are expecting shipments to arrive.  As of the August update, the vendor has said that Mojo has been discontinued by the manufacturer.
> 
> One thing that I haven't seen here is whether or not anyone has heard that Chord has been impacted by Xilinx shortages and whether that manufacturer who has been impacted by substrate supply issues has resolved them or had resolved them for the product lines that supply the FPGA's that are in the Chord Devices.
> 
> ...


Check the posts by @Rob Watts .
I think he posted that it is approx 1W for the processing by the FPGA, and mW for the amplifier, if you are using iems.


----------



## slair76116

Mightygrey said:


> Making any Mojo replacement hamstrung to be backward-compatible with a product that was as problematic and poorly realised as the Poly would be a compromise and a misstep in my opinion.


 I have the Poly and while I love the Mojo the Poly is rightly classified as a problematic junk!


----------



## joshnor713

slair76116 said:


> I have the Poly and while I love the Mojo the Poly is rightly classified as a problematic junk!


What's wrong with yours? Mine's been solid post-v2.0 update.


----------



## AndrewOld

I’d be interested in a new Mojo if a) it worked adjacent to an iPhone and b) the batteries were user replaceable. It would also be nice if c) the volume control on the phone controlled the volume on the mojo.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

AndrewOld said:


> I’d be interested in a new Mojo if a) it worked adjacent to an iPhone and b) the batteries were user replaceable. It would also be nice if c) the volume control on the phone controlled the volume on the mojo.


the batteries are user replaceable and you can buy cheap replacements from Aliexpress.


----------



## AndrewOld (Aug 14, 2021)

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> the batteries are user replaceable and you can buy cheap replacements from Aliexpress.


Yeah, but not without voiding your warranty. And that still leaves the fundamental weakness of the mojo: that it cannot be used in reasonable proximity to many phones. Which is a huge fail IMO.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

AndrewOld said:


> Yeah, but not without voiding your warranty. And that still leaves the fundamental weakness of the mojo: that it cannot be used in reasonable proximity to many phones. Which is a huge fail IMO.


You won't need to change the battery until the warranty is over anyway.     To me this is an non-issue.   If I were going to purchase a used Mojo at this time for $250, I would have zero concern about the battery.   For $250, there aren't any options for that price that would get you better sound and flexibility since a Mojo can drive sensitive IEMs and full sized headphones.

If the rumored Mojo doesn't come out soon and I were looking to buy something new, I would buy a Ifi diablo or a DX300 DAP.    Mojo/Poly in its current state in no longer competitive.    I did see someone offering this combo for sale for $650.  At that price, it's worth it.


----------



## AndrewOld (Aug 14, 2021)

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> You won't need to change the battery until the warranty is over anyway.     To me this is an non-issue.   If I were going to purchase a used Mojo at this time for $250, I would have zero concern about the battery.   For $250, there aren't any options for that price that would get you better sound and flexibility since a Mojo can drive sensitive IEMs and full sized headphones.
> 
> If the rumored Mojo doesn't come out soon and I were looking to buy something new, I would buy a Ifi diablo or a DX300 DAP.    Mojo/Poly in its current state in no longer competitive.    I did see someone offering this combo for sale for $650.  At that price, it's worth it.


I kinda like the idea that if I buy something I should be able to keep it working for many years at reasonable cost. Being locked into an expensive dealer or manufacturer based replacement scheme for batteries which are known to have a limited life is not acceptable to me. July was the hottest July on record. Fires and floods all over the planet. We need to stop avoidable waste now.


----------



## waveSounds

AndrewOld said:


> July was the hottest July on record. Fires and floods all over the planet. We need to stop avoidable waste now.



Greta? Why are you in a mojo speculation thread?


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

AndrewOld said:


> I kinda like the idea that if I buy something I should be able to keep it working for many years at reasonable cost. Being locked into an expensive dealer or manufacturer based replacement scheme for batteries which are known to have a limited life is not acceptable to me. July was the hottest July on record. Fires and floods all over the planet. We need to stop avoidable waste now.


Wow.  That's one impressive leap from user replaceable battery on the Chord Mojo directly to global warming.


----------



## AndrewOld

waveSounds said:


> Greta? Why are you in a mojo speculation thread?


Chord, and indeed the audio industry, need to address their contribution to global warming and waste. Can you justify all the expensive machined from the solid DAVE design? Can you justify a product like the Mojo that stops working and needs shipped a long way to get batteries changed? Can you justify products that aren’t upgradeable like the Blu and TT? Linn can make upgradeable products, why not Chord? Greta is one of the most extraordinary people of my lifetime. She should make us all think.

So for these reasons I would like to see an upgradeable Mojo made responsibly with easily replaceable batteries.


----------



## waveSounds (Aug 14, 2021)

LOL.

This isn't the time nor place to discuss "climate change", but the sensationalist hilarity of what you're saying is indeed truly entertaining. Unless of course, you're not joking 😐

I will, however, join in with you in your solidarity, though. Unless the Mojo 2 is made from 100% recycled, and recyclable, materials, with a battery that never expires, I will not buy.

Oh, India and China's industrial booms? Inconsequential. It's them batteries in niche audio products that r ruinin' earf.


----------



## someyoungguy

I don’t find any of this discussion out of place at all. The OP simply said if they buy a product they’d like to be able to keep it working for many years at a reasonable cost. The thread is all about features we’d like to see in the next Mojo, and for battery-powered products people really should be able to replace them themselves in this day and age without having to ship them half way round the world. It is unnecessary and every bit helps.

I think the audio industry in general seems to be behind the curve when it comes to making business decisions to minimize impacts, and just because it’s a niche industry doesn’t mean it should be excused.


----------



## mikecheck95

someyoungguy said:


> I don’t find any of this discussion out of place at all. The OP simply said if they buy a product they’d like to be able to keep it working for many years at a reasonable cost. The thread is all about features we’d like to see in the next Mojo, and for battery-powered products people really should be able to replace them themselves in this day and age without having to ship them half way round the world. It is unnecessary and every bit helps.
> 
> I think the audio industry in general seems to be behind the curve when it comes to making business decisions to minimize impacts, and just because it’s a niche industry doesn’t mean it should be excused.


I think a big thing they could do is improve the Mojo’s functionality as a “transportable” or “mini desktop” unit. They could allow it to recieve power from USB alone or from a power adapter when not being used as a portable unit. I know it can do this now… but you need to unplug the battery.


----------



## joshnor713

If we were that concerned about the environment, we wouldn't be buying luxurious audio equipment at all.


----------



## Earbones (Aug 15, 2021)

Rob Watts said:


> Earbones, drop me a PM. I’ll tell you everything. This Ayahuasca is ridiculous.


Thanks for responding to my PM, was great chatting with you. So cool to hear that the Mojo 2 will basically be a Dave miniaturized to the size of a thumb drive with a 75 hour battery… All for $250. Just amazing. And the 80% discount you plan on giving Head-Fi members? Above and beyond, man… Above and beyond. Very excited for this. Talk again soon!


----------



## mikecheck95

Earbones said:


> Thanks for responding to my PM, was great chatting with you. So cool to hear that the Mojo 2 will basically be a Dave miniaturized to the size of a thumb drive with a 75 hour battery… All for $250. Just amazing. And the 80% discount you plan on giving Head-Fi members? Above and beyond, man… Above and beyond. Very excited for this. Talk again soon!


LOL


----------



## thehutch

Earbones said:


> Thanks for responding to my PM, was great chatting with you. So cool to hear that the Mojo 2 will basically be a Dave miniaturized to the size of a thumb drive with a 75 hour battery… All for $250. Just amazing. And the 80% discount you plan on giving Head-Fi members? Above and beyond, man… Above and beyond. Very excited for this. Talk again soon!


Nice


----------



## povidlo

Earbones said:


> Thanks for responding to my PM, was great chatting with you. So cool to hear that the Mojo 2 will basically be a Dave miniaturized to the size of a thumb drive with a 75 hour battery… All for $250. Just amazing. And the 80% discount you plan on giving Head-Fi members? Above and beyond, man… Above and beyond. Very excited for this. Talk again soon!


Hoping to get some clarification soon on most important point of all: at the minimum, having three separate USB-C ports is a MUST, IMHO. One for charging, one for data, and one for... back up.


----------



## Earbones

povidlo said:


> Hoping to get some clarification soon on most important point of all: at the minimum, having three separate USB-C ports is a MUST, IMHO. One for charging, one for data, and one for... back up.


Confirmed.


----------



## mainguy (Aug 17, 2021)

AndrewOld said:


> Chord, and indeed the audio industry, need to address their contribution to global warming and waste. Can you justify all the expensive machined from the solid DAVE design? Can you justify a product like the Mojo that stops working and needs shipped a long way to get batteries changed? Can you justify products that aren’t upgradeable like the Blu and TT? Linn can make upgradeable products, why not Chord? Greta is one of the most extraordinary people of my lifetime. She should make us all think.
> 
> So for these reasons I would like to see an upgradeable Mojo made responsibly with easily replaceable batteries.


So long as animal agriculture and ICE vehicles exist this kind of commentary is utterly meaningless. We know where the bulk of emissions come from, and a minority are from niche industries . I agree on replacable batteries…But while we’re all eating hamburgers talking about machining steel as a source of emmissions…go look up the actual numbers if you dont believe me. Its absurd how little machining a small piece of steel is, less than a single mcDonalds meal.


----------



## Another Audiophile

mainguy said:


> So long as animal agriculture and ICE vehicles exist this kind of commentary is utterly meaningless. We know where the bulk of emissions come from, and a minority are from niche industries . I agree on replacable batteries…But while we’re all eating hamburgers talking about machining steel as a source of emmissions…go look up the actual numbers if you dont believe me. Its absurd.


by far animal farming has the largest impact of all, in terms of emissions and most importantly land required to produce feedstock for animal farming. Water resources consumed by the process is also of significant importance. 

Shall we now go back to speculations regarding the new mojo?


----------



## AndrewOld (Aug 17, 2021)

mainguy said:


> So long as animal agriculture and ICE vehicles exist this kind of commentary is utterly meaningless. We know where the bulk of emissions come from, and a minority are from niche industries . I agree on replacable batteries…But while we’re all eating hamburgers talking about machining steel as a source of emmissions…go look up the actual numbers if you dont believe me. Its absurd.


Avoiding unnecessary waste, such as that involved in machining the DAVE say, surely benefits us all directly in that it lowers costs and expense. Unless you want an ugly blingy expensive product that is nonetheless almost unusable.


----------



## waveSounds

Another Audiophile said:


> Shall we now go back to speculations regarding the new mojo?



Indeed. I've put Greta on the ignore list (much like I've done in real life ) so we can go back to speculating without being needlessly lectured.

A USB-C connection, improved battery life and/or quick charge would probably be enough for me to pick the Mojo up again.


----------



## mainguy

Another Audiophile said:


> by far animal farming has the largest impact of all, in terms of emissions and most importantly land required to produce feedstock for animal farming. Water resources consumed by the process is also of significant importance.
> 
> Shall we now go back to speculations regarding the new mojo?


We could always speculate about the Carbon footprint of the new Mojo?

I’m going to kick it off with a ballpark figure of 202g, about as much as a box of Tesco veggie burgers.


----------



## miketlse

mainguy said:


> We could always speculate about the Carbon footprint of the new Mojo?
> 
> I’m going to kick it off with a ballpark figure of 202g, about as much as a box of Tesco veggie burgers.


You need to specify the scope that you are considering - is it :

Raw material in the ground to the end of manufacturing
Raw material in the ground to the point when the customer receives their mojo
Whole of life from raw material in the ground, until the mojo is disposed of or is recycled
Etc, or posters will end up comparing apples with oranges.


----------



## mainguy (Aug 17, 2021)

miketlse said:


> You need to specify the scope that you are considering - is it :
> 
> Raw material in the ground to the end of manufacturing
> Raw material in the ground to the point when the customer receives their mojo
> ...


I must admit I was kidding, but if we're really going to do this, I think raw material > Delivery is fair. Perhaps we should set an acceptable CO2 limit and protest loudly outside the Chord offices if they're not within it, with a chance of violence.


----------



## Earbones

Rob told me the new Mojo will run on coal mined by children. Apparently regular coal won’t work. Maybe a firmware update will address this.


----------



## Mightygrey

I think a good name for the Mojo replacement would be 'Tujo'.


----------



## antdroid

There's a new headphone amp called Anni from Chord. Size of the Qutest.
 Saw a leak for it, but the page went away.


----------



## Baten

antdroid said:


> There's a new headphone amp called Anni from Chord. Size of the Qutest.
> Saw a leak for it, but the page went away.


Maybe the new mojo will then be called


Versary


----------



## Another Audiophile

too many letters printed to be a chord product


----------



## rocketron

The next Chord Mojo might be called.
Chord DODO ?
Makes every other portable dac obsolete. 😄


----------



## Huntersknoll

I'm holding out for now. Chord Mojo does everything I need plus it is super small buuut if I can wait for the chord mojo 2 I will. I'll give it to the end of 2021 before I breakdown and buy a Chord Mojo lol.


----------



## slair76116

joshnor713 said:


> What's wrong with yours? Mine's been solid post-v2.0 update.


Never got it to work properly and I cant remember why now because its been sitting in its box for over a year. The MOJO battery is dead now and I use that fixed to the PC. Waiting patiently for MOJO 2. As I love the Mojo.... 

When I got the poly that was supposedly my DAP endgame as the mojo sounded so good, But After about a month of fiddling with it I realized at that point I just hated the damn thing left a truly horrendous user experience for me. 

Sorry I don't remember much now just the feeling of how much I hate it.


----------



## slair76116

antdroid said:


> There's a new headphone amp called Anni from Chord. Size of the Qutest.
> Saw a leak for it, but the page went away.


 Wonder if it will have balanced out...


----------



## Another Audiophile (Aug 26, 2021)

slair76116 said:


> Wonder if it will have balanced out...


It looks like SE 3.5 and 6.4 only. Very typical for a chord product. As I said before, if the qutest had XLR out in a truly balanced design it would have been the perfect day for me.


----------



## Billyak

slair76116 said:


> Wonder if it will have balanced out...


Looks like a pure amp to be paired with the qutest to me.


----------



## Kelseyh123

Any idea when we might see the mojo 2? looks like the Mojo 1 is pretty much discontinued. Hoping for September


----------



## Another Audiophile

Kelseyh123 said:


> Any idea when we might see the mojo 2? looks like the Mojo 1 is pretty much discontinued. Hoping for September


Most likely September but what is not for sure is the year. lol


----------



## thehutch

CanJam SoCal on Sept. 25 would be logical place to show it off (assuming it’s real and ready)


----------



## Kelseyh123

thehutch said:


> CanJam SoCal on Sept. 25 would be logical place to show it off (assuming it’s real and ready)


nice lets hope!!!


----------



## Another Audiophile

thehutch said:


> CanJam SoCal on Sept. 25 would be logical place to show it off (assuming it’s real and ready)


I think they will just announce the headphone amplifier. I think is called Anni


----------



## BLacklWf

That's disappointing news.


----------



## joshnor713

BLacklWf said:


> That's disappointing news.


It's not news, it's just what someone thinks.


----------



## Another Audiophile

joshnor713 said:


> It's not news, it's just what someone thinks.


True. I clearly said “I think”lol


----------



## lucasratmundo

Another Audiophile said:


> I think they will just announce the headphone amplifier. I think is called Anni



Anni has now been announced and no sign of a new Mojo yet…


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

The Anni looks like a great product to pair with the Qutest.   It's a really compelling desktop solution.   A bit pricey, but no doubt high quality.   Maybe Chord is just planning to get out of the portable market because it is too competitive and the parts are too hard to get given the global supply shortage of various parts.  

CanJam Socal would have been a great venue to launch a Mojo 2.   It doesn't appear we will be getting one.  It would have made the most sense to launch all new products at the same time so that they could maximize coverage of the new products.


----------



## mainguy

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> The Anni looks like a great product to pair with the Qutest.   It's a really compelling desktop solution.   A bit pricey, but no doubt high quality.   Maybe Chord is just planning to get out of the portable market because it is too competitive and the parts are too hard to get given the global supply shortage of various parts.
> 
> CanJam Socal would have been a great venue to launch a Mojo 2.   It doesn't appear we will be getting one.  It would have made the most sense to launch all new products at the same time so that they could maximize coverage of the new products.


I feel like the Mojo was a top seller though, just gauging by how many vendors sell it.
It seems like a no brainer really, they could just leave the SQ and swap in a better battery and USB-C and people would be happy.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

mainguy said:


> I feel like the Mojo was a top seller though, just gauging by how many vendors sell it.
> It seems like a no brainer really, they could just leave the SQ and swap in a better battery and USB-C and people would be happy.


Sure, that would be a nice point release, but it is no longer competitive with other alternatives out there.   They really need to improve software and networking in the Mojo.   That is in addition to the battery and USB micro issues.   Chord should pair the Mojo with a DAP the size of a R3 Pro which runs Android and use their industrial design and machining expertise to make them work seamlessly together.    Add parametric EQ, be able to drive both IEMs and full sized headphones like the Mojo does today and they would have a winner.


----------



## alota

mainguy said:


> I feel like the Mojo was a top seller though, just gauging by how many vendors sell it.
> It seems like a no brainer really, they could just leave the SQ and swap in a better battery and USB-C and people would be happy.


Agree 100%


----------



## Another Audiophile

Tye anni will be interesting if it is designed by Rob Watts but looking at the description I doubt it.


----------



## alota

Another Audiophile said:


> Tye anni will be interesting if it is designed by Rob Watts but looking at the description I doubt it.


i know that Watts only designs dacs


----------



## Another Audiophile

alota said:


> i know that Watts only designs dacs


I was trying to be polite…


----------



## mainguy

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Sure, that would be a nice point release, but it is no longer competitive with other alternatives out there.   They really need to improve software and networking in the Mojo.   That is in addition to the battery and USB micro issues.   Chord should pair the Mojo with a DAP the size of a R3 Pro which runs Android and use their industrial design and machining expertise to make them work seamlessly together.    Add parametric EQ, be able to drive both IEMs and full sized headphones like the Mojo does today and they would have a winner.


It really is competitive though, I've had the pleasure of testing it beside a £3000 AK DAP, the Mojo sounds better. So people will still buy it for SQ no matter what, as that's king in this hobby.

I agree though. a Chord DAP would be absolutely superb, like you say they know how to machine well. I think they'll go the Mojo 2 route though.


----------



## Earbones (Sep 22, 2021)

Here’s my prediction: Chord either surprise-drops a Mojo 2 in three days at CJ, or it ain’t happening. At least not as anything we’d recognize as a Mojo, and not anytime soon.

It may be a very tricky thing to sell a deck-of-cards-sized device in a year or two. The smaller mobile landscape is probably going to look very different… L&P and Lotoo (among others) have kicked off the miniaturization wars with some absolutely insane tech and legit flagship-killing SQ in ridiculously tiny packages, roughly half the size of a pack of gum. Sure, they’re unpowered dongles, but it’s only a matter of time before they decide to drop a battery in something the same size or only slightly larger with (one would assume) some upgrades and even better sound. The game is changing quickly.

If Chord does have plans for a Mojo 2 similar in size to the original, they need to drop it now and ride the splash, or can it and head back to the drawing board.


----------



## Another Audiophile

To be honest I am not expecting anything to come out from Chord other than supplementary equipment like the Anni for the qutest range. I thing the mojo range will expand rather revised. Maybe something like a smart docking station or a revised software for poly.


----------



## Jawed

Earbones said:


> Here’s my prediction: Chord either surprise-drops a Mojo 2 in three days at CJ


Chord isn't exhibiting. 

I suppose that's why Anni was announced earlier this week.


----------



## Earbones

Jawed said:


> Chord isn't exhibiting.
> 
> I suppose that's why Anni was announced earlier this week.


Well, then I’m guessing no Mojo 2…


----------



## alota

R.I.P. mojo


----------



## Another Audiophile

alota said:


> R.I.P. mojo


why?


----------



## alota

Another Audiophile said:


> why?


no mojo in the stores no mojo 2 soon


----------



## thehutch

alota said:


> no mojo in the stores no mojo 2 soon


No one in the know has confirmed any of that. You’re jumping to conclusions. Rob Watts is in this thread and declined to comment. It’s possible it’s been discontinued, but maybe it hasn’t been.


----------



## antdroid

That doesnt discredit the fact that Mojo's are not available in most stores to buy except open box or used ones.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

I think Jason from The Source AV mentioned that there would be nothing regarding a Mojo 2 until at least Christmas.  He also mentioned that Chord is always late, so maybe there will be a Mojo 2 by CanJam New York in February.


----------



## thehutch

Given part sourcing problems across every industry, product rollout delays are probably going to be the norm. I do agree CanJam New York is a great target if they are releasing a new Mojo.


----------



## Another Audiophile

antdroid said:


> That doesnt discredit the fact that Mojo's are not available in most stores to buy except open box or used ones.


I got one with 6 years extended warranty


----------



## Earbones (Sep 25, 2021)

thehutch said:


> No one in the know has confirmed any of that. You’re jumping to conclusions. Rob Watts is in this thread and declined to comment. It’s possible it’s been discontinued, but maybe it hasn’t been.





thehutch said:


> Given part sourcing problems across every industry, product rollout delays are probably going to be the norm. I do agree CanJam New York is a great target if they are releasing a new Mojo.


I can confirm it.

Spoken to the owner of Audio 46, people at Bloom, people at The Source, and a few other smaller outfits… the Mojo 1 isn’t available anymore, period. It’s not a parts sourcing issue, it’s a Mojo sourcing issue… As in no more orders can be placed.

They have all heard rumors of a Mojo 2, but received zero solid information, nor even off-the-record official confirmation that it is happening… with the exception of Audio 46, who stated they were told it is happening... But whether they heard that from someone at Chord proper or from an importer rep wasn’t clear.

Larger dealers like those listed above need a healthy advance notice on heavily anticipated products in order to figure out logistics, due to the large volume of units they move. If they have heard essentially nothing solid, we can probably safely assume that _if_ a Mojo 2 is coming, it’s still a long ways out.

I was hoping they would surprise everybody and drop something at CanJam, so we’d be looking at units shipping probably spring 2022… But that didn’t happen. Based on that, and on the assumption that Chord is going to want to drop a new Mojo 2 at a CanJam, that means the next possibility is CJNY in late February… which would most likely mean summer 2022 at the earliest. But again, nobody has heard _anything_ solid. Like, _at all_. That’s a little weird for a product that would ostensibly be on shelves in like 9 months. So I’d say it’s probably going to be even later. So maybe CJS in April? And shipping Autumn 2022, a solid year from now? Again, if a Mojo 2 is happening at all.

So for the next little while… or long while… or forever… RIP Mojo indeed.

As always… I’d love to be wrong. C’mon, Chord- give me a big plate of humble pie to eat…


----------



## Another Audiophile

Earbones said:


> I can confirm it.
> 
> Spoken to the owner of Audio 46, people at Bloom, people at The Source, and a few other smaller outfits… the Mojo 1 isn’t available anymore, period. It’s not a parts sourcing issue, it’s a Mojo sourcing issue… As in no more orders can be placed.
> 
> ...


I had similar feedback from my dealer but mate, you should't be naming the source (not cool)


----------



## alota

@Another Audiophile relax it is just discussion. Who cares if mojo is alive or rip? Who cares the source? Where is the problem? For sure this discussion is good for chord due to interest for a new product. I' m sure if mojo 2 arrives to stores, chord will sell a lot of units


----------



## Another Audiophile

alota said:


> @Another Audiophile relax it is just discussion. Who cares if mojo is alive or rip? Who cares the source? Where is the problem? For sure this discussion is good for chord due to interest for a new product. I' m sure if mojo 2 arrives to stores, chord will sell a lot of units


I am very relaxed. It's just not cool to share what a dealer might have told you in private, maybe because you are a good customer or you have a good relationship. If I was chord I would send an email to Audio 46 asking for some explanations. You are on the wrong mate to share the name of the dealer.


----------



## originalsnuffy

How would the new generation of R2R DAP units compare with a Mojo?


----------



## Earbones (Sep 25, 2021)

Another Audiophile said:


> I had similar feedback from my dealer but mate, you should't be naming the source (not cool)





Another Audiophile said:


> I am very relaxed. It's just not cool to share what a dealer might have told you in private, maybe because you are a good customer or you have a good relationship. If I was chord I would send an email to Audio 46 asking for some explanations. You are on the wrong mate to share the name of the dealer.


Why do you assume these statements were secrets told to me in confidence?

Again, the main take-away from these conversations with everybody -including Audio 46- was that there is no solid, substantial statement from Chord regarding the Mojo 2. Why on earth would that be a secret? Better question- how on earth _could_ that be a secret? What are these vendors supposed to tell people who can no longer place an order for a Mojo? Maybe gaslight them and pretend there was never even a Mojo 1, let alone rumors of a Mojo 2?

If you were Chord, what would the contents of your email to Audio 46 be?

“_Dear sirs:

We are extremely disappointed you don’t have any solid information about what our plans are regarding a possible Mojo 2… even though we are the only ones who could have provided you with said solid information, and we haven’t. In the future, if a customer express interest in a Mojo 2, please do not say anything, and immediately throw scalding hot coffee in their face.

We will have a Mojo 2 for you to sell eventually. Or maybe we won’t. But then again, perhaps. Or perhaps not. Yes. No. Left. Right. Red fish. Blue fish. Mojo 1 fish. Mojo 2 fish.

Remember, that coffee should be face-meltingly hot. We can’t stress that enough.

Best,

Chord_”…


----------



## Another Audiophile

Earbones said:


> If you were Chord, what would the contents of your email to Audio 46 be?


Dear Audio 46 

We haven't made any official statement concerning the mojo's availability. There are some stock issues due to low availability of FPGA chips. It came to our attention that you have been falsely communicating to potential chord customers that the chord mojo is not available anymore, implying that the product has been discontinued. This is not true and chord have never made such statement. As such you are currently requested to express our appologies for the delay and as an official distributor we would appreciate if you could stop spreading terminological inexactitudes. 

Regards

Chord team


Or something like that...


----------



## Earbones (Sep 26, 2021)

Another Audiophile said:


> Dear Audio 46
> 
> We haven't made any official statement concerning the mojo's availability. There are some stock issues due to low availability of FPGA chips. It came to our attention that you have been falsely communicating to potential chord customers that the chord mojo is not available anymore, implying that the product has been discontinued. This is not true and chord have never made such statement. As such you are currently requested to express our appologies for the delay and as an official distributor we would appreciate if you could stop spreading terminological inexactitudes.
> 
> ...


You keep hammering on this idea that Chord is experiencing a shortage of FPGA chips. I’m curious as to why you think only Mojo production would be affected if this was the case. You do realize that the FPGA chip used in the Mojo is also used in some of Chord’s higher end DACs, right? That’s why it was such a big deal when the Mojo was released at it’s price point.

Stores can still place orders for Hugo 2s, Qutests, etc… Shouldn’t they be held up due to “low availability of FPGA chips” as well?


----------



## Another Audiophile

Earbones said:


> You keep hammering on this idea that Chord is experiencing a shortage of FPGA chips. I’m curious as to why you think only Mojo production would be affected if this was the case. You do realize that the FPGA chip used in the Mojo is also used in some of Chord’s higher end DACs, right? That’s why it was such a big deal when the Mojo was released at it’s price point.
> 
> Stores can still place orders for Hugo 2s, Qutests, etc… Shouldn’t they be held up due to “low availability of FPGA chips” as well?


Whatever. The point is that what you did is not cool. Let’s move on.


----------



## Earbones

Another Audiophile said:


> Whatever.


The whatever is that you’re laboring under misinformation. 


Another Audiophile said:


> The point is that what you did is not cool. Let’s move on.


Is it though? Couldn’t the point be that maybe you shouldn’t call people out unless you’re absolutely sure you know what you’re talking about? And if that does happen, and you realize you perhaps don’t know what you’re talking about, isn’t the point that you should probably own the mistake, drop your ego, and stop calling the person out?


----------



## mainguy

Earbones said:


> The whatever is that you’re laboring under misinformation.
> 
> Is it though? Couldn’t the point be that maybe you shouldn’t call people out unless you’re absolutely sure you know what you’re talking about? And if that does happen, and you realize you perhaps don’t know what you’re talking about, isn’t the point that you should probably own the mistake, drop your ego, and stop calling the person out?


I wouldn't sweat it man, it's just a bloody chord mojo. Not like you spilled the beans on information relating to national security or anything.


----------



## Earbones

mainguy said:


> I wouldn't sweat it man, it's just a bloody chord mojo. Not like you spilled the beans on information relating to national security or anything.


Yeah, I just don’t like being called out for nothing. 

I’m probably just cranky. Not enough sleep. The C/O had us up all night trying to clean up the NVX-112 Project Titan formula that was leaking into the ground water and city main, so I’m absolutely exhaus-

Oh, f___k.


----------



## flyte3333

This video by @Mediahound  mentions some photo of Mojo2 which could be real or could be fake.

Either way, anyone got that photo or can link it?


----------



## iDesign

flyte3333 said:


> This video by @Mediahound  mentions some photo of Mojo2 which could be real or could be fake.
> 
> Either way, anyone got that photo or can link it?



Page 10


----------



## flyte3333

Mediahound said:


> If a Mojo 2 has a mini MScaler in it, you can bet it will be a lot less taps.



Rob Watts has already said he is not interested in half M-Scaler - nothing less than 1xM 

We already have 0.05xM-Scaler in Hugo2 !

The amount of heat given off by M-Scaler's and Dave's FPGA is one clue that it can't fit in a case as tiny as Mojo

Needs a significantly more efficient FPGA to pull this off.

And the industrial design around how the USB-C is added is another clue. There is no way John Franks would sign off on that.

I can't believe some people thought that pic is real. It's a fake.


----------



## Earbones

flyte3333 said:


> I can't believe some people thought that pic is real. It's a fake.


I’m inclined to agree.


----------



## nikon6

Hanesu said:


> I want a Mojo/Poly combination in one machine - of course in the size of the Mojo! ☺️


Yes, yes, yes. . . . that would be a game changer!  And keep the $600 price tag . . . . or lower


----------



## alxw0w

Official:
https://chordelectronics.co.uk/comi...urce=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-110747222358641


----------



## Mr X

alxw0w said:


> Official:
> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/comi...urce=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-110747222358641



A 3 month wait - hopefully they will drip feed some more info soon


----------



## alxw0w

Mr X said:


> A 3 month wait - hopefully they will drip feed some more info soon


I hope It will be available as preorder @ dealers. 
And it looks like leaks (photos) from the beginning of the thread were legit.


----------



## someyoungguy

alxw0w said:


> I hope It will be available as preorder @ dealers.
> And it looks like leaks (photos) from the beginning of the thread were legit.


Yeah, looks _alot_ like those photos, it seemed too thorough to be a fake job. Maybe I sold my Poly too soon  (but now I can put the funds towards the 2nd edition).


----------



## antdroid

The marbles in that Chord coming soon graphic look like that leaked image from earlier this year.


----------



## rocketron

This is good news.


----------



## thehutch

Excellent. Looks like it will launch right before CanJam New York.


----------



## Another Audiophile

so all the denial from chord about the mojo been discontinued was for nothing. Sorry, zero credibility. I think we can all assume that the original mojo is done and the new one is coming. The suppliers were right all along.


----------



## BenSherman

Another Audiophile said:


> so all the denial from chord about the mojo been discontinued was for nothing. Sorry, zero credibility. I think we can all assume that the original mojo is done and the new one is coming. The suppliers were right all along.


Will it be worth buying one of the last remaining stock? Or waiting for the new model??


----------



## thehutch

Another Audiophile said:


> so all the denial from chord about the mojo been discontinued was for nothing. Sorry, zero credibility. I think we can all assume that the original mojo is done and the new one is coming. The suppliers were right all along.


Where did they deny it?


----------



## mainguy

Oh man they could knock it out of the park with this. Imagine USB-C, some rudimentary bluetooth functionality, £400. Bye bye ifi go blu.
I do think they really need to have some bT internals though to allow this to reach it's potential sales. I really cba to go back to a tethered phone as a portable solution.


----------



## alota

31th january is too distant. @ChordElectronics we want a christmas toy


----------



## Another Audiophile

thehutch said:


> Where did they deny it?


Reply from chord when I asked if the mojo has been discontinued 

_“Mojo isn't discontinued... but we aren't currently building them. This is an unplanned and temporary hiatus caused by knock on effects of the current chip shortage (we never stopped our orders during COVID but we're now suffering shortages in high demand components). We hope to rectify it as soon as we can.
All the best_”


----------



## mainguy

alota said:


> 31th january is too distant. @ChordElectronics we want a christmas toy


Yeah release it now before everyone buys ifi go blus.


----------



## joshnor713

They probably would've liked it sooner but have to deal with the supply shortages. At this point just hoping we can get our hands on it in 2022 😅


----------



## thehutch

Another Audiophile said:


> Reply from chord when I asked if the mojo has been discontinued
> 
> _“Mojo isn't discontinued... but we aren't currently building them. This is an unplanned and temporary hiatus caused by knock on effects of the current chip shortage (we never stopped our orders during COVID but we're now suffering shortages in high demand components). We hope to rectify it as soon as we can.
> All the best_”


Both things could be true. They may have planned to continue manufacturing them through the year but couldn’t source parts. Or they may have plans to sell Mojo 1 at a discount next to Mojo 2 (unlikely).

Or you could argue it isn’t being discontinued because they’re releasing Mojo 2. Is a car continued when they release a new model year?


----------



## ChrisHeld1989

<3


----------



## jwbrent

I was really hoping that a Mojo 2 would have wifi and a microSD card slot so it could be controlled by one’s phone, essentially a Poly+Mojo in one chassis. Also, the same number of taps as the Qutest/Hugo 2.

I guess we’ll see it in action at CanJam NY.


----------



## Earbones (Oct 29, 2021)

Woo hoooo!! Never been happier to have been wrong!

That said, I still don’t think it will be identical to those leaked images from earlier in the thread. I’d bet that was a prototype. Look at the pic of the rear… the cutout for the USB-C port not only appears to extend below the base of the device, but it actually infringes into the cutout for the left Micro-USB port. I can’t see that happening on a production model. I wouldn’t be surprised if Micro-USB is gone entirely in favor of USB-C, and there is internal Bluetooth, meaning it doesn’t need to be backwards compatible with Poly.


----------



## jarnopp

Earbones said:


> Woo hoooo!! Never been happier to have been wrong!
> 
> That said, I still don’t think it will be identical to those leaked images from earlier in the thread. I’d bet that was a prototype. Look at the pic of the rear… the cutout for the USB-C port not only appears to extend below the base of the device, but it actually infringes into the cutout for the left Micro-USB port. I can’t see that happening on a production model. I wouldn’t be surprised if Micro-USB is gone entirely in favor of USB-C, and there is internal Bluetooth, meaning it doesn’t need to be backwards compatible with Poly.


Poly s more than Bluetooth. People won’t want to have to buy a Poly2 to use Roon, WiFi, SD card.


----------



## Earbones (Oct 30, 2021)

jarnopp said:


> Poly s more than Bluetooth. People won’t want to have to buy a Poly2 to use Roon, WiFi, SD card.


I don’t know anything about Poly, never used it… If it’s more than Bluetooth, then I imagine they’d put whatever makes a Poly a Poly inside the Mojo 2.

I can’t imagine Chord dropping a new product that will realistically ship in early 2022 that uses primarily ancient micro USB, just so it can be backwards compatible with an add-on product launched half a decade ago… Especially when the main function of that product is wireless capability, which is something basically all of the Mojo 2’s competitors have internally. It would be a really, really dumb move. If they want it to be competitive, it will be all USB-C and have internal Poly capabilities. When the original Mojo dropped it murdered everything in terms of how much it offered for less. No reason to think the 2 won’t be gunning the same way.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Earbones said:


> I don’t know anything about Poly, never used it… If it’s more than Bluetooth, then I imagine they’d put whatever makes a Poly a Poly inside the Mojo 2.
> 
> I can’t imagine Chord dropping a new product that will realistically ship in early 2022 that uses primarily ancient micro USB, just so it can be backwards compatible with an add-on product launched half a decade ago… Especially when the main function of that product is wireless capability, which is something basically all of the Mojo 2’s competitors have internally. It would be a really, really dumb move. If they want it to be competitive, it will be all USB-C and have internal Poly capabilities. When the original Mojo dropped it murdered everything which how much it offered for less. No reason to think the 2 won’t be gunning the same way.


Based on the size of the Mojo 2, I don't think it will have an internal Poly built into it.    It has a 4th marble dial.    Maybe that's an input or feature selector.    I love my Mojo even though I don't listen to it much anymore.   Now we have an announcement date at least.   Very exciting.


----------



## thehutch

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Based on the size of the Mojo 2, I don't think it will have an internal Poly built into it.    It has a 4th marble dial.    Maybe that's an input or feature selector.    I love my Mojo even though I don't listen to it much anymore.   Now we have an announcement date at least.   Very exciting.


Agree, my guess is even if they figured out to a way to put Poly inside a Mojo they’d rather keep as a separate device. I’m thinking the extra button is for filters like on Hugo 2.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

thehutch said:


> Agree, my guess is even if they figured out to a way to put Poly inside a Mojo they’d rather keep as a separate device. I’m thinking the extra button is for filters like on Hugo 2.


I hope it's not for filters because the filters on the Hugo 2 don't do much.


----------



## rkt31

I think fourth orb is for gain control.

Any idea of taps and other specs ?


----------



## thehutch

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I hope it's not for filters because the filters on the Hugo 2 don't do much.


I agree. I almost never use them unless I’m listening to a really old recording like Robert Johnson or something.


----------



## jarnopp

rkt31 said:


> I think fourth orb is for gain control.
> 
> Any idea of taps and other specs ?


“M” doesn’t seem like gain. Maybe “m-scaler” (doubtful) or “mode” (Poly, direct, other inputs) or “media” (streaming, SD, Poly), or filters of some sort. @Rob Watts, care to tell us what the M button is for?


----------



## alxw0w (Oct 30, 2021)

Poly inside mojo2 not gonna happen.
Micro USB will probably stay due to poly compatibility (next to USB c).


----------



## alota

Well...micro usb is a commercial suicide imho


----------



## Another Audiophile

All I can tell is that the new device looks like a spider with 4 eyes.


----------



## Another Audiophile

alota said:


> Well...micro usb is a commercial suicide imho


what is the problem with micro? Is there a specific benefit having usb-c with the new device?


----------



## mainguy

rkt31 said:


> I think fourth orb is for gain control.
> 
> Any idea of taps and other specs ?


one for bluetooth, im certain itll have BT. Poly still viable as it can play straight from an sd card.


----------



## alota

Another Audiophile said:


> what is the problem with micro? Is there a specific benefit having usb-c with the new device?


Usb c for me is more praticak and solid. And it is better with smarphones. No otg adapters


----------



## alxw0w

A lot of wishful thinking going on here.
I don't think mojo2 will be something revolutionary.
It's more an incremental upgrade over mojo.
And i personally don't see a problem in micro USB.
USB c have only one advantage in product like mojo - it's more robust tougher connection.
But as I said. Micro USB is going to be there together with USB C.


----------



## alota

In my opinion it is absurd to use micro usb. A standard in fact that is disappearing


----------



## alxw0w (Oct 30, 2021)

alota said:


> In my opinion it is absurd to use micro usb. A standard in fact that is disappearing


If you want to keep poly, you don't have a choice.-. And I'm sure Chord wants to keep poly alive for quite some time. It was designed by external company - these things cost a lot of money. They invested serious cash into a product, now they want that cash back.

But from the other side, it's disappearing from phones (micro usb) , so what ? I don't see a point really.
If you are designing product you don't follow blindly other companies.
Everything has it's purpose you don't put random things in your device because other companies changed something.
It's called engineering


----------



## Another Audiophile

Another Audiophile said:


> All I can tell is that the new device looks like a spider with 4 eyes.


Now all jumping spiders have 4 eyes. One of the most famous is the bold spider. That would be a cool name for the next mojo. BOLD


----------



## alota

alxw0w said:


> If you want to keep poly, you don't have a choice.-. And I'm sure Chord wants to keep poly alive for quite some time. It was designed by external company - these things cost a lot of money. They invested serious cash into a product, now they want that cash back.
> 
> But from the other side, it's disappearing from phones (micro usb) , so what ? I don't see a point really.
> If you are designing product you don't follow blindly other companies.
> ...


Solution: poly 2 lol


----------



## Another Audiophile

Guys, do you know what I would like to see? A new company by @Rob Watts that will produce only his designs.


----------



## alxw0w

Another Audiophile said:


> Guys, do you know what I would like to see? A new company by @Rob Watts that will produce only his designs.


Go back to early 90' and look for DPA


----------



## alota

alxw0w said:


> Go back to early 90' and look for DPA


Was Deltec right?


----------



## Another Audiophile

alxw0w said:


> Go back to early 90' and look for DPA


Well, that was a very different period with very different available technology


----------



## miketlse

Another Audiophile said:


> Guys, do you know what I would like to see? A new company by @Rob Watts that will produce only his designs.


It is ambiguous whether you mean 'a company to produce the design' or 'a company to manufacture the product already designed by Rob'.


----------



## Malevolent

jarnopp said:


> “M” doesn’t seem like gain. Maybe “m-scaler” (doubtful) or “mode” (Poly, direct, other inputs) or “media” (streaming, SD, Poly), or filters of some sort. @Rob Watts, care to tell us what the M button is for?


When I had my Poly, one of the things that I really wanted was a wired-USB connection; there were times when I didn't want or need the wireless capabilities of the Moly + Poly. Thus, it will be nice to see a "Mode" button that induces a "Poly bypass" function.

Anyway, it's interesting to note that the official teased shot of the Mojo 2 closely matches the button layout of the leaked set of images. Guess the tipster was right, after all?


----------



## jarnopp

Malevolent said:


> When I had my Poly, one of the things that I really wanted was a wired-USB connection; there were times when I didn't want or need the wireless capabilities of the Moly + Poly. Thus, it will be nice to see a "Mode" button that induces a "Poly bypass" function.
> 
> Anyway, it's interesting to note that the official teased shot of the Mojo 2 closely matches the button layout of the leaked set of images. Guess the tipster was right, after all?


How would the Poly bypass work?  I think the usb input on Poly only connects to the charging usb on Mojo, not the input. So that may have to wait for Poly2…and what would that look like to mate with Mojo2 via usb?  I hope they are thinking about that, too.


----------



## Another Audiophile

miketlse said:


> It is ambiguous whether you mean 'a company to produce the design' or 'a company to manufacture the product already designed by Rob'.


A company owned by Rob Watts where he has 100% control of the products.


----------



## alota

jarnopp said:


> How would the Poly bypass work?  I think the usb input on Poly only connects to the charging usb on Mojo, not the input. So that may have to wait for Poly2…and what would that look like to mate with Mojo2 via usb?  I hope they are thinking about that, too.


An integrated product was better for sure


----------



## Earbones

I don’t want to wade too far into the whole Micro-USB vs USB-C debate… I’ll just say its a silly debate to have. USB-C is objectively better, period. Faster data, faster charging, far more physically robust.

I don’t really see why Chord would hamstring a brand new presumably cutting-edge device with obsolete connections just so it can be backwards-compatible with a half-decade-old add-on product. That seems insane. But hey, stranger things have happened. 

Given how much of a craterous impact the original Mojo made on the face of mobile audiophillia, I don’t think a new device with onboard DLNA, AirPlay, Bluetooth and microSD card playback is so far out of the realm of possibility… In fact, it would be just about what is needed to blow people’s minds the way the original did. 

That said, if we’re not lucky enough to get all that in the new Mojo, I still think its more likely that the device will be USB-C, and a USB-C Poly 2 will come along shortly. Again, the original Poly is half a decade old. That may not be as long in the tooth as the original Mojo, but by digital device standards, the original Poly has definitely been around a while…


----------



## jarnopp

Earbones said:


> I don’t want to wade too far into the whole Micro-USB vs USB-C debate… I’ll just say its a silly debate to have. USB-C is objectively better, period. Faster data, faster charging, far more physically robust.
> 
> I don’t really see why Chord would hamstring a brand new presumably cutting-edge device with obsolete connections just so it can be backwards-compatible with a half-decade-old add-on product. That seems insane. But hey, stranger things have happened.
> 
> ...


4 years is a long time for a digital device, but how many are still using an iPhone 8 with no issues?  We know the evolution of phones…bigger screens, better cameras, better battery life, different connectors, but they do the same thing.

We also know the upgrade path for Mojo…more taps, better filters like H2 or TT2, lore elements pulse array, better battery life.  That will depend on the availability of better FOGAs. I don’t know if @Rob Watts has improved his very simple and transparent audio implementation. But as I’ve said before, Mojo is by far the best value audio product I have ever purchased. And it will be hard to change that unless Mojo2 is clearly better for its new price. I don’t find anything lacking in Mojo for its form factor compared to day one, and haven’t felt any need to upgrade or side grade. But, I’ll be first in line to preorder Mojo2.


----------



## Earbones (Oct 30, 2021)

jarnopp said:


> 4 years is a long time for a digital device, but how many are still using an iPhone 8 with no issues?  We know the evolution of phones…bigger screens, better cameras, better battery life, different connectors, but they do the same thing.
> 
> We also know the upgrade path for Mojo…more taps, better filters like H2 or TT2, lore elements pulse array, better battery life.  That will depend on the availability of better FOGAs. I don’t know if @Rob Watts has improved his very simple and transparent audio implementation. But as I’ve said before, Mojo is by far the best value audio product I have ever purchased. And it will be hard to change that unless Mojo2 is clearly better for its new price. I don’t find anything lacking in Mojo for its form factor compared to day one, and haven’t felt any need to upgrade or side grade. But, I’ll be first in line to preorder Mojo2.


The phone point is well taken, but then we must also acknowledge the difference between a phone and a boutique audio device. While most modern jobs require one to have a smart phone (and I am not speaking tech or corporate… even plumbers could not go back to the days before customers could text them photos of disasters in real-time), nobody really _needs_ a Mojo 2. Well, I do. And you do. But we’re weirdos. So if phones are the metric, then for this comparison, it is only fair to reduce that metric to the weirdos who are like us, only with phones… that being the average Apple fanboy. And those guys are definitely not rocking an iPhone 8 in 2021. Except maybe the Woz. But he’s an anomaly.

And while I certainly agree that we (by and large) know the upgrade path for the iPhone 13, 14, 15, and probably even the 16, I don’t think we can say the same for the Mojo body of products. After all, the second one isn’t even out yet, and next to nothing is known about it, beyond some (albeit informed) speculation. So I think it’s a bit premature to lean into the idea that Chord has settled on a relatively tame upgrade path for the series… I mean, the first Mojo was introduced with all the subtlety of a Guy Richie movie character kicking down the door and waving a shotgun about… It brought legitimate end-game desktop sound to a device the size of a deck of cards. For $500. It was _bonkers_. I’m hoping the Mojo 2 is just as bonkers.


----------



## PANURUS

I will change from Mojo to Mojo2 only because it is Poly compatible.
I could use the Mojo2 with the 2go2yu for a better result but it will not be portable.


----------



## bwardrop

I’m beyond excited for this. The Mojo has been amazing. If it comes with Bluetooth baked in I’ll be buying one for sure.


----------



## Thrill Killer

I came across this. Don't know if it's been posted yet. It Has USB-C Input!


----------



## Thrill Killer

The photos.................


----------



## thehutch

Thrill Killer said:


> The photos.................


Still unclear if these are real. They’re from a long while ago.


----------



## BenSherman (Oct 31, 2021)

thehutch said:


> Still unclear if these are real. They’re from a long while ago.


As someone had said earlier, I think this is most likely an early prototype. There is no way a new, cutting-edge, premium device in 2022 is going to be launched with ancient USB micro!


----------



## alota

We need a petition against the micro usb


----------



## BenSherman

alota said:


> We need a petition against the micro usb


@Rob Watts @ChordElectronics any chance the next teaser-photo can be of the input ports? 😆


----------



## Baten

alota said:


> We need a petition against the micro usb


Won't do much if it's already in production haha.

Anyway looks like you can use usb-c connection no prob, just has micro ports for Poly and charger.


----------



## jarnopp

alota said:


> We need a petition against the micro usb


I don’t understand…if it has the port you want (USB-C), who cares if it also has other ports?


----------



## magagne (Oct 31, 2021)

jarnopp said:


> I don’t understand…if it has the port you want (USB-C), who cares if it also has other ports?


For Poly compatibility ...
But will find this odd if they come with a Poly 2 that will only have one USB C to plug in the Mojo 2 though For power & Data.


----------



## alota

jarnopp said:


> I don’t understand…if it has the port you want (USB-C), who cares if it also has other ports?


Nothing special. But for me and other people, the pictures are fake


----------



## magagne

Just hope they will come very soon with a Poly 2 brother and a better Wi-Fi chip. Pathetic all those Wi-Fi issues.


----------



## joshnor713

jarnopp said:


> I don’t understand…if it has the port you want (USB-C), who cares if it also has other ports?


This.

Are people just hating on people that own a Poly?


----------



## Whitigir

This thread is how many years old ?


----------



## alota

A quarter of century


----------



## Whitigir

alota said:


> A quarter of century


Lol! Nothing bad at all.  It means that people who enjoy Mojo and Chord stuff can enjoy these products with more peace in minds as they take a while to produce….unlike ducks laying eggs 🤣


----------



## alota

Whitigir said:


> Lol! Nothing bad at all.  It means that people who enjoy Mojo and Chord stuff can enjoy these products with more peace in minds as they take a while to produce….unlike ducks laying eggs 🤣


Indeed but now it's a time for new stuffs


----------



## Whitigir

alota said:


> Indeed but now it's a time for new stuffs


I wouldn’t mind if they keep it until 2024 either.


----------



## alota

Whitigir said:


> I wouldn’t mind if they keep it until 2024 either.


True ahahahah


----------



## Baten

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/coming-soon

But isn't this Mojo 2 then?


----------



## miketlse

alota said:


> We need a petition against the micro usb


It is obviously a big issue for you. You do have the same freedom as every other head-fi poster, to create a new 'no more micro-usb on chord devices' thread, and see how many posters follow or post.


----------



## miketlse

Baten said:


> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/coming-soon
> 
> But isn't this Mojo 2 then?


The presumption is that it is, but the image does not show the input or output sockets.
At the moment it is a marketing tease....


----------



## alota

miketlse said:


> It is obviously a big issue for you. You do have the same freedom as every other head-fi poster, to create a new 'no more micro-usb on chord devices' thread, and see how many posters follow or post.


Too much serious. It is just an innocent joke


----------



## miketlse

alota said:


> Too much serious. It is just an innocent joke


Sorry if you were offended, but this weekend you have made at least 4 posts complaining about micro-usb.
For example
It is clearly not a minor issue for you.


----------



## alota

miketlse said:


> Sorry if you were offended, but this weekend you have made at least 4 posts complaining about micro-usb.
> For example
> It is clearly not a minor issue for you.


No offense at all. But i'm firm in my opinion. then if chord wants to continue using the micro usb it is certainly not my problem. the market is full of alternatives


----------



## bwardrop

I don’t care so much if it still has micro USB except it suggests that they are keeping Poly compatibility. That’s super frustrating. Just about every $100 device out in today’s market includes bluetooth.


----------



## joshnor713

Guess I'm missing what the problem is here. If they have both type of USB's for every user, what's the problem?


----------



## joshnor713

bwardrop said:


> I don’t care so much if it still has micro USB except it suggests that they are keeping Poly compatibility. That’s super frustrating. Just about every $100 device out in today’s market includes bluetooth.


Poly isn't about Bluetooth.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

bwardrop said:


> I don’t care so much if it still has micro USB except it suggests that they are keeping Poly compatibility. That’s super frustrating. Just about every $100 device out in today’s market includes bluetooth.


Do you actually know what a Poly does?   I own it. I love it and I have never once used it for bluetooth.


----------



## bwardrop

I don’t mean this in a snarky way at all. If I’m missing something please educate me. The Poly is a wireless streaming device With a SD card slot so it kind of doubles as a dap controlled via smartphone app.


----------



## thehutch

bwardrop said:


> I don’t mean this in a snarky way at all. If I’m missing something please educate me. The Poly is a wireless streaming device With a SD card slot so it kind of doubles as a dap controlled via smartphone app.


The Poly can create its own Wi-Fi network so you can stream lossless audio from your phone over DLNA or Airplay. It is many times superior (in sound quality) to Bluetooth.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

bwardrop said:


> I don’t mean this in a snarky way at all. If I’m missing something please educate me. The Poly is a wireless streaming device With a SD card slot so it kind of doubles as a dap controlled via smartphone app.


Sure, anyone can post words about what something does.   But, until you have actually heard it, you have no idea what it is like to use and what it does for the musical listening experience.

As streamers do, the Poly significantly improves the sound quality of music.   But, the networking problems where network connections drop frequently and the lack of a decent music player makes DAPs like the DX300 a much better value and much easier to use with equivalent sound quality.   The micro USB issue is an issue, but a very very very small one relative to networking and music player.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

thehutch said:


> The Poly can create its own Wi-Fi network so you can stream lossless audio from your phone over DLNA or Airplay. It is many times superior (in sound quality) to Bluetooth.


exactly.


----------



## Thrill Killer

alota said:


> Nothing special. But for me and other people, the pictures are fake


Fake? Based off of what?


----------



## Thrill Killer

thehutch said:


> Still unclear if these are real. They’re from a long while ago.


How old are these pics then? Their post date is 17hrs ago. If you have pics from an older time, please share your source.


----------



## jarnopp

Thrill Killer said:


> How old are these pics then? Their post date is 17hrs ago. If you have pics from an older time, please share your source.


April: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-2-speculation-thread.885405/page-10


----------



## Thrill Killer

jarnopp said:


> April: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-2-speculation-thread.885405/page-10


It'd be a pretty elaborate fake if it was fake. Everything that the pics show is what one would expect from a next gen from the original mojo. Fabricate a case and connections, inputs, outputs, all for what? We will find out soon. I'm gonna stop by the local Chord dealer this week and see what he says, if he's heard or seen anything. I'll report back either way.


----------



## jarnopp

Thrill Killer said:


> It'd be a pretty elaborate fake if it was fake. Everything that the pics show is what one would expect from a next gen from the original mojo. Fabricate a case and connections, inputs, outputs, all for what? We will find out soon. I'm gonna stop by the local Chord dealer this week and see what he says, if he's heard or seen anything. I'll report back either way.


Right. Plus, the Chord tease lines up pretty well with those leaked photos from earlier this year.


----------



## Earbones (Nov 1, 2021)

With respect, a lot of the guys who keep insisting that the Poly is “so much more than just Bluetooth” perhaps don’t understand just how simple to implement the Poly’s functions are in 2021.

Back in 2017, it was most likely separate Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chips/cards, but there are plenty of duals available today, with the added benefit that it’s a native single connection to the antennae rather than double wiring, which can cause issues (probably the root of the Poly’s Wi-Fi issues some people apparently experience). DLNA and Airplay are excessively simple to implement as well. The entire board-space required (including reader chip) would be very, very small. The physical SD card reader port is actually the biggest engineering trick just due to space, but again, in 2021, it’s well-tread territory with small devices… It raises the cost a bit though, which is why we don’t see it in more mobile DACs. Although when I think about iFi, with their value proposition-oriented marketing, I am surprised they haven’t done it in one of their mobile devices. Or maybe they have? I haven’t yet done a deep-dive on any of their most recent offerings.

In any event, the point is, the functionality of the current Poly is not this insurmountable, pie-in-the-sky add-on you appear to think it is in 2021. It would be pretty easy for Chord to implement internally in the Mojo 2. Honestly, a theoretical Poly 2 with modern components would be mostly empty inside, were it the same dimensions as the Poly 1.

So looping back around to the “keeping Micro-USB vs going full USB-C” discussion, I just don’t see Chord dropping a Mojo 2 with Micro-USB to ensure backwards compatibility with the current Poly. It just doesn’t make sense. Consider this: even if Chord does believe that the best way to implement  Bluetooth, WiFi, AirPlay, DLNA and MicroSD functionality is via a secondary device rather than internalizing it all… the way that tech is implemented has still improved dramatically in the last half-decade. They could make a secondary device that performs a lot better than the current Poly, and it would be much smaller to boot. Why would they upgrade the Mojo experience, but not the Poly experience? And assuming they do intend to upgrade the Poly experience, why would they keep the obsolete Micro-USB standard?

I understand a lot of people have invested in the Poly 1, but that’s audiophillia, folks. Something bigger and badder is always coming out. Obsolescence happens. The Poly 1 has been around for half a decade… That’s an incredibly good run for a product of it’s type. Nobody is owed compatibility for a decade or more… I mean, we’re not even talking analog tech here, for which such an argument could be made (a 1980’s McIntosh tube amp sounds just as good as a current one, no reason to replace it, so make your new processor backwards compatible, blah blah). We’re talking mobile digital connectivity... that tech changes with the breeze.


----------



## mainguy

Earbones said:


> With respect, a lot of the guys who keep insisting that the Poly is “so much more than just Bluetooth” perhaps don’t understand just how simple to implement the Poly’s functions are in 2021.
> 
> Back in 2017, it was most likely separate Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chips/cards, but there are plenty of duals available today, with the added benefit that it’s a native single connection to the antennae rather than double wiring, which can cause issues (probably the root of the Poly’s Wi-Fi issues some people apparently experience). DLNA and Airplay are excessively simple to implement as well. The entire board-space required (including reader chip) would be very, very small. The physical SD card reader port is actually the biggest engineering trick just due to space, but again, in 2021, it’s well-tread territory with small devices… It raises the cost a bit though, which is why we don’t see it in more mobile DACs. Although when I think about iFi, with their value proposition-oriented marketing, I am surprised they haven’t done it in one of their mobile devices. Or maybe they have? I haven’t yet done a deep-dive on any of their most recent offerings.


I agree, I think if Chord are smart they'd aim for 500-600ish for poly 2 + mojo 2. They'd dominate the market at that price, if they go for the original 900 total, not so much. Way too many good DAPs in that price range now.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

mainguy said:


> I agree, I think if Chord are smart they'd aim for 500-600ish for poly 2 + mojo 2. They'd dominate the market at that price, if they go for the original 900 total, not so much. Way too many good DAPs in that price range now.



In my opinion if anything the price will increase. The question is by how much, 20% or 50%?. They recently increased their prices on the TT2, M Scaler - probably others as well. And these are existing units, same model, higher price due to... I suppose inflation and the current shortage of materials. IMHO the Mojo 2 alone will be at least 800 USD or EUR. 

Look also at their history with Hugo to Hugo 2 increase. TT to TT2 increase. To me it's clear that there will be a price increase.


----------



## Another Audiophile

CaptainFantastic said:


> In my opinion if anything the price will increase. The question is by how much, 20% or 50%?. They recently increased their prices on the TT2, M Scaler - probably others as well. And these are existing units, same model, higher price due to... I suppose inflation and the current shortage of materials. IMHO the Mojo 2 alone will be at least 800 USD or EUR.
> 
> Look also at their history with Hugo to Hugo 2 increase. TT to TT2 increase. To me it's clear that there will be a price increase.


Going without saying that the price will be higher. The question is how relevant they will be. I don’t think any new unit will make the number mojo made. They might be late to the party.


----------



## thehutch

Another Audiophile said:


> Going without saying that the price will be higher. The question is how relevant they will be. I don’t think any new unit will make the number mojo made. They might be late to the party.


Even in the current form factor and without wireless, I don’t see why a Mojo with higher resolution but the same sound signature wouldn’t remain competitive with other portable DAC/amps. What would be holding it back if it’s a huge lead up in SQ?


----------



## Another Audiophile

thehutch said:


> Even in the current form factor and without wireless, I don’t see why a Mojo with higher resolution but the same sound signature wouldn’t remain competitive with other portable DAC/amps. What would be holding it back if it’s a huge lead up in SQ?


Convenience. That's the word. Todays DAPs are "good enough" for portable devices.


----------



## thehutch

Another Audiophile said:


> Convenience. That's the word. Todays DAPs are "good enough" for portable devices.


Chord obviously thinks you’re wrong


----------



## mainguy

Another Audiophile said:


> Convenience. That's the word. Todays DAPs are "good enough" for portable devices.


This, for sure. More than good enough actually.
The Sony WM1a with WM1z firmware sound better than my Mojo, for me anyway. It also has an interface, stores thousands of songs, and works great as a bluetooth DAC out of the box.
Granted it's a £1000 unit, but similar devices are coming now at £600ish.

I love the Mojo, but fact is, on the go I just want something that's quick, simple, and sounds really good. And there are tons of options there, heck even an audioquest dragonfly sounds great, and when you're out and about its as good as you need.

Imo Chord need to make this convenient, or cheaper, it's their only option. Or if they could actually nail the Poly this time, and make it work, for £800ish total, that would also be great. But it needs to be really user friendly this time not the s**** storm it is today.


----------



## thehutch

mainguy said:


> This, for sure. More than good enough actually.
> The Sony WM1a with WM1z firmware sound better than my Mojo, for me anyway. It also has an interface, stores thousands of songs, and works great as a bluetooth DAC out of the box.
> Granted it's a £1000 unit, but similar devices are coming now at £600ish.
> 
> ...


I have to say, I had huge problems with the Poly when I first bought it earlier this year. It would work on my iPhone for 2 minutes and then just drop out. Then I bought a new iPhone and it works flawlessly every time. Once it’s in the right mode, I just turn it on and connect Tidal via Airplay and I’m good to go.

The Poly also works flawlessly on Roon, provided you have strong wifi and your Roon server has a rock solid (Ethernet) connection and enough juice to handle your database. 

On DAPs vs. Mojo+Poly, you both make fine points. But you don’t actually know what Mojo 2 will sound like. What if it’s 90 percent of Hugo 2?


----------



## mainguy

thehutch said:


> On DAPs vs. Mojo+Poly, you both make fine points. But you don’t actually know what Mojo 2 will sound like. What if it’s 90 percent of Hugo 2?



Couldn't agree more, it's entirely possible the Mojo 2 will sound divine and squals a solid desktop setup, and then all this goes out of the window. And knowing Chord, it's even likely.


----------



## Earbones (Nov 1, 2021)

Another Audiophile said:


> Going without saying that the price will be higher. The question is how relevant they will be. I don’t think any new unit will make the number mojo made. They might be late to the party.


Yep. The question of relevance is precisely the impetus for my reasoning that a USB-C only device with internalized Poly capabilities may not be so far-fetched. 

The fellows at Chord aren’t dummies. Stubborn, yes, but not dummies. They know the original Mojo was the success it was because it represented ground-breaking sound and capability in a relatively tiny package. They also know that today, the definition of capability has shifted dramatically, and connectivity is weighed heavily in that matrix. 

So if Chord is positioning the Mojo 2 to be the same revelation in 2021 that the Mojo 1 was in 2015, then it stands to reason the device will feature capabilities that make it revelatory in the current market. 

The sound is the easy part for Chord…


----------



## Another Audiophile

thehutch said:


> Chord obviously thinks you’re wrong


And maybe I am. I own several chord products including the poly+mojo. The mojo was good and still is but competition is catching up. I don’t remember the last time I took my polymojo outside the house. My point is portable audio technology  is not where it used to be. Chord has to be innovative the way they were innovative with the mojo.


----------



## thehutch

Another Audiophile said:


> And maybe I am. I own several chord products including the poly+mojo. The mojo was good and still is but competition is catching up. I don’t remember the last time I took my polymojo outside the house. My point is portable audio technology  is not where it used to be. Chord has to be innovative the way they were innovative with the mojo.


Yeah that’s true. Hope you’re right that they need to shift and have baked that into the new Mojo.


----------



## Another Audiophile

mainguy said:


> This, for sure. More than good enough actually.
> The Sony WM1a with WM1z firmware sound better than my Mojo, for me anyway. It also has an interface, stores thousands of songs, and works great as a bluetooth DAC out of the box.
> Granted it's a £1000 unit, but similar devices are coming now at £600ish.
> 
> ...


Have the WM1A and is by far my favorite dap ever.


----------



## BenSherman

Another Audiophile said:


> The mojo was good and still is but competition is catching up.


Out of interest, what modern competitors do you think out perform (or at least match) the original Mojo? I'm new to this, but the general consensus seems to be that the Mojo is still the best device in its class and price range.

I'm looking to get my first DAC/amp, and feel drawn to getting a Mojo 1 - but really don't like the thought of getting something outdated, and that will imenently be replaced! I also expect the Mojo 2 will be out of my budget - so would appreciate your thoughts.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

BenSherman said:


> Out of interest, what modern competitors do you think out perform (or at least match) the original Mojo? I'm new to this, but the general consensus seems to be that the Mojo is still the best device in its class and price range.
> 
> I'm looking to get my first DAC/amp, and feel drawn to getting a Mojo 1 - but really don't like the thought of getting something outdated, and that will imenently be replaced! I also expect the Mojo 2 will be out of my budget - so would appreciate your thoughts.


I own a mojo / poly.     I like the ifi diablo and ibasso DX300 better.    I also prefer the Lotoo Paw S2 to the mojo mostly due to form factor for walking


----------



## joshnor713

Chord is good at sound quality, not so much features. So when we're talking about "competition", if features/tech matters to you as much as SQ, then yes, you're absolutely right that the competition has blown it away. But if you care about SQ above all else (I know I do), then the OG Mojo is actually still very much competitive.

That's kinda where they screwed up with the Poly. That product proved my point above. But there's the thing that a true transmission via WiFi is much better than BT (even LDAC), so there's good reason for Poly's existence.


----------



## Another Audiophile

BenSherman said:


> Out of interest, what modern competitors do you think out perform (or at least match) the original Mojo? I'm new to this, but the general consensus seems to be that the Mojo is still the best device in its class and price range.
> 
> I'm looking to get my first DAC/amp, and feel drawn to getting a Mojo 1 - but really don't like the thought of getting something outdated, and that will imenently be replaced! I also expect the Mojo 2 will be out of my budget - so would appreciate your thoughts.


I can just share my personal experiences. The mojo by itself is a failure when it comes to portable audio with your mobile as a source. There is just to much RF or whatever interference. Therefore it will depend on your use case. With the poly is very good unit but again many daps and even dongles are good enough for music on the go. For me the mojo and poly is excellent inside the house or in my garden.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

joshnor713 said:


> Chord is good at sound quality, not so much features. So when we're talking about "competition", if features/tech matters to you as much as SQ, then yes, you're absolutely right that the competition has blown it away. But if you care about SQ above all else (I know I do), then the OG Mojo is actually still very much competitive.
> 
> That's kinda where they screwed up with the Poly. That product proved my point above. But there's the thing that a true transmission via WiFi is much better than BT (even LDAC), so there's good reason for Poly's existence.


My DX300 outperforms my mojo / poly in every way.   It better in features, battery life and sound quality.


----------



## LuckyPantsu

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> My DX300 outperforms my mojo / poly in every way.   It better in features, battery life, and sound quality.


And definitely outperform it in size


----------



## GreenBow

The pictures we have seen of leaked Mojo 2 shows four buttons. Anyone had any idea what the fourth button will be?

Maybe input select, but then does it really need that. Mojo select worked by default. Is it likely there could be input select between the two USB inputs? Again would it need that?

Maybe it's a filter like the Hugo 2, Qutest, and TT2 have. That would make sense, as Rob gave thought to IEM sound signature when he made first Mojo.


----------



## thehutch

LuckyPantsu said:


> And definitely outperform it in size


And price


----------



## thehutch

GreenBow said:


> The pictures we have seen of leaked Mojo 2 shows four buttons. Anyone had any idea what the fourth button will be?
> 
> Maybe input select, but then does it really need that. Mojo select worked by default. Is it likely there could be input select between the two USB inputs? Again would it need that?
> 
> Maybe it's a filter like the Hugo 2, Qutest, and TT2 have. That would make sense, as Rob gave thought to IEM sound signature when he made first Mojo.


Your thoughts match others that have been posted earlier in this thread. I agree filters makes more sense than inputs. I hope there’s a more noticing difference between the filters if that is indeed included.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808 (Nov 1, 2021)

thehutch said:


> And price


I bought my DX300 for $800.   I bought my Mojo/Poly for about the same price.    Both used.

A new Mojo and Poly would retail for $1300.   A new DX300 retails for $1249.

I just weighed both devices.   The DX300 is 12.6 oz.   The Mojo/Poly is 11.3 oz.   Holding one in each hand and then switching, they are not that different in size.  And, the Mojo/Poly requires a third device to run the player, so that more than makes up for the difference in size.   When you add the networking limitations and add the fact that the DX300 can play for well over 8 hours of actual play time, there is no competition.   I would choose the DX300 10 out of 10 times over the Mojo/Poly.   This is what the Mojo 2 is competing against.    If the Mojo 2 is only 90% of the Hugo 2, I don't need it.  I already have a Hugo 2 with 2Go that is 100% of the Hugo 2.

The current Chord Mojo is not competitive.   Hopefully, the Mojo 2 will change that.


----------



## someyoungguy

GreenBow said:


> The pictures we have seen of leaked Mojo 2 shows four buttons. Anyone had any idea what the fourth button will be?
> 
> Maybe input select, but then does it really need that. Mojo select worked by default. Is it likely there could be input select between the two USB inputs? Again would it need that?
> 
> Maybe it's a filter like the Hugo 2, Qutest, and TT2 have. That would make sense, as Rob gave thought to IEM sound signature when he made first Mojo.


My money's on the M button activating an M-scaler type feature. I think someone else mentioned similar earlier in the thread.

I remember hearing an interview/podcast with Robb Watts where he was talking about hearing the M-scaler in action and how realistic little details like piano key strikes were with it on. Once heard, he didn't want to go back to listening to music without it and was taking it with him to use in hotel rooms etc. He went on to state that it would be great if he could come up with a more portable solution, but the only problem was the power requirement and difficulty of implementing it in a portable device.

I'm inclined to think he's managed to find a way to put a stripped down version of the M-scaler in the Mojo - not as full-on as the table top box, of course, but similar in principle with a smaller power draw, and that's what the M button activates.


----------



## jarnopp

someyoungguy said:


> My money's on the M button activating an M-scaler type feature. I think someone else mentioned similar earlier in the thread.
> 
> I remember hearing an interview/podcast with Robb Watts where he was talking about hearing the M-scaler in action and how realistic little details like piano key strikes were with it on. Once heard, he didn't want to go back to listening to music without it and was taking it with him to use in hotel rooms etc. He went on to state that it would be great if he could come up with a more portable solution, but the only problem was the power requirement and difficulty of implementing it in a portable device.
> 
> I'm inclined to think he's managed to find a way to put a stripped down version of the M-scaler in the Mojo - not as full-on as the table top box, of course, but similar in principle with a smaller power draw, and that's what the M button activates.


I think that’s a bit of a stretch to think something that requires a separate box would now fit into Mojo’s package. Even Mojo needs its taps run at “half speed” to keep heat down. I think it will be filters or (better IMO) a “mobile” button that will allow desktop mode with full speed taps (on charge, bypasses the battery, maybe uses supercaps) or mobile mode with half-speed and better battery life.


----------



## thehutch

jarnopp said:


> I think that’s a bit of a stretch to think something that requires a separate box would now fit into Mojo’s package. Even Mojo needs its taps run at “half speed” to keep heat down. I think it will be filters or (better IMO) a “mobile” button that will allow desktop mode with full speed taps (on charge, bypasses the battery, maybe uses supercaps) or mobile mode with half-speed and better battery life.


Love that idea.


----------



## Another Audiophile

I think it will be below expectations and my guess is that it will have the filters Hugo has, maybe better battery life and extra USB-C. That's it.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

By the way, what the Mojo REALLY needs IMHO is crossfeed.


----------



## magagne

Another Audiophile said:


> I think it will be below expectations and my guess is that it will have the filters Hugo has, maybe better battery life and extra USB-C. That's it.


I agree too with this conjecture...

The mojo is already good DAC/amp for sound as is IMHO, except for the obsolete connector, and flimsy connector. I broke a Hugo connector, and my mojo too, and I'm really delicate with my gear. Those connectors are not solidly fixed to the main board, just surface mount soldering on pin...not enough solid.


----------



## thehutch

Another Audiophile said:


> I think it will be below expectations and my guess is that it will have the filters Hugo has, maybe better battery life and extra USB-C. That's it.


And improved DAC, no? I don’t think they’d release it they hadn’t improved sound by a noteworthy margin. Look at the jump from Hugo to Hugo 2.


----------



## magagne

thehutch said:


> And improved DAC, no? I don’t think they’d release it they hadn’t improved sound by a noteworthy margin. Look at the jump from Hugo to Hugo 2.


My guess is the mojo will be at the sound level of the old the original Hugo. At the price of a Mojo 1. That's it.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

magagne said:


> My guess is the mojo will be at the sound level of the old the original Hugo. At the price of a Mojo 1. That's it.



As we established above, there is no way the price won't be significantly higher than the original Mojo.


----------



## alota

magagne said:


> My guess is the mojo will be at the sound level of the old the original Hugo. At the price of a Mojo 1. That's it.


for me hugo was at the same level of mojo. just different signature


----------



## Jawed

Imagine you're Rob Watts and you're thinking: I could save space and weight in lugging around my Hugo 2 ... 








... with a Mojo 2.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Jawed said:


> Imagine you're Rob Watts and you're thinking: I could save space and weight in lugging around my Hugo 2 ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Dude lugs around the TT2 and the M Scaler for listening on flights. Not a joke, see the Ask Rob Watts thread.


----------



## Another Audiophile

thehutch said:


> And improved DAC, no? I don’t think they’d release it they hadn’t improved sound by a noteworthy margin. Look at the jump from Hugo to Hugo 2.


even if it is improved I don't think will be major difference in terms of sound quality. After all well design DACs might be different but not night and day different. The Mojo was a good day and amp. As such is all done to features, easy of use and compatibility.


----------



## thehutch

CaptainFantastic said:


> Dude lugs around the TT2 and the M Scaler for listening on flights. Not a joke, see the Ask Rob Watts thread.


https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/page-136#post-16013797


----------



## WilOverton

All I ask is that it's not so significantly better that I feel the need to upgrade something I'm already more than happy with.


----------



## Another Audiophile

WilOverton said:


> All I ask is that it's not so significantly better that I feel the need to upgrade something I'm already more than happy with.


If you are happy then why to upgrade?


----------



## Kentajalli

CaptainFantastic said:


> By the way, what the Mojo REALLY needs IMHO is crossfeed.


That can easily be achieved through most software players.


----------



## Kentajalli

jarnopp said:


> I think that’s a bit of a stretch to think something that requires a separate box would now fit into Mojo’s package. Even Mojo needs its taps run at “half speed” to keep heat down. I think it will be filters or (better IMO) a “mobile” button that will allow desktop mode with full speed taps (on charge, bypasses the battery, maybe uses supercaps) or mobile mode with half-speed and better battery life.


Good one!
That would be a real selling point.


----------



## WilOverton

Another Audiophile said:


> If you are happy then why to upgrade?


Just a joke. The Mojo+Poly works great for me and is by far the best piece of audio gear I've ever owned but there's always something new and shiny around the corner. Something that might give you that better sound.


----------



## GreenBow (Nov 2, 2021)

thehutch said:


> Your thoughts match others that have been posted earlier in this thread. I agree filters makes more sense than inputs. I hope there’s a more noticing difference between the filters if that is indeed included.



Yeah I looked again at the pictures last night, after posting. The M button is a puzzle.

The Hugo 2 etc, filters were more filters than EQ. Like one was a 20KHz filter so high frequency noise caused by high-res files, cuold be blocked. One was a Mojo tonality filter. I never really found use for them. Although I did see Rob say the 20KHz filter cleaned up redbook too, and so he uses that.



jarnopp said:


> I think that’s a bit of a stretch to think something that requires a separate box would now fit into Mojo’s package. Even Mojo needs its taps run at “half speed” to keep heat down. I think it will be filters or (better IMO) a “mobile” button that will allow desktop mode with full speed taps (on charge, bypasses the battery, maybe uses supercaps) or mobile mode with half-speed and better battery life.



Desktop mode operates without user input on Hugo 2.

M could be for 'mode' though. Possibly a switch to turn desktop mode on immediately, as I think you meant.


----------



## GreenBow (Nov 2, 2021)

thehutch said:


> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/page-136#post-16013797





CaptainFantastic said:


> Dude lugs around the TT2 and the M Scaler for listening on flights. Not a joke, see the Ask Rob Watts thread.



That's Hugo 2 and M-Scaler.

I remember it because did the same as you. I saw the post, and then over time I remembered it as carried TT2 and M-Scaler. Someone corrected me and I have remembered it right since.


----------



## alota

GreenBow said:


> That's Hugo 2 and M-Scaler.
> 
> I remember it because did the same as you. I saw the post, and then over time I remembered it as carried TT2 and M-Scaler. Someone corrected me and I have remembered it right since.


and battery powered. a suitcase only for audio lol


----------



## Earbones

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I own a mojo / poly.     I like the ifi diablo and ibasso DX300 better.    I also prefer the Lotoo Paw S2 to the mojo mostly due to form factor for walking


Loooove my S1… although I wish I’d done more research before I bought, as I would have realized the S2 was dropping like a week later… how do you like your S2? Do you have the S1? Any comparisons?.. particularly battery drainage?..


----------



## miketlse

WilOverton said:


> Just a joke. The Mojo+Poly works great for me and is by far the best piece of audio gear I've ever owned but there's always something new and shiny around the corner. Something that might give you that better sound.


But that is the same for so many individuals. The grass looks greener in the next field, but s***t it is even harder to chew.
Salesmen get richer on the next field vision, but owners get poorer when they try and chew.


----------



## rkyle1717

Saw this on NYA today... gonna be a long (but fun) countdown.
https://chordelectronics.co.uk/coming-soon


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Earbones said:


> Loooove my S1… although I wish I’d done more research before I bought, as I would have realized the S2 was dropping like a week later… how do you like your S2? Do you have the S1? Any comparisons?.. particularly battery drainage?..


I have the S1, S2 and W2.    I got the S1 first and loved it.   Then, I got the W2 and it was a step up from the S1 so I used it most often.   Then,  got the S2 and I found that I prefer it over the W2, but they are very close in performance.    The S2 has slightly better bass performance.   The W2 is better in the treble.    Now, I use the S2 most of the time because it uses much less power than the W2 and my iPhone will last longer on long walks.   When I go for a long walk, I am talking 3 or 4 hours.


----------



## Earbones (Nov 2, 2021)

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I have the S1, S2 and W2.    I got the S1 first and loved it.   Then, I got the W2 and it was a step up from the S1 so I used it most often.   Then,  got the S2 and I found that I prefer it over the W2, but they are very close in performance.    The S2 has slightly better bass performance.   The W2 is better in the treble.    Now, I use the S2 most of the time because it uses much less power than the W2 and my iPhone will last longer on long walks.   When I go for a long walk, I am talking 3 or 4 hours.


Nice.

I had the LP W2 as well, ended up returning mine. I think it did many things better than the S1, particularly from a technical aspect, but I just enjoyed the tonality of the S1 slightly more, so for me, that kind of evened things out between the two… The tiebreaker was the W2’s power-sucking issues. Very thirsty little guy, similar to my Apogee Groove Anniversary Edition in silver... Love the tone of that Apogee, but my God, it could eat a 12.9” iPad Pro alive in like 2 hours. The W2 wasn’t quite that bad, but it was pretty bad. Call it 4 hours to kill the iPad.

What has your experience been regarding power-thirstiness between the S1 and S2?


----------



## seeteeyou

Now I know what to do about a transportable rig, here's a Linux box @ 70mm × 70mm × 40mm

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=655909638695


Spoiler

















NCF cable for power bank

https://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/avac/gtc2ncf0point14m.html


Spoiler
















PC-Triple C/EX cable for DAC

http://www.shimamusen.com/shopdetail/000000013501


Spoiler
















Looking forward to a smoking deal this Black Friday / Cyber Monday (despite all that supply chain shortages)

https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B08HCPTMJG
https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-MicroSDXC-Memory-Adapter/dp/B08HCPTMJG


Then use that for storing some upsampled files

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/...ew-of-math-and-magic/page/19/#comment-1136825


> Playback with a bog standard headless 2011 mac mini running Roon or Audirvana 3.5 into a Chord Mojo is mind-boggling -- absolutely smashing.  My ears have arrived at their happy place.  I will purchase PGGB as soon as I can do so comfortably.  The best news (for me) is that I find it a complete cure for DAC upgradeitis.  Goodness gracious what a wonderful toy this is.



https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/...ew-of-math-and-magic/page/37/#comment-1153649


> Having listened repeatedly to the files I upsampled with PGGB during the trial period, I concluded that I no longer wish to listen to the rest of my 2,000-plus digital albums without the benefit of PGGB.  The improvements it has made to digital music playback are many and extraordinary, as I listen at 32 bits/705.6-768 via Audirvana 3.5 thru the Chord Mojo DAC direct to a naim NAP160 power amplifier and Spendor/REL speakers.  No more playing around with audio settings, and no more EQ/convolution!  My only regret at the time of purchase is that this software wasn't available 10 years ago.  I haven't enjoyed listening so much since the days when I first discovered the music I would love.  Indeed, PGGB enables a voyage of musical rediscovery that I am only now beginning.



https://www.head-fi.org/threads/pggb-offline-remastering.958100/page-5#post-16535178


> I can’t believe the performance this combo is providing. The wifi chip in Apple devices is top notch and I am able to get 768 streaming anywhere my wifi reaches. Even the sketchy service out by the pool. The Mojo is very impressive as well. I never used it much as the Poly is a strange duck and my dap was much more convenient. It’s not the level of my desktop rig with iem’s but very close.




Just flip some switches and maybe this guy could also be paired with Mojo 2 then?

https://www.waveshare.net/wiki/GPM2804
https://www.waveshare.com/gpm2804.htm


----------



## jarnopp

seeteeyou said:


> Now I know what to do about a transportable rig, here's a Linux box @ 70mm × 70mm × 40mm
> 
> https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=655909638695
> 
> ...


The easiest way for me to try PGGB was using Mojo/Poly, where I could load standard and “gargle-blasted” files onto an SD card. I found improvements, mostly in the bass, but not enough for the inconvenience it would be in my system:
     Roon Rock wireless to RPi running HiFiBerry OS with a Digi+ Pro hat outputting optical to mScaler and dual BNC to TT2.
So, I’d have to convert from a system optimized around optical to one optimized around USB, move the Core, ditch the WiFi, etc.  Add to that that only 25% of my music is local and the rest streamed, with all new discoveries coming from streaming, and it just doesn’t work for me. But I look forward to hearing improvements and maybe the calculus will change. Maybe Mojo2 will make the PGGB difference more apparent and worth loading up SD cards.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Speculations, speculations. What is certain is that DAPs are nowhere near where they were when the original mojo came out as a portable solution to improve sound quality on the go. Frankly they have to do much more than a filter and a usb-c to stay relevant.


----------



## Billyak

I think the only difference will be more taps and possibly a desktop mode, also usb c by the looks of it. 

The rest will remain unchanged imo.


----------



## flyte3333

Earbones said:


> So if Chord is positioning the Mojo 2 to be the same revelation in 2021 that the Mojo 1 was in 2015, then it stands to reason the device will feature capabilities that make it revelatory in the current market.
> 
> The sound is the easy part for Chord…





someyoungguy said:


> I'm inclined to think he's managed to find a way to put a stripped down version of the M-scaler in the Mojo - not as full-on as the table top box, of course, but similar in principle with a smaller power draw, and that's what the M button activates.



My guesses....

The M button is for M-Scaler.

But not a built-in M-Scaler like people have thought in this thread. 

Those who followed the Mojo thread closely will know Rob says he's always wished he'd included an M-Scaler *input* with Mojo...

The leaked photo has a 3.5mm SPDIF input on the back - I assume it's just like the M-Scaler *input* of Hugo2...

M button turns M-Scaler on and off.


----------



## jarnopp

flyte3333 said:


> My guesses....
> 
> The M button is for M-Scaler.
> 
> ...


Except, the mScaler itself turns the mScaler on and off. So why would you need a second button on Mojo2?


----------



## thehutch

jarnopp said:


> Except, the mScaler itself turns the mScaler on and off. So why would you need a second button on Mojo2?


And why would anyone use a $600 DAC with a $5,000 upsampler?


----------



## jarnopp

thehutch said:


> And why would anyone use a $600 DAC with a $5,000 upsampler?


Mojo2 will be $799 to $849 US (my guess).


----------



## thehutch

jarnopp said:


> Mojo2 will be $799 to $849 US (my guess).


Even so… don’t think mscaler would make sense for anyone unless there’s a new, smaller, cheaper version coming.


----------



## jarnopp

thehutch said:


> Even so… don’t think mscaler would make sense for anyone unless there’s a new, smaller, cheaper version coming.


Agreed. I still like the tap-doubling function when on charge/desktop mode or when reduced battery life is ok. I doubt filters would give substantial improvement to a mobile device. Maybe crossfeed, but no M in that.


----------



## thehutch

jarnopp said:


> Agreed. I still like the tap-doubling function when on charge/desktop mode or when reduced battery life is ok. I doubt filters would give substantial improvement to a mobile device. Maybe crossfeed, but no M in that.


yeah love that idea


----------



## Thrill Killer

I just left my local Chord dealer, and he hasn't heard a thing. He said they placed an order for 10 Mojo-2 6 months ago. Got Order Confirmation and nothing else. No ETA, or word from Chord and National Distributor.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Thrill Killer said:


> I just left my local Chord dealer, and he hasn't heard a thing. He said they placed an order for 10 Mojo-2 6 months ago. Got Order Confirmation and nothing else. No ETA, or word from Chord and National Distributor.



I think they are having major supply chain issues, like everyone else. I have a Chord unit under warranty repair and it's at a standstill because the part they need is not available.


----------



## GreenBow (Nov 6, 2021)

I think the Mojo 2 will be a touch pricey. Chord recently increased the price of their equipment by quite a bit. E.g. The Qutest went from £1200 to £1500. That's a scary price rise.


By the way I think the original Mojo holds up well. Some folk saying how DAPs have improved in the last five years since Mojo's release.

DAP improvements were possibly partly down to Mojo being released. Secondly though, the Mojo is probably still untouchable by any DAP on the market. Other DAPs simply do not have the processing power which the Mojo has. It gives the Mojo the advantage of being able to get a way more accurate reproduction of the sine-wave. Mojo will have something like twenty times the processing power of any DAP. (Rob Watts will probably correct me.) That means a lot when you consider, we can hear small changes made to one sample in music.

Although to be fair I have not heard any top end DAPs. I did however recently buy an A&K SR25. (It's a dual-DAC player.) Best DAP up to £1000 in today's released What HiFi Awards magazine. The SR25 is also widely accepted as 'best in class'. ............. _To put it bluntly, the (original) Mojo flattens the A&K SR25._ .. _Not even close._

I think the original Mojo has become underestimated since it's five years old. However it is still probably the best DAC up to the 2Qute.

I also have the Hugo 2 also, and now and again I still get the Mojo out. I have listened to the Mojo with my Shure KSE 1200, which are staggering IEMs. The Mojo and the KSE are excellent together. (The Hugo 2 and the KSE are out of this world.)

I have even found myself listening to my Mojo, while it's sat on top of my TT2. It's good enough on its own that I don't feel the need to switch to TT2 or Hugo 2. Obviously once you reach for the better (Hugo 2 or TT2) DAC, it puts the Mojo in the shade. However that shade that the Mojo is in, is an exceptionally good place to be.


----------



## flyte3333 (Nov 4, 2021)

thehutch said:


> And why would anyone use a $600 DAC with a $5,000 upsampler?


As I wrote, Rob himself said he wishes he had included M Scaler input for Mojo

Your same question can be asked of Qutest.

Mojo for portable use, M Scaler when at home. Pretty simple logic if you ask me (see Robs comments in Mojo thread)

Based on the designers previous comments, its a no brainer Mojo will have M-Scaler input

Also think about the future, not just current M-Scaler

A future 2xM-Scaler may be much cheaper

Don't assume all future M-Scalers will be $5k ...


----------



## flyte3333 (Nov 4, 2021)

jarnopp said:


> Except, the mScaler itself turns the mScaler on and off. So why would you need a second button on Mojo2?


Future M-Scalers may be different?

I wouldn't assume the current M-Scaler will be the only one forever and at $5k forever

Final product may not be an M button anyway. Could be filter option. Or combination

Definitely will have M input though


----------



## GreenBow

The M-Scaler button idea is unusual. 

The other Chord DACs recognise M-Scaler present when both 384KHz coaxial inputs have cables attached. The Hugo 2 has a double coaxial input in one socket. The Hugo 2 must detect the M-Scaler in the same way, that both coaxial are in use, and play them together. 

Hence a Mojo M-Scaler input would likely work the same. a double input coaxial socket like the Hugo 2. (Wheras the original Mojo I think could only work 384KHz on its single coaxial input. Meaning Mojo could only use half the M-Scaler taps.)

Therefore why would a Mojo need a button to be told M-Scaler is present? Unless the circuit to identify M-Scaler present is too big or tricky for Mojo 2, and a button is easier.


----------



## Neweymatt

GreenBow said:


> Although to be fair I have not heard any top end DAPs. I did however recently buy an A&K SR25. (It's a dual-DAC player.) Best DAP up to £1000 in today's released What HiFi Awards magazine. The SR25 is also widely accepted as 'best in class'. ............. _To put it bluntly, the (original) Mojo flattens the A&K SR25._ .. _Not even close._


I've not spent much time with any Mojo, however I can appreciate it would be a significant SQ upgrade over SR25.

However, the SR25 delivers _so many_ additional features that Mojo doesn't have which makes it much better standalone music player. Actually, those features make it a standalone music player, forget about 'better'. It's not even close 

Streaming services are essential to my music listening on the go, so I if I had a Mojo, I would also have to get a Poly, and also carry around my phone.  So a price comparison between the SR25 and Mojo is completely meaningless considering the ecosystem of extra gear you need with Mojo, let alone pocket space.  Really, it's difficult to see the 2 as competitors at all.

All that said, I am very keen to see what comes next with Mojo2.  Around the time I bought the SR25 I did consider a Mojo, but even at the time when I looked at it last year, it seemed very old in its product lifecycle so I passed.  

Depending how good/great Mojo2 improvements are I might get one just because.   BUT if it doesn't have any native way to stream to it, eg BT, then I'll probably just get a better A&K or maybe DX300.


----------



## thehutch

flyte3333 said:


> As I wrote, Rob himself said he wishes he had included M Scaler input for Mojo
> 
> Your same question can be asked of Qutest.
> 
> ...


M-scaler input means dual BNC, right? Aren’t the female BNC connectors massive? Dig what you’re saying about Rob wanting it. But if there’s some giant metal protrusion, I’d have to think about whether I really want a Mojo 2.


----------



## thehutch

Neweymatt said:


> I've not spent much time with any Mojo, however I can appreciate it would be a significant SQ upgrade over SR25.
> 
> However, the SR25 delivers _so many_ additional features that Mojo doesn't have which makes it much better standalone music player. Actually, those features make it a standalone music player, forget about 'better'. It's not even close
> 
> ...


I think that’s the point – they’re not competitors. I have a DAP and the Mojo + Poly. I use both.


----------



## flyte3333 (Nov 4, 2021)

thehutch said:


> M-scaler input means dual BNC, right? Aren’t the female BNC connectors massive?



No, have another read what I initially wrote...

Especially the part about Hugo2's 3.5mm *dual coax* digital input supporting M-Scaler hookup. That can be done today if you have a Hugo2 and M-Scaler.

Even though Hugo2 is half the price of M-Scaler 

Then have a think about Rob's comment in Mojo thread that he wishes Mojo had that input...

Talking about price of M-Scaler vs Mojo is irrelevant - there will be a cheaper M-Scaler out at some point in the next few years.

Mojo2 has been planned for a future M-Scaler - Rob won't have the same regret again !


----------



## thehutch

flyte3333 said:


> No, have another read what I initially wrote...
> 
> Especially the part about Hugo2's 3.5mm *dual coax* digital input supporting M-Scaler hookup. That can be done today if you have a Hugo2 and M-Scaler.
> 
> ...


Ah, I see. I had thought the Mojo coax was the same as the Hugo 2 coax, but you’ve clearly explained that’s not the case. Remain skeptical that more than a handful of people would actually find use for the combo. Perhaps it’s a sign that a mid-tier M-scaler could be coming.


----------



## flyte3333

Here you go, lazy people


----------



## flyte3333

thehutch said:


> Ah, I see. I had thought the Mojo coax was the same as the Hugo 2 coax, but you’ve clearly explained that’s not the case. Remain skeptical that more than a handful of people would actually find use for the combo. Perhaps it’s a sign that a mid-tier M-scaler could be coming.



I already wrote in this thread, that Rob has written numerous times, he's not interested in <1 x M-Scaler.

Like a half M-Scaler.

Next will be 2M or 5M or 10M but not 0.5M

Chip shortages would have delayed this but Mojo2 will be planned for this. See Rob's post I shared above about Mojo1.

And connect the dots


----------



## thehutch

flyte3333 said:


> I already wrote in this thread, that Rob has written numerous times, he's not interested in <1 x M-Scaler.
> 
> Like a half M-Scaler.
> 
> ...


Missed that part earlier. I see the dots connecting.


----------



## flyte3333

thehutch said:


> Missed that part earlier. I see the dots connecting.



In terms of predicted new Mojo2 features, M-Scaler input is probably the only one that is easy to predict (based on Rob's own public writing).

I can't really predict any other features with as much certainty.

Number of taps, filters options, number of elements, bluetooth, x-feed, quarter inch jack (yes I know the leaked image doesn't show that). All a big guessing game.

I doubt they will want to eat into too much into Hugo2 sales, so they have to keep some differentiators.

Oh I can bet the 2G mobile phone interference issues of Mojo1 (which people called RF issues but Rob said were 2G issues) will be fixed - that's another certainty.


----------



## flyte3333 (Nov 4, 2021)

If I were a betting man I'd *guess* this for Mojo2:

1. M-Scaler (future cheaper model!) input
2. Bluetooth input
3. Just a couple filter options (smooth and incisive)
4. Same taps as Mojo1
5. No more interference issues of Mojo1
6. Desktop mode like Hugo2 (for better battery health / management)
7. Similar power output to Mojo1

This keeps it different  to Hugo2 (Hugo2 still king of portables) but a nice upgrade on Mojo1 problems / missing features


----------



## jarnopp

flyte3333 said:


> If I were a betting man I'd *guess* this for Mojo2:
> 
> 1. M-Scaler (future cheaper model!) input
> 2. Bluetooth input
> ...


I would give you 1, 3, 5 and 6. I think Bluetooth makes it too much like H2. I also think taps will be higher or have a higher mode (yeah, I convinced myself). Regard8n #7, I think the current power level is fine, but if it were less and always pure class A (or a mode for this but greater power) that could be interesting. Maybe too hard on the battery though. But you always want moar power!


----------



## flyte3333 (Nov 4, 2021)

jarnopp said:


> I would give you 1, 3, 5 and 6. I think Bluetooth makes it too much like H2. I also think taps will be higher or have a higher mode (yeah, I convinced myself). Regard8n #7, I think the current power level is fine, but if it were less and always pure class A (or a mode for this but greater power) that could be interesting. Maybe too hard on the battery though. But you always want moar power!



Main reason I guess same power and same taps - small battery in Mojo compared to Hugo2

Want more taps? Go to Hugo2 or add (future!?) M- Scaler

Want more power? Go to Hugo2

This keeps a good difference to Hugo2.

There is no way they can squeeze Hugo2's same 2 x batteries into Mojo's small case.

Battery capacity will limit DSP capability- always.

I agree blutooth may be the one that has to drop off my list. 50/50


----------



## Jawed

I'm expecting Mojo 2 to feature an "Automatic WTA 2 Boost" feature. When Mojo 2 is fed by M Scaler, the taps that are used for WTA 1 become redundant. Rather than wasting those taps, they can be configured to work as WTA 2 taps..

This will make M Scaler + Mojo 2 sound better than M Scaler + Hugo 2.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Jawed said:


> I'm expecting Mojo 2 to feature an "Automatic WTA 2 Boost" feature. When Mojo 2 is fed by M Scaler, the taps that are used for WTA 1 become redundant. Rather than wasting those taps, they can be configured to work as WTA 2 taps..
> 
> This will make M Scaler + Mojo 2 sound better than M Scaler + Hugo 2.



I look forward to the discussions on how the Mojo will sound better when connected to the M Scaler via 2m long 1500 euro BNC cables with ferrites. Now that would be a sight.


----------



## flyte3333 (Nov 5, 2021)

Jawed said:


> I'm expecting Mojo 2 to feature an "Automatic WTA 2 Boost" feature. When Mojo 2 is fed by M Scaler, the taps that are used for WTA 1 become redundant. Rather than wasting those taps, they can be configured to work as WTA 2 taps..
> 
> This will make M Scaler + Mojo 2 sound better than M Scaler + Hugo 2.



Does not need such a feature...

WTA1 works up to PCM768kHz anyway - for all Rob's DACs.

M-Scaler outputs PCM768kHz, hence completely replaces WTA1 (PCM768kHz)...

To put it another way - whenever you feed any of Rob's DACs PCM768kHz, you are by-passing WTA1... whether M-Scaler or software upsampling or PCM768kHz content....

WTA2 is nowhere near as processing intensive as WTA1... doesn't need any boost. *And for a mobile product with tiny battery in a small case, power efficiency is key focus.*


----------



## Another Audiophile

My only wish is to make mojo a portable device which you can plug to your mobile and use it on the go. The original had, at least in my case, a lot of interference, click, pops etc that made it a mobile nightmare rather mobile joy. If that works, same size, better battery for the same price then it might be a good case. For higher prices they have to offer much, much more in terms of features. Competition is so hard that they might end up producing an irrelevant product.


----------



## BenSherman

Another Audiophile said:


> My only wish is to make mojo a portable device which you can plug to your mobile and use it on the go. The original had, at least in my case, a lot of interference, click, pops etc that made it a mobile nightmare rather mobile joy. If that works, same size, better battery for the same price then it might be a good case. For higher prices they have to offer much, much more in terms of features. Competition is so hard that they might end up producing an irrelevant product.


I'm also keeping an eye on the imminent Earmen Colibri as an alternative. It's an oversized dongle with its own battery, and a 4.4 mm balanced output with up to 500mW @ 32Ω.

Also likely to be half the cost and about quarter the size.


----------



## Jawed

flyte3333 said:


> doesn't need any boost.


Rob has already talked about what happens with a better WTA 2...


----------



## CaptainFantastic

BenSherman said:


> Also likely to be half the cost and about quarter the size.



As far as I'm concerned, no shiny balls, no party.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

flyte3333 said:


> My guesses....
> 
> The M button is for M-Scaler.
> 
> ...


I own an M Scaler.   I don't use it with my Hugo 2 because I have a TT2.   No way I would use it with Mojo.


----------



## thehutch

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I own an M Scaler.   I don't use it with my Hugo 2 because I have a TT2.   No way I would use it with Mojo.


Exactly. I do not understand why Chord would think people would want this, unless they created of a cheaper, mini M-scaler (which we’ve already agreed isn’t coming) or delivered a huge price drop on existing M-scaler (seems highly unlikely).


----------



## jarnopp

thehutch said:


> Exactly. I do not understand why Chord would think people would want this, unless they created of a cheaper, mini M-scaler (which we’ve already agreed isn’t coming) or delivered a huge price drop on existing M-scaler (seems highly unlikely).


If this happened, and Mojo had a desktop mode, it would replace Qutest entirely, since they already share the same output stage. If Mojo could accept mScaler, you wouldn’t need a Qutest other than for form factor.


----------



## joshnor713

jarnopp said:


> If this happened, and Mojo had a desktop mode, it would replace Qutest entirely, since they already share the same output stage. If Mojo could accept mScaler, you wouldn’t need a Qutest other than for form factor.


I thought the SQ of the Qutest was equivalent to the Hugo 2, not Mojo?


----------



## jarnopp

joshnor713 said:


> I thought the SQ of the Qutest was equivalent to the Hugo 2, not Mojo?


They haven’t exactly said how many taps Mojo has, but they run with every other coefficient at zero, or “half speed” and Qutest has 49k taps. It’s likely Mojo at full taps. And the output I/V conversion is the same components as Mojo. So if Mojo2 were able to increase/ double the taps, it would be equivalent, and better because you’d get digital volume control and more portability.


----------



## Jawed

What if HMS+Mojo 2 is better than TT2 on its own


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

jarnopp said:


> If this happened, and Mojo had a desktop mode, it would replace Qutest entirely, since they already share the same output stage. If Mojo could accept mScaler, you wouldn’t need a Qutest other than for form factor.


Qutest has Anni.   That's a perfect pairing.   Why would Chord mess that up with a cheaper Mojo that wasn't designed to work with Anni?    Mojo 2 replacing Qutest is as dumb as pairing Mojo 2 with M Scaler.

Mojo 2 needs to stay true to it's name.  Mobile Joy.    It needs to be a mobile device.    Therefore it competes with DAPs.    It can do that in 2 ways.   First, it can act as an add on to a DAP to give it more power and a different signature like the Cayin C9.    Second, it can improve the Poly so that it is the size and functionality of a Hiby R3 Pro, but has superior sound quality competing with $2000-3000 DAPs like the Hugo 2 does.    That's where the Mojo fits in the future.   We will see if Chord gets it.

In the timeframe the Mojo 2 is being released, I will probably make a decision between the Mojo 2 or the Hiby RS6.     The smartest thing Chord could do is make it so I want to buy both and connect them together.


----------



## alxw0w (Nov 5, 2021)

jarnopp said:


> They haven’t exactly said how many taps Mojo has, but they run with every other coefficient at zero, or “half speed” and Qutest has 49k taps. It’s likely Mojo at full taps. And the output I/V conversion is the same components as Mojo. So if Mojo2 were able to increase/ double the taps, it would be equivalent, and better because you’d get digital volume control and more portability.


Mojo is around 38000 taps.
Rob is mentioning this here:

Around 10:15


----------



## Whitigir

alxw0w said:


> Mojo is around 38000 taps.


Mojo 2 will be Twice as much ?


----------



## alxw0w

Whitigir said:


> Mojo 2 will be Twice as much ?


Highly doubt it.
There are other important factors.
Taps are not the ultimate goal they never were it's only a tool not the destination.


----------



## jarnopp

alxw0w said:


> Mojo is around 38000 taps.
> Rob is mentioning this here:
> 
> Around 10:15



Yes, here is the relevant post:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...n-3rd-post-◄★☆.784602/page-2523#post-14664607


----------



## jarnopp

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Qutest has Anni.   That's a perfect pairing.   Why would Chord mess that up with a cheaper Mojo that wasn't designed to work with Anni?    Mojo 2 replacing Qutest is as dumb as pairing Mojo 2 with M Scaler.
> 
> Mojo 2 needs to stay true to it's name.  Mobile Joy.    It needs to be a mobile device.    Therefore it competes with DAPs.    It can do that in 2 ways.   First, it can act as an add on to a DAP to give it more power and a different signature like the Cayin C9.    Second, it can improve the Poly so that it is the size and functionality of a Hiby R3 Pro, but has superior sound quality competing with $2000-3000 DAPs like the Hugo 2 does.    That's where the Mojo fits in the future.   We will see if Chord gets it.
> 
> In the timeframe the Mojo 2 is being released, I will probably make a decision between the Mojo 2 or the Hiby RS6.     The smartest thing Chord could do is make it so I want to buy both and connect them together.


This is the speculation thread and there are no dumb speculations! But, I personally don’t think mScaler input is the prime addition to Mojo2, if at all. I think it will be more taps or more full use of the available taps, desktop mode, and better battery life.


----------



## flyte3333

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I own an M Scaler.   I don't use it with my Hugo 2 because I have a TT2.   No way I would use it with Mojo.



I don't think Mojo2 is targeting people that already own Hugo2 and TT2 anyway..


----------



## thehutch

flyte3333 said:


> I don't think Mojo2 is targeting people that already own Hugo2 and TT2 anyway..


Why not? It’s a totally different use case.


----------



## Whitigir

thehutch said:


> Why not? It’s a totally different use case.


As long as it is Chord, then it is all relevant


----------



## flyte3333

thehutch said:


> Why not? It’s a totally different use case.



Of course.

What I mean is, I don't think Chord marketing will lose sleep over someone who owns an M-Scaler, Hugo2 and TT2 saying they have no need for a Mojo2 with M-Scaler input.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808 (Nov 5, 2021)

flyte3333 said:


> I don't think Mojo2 is targeting people that already own Hugo2 and TT2 anyway..


I completely disagree.   If I own a Hugo 2 and TT2, I would definitely consider a Mojo 2 for portable use.

The market for someone who only owns a Mojo 2 to purchase an M Scaler is close to zero.   If I am wrong, someone on this thread say you are going to do that.

Nobody is going to purchase a $5000 upscaler to pair with a $500 DAC/AMP.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

jarnopp said:


> This is the speculation thread and there are no dumb speculations! But, I personally don’t think mScaler input is the prime addition to Mojo2, if at all. I think it will be more taps or more full use of the available taps, desktop mode, and better battery life.


I disagree again.  There are smart speculations and their are dumb speculations.  I think your speculations are quite smart actually.

A dumb speculation would be that the Mojo 2 would be bunded with an Uninterruptable Power Supply

It appears there will be a 4th button.   I think it will either be an input / feature selector or a filter selector based on what Chord has included with other similar products.

I think at a minimum there will be some sound improvement.   Otherwise, why bother?


----------



## bwardrop

I hope the fourth button will select between USB-C, coaxial, optical, Bluetooth, Airplay 2 and maybe DNLA or some other kind of high quality streaming solution. I hope the leaked pics are wrong and the mico-usb goes away. Give it a bit of a sound improvement and price it between $750 and $900.


----------



## flyte3333 (Nov 5, 2021)

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Nobody is going to purchase a $5000 upscaler to pair with a $500 DAC/AMP.


We are going in circles

If everyone really thinks there will be only one M-Scaler ever at $5k , based on what Rob was publicly written...

Anyway looking forward to the official Mojo2 thread - coming soon !


----------



## alxw0w (Nov 5, 2021)

bwardrop said:


> I hope the fourth button will select between USB-C, coaxial, optical, Bluetooth, Airplay 2 and maybe DNLA or some other kind of high quality streaming solution. I hope the leaked pics are wrong and the mico-usb goes away. Give it a bit of a sound improvement and price it between $750 and $900.


Micro USB won't go away. Mark my words. Poly thing has to go on.
And there is nothing wrong with micro USB (don't believe in telephone aka smartphone hype).
But done worry there will be also USB C included.


----------



## Neweymatt

alxw0w said:


> Micro USB won't go away. Mark my words. Poly thing has to go on.
> And there is nothing wrong with micro USB (don't believe in telephone aka smartphone hype).
> But done worry there will be also USB C included.


Sorry, but keeping obsoleted technology like Micro-USB for backward compatibility with Poly makes no sense to me.  Selling a mobile device in 2022 that requires a second micro-USB connected mobile device to be useful is a way to make yourself even more niche than Chord already is.

I'm sure arguments can be made about SQ, but look at what iFi are doing lately, and you get the idea of what a modern portable DAC/amp can be.


----------



## alxw0w

Neweymatt said:


> Sorry, but keeping obsoleted technology like Micro-USB for backward compatibility with Poly makes no sense to me.  Selling a mobile device in 2022 that requires a second micro-USB connected mobile device to be useful is a way to make yourself even more niche than Chord already is.
> 
> I'm sure arguments can be made about SQ, but look at what iFi are doing lately, and you get the idea of what a modern portable DAC/amp can be.


Then go with the ifi


----------



## Neweymatt

alxw0w said:


> Then go with the ifi


Yeah, but I'm just as likely to wind up with a Hugo2 instead


----------



## Billyak

I don't get why people are so upset about the micro usb for backwards compatibility.  It's not harming anyone by being there, especially if there is a usb c plug right next to it.  It is just giving people flexibility.


----------



## Slater91

Billyak said:


> I don't get why people are so upset about the micro usb for backwards compatibility.  It's not harming anyone by being there, especially if there is a usb c plug right next to it.  It is just giving people flexibility.


I concur. We see this all the time in the audio world and outside of it. As an example, my HP laptop has both a USB-C port and a dock port next to it so that I can choose if I want to use a USB-C dock or a traditional docking station. I think that choice is what we, as private users (I really hate the concept behind the word "consumers", just to be clear), should look for and cherish. Even then, this is all speculation, so we can only _hope_ that there will be backwards compatibility and a USB-C port.


----------



## audionewbi

As long as I can use my Poly and I don't have to buy a new one, Im okay.


----------



## Kentajalli (Nov 6, 2021)

audionewbi said:


> As long as I can use my Poly and I don't have to buy a new one, Im okay.


As long as it is no better than my current Mojo and I don't have to buy a new one, Im okay. 
That's not how Chord (any manufacturer) plays the game, au contraire!


----------



## GreenBow (Nov 6, 2021)

Neweymatt said:


> I've not spent much time with any Mojo, however I can appreciate it would be a significant SQ upgrade over SR25.
> 
> However, the SR25 delivers _so many_ additional features that Mojo doesn't have which makes it much better standalone music player. Actually, those features make it a standalone music player, forget about 'better'. It's not even close
> 
> ...



I completely agree that DAPs have functionality over Mojo. ....... (Sorry long post ahead. Just found you post interesting so felt compelled to reply.)

Three yeas ago I bought a Sony ZX300, and this was in full light that the Poly was released. There were too many Poly problems though. Plus I did not want to use Mojo with a file source in a pocket. I feared putting pressure on either Mojo or source connections, and damaging either or both units. People have been inventive though and created 3D printed cases for Mojo and source.)

About two weeks ago I bought the A&K SR25. This was due to the impression that the SR25 would be significantly better than the sony ZX300. To be honest though, the functionality of the SR25 is not up to my needs. It doesn't lock the '''back/play-pause/forward''' buttons. It also splits up albums that have guest artists. Any track with a guest artist is listed separately under that guest artist, away from the main album. This has put me off A&K now. Although of course we don't _need_ all our music on our DAPs. I could delete albums that get split up.

I am thinking again about the Chord Poly though. However my problems with the Poly are two-fold.


First, I get the impression Poly is still not perfect.
Secondly, carrying the Mojo/Poly in a case in a pocket has issues. Again I would be afraid of straining the connection between the two modules. Using the Mojo/Poly case has another issue though. I had my Mojo in the genuine Mojo case for some time. While it made the Mojo feel secure and safe even for just about the home. It also made the Mojo run quite a bit warmer. That's not good for lithium batteries. In fact I lost some of my Hugo 2 battery life, 'I think' down to running it in a case. I had been running my Hugo 2 through summer in its original Hugo 2 case. One day I took it out just to see how hot it was. It was worryingly hot. That's just from playing music from battery power.

Hence the idea of playing Mojo/Poly in a case is not encouraging. (I suppose however I could drill ventialtion into my Chord cases.)


The Mojo is leagues ahead in sound though. There are many more layers of detail to the sounds. The Mojo is considerably more dynamic, accurate, clearer, sounds stop and starts incredibly, and sound edges are clearly more defined. Mojo is way more musical. It not even a two horse race between Mojo and either of my DAPs.

Also I find the Mojo pairs excellently with my AKG N40 (discontinued). (I have other earphones too.) The synergy is top notch like they were made for each other. Considering AKG N40 dropped to £160, it's a no-brainer pairing. Clearly though better earphones will do more. It makes Mojo a good value propostion.

For portability though DAPs win out every time. The beauty is that DAPs sound OK for portable work.


----------



## Kentajalli

Slater91 said:


> I concur. We see this all the time in the audio world and outside of it. As an example, my HP laptop has both a USB-C port and a dock port next to it so that I can choose if I want to use a USB-C dock or a traditional docking station. I think that choice is what we, as private users (I really hate the concept behind the word "consumers", just to be clear), should look for and cherish. Even then, this is all speculation, so we can only _hope_ that there will be backwards compatibility and a USB-C port.


Aha!
Cosider these:
- every new socket adds weight to an already 'on the heavy side' mojo.
- every new socket and the accompanying circuit adds to manufacturing costs.
I would guess every penny that goes into manufacturing side will costs us 'consumers' many dollars more. It is not unheard of that manufacturers try to shave off fractions of cents on manufacturing costs.
- every new 'Choice' polarizes the customers, some would love it, some would not, claiming "I never use this, why am I paying for it?!"
I am one of them, for me just a USB input and one output is sufficient. I bought my Mojo for 'on the move' and sound quality alone.
- On a portable device, size, weight, the famous 'milliwatt budget' are very important, one can not just add things to give more choice to few.
my 2 pennies.


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## GreenBow (Nov 6, 2021)

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I own an M Scaler.   I don't use it with my Hugo 2 because I have a TT2.   No way I would use it with Mojo.





thehutch said:


> Exactly. I do not understand why Chord would think people would want this, unless they created of a cheaper, mini M-scaler (which we’ve already agreed isn’t coming) or delivered a huge price drop on existing M-scaler (seems highly unlikely).





Jawed said:


> What if HMS+Mojo 2 is better than TT2 on its own



You can still use M-Scaler with Mojo, but you can only upscale to 384MHz. Or use only half of the Mscaler taps. ... Unless I got it wrong, but sure I read that.

Rob Watts said somethig like the following. "Using half the M-Scaler taps is OK, but the real magic happens in the second half-million taps". ......... This comment was in relation to using M-Scaler with other brand DACs that 384KHz input.

M-Scaler with Mojo has certainly been discussed though. Honestly why not e.g. if your Hugo 2 battery is flat.

Mojo is a great DAC. You should hear Mojo with Shure KSE 1200. (KSE 1200 sound signature is neutral - no bass or treble leaning. It's also rich sounding meaning definitely not lean sounding, with the ability to reveal truly mind-bending levels of detail.)


----------



## Neweymatt

GreenBow said:


> I completely agree that DAPs have functionality over Mojo. ....... (Sorry long post ahead. Just found you post interesting so felt compelled to reply.)
> 
> Three yeas ago I bought a Sony ZX300, and this was in full light that the Poly was released. There were too many Poly problems though. Plus I did not want to use Mojo with a file source in a pocket. I feared putting pressure on either Mojo or source connections, and damaging either or both units. People have been inventive though and created 3D printed cases for Mojo and source.)
> 
> ...


You make some excellent points, thanks for that perspective.

Absolutely I agree the SR25 has plenty of its own quirks/foibles, but none of them are deal-breakers for me the way I'm using it.

All technology products are designed with necessary compromises, it's up to us as end-users to work out if the benefits of the product outweigh those compromises at a given price point.

I'm really excited for what Mojo2 could turn out to be, and will reserve judgement until I'm listening to one with a few of my IEMs, checking out it's features and considering how it might fit into my various listening modes.


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## Kentajalli (Nov 7, 2021)

I (personally) would buy the Mojo 2 if:
- it sounds noticably better than Mojo classic, but if pricing is close to Hugo2, then I get Hugo2.
- and/or it would have a card reader and bluetooth, so I could play direct from the card, sort of screen-less basic DAP functionality.
- LDAC enabled BT would be a bonus! not a deal maker or breaker.
mScaler input, Poly back-compatibility, longer battery life, fast charging . . .  etc. would not mean much to me, though I appreciate it maybe to others.


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## alota

I imagine chord team laughing at ours post lol


----------



## Whitigir

alota said:


> I imagine chord team laughing at ours post lol


Always do, because we are all fun sport and stocked full of 💰🤣.  Some would even sell and rebuy and sell and then rebuy


----------



## Kentajalli

alota said:


> I imagine chord team laughing at ours post lol


Actually, this forum or thread would have been the best research they could have hoped for.
But the deed is done, it has been designed, gone into production already.
We can no longer change it, but maybe, Chord would take some pointers for Hugo3!!


----------



## alota

Kentajalli said:


> Actually, this forum or thread would have been the best research they could have hoped for.
> But the deed is done, it has been designed, gone into production already.
> We can no longer change it, but maybe, Chord would take some pointers for Hugo3!!


Right. Only missing the last act: january 31st


----------



## bwardrop

I wonder if January 31st is release date and not reveal date. It would be nice to get some details before then. Probably not the way the tease and countdown is setup on their page.


----------



## Kentajalli

alota said:


> Right. Only missing the last act: january 31st


I give it till summer, to read some real reviews and testimonials before I decide anything.
Till then (at least) Mojo C will do me just fine.


----------



## Another Audiophile

alota said:


> I imagine chord team laughing at ours post lol


I am sure they will not be laughing if they get it wrong


----------



## joshnor713

Kentajalli said:


> - it sounds noticably better than Mojo classic, but if pricing is close to Hugo2, then I get Hugo2.


I've thought about this point and find it interesting what Chord will do. 

I have both the Mojo and H2. While I do find the H2 to be a step up (particularly in spatial definition and resolution), I don't feel like it's the step up like the huge price difference would suggest. In other words, when Chord does upgrade the SQ with the Mojo 2, I feel like that would cannibalize sales of the H2, especially if they bring the tap count closer together.

Like, I know the sound sig's of the two devices is different (Mojo being warmer and H2 being more neutral), and the filters, but that wouldn't be enough to justify the big price difference. Certainly interesting to see how Chord approaches this. It would make sense to me to drop and Hugo 3 with it.


----------



## alota

Another Audiophile said:


> I am sure they will not be laughing if they get it wrong


For sure. But they count on the loyalists of the brand


----------



## Kentajalli

Another Audiophile said:


> I am sure they will not be laughing if they get it wrong


+1


----------



## Another Audiophile

alota said:


> For sure. But they count on the loyalists of the brand


Mojo didn’t sell in thousands because of loyalist. It was a great product for its time. Now they have to offer something that can compete with other alternative offerings.


----------



## alota

Another Audiophile said:


> Mojo didn’t sell in thousands because of loyalist. It was a great product for its time. Now they have to offer something that can compete with other alternative offerings.


For me mojo was the real innovation in this market


----------



## BenSherman

Another Audiophile said:


> Now they have to offer something that can compete with other alternative offerings.


Like the just-launched ifi Gryphon: 1000mw@32 Ohms, X-Bass/X-Space/Presence, 4.4 balanced output, USB-C inputs, Bluetooth, OLED digital display, 8 hour battery. £599.


----------



## Another Audiophile

BenSherman said:


> Like the just-launched ifi Gryphon: 1000mw@32 Ohms, X-Bass/X-Space/Presence, 4.4 balanced output, USB-C inputs, Bluetooth, OLED digital display, 8 hour battery. £599.


I agree. These kind of devices and equally priced DAPs are the direct competition. Just another, better mojo will not cut it I am afraid.


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## Another Audiophile

alota said:


> For me mojo was the real innovation in this market


was indeed


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## GreenBow (Nov 8, 2021)

Kentajalli said:


> I (personally) would buy the Mojo 2 if:
> - it sounds noticably better than Mojo classic, but if pricing is close to Hugo2, then I get Hugo2.
> - and/or it would have a card reader and bluetooth, so I could play direct from the card, sort of screen-less basic DAP functionality.
> - LDAC enabled BT would be a bonus! not a deal maker or breaker.
> mScaler input, Poly back-compatibility, longer battery life, fast charging . . .  etc. would not mean much to me, though I appreciate it maybe to others.



Yeah I keep wondering about what the next sound upgrade will be.

The Hugo to Hugo 2 was a doubling of taps. That brought about a slight reduction in battery life. It means it depends on the FPGA chip efficiency, as to sound qaulity vs battery life.

With the Mojo 2 though, I would prefer more battery life over a doubling of taps. Say Mojo 2 has 1.5 times the taps of Mojo, but maybe twelve hours battery. (Or 1.75 times the taps and maybe a ten hour battery.) ... Plus there could be an upgrade in other stages of Mojo 2.

I would also like the Mojo 2 to neutrally toned. As I read that Rob Watts said he made Mojo slightly warm to suit IEMs. (Or rather the perception of the bulk of IEMs being a touch bright I think he meant.)

I definitely prefer neutral then you have a reference.


----------



## Rob Watts

Another Audiophile said:


> Mojo didn’t sell in thousands because of loyalist. It was a great product for its time. Now they have to offer something that can compete with other alternative offerings.



You keep knocking Mojo (and I do like that term Mojo classic @Kentajalli) performance in that you suggest that DAPs have closed/reduced the gap in the past 5 years. But this view is not supported by the technical facts; the key technical benefits of Mojo is the zero measurable noise floor modulation (instrument separation and focus and natural warmth); the reconstruction of the timing of transients correctly (timbre variation, pitch reproduction and musicality); and the small signal accuracy (detail resolution, soundstage depth and transparency). DAC chips have not changed one iota in the past 5 years in these essential parameters - and it's these technical attributes that gives Mojo it's exceptional musical performance.


----------



## mainguy

Rob Watts said:


> You keep knocking Mojo (and I do like that term Mojo classic @Kentajalli) performance in that you suggest that DAPs have closed/reduced the gap in the past 5 years. But this view is not supported by the technical facts; the key technical benefits of Mojo is the zero measurable noise floor modulation (instrument separation and focus and natural warmth); the reconstruction of the timing of transients correctly (timbre variation, pitch reproduction and musicality); and the small signal accuracy (detail resolution, soundstage depth and transparency). DAC chips have not changed one iota in the past 5 years in these essential parameters - and it's these technical attributes that gives Mojo it's exceptional musical performance.


it's also important to note that along with it's technical ability the Mojo has a signature sound, which some may not like. That's why the booming DAP market puts some pressure on the device, as people inevitable buy based on their preferred sound signature too. 

However if the Mojo 2 can be so technically far ahead, i think people will make exceptions. I think some DAPs absolutely match the Mojo, i have a wm1a, with wm1z firmware installed, and I downright prefer it to the Mojo, and would say it equals it technically, I'm not the only one. As that's a DAP that can be snapped up for $650 on ebay, Chord will have to consider competition with their device. I'm sure they will, and I expect Mojo 2 to sound better than any non-summit level DAP tbh.


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## Another Audiophile (Nov 8, 2021)

Rob Watts said:


> and it's these technical attributes that gives Mojo it's exceptional musical performance.


I agree and that's why I bought the Qutest, mojo and poly. The Mojo classic, as a mobile device, wasn't a great solution because of interference with 4G. My point is that measurements alone will not cut it today because many devices are "good enough" for mobile use. Personally I would look into the new mojo if there are 4 things. Elimination of 4g interfierence with USB, extended battery life, desktop mode and compatibility with the poly. To be fair, the poly is a bit technicaly limited for 2021 but good as a Roon ready device. Also It will need to have a name related with spiders. Chord Bold is my choice (from bold jumping spiders)


----------



## alota

Rob Watts said:


> You keep knocking Mojo (and I do like that term Mojo classic @Kentajalli) performance in that you suggest that DAPs have closed/reduced the gap in the past 5 years. But this view is not supported by the technical facts; the key technical benefits of Mojo is the zero measurable noise floor modulation (instrument separation and focus and natural warmth); the reconstruction of the timing of transients correctly (timbre variation, pitch reproduction and musicality); and the small signal accuracy (detail resolution, soundstage depth and transparency). DAC chips have not changed one iota in the past 5 years in these essential parameters - and it's these technical attributes that gives Mojo it's exceptional musical performance.


of course. but you consider that we are speaking about portable stuffs. in my opinion the needs are a little different compared to a home system. in addition to sound, other factors are taken into consideration.


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## BenSherman (Nov 8, 2021)

I'm sure the reputation and brand loyalty will play a big part in the success of the Mojo 2. But I think the minimum will need to be present to mitigate potential customers being swayed by the competition:

- Improved SQ (but keeping Mojo signature sound)
- Increased power output
- Improved battery charge/life
- Updated ports to USB-C
- Balanced output
- Sorted the phone interference complaints
- RRP not too far north of the Mojo 1!

I think if these are met, customers are less likely to be swayed by the bells and whistles of competitors (i.e. EQ boosts, Bluetooth, digital displays, etc.)


----------



## someyoungguy

mainguy said:


> it's also important to note that along with it's technical ability the Mojo has a signature sound, which some may not like. That's why the booming DAP market puts some pressure on the device, as people inevitable buy based on their preferred sound signature too.
> 
> However if the Mojo 2 can be so technically far ahead, i think people will make exceptions. I think some DAPs absolutely match the Mojo, i have a wm1a, with wm1z firmware installed, and I downright prefer it to the Mojo, and would say it equals it technically, I'm not the only one. As that's a DAP that can be snapped up for $650 on ebay, Chord will have to consider competition with their device. I'm sure they will, and I expect Mojo 2 to sound better than any non-summit level DAP tbh.





alota said:


> of course. but you consider that we are speaking about portable stuffs. in my opinion the needs are a little different compared to a home system. in addition to sound, other factors are taken into consideration.



Yeah I agree, in the end each device has it's own particular sound and personal preference of a sound signature is a huge factor. Also, even if the decoding approach used in the Mojo technically has some advantages to it such as noise floor modulation and transients that delta-sigma dacs can't mathematically replicate, most people would argue the sound quality of DAPs and dongles has advanced quite significantly over the last few years.

I feel like there was a phase about 3 years ago where new chips like the CS43198, ES9028pro etc had come out and DAP manufacturers realized it was possible to pull out much more detail than before. But I felt like there was a tendency in that first wave of DAPs for the detail to kind of be thrown at you, so that they would be impressive in their resolution, but didn't quite pull it together in a cohesive, coherent fashion. But it seems to me like that phase is over and we're now seeing a number of DAPs that can match the perceived detail of the Mojo whilst retaining 'musicality', for lack of a better term, all while packaging it up in devices that offer storage, streaming, EQ, bluetooth in/out, etc.

Added to this picture is that I feel dongle DACs have really come a long way. I've owned previous dongles but recently picked up the Violectric Chronos, A&K PEE51 and Questyle M12, each of which is pretty impressive. Also, they restore my ability to listen to my phone (since some smart engineer 'forgot' to put a headphone jack in), so they offer me (a) the ability to hear my phone without using the speaker, (b) convenient music playback that's actually pretty impressive, all while being (d) much smaller and lighter than Mojo and (e) much cheaper, so less to worry about while on the move. 

Also I haven't mentioned Cayin's N6ii/R01, which to me offered the best imaging and instrument separation I've heard in a DAP, just with a different feel to sound than I've heard before.

While it's easy enough to say DAPs have barely changed, in reality I think changes like these will add up and challenge the same market space that Mojo (and its replacement) exist in. For the end-user what is really going to matter is not the mathematical benefits of Chord's FPGA processing, but whether the improvement in sound is sufficient for them to opt for Mojo instead of a dongle or DAP - or competitor like the Gryphon - despite any inconveniences or cost differences. Actually, most of the time when I owned Mojo, and later Mojo/Poly, I just used them at my desk rather than as portable solutions - so they will also need to compete with desktop alternatives for users who are thinking the same.

All in all, not an easy climate to launch into these days. Ifi might be labelling their Gryphon as the next legend in audio, but in all honesty I think there's just so much variety and choice out there now that wasn't around when the original Mojo (or microDSD for the matter) launched that we're unlikely to see  products that end up being widely adopted by a large proportion of the audiophile community anymore; it's just a more fragmented, choice-flooded arena now.


----------



## Kentajalli (Nov 8, 2021)

Rob Watts said:


> (and I do like that term Mojo classic @Kentajalli)


Well Mojo is a Classic device.
If not already, but in years to come, it will have (should)  its own Wikipedia page! regardless of future versions.
To this day, being aware of the alternatives available, I would still choose it over them.
Mojo2 has really big big shoes to fill.


----------



## alota

Kentajalli said:


> Well Mojo is a Classic device.
> If not already, but in years to come, it will have (should)  its own Wikipedia page! regardless of future versions.
> To this day, being aware of the alternatives available, I would still choose it over them.
> Mojo2 has really big big shoes to fill.


For this reason it is like a wonderful movie. Warning with part 2 lol


----------



## joshnor713

Kentajalli said:


> Well Mojo is a Classic device.
> If not already, but in years to come, it will have (should)  its own Wikipedia page! regardless of future versions.
> To this day, being aware of the alternatives available, I would still choose it over them.
> Mojo2 has really big big shoes to fill.


Which is why I'm glad Chord took its time with the sequel. I appreciate them not being like most companies that pump out updates every year, and some even in less time!


----------



## Jawed

Battery technology seems to have barely improved since Mojo's release, so it seems to me that Mojo 2 is about "lessons learnt" being applied to the same basic components with the same power constraints. Same FPGA, same microcontroller. 

A better charging circuit and a desktop mode?
Crossfeed?
A WTA2 mode when fed by HMS
One of the tricky questions is the limited count of buttons with their corresponding lights. If coloured lights are used to signify the settings, in the way that the lights on Hugo 2 function, then there's not enough lights! Volume being two lights (like Mojo) and sample rate being one light (like the power button on Mojo). Only Crossfeed would be possible. But the button is labelled "M", implying to me "mode" and more features than just crossfeed.

So with the M button pressed, those three lights (and their buttons) can each signify other features, such as crossfeed or "warm" filter. So those features can be changed while M is held down?

So, what would the colour of the M button mean, when it's not pressed down?


----------



## jarnopp

Jawed said:


> Battery technology seems to have barely improved since Mojo's release, so it seems to me that Mojo 2 is about "lessons learnt" being applied to the same basic components with the same power constraints. Same FPGA, same microcontroller.
> 
> A better charging circuit and a desktop mode?
> Crossfeed?
> ...


I like the colored balls and the Chord “look” but as the complexity of functions increases, it does show that having a non-intuitive UI decreases the user experience, since colors have no natural relation to the states being set, with the possible exception of volume moving from low (cool, purple) to loud (hot, red).


----------



## flyte3333

Rob Watts said:


> the key technical benefits of Mojo is the zero measurable noise floor modulation (instrument separation and focus and natural warmth)



Hi Rob, you write no measurable noise floor modulation but for Mojo, John Atkinson of Stereophile wrote a comment specifically about noise floor modulation

Shown below.

Also below is an APx555 measurement showing noise floor modulation

So the 3rd party data shows otherwise for Mojo1?

2 different samples obviously


----------



## flyte3333

Here is a desktop DAC and Amp (granted no battery inside but people use Mojo1 for desktop use not only portable) for significantly less price

And this looks better than Mojo1 (APx555)

Does not show the noise floor modulation.

See the red curve


----------



## Rob Watts

None of those plots use an APX 555. And lack of noise floor modulation is shown below:





This is comparing 2.5v RMS OP with no output (IP ranging must be fixed at 2.5v). You can see the noise floor is at -176dB and is independent of signal level. No other non Chord DAC can do this.


----------



## flyte3333 (Nov 9, 2021)

Rob Watts said:


> None of those plots use an APX 555



Hi Rob, 2 of those plots above are indeed with an APx555...

Anyway 2 different reviewers had 2 different Mojo samples and both showed and commented on measurable noise floor modulation.

Maybe 2 bad different samples I guess?


----------



## Rob Watts

I can't comment on other measurements done by other people - particularly when they are not using an APx555. Note that the noise floor modulation test I do is not the same as the tests you show - these are not noise floor modulation tests, where you overlay 0dBFS with a -999dBFS signal, with all settings on the APx555 being identical. This is the only way to measure noise floor modulation, and the APx555 is the only test equipment capable of doing noise floor modulation tests, due to the unique quad ADC structure - this overcomes the huge noise floor modulation inherent in ADCs.


----------



## flyte3333

Rob Watts said:


> I can't comment on other measurements done by other people - particularly when they are not using an APx555. Note that the noise floor modulation test I do is not the same as the tests you show - these are not noise floor modulation tests, where you overlay 0dBFS with a -999dBFS signal, with all settings on the APx555 being identical. This is the only way to measure noise floor modulation, and the APx555 is the only test equipment capable of doing noise floor modulation tests, due to the unique quad ADC structure - this overcomes the huge noise floor modulation inherent in ADCs.



No worries Rob. Just friendly discussion here. 

Maybe 2 bad samples measured by those reviewers ? 

And once again, 2 of those plots above are with an APx555... 

It appears you are only looking at JA's plots above but there are 2 more (4 plots in total) ?

Anyway, I owned the Mojo Classic and enjoyed it. 

Looking forward to Mojo2 !


----------



## Kentajalli (Nov 9, 2021)

Jawed said:


> Battery technology seems to have barely improved s. . .
> 
> A better charging circuit and a desktop mode?


If the pictures are anything to go by, the addition of USB-C means that the DC-DC upconverter in the charging circuit can now be bypassed.
This has implications in desktop use, it should eliminate the switch-mode noise and even provide higher power for use and charging, meaning on paper, faster charging, lower noise and lower heat generation (most of the extra heat while charging and listening is due to the charge pump circuit).
Many moons ago I pointed to rhis obvious upgrade, glad Chord thought so too.
Otherwise, as far as sound quality and operation goes, USB-C has nothing over USB-mini - I fail to see why some people think USB-C is so wonderful.


----------



## alota

Kentajalli said:


> Otherwise, as far as sound quality and operation goes, USB-C has nothing over USB-mini - I fail to see why some people think USB-C is so wonderful.


it's not about being wonderful. it is the fact that usb-c is now the standard and finally eliminates the need for otg adapters


----------



## Kentajalli

alota said:


> it's not about being wonderful. it is the fact that usb-c is now the standard and finally eliminates the need for otg adapters


I may be missing something, what does USB-C got to do with OTG?
OTG is just a 5K resistor across the sense pin and ground, not a big-e . It can easily be implemented into the cable by an smd resistor, there are such cables available, they do not require adaptors.
A $5 cable is not a valid excuse for USB-C .
The fact that USB-C has adaptable power, is the key here.
I am not knocking USB-C at all, but its benefits here, in our case, is very limited past the power delivery.


----------



## GreenBow (Nov 9, 2021)

mainguy said:


> it's also important to note that along with it's technical ability the Mojo has a signature sound, which some may not like. That's why the booming DAP market puts some pressure on the device, as people inevitable buy based on their preferred sound signature too.
> 
> However if the Mojo 2 can be so technically far ahead, i think people will make exceptions. I think some DAPs absolutely match the Mojo, i have a wm1a, with wm1z firmware installed, and I downright prefer it to the Mojo, and would say it equals it technically, I'm not the only one. As that's a DAP that can be snapped up for $650 on ebay, Chord will have to consider competition with their device. I'm sure they will, and I expect Mojo 2 to sound better than any non-summit level DAP tbh.



I think you're being overly critical and unfair. While the Mojo could be said at absolute most, to be incrementally slightly warm leaning. Saying it has a signature sound is pratically having a laugh. The Mojo doesn't have any qantifiable signature. The Mojo produces the signature of your music. However if you don't want to hear music as it is. Then I'd understand why you don't prefer Mojo.

The Mojo signature to me is very pure of the music it's given. It's energetic and lighning-quick when it needs to be, and is never boring. It's calm and smooth when needed too. I don't accept there is a DAP that could match the Mojo - on any level. That's partly based on my experience. Partly and based on knowing roughly how the Mojo works compared to how DAPs work. The Mojo does many multitudes of what any DAP DAC chip can do. It's heaphone ports are straight off the DAC. (There is no colouring of the sound from any technical or amplifier output stage. Bar the minscule fraction of warmth that Rob Watts apparently gave its sound.)

I have the Sony ZX300 which garnered excellent reviews from everyone, and I can hear why. (Apart from What HiFi.) I accept that the higher end Sonys are going to be better than mine. However to compare my ZX300 to the Mojo is laughable. Have to say though, I like the ZX300 a lot. It sounds like a good impersonation of the Mojo, because it does an excellent job of making a general tonality. That however is minus an astronomical level of detail, insight, timing, and timbral accuracy that the Mojo does. Another quality the Mojo has is vast soundstaging with incredible depth, even in my budget IEMs, the AKG N40. I can't believe my ears sometimes. The ZX300 sounds like a flat 2D blurred approximation by comparison. That's in just one quality, of soundstage.


----------



## Amlalsulami

Announcement date? Just curious to know if there's


----------



## jarnopp

Amlalsulami said:


> Announcement date? Just curious to know if there's


January 31
https://www.facebook.com/chordelectronics/photos/a.193269360773093/3928125077287484/?type=3&theater


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## Amlalsulami

jarnopp said:


> January 31
> https://www.facebook.com/chordelectronics/photos/a.193269360773093/3928125077287484/?type=3&theater


damn I can't wait!! Thank god I didn't pull my trigger on new ifi dac


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## seeteeyou

GreenBow said:


> With the Mojo 2 though, I would prefer more battery life over a doubling of taps. Say Mojo 2 has 1.5 times the taps of Mojo, but maybe twelve hours battery. (Or 1.75 times the taps and maybe a ten hour battery.) ... Plus there could be an upgrade in other stages of Mojo 2.



I'll be very happy if all taps were completely bypassed, whenever it's being fed either 705.6KHz or 768KHz (i.e. WavPack with lossless compression) files. In other words, we could simply enjoy up to 1 billion taps on the road with a relatively large amount of storage.


----------



## Kentajalli

seeteeyou said:


> I'll be very happy if all taps were completely bypassed, whenever it's being fed either 705.6KHz or 768KHz (i.e. WavPack with lossless compression) files. In other words, we could simply enjoy up to 1 billion taps on the road with a relatively large amount of storage.


?????


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## Amberlamps

Rob Watts said:


> You keep knocking Mojo (and I do like that term Mojo classic @Kentajalli) performance in that you suggest that DAPs have closed/reduced the gap in the past 5 years. But this view is not supported by the technical facts; the key technical benefits of Mojo is the zero measurable noise floor modulation (instrument separation and focus and natural warmth); the reconstruction of the timing of transients correctly (timbre variation, pitch reproduction and musicality); and the small signal accuracy (detail resolution, soundstage depth and transparency). DAC chips have not changed one iota in the past 5 years in these essential parameters - and it's these technical attributes that gives Mojo it's exceptional musical performance.



I think there should be two like buttons, as one like button is not enough for the genius post above.


----------



## Amberlamps

joshnor713 said:


> Which is why I'm glad Chord took its time with the sequel. I appreciate them not being like most companies that pump out updates every year, and some even in less time!



Cough* ifi


----------



## alekc

Amberlamps said:


> Cough* ifi


Actually ifi policy made me stop investing into their gear. Adding the fact that their staff is providing wrong information about their current offerings isn't making things better. They keep me reminding Nokia: huge product line while loosing contact with customers and real world.


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## Earbones (Nov 14, 2021)

Rob Watts said:


> (and I do like that term Mojo classic @Kentajalli)


Re-reading some posts, and I caught this…

Why exactly do you like the term Mojo classic, Rob?

Was that perhaps a clue?

We have all assumed this new device is a direct successor -and presumably also a replacement for- the Mojo.

But what if it’s not?

What if Chord intends to continue production of the Mojo (perhaps slightly updated), renamed Mojo Classic?

What if Mojo 2 isn’t intended as a direct replacement, but as a slightly up-market product designed to sit between Mojo Classic and Hugo 2?

Splitting the price-points between the Mojo and the Hugo 2 puts us right around the $1500 mark… which is pretty much the Goldilocks zone for the mid-to-higher-end tier of another product market. A product market that Rob just weighed in on…

DAPs.

I’m not suggesting that Chord is jumping into that business… but at that number, the idea of a Mojo 2 with upgraded sound, filters, and internalized and upgraded Poly functionality does not sound far-fetched at all.

It doesn’t sound far-fetched… it sounds like a DAP-killer DAC. Which sounds like something very much in Chord’s interests to sell. 

Or maybe I’m just reading way too far into a couple of innocuous comments. Keeps the thread interesting at least. January is a ways away…


----------



## Rob Watts

Your over thinking, just liked the term Mojo classic!


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## Earbones

Rob Watts said:


> Your over thinking, just liked the term Mojo classic!


Well, like I said- keeps the thread interesting, ha ha!


----------



## Another Audiophile

Chord Bold... From the bolt jumping spider. Thats all I can say...


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## Kentajalli

Rob Watts said:


> Your over thinking, just liked the term Mojo classic!


Come on! 
If there is no Mojo2, then the term Mojo classic would be meaningless - No?
At the very least, because of your contribution to this very thread and liking the term Classic means, there is going to be a Mojo2. I think that much is sort-of confirmed.
Most of the rest is based on the pictures, someone uploaded a while go, hype, deductions, wishful thinking (overthinking!) and the desire of Poly owners for it to be compatible with their expensive accessory!
But it is fun, never the less.


----------



## mainguy

Earbones said:


> DAPs.
> 
> I’m not suggesting that Chord is jumping into that business… but at that number, the idea of a Mojo 2 with upgraded sound, filters, and internalized and upgraded Poly functionality does not sound far-fetched at all.
> 
> ...



If Chord create something with all the advantages of a DAP; bluetooth poly functionality, and no screen or useless Ui, as we all prefer using our phones as a control center anyway, they'll tear out the jugular of the DAP market.

The entire issue with DAPs is so much manufacturer cost goes into a screen & visual UI. Also battery life too.

If Chord eliminate this in essence useless side of the DAP, while having better SQ, as a Mojo Poly does already compared to most DAPs, honestly that'd be it for any DAP in the price range of the Mojo 2. Game set match. I hope they do it, really.


----------



## Kentajalli

mainguy said:


> If Chord create something with all the advantages of a DAP; bluetooth poly functionality, and no screen or useless Ui, as we all prefer using our phones as a control center anyway, they'll tear out the jugular of the DAP market.
> 
> The entire issue with DAPs is so much manufacturer cost goes into a screen & visual UI. Also battery life too.
> 
> If Chord eliminate this in essence useless side of the DAP, while having better SQ, as a Mojo Poly does already compared to most DAPs, honestly that'd be it for any DAP in the price range of the Mojo 2. Game set match. I hope they do it, really.


Absolutely!
A screen-less BT controlled DAP with Mojo at its heart would get my wallet out.


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## Amberlamps

Another Audiophile said:


> Chord Bold... From the bolt jumping spider. Thats all I can say...



You should get banned for posting the above.

Yes, I’m petrified of spiders.


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## Earbones

Amberlamps said:


> You should get banned for posting the above.
> 
> Yes, I’m petrified of spiders.


Ugh, dealing with phobias sucks, I’m sorry. 

I’d put my hand on your shoulder in sympathy, if that space wasn’t already occupied by the biggest, hairiest, fang-iest Brazilian wandering spider I’ve ever seen. 

Oh Jesus, it’s moving toward your neck…


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## alekc

mainguy said:


> If Chord create something with all the advantages of a DAP; bluetooth poly functionality, and no screen or useless Ui, as we all prefer using our phones as a control center anyway, they'll tear out the jugular of the DAP market.
> 
> The entire issue with DAPs is so much manufacturer cost goes into a screen & visual UI. Also battery life too.
> 
> If Chord eliminate this in essence useless side of the DAP, while having better SQ, as a Mojo Poly does already compared to most DAPs, honestly that'd be it for any DAP in the price range of the Mojo 2. Game set match. I hope they do it, really.


I always had an idea that the reason to own DAP in the first place is that you do not need your mobile in the first place to listen to music at any place, any time without much compromising the SQ. Pairing Mojo (classic) with Xduoo transport gave me similar setup minus wifi connectivity. Just my 2 cents...


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## miketlse (Nov 15, 2021)

.


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## BenSherman

I considered a DAP, then thought: Why would I want pay a considerable chunk towards the source - when I'm going to be carrying my phone anyway - and the DAP interface/processor is likely to be no better (and probably worse) than my phone? I'd rather put all my funds towards the amp, and have a better sound for my money.


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## CJG888

Fine, as long as your phone has enough storage (and isn’t running a whole bunch of other apps in the background whilst you are listening to music)…


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## Kentajalli (Nov 15, 2021)

CJG888 said:


> Fine, as long as your phone has enough storage (and isn’t running a whole bunch of other apps in the background whilst you are listening to music)…


Hence the notion of a screen-less DAP with its own card reader, that can be remote controlled by BT.
If the BT is LDAC capable, one can also get CD quality or better from streaming sites.
This one box solution is right up my street/alley.
These days you can easily get 1TB microsd cards, that takes care of storage, the phone would just act as a screen.
The sticky point would be incorporating DSP such as parametric EQ into the DAP, now I can guess @Rob Watts would like to create his own DSP engine built into this possible DAP, and he may not want to!
Otherwise the rest is very do-able!
BTW this was my solution a while ago. this is a cable I put together for connecting my phone to my Mojo. Built into the cable is a tiny USB Hub and a MicroSD card-reader. I have 512GB in it. My Android phone upon inserting the cable, would recognize the storage and Mojo with no issues. all worked very well.
I only stopped using it, once I got a large card for my phone.
HUB and card-reader are about 15mm square by 5mm.


----------



## misterfreeze

Kentajalli said:


>


This is genius.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Kentajalli said:


> If the BT is LDAC capable, one can also get CD quality or better from streaming


I don’t think this is possible. LDAC is lossy.


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## Kentajalli (Nov 15, 2021)

Another Audiophile said:


> I don’t think this is possible. LDAC is lossy.


BT is lossy, period!
LDAC is a lossy codec, capable of 24/96 on paper. but it is a codec never the less.
I have tried it, you get about CD quality (subjectively) out of it.


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## Steve Wilcox

Neither the Mojo or Poly, for different reasons, have been very successful as truly portable solutions. I'd love to see the Mojo 2 successfully combine the two functions, controlled by a smartphone that virtually everyone already has. This could sell in spades bringing about the possibility of a price point significantly below that of a Mojo and Poly.


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## Earbones (Nov 15, 2021)

Regarding getting lossless streaming music onto a theoretical Mojo 2 with SD card…

Most DAPs have internal storage and an SD card slot… When you go to download music from a streaming app (including Apple Music) for offline listening, it will give you the choice to download it to the internal memory or the SD card. I have always assumed this is just a function of the app, obviously working in conjunction with Android. And while I have never connected an Apple iOS device to an SD card reader for the purpose of storing music, I assume that similar to a streaming app running on Android, I would also have the choice to download to either the internal memory of the iOS device or the attached SD card reader.

If this is correct, then if one were using a wired connection, wouldn’t both an Android phone and an iPhone just read this theoretical Mojo 2 as an SD card reader? And in such a scenario, allow for bit-perfect downloads from streaming apps onto the Mojo 2?

Then once the downloads were complete, wouldn’t one be able to disconnect the wired connection, establish a Bluetooth connection, and control the downloaded library on the Mojo 2 wirelessly, via the streaming app?

I could honestly care less about the ability to download onto the Mojo 2’s SD card wirelessly, versus a cable connection. I mean, if you’re downloading lossless Apple Music files at say 24/192, you’re going to be sitting around near a strong Wi-Fi connection anyway. Who would do that on their cellular plan? So the Mojo being connected to the phone for the duration of a downloading session isn’t a huge deal.

But Wireless _control_ would be cool. Though again, not a huge deal, for me personally. A short cable and a couple of rubber bands is a little retro, but not the worst thing in the world.


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## Another Audiophile

Steve Wilcox said:


> Neither the Mojo or Poly, for different reasons, have been very successful as truly portable solutions.


agree and I hope the new one will be a portable mojo


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## Neweymatt

Earbones said:


> Then once the downloads were complete, wouldn’t one be able to disconnect the wired connection, establish a Bluetooth connection, and control the downloaded library on the Mojo 2 wirelessly, via the streaming app?


Not unless the streaming app developer adds this as a feature.  But what would be the point? Just BT the phone to the theoretical Mojo2 and be done with it.  

Or, if you want a single-device solution, buy a DAP that has support for the existing streaming services' apps.


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## Whitigir

I am sure a Mojo2 is coming.  There is no denying that the Mojo is a huge success.  So…you just gotta MILK it!!! Unless someone is announcing his retirement, otherwise, it is set in stone.  The question is…when?

However, I see the hype are being built, and intentionally so  .  What do you do to a milky cow that is dripping milk … while you are craving for the Milk ? I would assume that you would disregard everything else and Suck it!!! Until your satisfaction 😉


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## Earbones

Neweymatt said:


> Not unless the streaming app developer adds this as a feature.  But what would be the point? Just BT the phone to the theoretical Mojo2 and be done with it.
> 
> Or, if you want a single-device solution, buy a DAP that has support for the existing streaming services' apps.


Not sure you’re understanding the gist of my question, probably my fault… re-reading it, I wasn’t as clear as I could have been.

So we know that with Apple Music being run on Android OS, if an SD card reader is present, you have the option to download onto an SD card, and furthermore, if it is a wired connection, you can do so bit-perfectly. So you can download a 24/192 track onto the SD card, and then via the wired connection, play it back via the app when offline.

But how about an iOS device, like an iPhone, connected to an SD card reader… In this case, the theoretical Mojo 2 with SD card reader.

Can that work?

And furthermore, if it does, can you then disconnect the cable, connect with bluetooth, and control the downloaded music via the Apple Music app?

This would allow the theoretical Mojo 2 with SD card to play bit-perfect music downloaded from an app via wireless control.

I understand your statement that it would be simpler just to play music from the iPhone and stream it real-time to the theoretical Mojo 2 via Bluetooth, but this solution does not account for two things…

One, the fact that Bluetooth is not capable of streaming all high resolution music. LDAC maxes out at 24/96, while Apple Music has plenty of 24/192 tracks.

And two, even if one were okay with forgoing the 24/192 tracks and maxing out at 24/96, these are still large files… and anyone listening in a mobile capacity, say without a Wi-Fi connection, would have to choose between quickly depleting their phone’s internal storage, or quickly depleting their data plan.


----------



## Neweymatt

Earbones said:


> But how about an iOS device, like an iPhone, connected to an SD card reader… In this case, the theoretical Mojo 2 with SD card reader.
> 
> Can that work?
> 
> And furthermore, if it does, can you then disconnect the cable, connect with bluetooth, and control the downloaded music via the Apple Music app?


I really doubt this would be possible.  First, you'd somehow need to get a cabled iPhone to recognise Mojo2 as a storage device, one that a streaming app would recognise as an offline storage location.  Then, if you disconnected the cable, the streaming app would have to be able to access it's offline storage location over bluetooth... which none of them can do today without a lot of software changes.

And you've still got 2 devices to carry around.  If you have to carry 2 devices, just make it as simple as possible while sounding the best it can.


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## Earbones (Nov 15, 2021)

Neweymatt said:


> I really doubt this would be possible.  First, you'd somehow need to get a cabled iPhone to recognise Mojo2 as a storage device, one that a streaming app would recognise as an offline storage location.  Then, if you disconnected the cable, the streaming app would have to be able to access it's offline storage location over bluetooth... which none of them can do today without a lot of software changes.
> 
> And you've still got 2 devices to carry around.  If you have to carry 2 devices, just make it as simple as possible while sounding the best it can.


Believe me, I get the simplicity point.

That said, I would submit that while DAPs are certainly simple on paper, having owned many, they are not. They are small-scale releases by niche companies running relatively ancient versions of Android, and that makes them just as buggy and prone to ridiculousness as that description would imply, when relying on streaming apps for your music. This is where some may cry “but Sony”. I have the ZX507 and it is every bit as buggy as devices from smaller companies, and also runs Android 9. They’re on 11 now. The most up-to-date Android in my DAP collection (and I believe of all DAPs currently produced) is my Fiio M11 Plus LTD, running 10.

I am constantly running into usage-killing bugs dealing with everything from simple playback to licensing of the downloaded music. The issues usually have a worst-case scenario solution of deleting the downloaded music and the app, reinstalling and re-downloading. But that still means if I’m at a cafe when the issue arises, I’m not listening to anything until I get home and fix things… And that process kills hours.

And it is not what I would consider a simpler solution than the relatively small aggravation of having to carry two devices instead of one… but insuring a perfect, nearly bug-free experience (current Apple iOS) and great sound quality.

That all said… if Apple Music on iOS can’t do what Apple Music on Android can do, the point is moot.

Perhaps the simplest solution is still two devices, though. Forgo the buggy ancient Android experience of a DAP, and just run a cheap Android phone running the latest software, and connect that to our theoretical Mojo 2 with SD card storage…


----------



## Neweymatt

Earbones said:


> That said, I would submit that while DAPs are certainly simple on paper, having owned many, they are not. They are small-scale releases by niche companies running relatively ancient versions of Android, and that makes them just as buggy and prone to ridiculousness as that description would imply, when relying on streaming apps for your music.





Earbones said:


> I am constantly running into usage-killing bugs dealing with everything from simple playback to licensing of the downloaded music. The issues usually have a worst-case scenario solution of deleting the downloaded music and the app, reinstalling and re-downloading. But that still means if I’m at a cafe when the issue arises, I’m not listening to anything until I get home and fix things… And that process kills hours.


No doubt, I'm on the record in the SR25 thread complaining about many of the little DAP's  ...ahem... 'quirks'  
And I dread the day the version of Android it is built on gets orphaned by AM & Tidal.

But I'm OK with those trade-offs using the SR25, considering the SQ I get from it, with Andro2020 in particular, vs the price I paid.

Mojo2 will have different trade-offs and it remains to be seen whether we consumers are prepared to live with them.




Earbones said:


> Forgo the buggy ancient Android experience of a DAP, and just run a cheap Android phone running the latest software, and connect that to our theoretical Mojo 2 with SD card storage…


Yep, I've definitely considered this as an alternative to a DAP, whether using said cheap Android phone with Mojo(2) or other portable DAC/amp.


----------



## Earbones

Neweymatt said:


> No doubt, I'm on the record in the SR25 thread complaining about many of the little DAP's  ...ahem... 'quirks'
> And I dread the day the version of Android it is built on gets orphaned by AM & Tidal.
> 
> But I'm OK with those trade-offs using the SR25, considering the SQ I get from it, with Andro2020 in particular, vs the price I paid.


I (very briefly) owned the SR25 as well. Great SQ, but I had issues getting things set up, so returned it within the month. 

Funnily enough, the one DAP I own that has never given me any issues (yet) is the Fiio M11 Plus LTD… why funny? Because at the end of the day, I’m not that huge a fan of the sound. But it works perfectly. Dammit.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Earbones said:


> I (very briefly) owned the SR25 as well. Great SQ, but I had issues getting things set up, so returned it within the month.
> 
> Funnily enough, the one DAP I own that has never given me any issues (yet) is the Fiio M11 Plus LTD… why funny? Because at the end of the day, I’m not that huge a fan of the sound. But it works perfectly. Dammit.


I returned or sold any dap I owned but one. The Sony WM1A which works flawlessly if you want a unit to play your own music. My problem with modern daps is one. Android. If companies are serious about daps they should be developing their own software.


----------



## Kentajalli

Streaming sites, to protect their material, insist on their own apps (or authorized apps) to play their downloaded material.
this means, one must have an up to date device connected to internet to work, i.e Android, iOs Windows or similar.
So playing this kind of material in original quality, requires a streamer and a network-Dac (Poly, 2go ....) or if you are willing to get a lossy version, Bluetooth.
Easiest and cheapest is BT with a high-Res codec such as LDAC, but even that is not transparent enough for true 24/96 material on offer, after all it is lossy.
For on-the-go use one also needs a fast reliable internet to listen to 24/96 streams. 
Now if we accept that listening to true 24/96 streams from internet, on-the-go is problematic , and be happy with a hi-res BT connection, then playing local files, stored on local storage causes no issues.
Be it an old version of Android based player, inhouse software .... would not cause any problems unless it is buggy.
I personally have never indulged in streaming sites, for the issues mentioned.
If I like a certain album, I just buy that one and play it off my storage.
For casual listening, standard quality Amazon music, youtube , spotify will do.


----------



## Earbones (Nov 16, 2021)

Another Audiophile said:


> My problem with modern daps is one. Android. If companies are serious about daps they should be developing their own software.


I agree with you about Android completely. Not bad when implemented in a modern phone, but these DAP manufacturers taking janky old versions and then modding it… terrible idea.

But developing their own software ain’t gonna happen, in my opinion. Remember the Windows phone? Few do. Microsoft, the second largest company in the world (by market capitalization) and operating systems is _what they do_… and they still couldn’t crack the problem of how to do a good bug-free mobile OS. Expecting a tiny audio company to make something as stable as iOS or (up to date) Android isn’t realistic. And if by some miracle they did, they would still have to convince all the streaming services to create an app for their OS.

I think the solution is somewhat simpler… They need to stop biting off more than they can chew. They are looking at the problem from the standpoint of “there are two mobile operating systems on the market right now, and iOS isn’t rentable, so we’ll mod Android”… Which, frankly, for a tiny niche audiophile company is only slightly less ridiculous than attempting to successfully mod iOS.

Android is an incredibly complex OS, even the older versions… and frankly, way, way, WAY overkill for what a DAP really needs to do.

Because DAPs do not need complex mobile operating systems. They need specialized media operating systems.

Why has nobody hit up Roku for instance? That would be far simpler to implement in a DAP,  far more stable for the purpose, and probably way easier to license… I mean, those guy license to goddamn smart washing machines and refrigerators with screens. I don’t think there’s a native app for Apple Music or Qobuz, but you’d still have Amazon HD, Spotify and Tidal… and if nice, simple, (and most importantly) _up to date_ Roku OS became the DAP defacto standard instead of Android, Qobuz would definitely make an app, and maybe even Apple Music would join the party (don’t hold your breath on the latter).


----------



## Slater91

Earbones said:


> I agree with you about Android completely. Not bad when implemented in a modern phone, but these DAP manufacturers taking janky old versions and then modding it… terrible idea.
> 
> But developing their own software ain’t gonna happen, in my opinion. Remember the Windows phone? Few do. Microsoft, the second largest company in the world (by market capitalization) and operating systems is _what they do_… and they still couldn’t crack the problem of how to do a good bug-free mobile OS. Expecting a tiny audio company to make something as stable as iOS or (up to date) Android isn’t realistic. And if by some miracle they did, they would still have to convince all the streaming services to create an app for their OS.
> 
> ...


I agree with you in principle, but there are a few things that need to be pointed out.
Windows Phone failed not because it was too difficult for Microsoft to develop it: in fact, the experience at the time was on par with that of iOS and in many ways superior to that of Android. The problem was that Microsoft is Microsoft, and therefore they thought that people would be begging to develop for their platform because of that. Reality, though, was quite different and the problem was that Microsoft's SDK was poor, the monetisation options on their store were ridiculous and there was no easy way to port apps from other platforms. Plus, they made some _very_ dumb decisions when it comes to marketing and updating the platform, so that sealed its fate despite its undoubted qualities.
The thing with DAPs is that they are nowhere near the complexity of smartphones. Even once we take into account things like streaming, the OS DAPs need to use is still quite limited in scope (no phone, no cellular network, no camera, no third-party apps beyond a few ones that are approved and tested, etc...) and therefore its complexity stays relatively low. Sure, developing an OS is not an easy task by any means, but it's not an impossible one either. The comparison with Microsoft is therefore not necessary, in my opinion.

There are multiple free (as in FOSS) options: Linux, *BSD, a long list of RTOS... The choice is really vast. The problem is, the manufacturers should also convince the various streaming services to create apps for their platform, which is not going to happen for the largest ones. One option could be to create a single, possibly free as in freedom, open OS to be shared among all manufacturers and that could definitely put some steam in this effort, but honestly I don't see that happening any time soon: although this is literally the recipe that made Windows and Android successful, no manufacturer wants this because it would mean collaborating with each other and they simply won't do that, if history really is there to teach us anything.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Earbones said:


> Believe me, I get the simplicity point.
> 
> That said, I would submit that while DAPs are certainly simple on paper, having owned many, they are not. They are small-scale releases by niche companies running relatively ancient versions of Android, and that makes them just as buggy and prone to ridiculousness as that description would imply, when relying on streaming apps for your music. This is where some may cry “but Sony”. I have the ZX507 and it is every bit as buggy as devices from smaller companies, and also runs Android 9. They’re on 11 now. The most up-to-date Android in my DAP collection (and I believe of all DAPs currently produced) is my Fiio M11 Plus LTD, running 10.
> 
> ...


I couldn't disagree with you more.   I won't buy anything but an Android DAP.   The good ones are really good now.   Fast and reliable.  Far more reliable than my Mojo/Poly ever was.   I had more dropped connections of my home network with it than all problems combined with any of my Android DAPs.    And, streaming changes everything.  I can rent all music and never have to worry about owning it again.  That's a game changer.

Also, a Mojo connected to a smart phone is not portable and the wires are unbearably impossible to streamline.   Couple that with the battery and charging issues and you have a pretty prehistoric user experience.

I would change my mind if Chord could pair my iPhone just like the Mojo does with the Poly.  However, given the constantly changing designs, that is never going to happen.  The next best alternative is for Chord to buy a DAP company and use their world class skills in industrial design and make a great Android DAp that pairs perfectly with the Mojo 2.    That would be an interesting product.


----------



## Mightygrey

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I would change my mind if Chord could pair my iPhone just like the Mojo does with the Poly.  However, given the constantly changing designs, that is never going to happen.  The next best alternative is for Chord to buy a DAP company and use their world class skills in industrial design and make a great Android DAp that pairs perfectly with the Mojo 2.    That would be an interesting product.


A Shanling M0 Bluetack-ed to the top of the Mojo and connected by USB is an infinitely better choice for music playback than a Mojo/Poly.


----------



## Hanesu (Nov 17, 2021)

Earbones said:


> Believe me, I get the simplicity point.
> 
> That said, I would submit that while DAPs are certainly simple on paper, having owned many, they are not. They are small-scale releases by niche companies running relatively ancient versions of Android, and that makes them just as buggy and prone to ridiculousness as that description would imply, when relying on streaming apps for your music. This is where some may cry “but Sony”. I have the ZX507 and it is every bit as buggy as devices from smaller companies, and also runs Android 9. They’re on 11 now. The most up-to-date Android in my DAP collection (and I believe of all DAPs currently produced) is my Fiio M11 Plus LTD, running 10.
> 
> ...


I can 100% confirm everything you write and have made exactly the same experiences with DAPs, especially if one is into streaming services, like myself.
As someone else here has written, too , I have sold almost all DAPs I have ever owned because of it.....

I have also owned the Mojo and tried out the concept of an exclusively wired DAC - but this wasn`t for me either, because it was maybe one of the most impractical solutions I have tried yet to get (admittedly great) sound quality "on the go" out of my phone.

And then I tried something that was unthinkable for me some years ago: bluetooth dongles (currently own the Go Blu and UP5)_ that can also be used wired _for critical listening!
And must say - I have totally underestimated them for too long and can now say that they are almost the perfect solution for my needs.
They sound _a lot_ better than their reputation in BT mode, I am not dependent on the "programming weaknesses" of small DAP companies for their user interfaces, and wired I get an equal sq as from a DAP.... in situations when I need it (sitting down in my arm chair, connecting to my iPad and enjoy browsing on a big screen while I can do critical listening ).

This is why I hope that Mojo 2 will also have BT or similar functions as Poly on board!


----------



## Earbones (Nov 17, 2021)

Hanesu said:


> I can 100% confirm everything you write and have made exactly the same experiences with DAPs, especially if one is into streaming services, like myself.
> As someone else here has written, too , I have sold almost all DAPs I have ever owned because of it.....
> 
> I have also owned the Mojo and tried out the concept of an exclusively wired DAC - but this wasn`t for me either, because it was maybe one of the most impractical solutions I have tried yet to get (admittedly great) sound quality "on the go" out of my phone.
> ...


Here’s hoping! 🍻



Slater91 said:


> There are multiple free (as in FOSS) options: Linux, *BSD, a long list of RTOS... The choice is really vast. The problem is, the manufacturers should also convince the various streaming services to create apps for their platform, which is not going to happen for the largest ones. One option could be to create a single, possibly free as in freedom, open OS to be shared among all manufacturers and that could definitely put some steam in this effort, but honestly I don't see that happening any time soon: although this is literally the recipe that made Windows and Android successful, no manufacturer wants this because it would mean collaborating with each other and they simply won't do that, if history really is there to teach us anything.


Agreed re. Microsoft. The point I was making is that doing an OS from scratch is difficult, even for them.

And I completely agree with you regarding the challenges of getting the streaming services to create an app for a new OS were a DAP maker to actually get one off the ground… To be clear, I am not suggesting creating a new OS in place of Android… I actually said I don’t believe such an endeavor is feasible.

My suggestion was to throw out mobile operating systems entirely, and license a simple media operating system, such as Roku. Most of the streaming services (Tidal, Amazon, Spotify, Google and Sony) have apps for Roku, only Apple Music and Quobuz are missing. Roku is much easier to mod than Android, and they lease the license cheaply to pretty much anybody… I wasn’t kidding about the refrigerator with Roku. I think there’s even a toilet.

In any event, its a simple, easy to implement solution that really should be the standard instead of Android. For one thing, unlike Android, it’s far more hardware-reliant in terms of updates. Meaning if your device’s hardware is suitably future-proofed, you can update Roku to the latest version for years and years. Unlike Android…



HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I couldn't disagree with you more.   I won't buy anything but an Android DAP.   The good ones are really good now.   Fast and reliable.  Far more reliable than my Mojo/Poly ever was.   I had more dropped connections of my home network with it than all problems combined with any of my Android DAPs.    And, streaming changes everything.  I can rent all music and never have to worry about owning it again.  That's a game changer.
> 
> Also, a Mojo connected to a smart phone is not portable and the wires are unbearably impossible to streamline.   Couple that with the battery and charging issues and you have a pretty prehistoric user experience.
> 
> I would change my mind if Chord could pair my iPhone just like the Mojo does with the Poly.  However, given the constantly changing designs, that is never going to happen.  The next best alternative is for Chord to buy a DAP company and use their world class skills in industrial design and make a great Android DAp that pairs perfectly with the Mojo 2.    That would be an interesting product.


I have what I believe many consider the best current DAP in terms of a smooth, fast, bug-free Android experience… the Fiio M11 Plus LTD- running Android 10, Snapdragon 660, and yes, as you correctly say, it has been excellent so far. Lightyears ahead of what was considered a good Android experience just 2-3 years ago. I remember when I got my ZX507 and was like “Wow, Sony stuff just works”… comparing that buggy mess to the Plus LTD now is night and day. Unfortunately, I far prefer the sound of the ZX507 to the Plus LTD, ha ha. But I digress.

So we both agree that there is no doubt that Android DAPs can be very good these days. But even the most cutting-edge Android DAPs, like my Plus LTD, are borderline obsolete by phone standards. Again, my Plus LTD is running Android 10. But 12 dropped more than a month ago. And right around 13 is when we should begin to see bugs popping up in streaming service apps, due to less-than-perfect compatibility with older OS. God help my DAPs running 7 and 8. I already run into ocasionally issues with my DAPs running Android 9.

The point is, decent OS usability in DAPs doesn’t need to be so short-lived and problematic. And it only is because Android is overkill for what a DAP needs to do- it’s overly complex for a DAP’s simple requirements because it is a full-blown mobile operating system. The quickly diminishing compatibility between current versions of streaming apps and older Android isn’t because the apps are adding a ton of new code-heavy features. It’s because Android changes so dramatically that the streaming services need to code for that, rather than worry as much about backwards compatibility. Android literally makes massive changes between versions due to security upgrades for fear of foreign governments using phones to rig elections. Seriously. _That’s_ the world of mobile operating systems, and it’s an absurd amount of overkill if all you need a device to do is connect to wifi and run a media app.

This is why I’m so hot on Roku or similar. The average TV is owned for ten years. So these media operating systems are basically updatable until the hardware can’t keep up. So you future-proof a device well enough, and you’re golden for years. And I can’t say this enough… Roku is a license whore. Whore, whore, whore. We could all be running absolutely up-to-the-minute versions of an incredibly stable and easily moddable OS with most major streaming services already onboard, running the latest versions of those apps.

Instead I’m feeling good that my “bleeding-edge” Android 10 Fiio is only obsolete by two whole versions, and my apps should be perfect for at least another year. I mean, come on…

And for the record, I’m not obsessed with Roku or anything. Any of these simple media operating systems would do. I mean, Amazon sells a ton of audiophile gear; they actually serve as the sole importer for several companies to the US market. Can you imagine if they essentially leased the guts of a Firestick to, say, HiBy? Who then modded it for bit-perfect sound and threw it in a case with a screen and storage? Game over. It would obliterate the Plus LTD, in terms of OS stability and future-proofing.


----------



## waveSounds

Judging by the hunger for the Mojo2, by the time of its official announcement is made it won't be the only one with a set of blue balls.


----------



## Kentajalli

Mightygrey said:


> A Shanling M0 Bluetack-ed to the top of the Mojo and connected by USB is an infinitely better choice for music playback than a Mojo/Poly.


Does M0 come with WiFi?
if not, it is not comparable to Poly.


----------



## kochoop

Looking forward to this and to see its price.
I have a few chord mojos at home. I´m wondering if they will lose in value when version 2 is released.. Maybe I should start selling them


----------



## Kentajalli

kochoop said:


> Looking forward to this and to see its price.
> I have a few chord mojos at home. I´m wondering if they will lose in value when version 2 is released.. Maybe I should start selling them


If Mojo2 flops or doesn't live up to expectations , your Mojo Classics may go up in price!
the classics will not go out of fashion for as long as there are inferior products selling at same or above price points.


----------



## Another Audiophile

I was watching a video on Hugo and came to me. Hugo to Hugo 2 and Mojo to Mojo 2. Therefore I expect to get something similar from the new unit.


----------



## rkt31

still no idea of specs ?


----------



## alota

rkt31 said:


> still no idea of specs ?


4 balls for sure


----------



## waveSounds

alota said:


> 4 balls for sure



I'd see your doc about that if I were you.


----------



## imackler

Did anyone see that audeze sold the Mojo for $299 in their BF sale? they went quick, but hoping that we might see other BF sales as well. ($249 for B-stock/open box.) Anyways, prices like that confirm... new products on their way!


----------



## iconaught

imackler said:


> Did anyone see that audeze sold the Mojo for $299 in their BF sale? they went quick, but hoping that we might see other BF sales as well. ($249 for B-stock/open box.) Anyways, prices like that confirm... new products on their way!


It would blow me away if they had any stock.  Guitar Center had a similar promo in May as did an Amazon seller.  I haven't seen anyone in the US with stock of Chord product at all.  If there are people in the channel getting Chord product, I'd love to know who is actually getting it.


----------



## AHSiegel

Another Audiophile said:


> Dear Audio 46
> 
> We haven't made any official statement concerning the mojo's availability. There are some stock issues due to low availability of FPGA chips. It came to our attention that you have been falsely communicating to potential chord customers that the chord mojo is not available anymore, implying that the product has been discontinued. This is not true and chord have never made such statement. As such you are currently requested to express our appologies for the delay and as an official distributor we would appreciate if you could stop spreading terminological inexactitudes.
> 
> ...


I can attest…the supply chain has been farked up.  I see it at my factories.  Glad I have a mojo now.  And glad I can get replacement batteries.  But if they design the MOJO 2 around the poly, I’m GONE. They sold me the poly…it NEVER EVER WORKED.  It was a complete waste of time and money.  They deserve to rot in hell for it.  And I would be the first to pay for their ticket.  That said, I still love my Mojo.  But if they design the Mojo 2 to work with that PIECE OF crap, I’m gonna dump and run.


----------



## jarnopp

AHSiegel said:


> I can attest…the supply chain has been farked up.  I see it at my factories.  Glad I have a mojo now.  And glad I can get replacement batteries.  But if they design the MOJO 2 around the poly, I’m GONE. They sold me the poly…it NEVER EVER WORKED.  It was a complete waste of time and money.  They deserve to rot in hell for it.  And I would be the first to pay for their ticket.  That said, I still love my Mojo.  But if they design the Mojo 2 to work with that PIECE OF crap, I’m gonna dump and run.


You have a lot of opinions. I use Mojo/Poly every single day with Roon mostly and other modes. Wouldn’t be without it!


----------



## Billyak

The Poly is a roon only device imo. The SD card implementation is garbage. The Bluetooth is garbage. No easy way for tidal or qobuz. No Spotify Connect.  The thing is a joke and of I did not have roon I would have gotten rid of it a long time ago.


----------



## mainguy (Nov 27, 2021)

Billyak said:


> The Poly is a roon only device imo. The SD card implementation is garbage. The Bluetooth is garbage. No easy way for tidal or qobuz. No Spotify Connect.  The thing is a joke and of I did not have roon I would have gotten rid of it a long time ago.


The poly is the worst electrical device I've ever used. Never have I paid such an insane premium for something that is so inconsistent and buggy, really, really poor form by chord.

My hope is they'll make this Mojo bluetooth and sidestep the poly. I think itd be in their best interests or I can see the Mojo itself going extinct this gen as products with much better feature sets come in at the 400-600 mark. Wireless is the norm now, and you can buy very good sounding DAPs for 500. Headphoneshow compared the SR25 and Mojo and said they both have about the same SQ...I pretty much agree with my AK player vs the Mojo. But my AK does way more.
The thing I like about mojo is the sound signature, not so much the technicalities. The market has caught up in that regard.


----------



## Kentajalli (Nov 27, 2021)

mainguy said:


> The poly is the worst electrical device I've ever used. Never have I paid such an insane premium for something that is so inconsistent and buggy, really, really poor form by chord.
> 
> My hope is they'll make this Mojo bluetooth and sidestep the poly. I think itd be in their best interests or I can see the Mojo itself going extinct this gen as products with much better feature sets come in at the 400-600 mark. Wireless is the norm now, and you can buy very good sounding DAPs for 500. Headphoneshow compared the SR25 and Mojo and said they both have about the same SQ...I pretty much agree with my AK player vs the Mojo. But my AK does way more.
> The thing I like about mojo is the sound signature, not so much the technicalities. The market has caught up in that regard.


check this out, just scroll down till you get to Bluetooth addon for Mojo.
Problem solved! for £50 you get a nifty addon that does hi-res BT.
It sounds good, works flawlessly.


----------



## mainguy

Kentajalli said:


> check this out, just scroll down till you get to Bluetooth addon for Mojo.
> Problem solved! for £50 you get a nifty addon that does hi-res BT.
> It sounds good, works flawlessly.


Now that is good. If the mojo 2 doesnt have bT i may do this. Thanks for being a gent and posting it.


----------



## Billyak

Kentajalli said:


> check this out, just scroll down till you get to Bluetooth addon for Mojo.
> Problem solved! for £50 you get a nifty addon that does hi-res BT.
> It sounds good, works flawlessly.


I have recently started using my mojo stacked with my hiby r3 saber dap just for its Bluetooth functionality and for something that is so simply implemented on other products I can't believe how far wrong chord got it with the poly.


----------



## DanielListening

The Poly was a disaster. I’m still mad. 

Here is my rant/experience with the Chord Poly:
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/lol-What-chord-poly-fml.10205/


----------



## joshnor713

Are the folks mad about Poly who used it prior to the v2.0.0 firmware update? Since then, mine's been solid. Chord deserves all the bashing for the launch of Poly, but it's fine now. My only complaint has ever been that Chord favors Apple users; they've had AirPlay since the beginning but never delivered the promised Google Casting. For this, I won't buy another streamer from them.


----------



## mainguy

Billyak said:


> I have recently started using my mojo stacked with my hiby r3 saber dap just for its Bluetooth functionality and for something that is so simply implemented on other products I can't believe how far wrong chord got it with the poly.


It's almost insane. A £500 device. when other companies sell entire DAPs at that price...Sigh.


joshnor713 said:


> Are the folks mad about Poly who used it prior to the v2.0.0 firmware update? Since then, mine's been solid. Chord deserves all the bashing for the launch of Poly, but it's fine now. My only complaint has ever been that Chord favors Apple users; they've had AirPlay since the beginning but never delivered the promised Google Casting. For this, I won't buy another streamer from them.


Idk when v2 came out but I got it this April and it was a s***show.


----------



## DanielListening

I have it. I updated it. It works well however still will run out of battery if left to sit for any amount of time and there is only ridiculously expensive support/shipping/parts from dealers/Chord for a used product.

My Poly is probably one of the first produced and I have already replaced the battery but it still has battery issues.


----------



## Billyak

The batteries are terrible on both the poly and the mojo. So I would never consider them as truly portable. More like moveable.  I realise they had to make a compromise on power, duration and heat and accept that. I am quite happy with a moveable unit around the house. I just wish the poly had the connectivity and polish that a £600 unit should have.


----------



## DanielListening (Nov 27, 2021)

Just plugged in my Chord Poly in my Mojo, double checked that the firmware was up-to-date. I have a new modem from Shaw that is a modern modem. It doesn’t work. 

I have a Google WiFi and that solves the problem but it shouldn’t need a particular router to work. That’s bull. 

That being said when I do use my Google WiFi it is practically flawless. 

The Poly is still a half baked bull product that should never have been released. Especially the battery is unacceptable, but it is more than that.

Listening to the Andromeda2020s with the Chord Mojo and Sony DAP SW-ZX507 combo. Much better. 🎶🎶🎶


----------



## magagne (Nov 30, 2021)

We can see two groove, doesn't look like the Mojo2 prototype that we saw in previous post though. So, a Poly 2 module maybe ? Or...




Image come from
https://chordelectronics.co.uk/coming-soon


----------



## Mediahound

^ It could be more than one product such as a Mojo 2 and Poly 2.


----------



## magagne

Mediahound said:


> ^ It could be more than one product such as a Mojo 2 and Poly 2.


Hope this is the case, a combine and compact dac/amp/streamer with one battery. A dream could come true.🤞


----------



## DanielListening (Dec 1, 2021)

that it works as advertised 🤞


----------



## AndrewOld

If you take a copy of the image and mess about with the contrast etc. a kind of scoop is revealed on the right edge:


----------



## alxw0w (Dec 1, 2021)

Looks like a Mojo from the side.
This "ball" is just a rubber foot not a button I believe.


----------



## surfgeorge (Dec 1, 2021)

AndrewOld said:


> If you take a copy of the image and mess about with the contrast etc. a kind of scoop is revealed on the right edge:


This is almost certainly a lighting artefact.

But count me excited that the final Mojo 2 is different from the photos shared before!
It makes sense that those were of an early prototype in a modified Mojo Classic housing.

Now a lot of things are up for speculation again.
The big one for me personally - will there be a cross feed function? (I LOVE the cross feed on the Hugo 2, almost always use it)
Poly function? Built in? Compatible to Poly? Poly 2?
What are the slots for? May there be an amplifier module?

A Mojo 2 with ROON endpoint capability and an amplifier module could be a tiny but mighty stereo solution.

Dreaming...


----------



## Hanesu

alxw0w said:


> Looks like a Mojo from the side.
> This "ball" is just a rubber foot not a button I believe.


That was my thought, too!


----------



## CJG888

Could those “slots” just be screw holes? The bottom panel has to be held on somehow…


----------



## alxw0w

CJG888 said:


> Could those “slots” just be screw holes? The bottom panel has to be held on somehow…


Yes, I don't have a mojo currently and couldn't find similar photo on the internet, but yes it looks just like a side of mojo and you see screw holes and rubber foot.


----------



## Another Audiophile

I don't think Chord would design screw holes like that. To me it looks like there will be a docking facility for the new mojo that will turn it from portable to desktop. Uber speculation lol


----------



## alota

From last picture on chird site the design seems completely different


----------



## alxw0w

Another Audiophile said:


> I don't think Chord would design screw holes like that. To me it looks like there will be a docking facility for the new mojo that will turn it from portable to desktop. Uber speculation lol


They already did in current Mojo1


----------



## Another Audiophile

alxw0w said:


> They already did in current Mojo1


they did what? having a docking station?


----------



## SRKRAM

Another Audiophile said:


> they did what? having a docking station?


Have screw holes like that


----------



## Another Audiophile

SRKRAM said:


> Have screw holes like that


Not really. These are on the edge and look like slot with trapezoid shape. Probably something will slide in...


----------



## jarnopp

alxw0w said:


> They already did in current Mojo1


I’m with @alxw0w on this. If you resize the photo and line up your Mojo, the scoop fits and the foot and screw holes (no screws in them) line up. It’s the other side we can’t see that will now apparently have 4 balls (incremental improvement of 33%)!


----------



## magagne (Dec 1, 2021)

I buy the idea of this ball is the foot rubber.

Those grooves are there maybe just for holding 3 straps to accommodate dap/phones holding.
In the image with full contrast, we should see balls, but maybe they remove them just to play with our brain


----------



## SRKRAM

Another Audiophile said:


> Not really. These are on the edge and look like slot with trapezoid shape. Probably something will slide in...


Looks more like an irregular hexagon. You would get that sort of shape when looking at the side projection of a cylinder cut out of a curved edge - not too different to the current mojo


----------



## jarnopp

Another Audiophile said:


> Not really. These are on the edge and look like slot with trapezoid shape. Probably something will slide in...


Based on the Poly update with changes to accommodate “future functionality” it seems like Poly will still mate with Mojo2 in some way, probably very much like the pics earlier, with both micro-USB and USB-C.


----------



## thehutch

“future product compatibility” is primary reason for major new Poly firmware update. So it seems Poly _will_ work with the Mojo 2 (or there’s some other new product that could interface with it, like a 2yu Mini).


----------



## Billyak

Sorry mojo 2 potential owners 😂


----------



## thehutch

jarnopp said:


> Based on the Poly update with changes to accommodate “future functionality” it seems like Poly will still mate with Mojo2 in some way, probably very much like the pics earlier, with both micro-USB and USB-C.


oops, sorry, didn’t see your post before I posted the same thing.


----------



## sabloke

Future product compatibility could be related to software, not necessarily hardware. Spotify lossless maybe?


----------



## mainguy

thehutch said:


> “future product compatibility” is primary reason for major new Poly firmware update. So it seems Poly _will_ work with the Mojo 2 (or there’s some other new product that could interface with it, like a 2yu Mini).


Im still holding out hope there will be at least some built in BT functionality on mojo 2.

For me poly was insane. Having to set up a wifi hotspot to play off the sd card…i do not want to use it again lol


----------



## magagne (Dec 11, 2021)

Now it's official, the USB-C port with the bump under the case is really there..


----------



## thehutch

magagne said:


> Now it's official, the USB-C port with the bump under the case is really there..


Ah wow


----------



## alota

Where?


----------



## thehutch

alota said:


> Where?


If you look in the upper right corner you’ll see a square section that sticks out from the bottom. Obviously no way to say for sure it’s USB-C, but the earlier photos that went around showed a USB-C port that was protruding from the case. Didn’t look as clean as that, though.


----------



## magagne

thehutch said:


> If you look in the upper right corner you’ll see a square section that sticks out from the bottom. Obviously no way to say for sure it’s USB-C, but the earlier photos that went around showed a USB-C port that was protruding from the case. Didn’t look as clean as that, though.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

magagne said:


>



Hysterical,. They kept the micro-USB and slapped on a USB C with duct tape, almost squeezing out the COAX input? Struggling start up going for v0.2beta?


----------



## jarnopp

CaptainFantastic said:


> Hysterical,. They kept the micro-USB and slapped on a USB C with duct tape, almost squeezing out the COAX input? Struggling start up going for v0.2beta?


I’m sure it will look and function fine. Nice to see those who invested in Poly should be able to use with Mojo2 and potentially new features.


----------



## magagne

thehutch said:


> .... Obviously no way to say for sure it’s USB-C, but the earlier photos that went around showed a USB-C port that was protruding from the case. Didn’t look as clean as that, though.


Absolutely, we are still not sure that this protruded part hide a usb-C like the leak/rumour photos in previous post, but hope it's not to hide another  micro-usb


----------



## thehutch

CaptainFantastic said:


> Hysterical,. They kept the micro-USB and slapped on a USB C with duct tape, almost squeezing out the COAX input? Struggling start up going for v0.2beta?


To be clear, the image of the Mojo under plastic is not verified as real. It could be a prototype or someone got lucky making a fake. Only the shadowy images from Chord’s site are def real.


----------



## Kentajalli

location of screw holes have changed too.


----------



## CJG888

Maybe they tried to keep some of the tooling. And don’t want to replace the Poly just yet…


----------



## jarnopp

CJG888 said:


> Maybe they tried to keep some of the tooling. And don’t want to replace the Poly just yet…


Looks like 6 instead of 8 screws now? New board, and that was likely solid enough.


----------



## ClicketEKlack

If it comes with a 4.4mm Pentaconn, I would 100% buy it. It would make it such an easy switch for DAP owners. Alas, I don’t see that happening, given Chord’s love of 6.35 and 3.5.


----------



## slumberman

ClicketEKlack said:


> If it comes with a 4.4mm Pentaconn, I would 100% buy it. It would make it such an easy switch for DAP owners. Alas, I don’t see that happening, given Chord’s love of 6.35 and 3.5.


Given that no Chord DAC has a balanced headphone out, let alone 4.4, I would agree it won’t be happening.


----------



## orkney

magagne said:


>



That USB-C port looks like it might be hinged -- wonder if it folds back into the case when not in use. I'm looking at the guide grooves on other side and the bottom and the rounded shape of the bottom that would seem to line up with the rest of the case. Just a thought.


----------



## Billyak

orkney said:


> That USB-C port looks like it might be hinged -- wonder if it folds back into the case when not in use. I'm looking at the guide grooves on other side and the bottom and the rounded shape of the bottom that would seem to line up with the rest of the case. Just a thought.


Would be interesting if it released with a Poly 2 that stacked on that hinged usb c port. 

I think it might just be recessed though.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Billyak said:


> Would be interesting if it released with a Poly 2 that stacked on that hinged usb c port.
> 
> I think it might just be recessed though.


I think the USB-C will be for data only with both C and micro available. Is like Chord saying "we don't think you need it but take it anyway". My expectation is similar to the move from Hugo to Hugo 2. A more refined version which will be evolution rather revolution.


----------



## Kentajalli

Kentajalli said:


> BTW this was my solution a while ago. this is a cable I put together for connecting my phone to my Mojo. Built into the cable is a tiny USB Hub and a MicroSD card-reader. I have 512GB in it. My Android phone upon inserting the cable, would recognize the storage and Mojo with no issues. all worked very well.
> I only stopped using it, once I got a large card for my phone.
> HUB and card-reader are about 15mm square by 5mm.


In case anyone was interested in more info on this DIY gadget/Cable:
-Power consumption while not accessing the card is about 15mA
-Consumption at full speed write or read (20MB/s) is about 90mA
-Consumption at play mode (1MB/s or less) is about 30mA
The above are crucial, because the player (Phone or DAP) is supplying the power through the USB connection, so it runs its battery down, but under normal use which is playing a song the 30mA is low enough not to be a concern.
OK my phone battery does run down faster with this gadget connected, I probably loose about an hour of use out of my phones total battery usage, not much.


----------



## Kentajalli

Another Audiophile said:


> I think the USB-C will be for data only with both C and micro available. Is like Chord saying "we don't think you need it but take it anyway". My expectation is similar to the move from Hugo to Hugo 2. A more refined version which will be evolution rather revolution.


But my guess is the USB-c is for charging, specially fast-charging (primarily).
The micro-USB data port is as good as USB-C, in other words USB-C has nothing over micro-USB when it comes to audio data.
What USB-C does have, is its native ability to provide 9V 12V  even higher voltages at higher currents, i.e. fast-charging!
Also the higher native voltage would have the benefit of bypassing Mojo's switch-mode power section, i.e. less heat, less noise - on top of fast-charge.


----------



## tradyblix

it would be more elegant just to have usb c. I'm already over the tipping point, whereas 2 years ago I wasn't. But now most of my devices are all usb c capable. my laptop, my phone, my DAP, my chargers, my battery pack.

Can't stand that ugly micro connector with it's terrible keyed ideology


----------



## Arnold Schwartz

The USB-C port is ugly and such a terrible design. Micro USB 🤮🤮🤮

These 2 things are enough to prevent me from buying as a vote against poor design and I’m looking for a small portable DAC. I hope Chord is reading this.


----------



## jarnopp

Arnold Schwartz said:


> The USB-C port is ugly and such a terrible design. Micro USB 🤮🤮🤮
> 
> These 2 things are enough to prevent me from buying as a vote against poor design and I’m looking for a small portable DAC. I hope Chord is reading this.


And if they are, they are supposed to stop production on thousands of units and redesign it?


----------



## Voxata




----------



## Kentajalli (Dec 18, 2021)

Arnold Schwartz said:


> The USB-C port is ugly and such a terrible design. Micro USB 🤮🤮🤮
> 
> These 2 things are enough to prevent me from buying as a vote against poor design and I’m looking for a small portable DAC. I hope Chord is reading this.


Well they say "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder" !
To me Chord products are all ugly as sin - so there.
But I don't think Rob Watts was ever going for "pretty" - USB C being reversable is nice and practical, that's all, 'pretty'. . .  it ain't, 'superior' . . .  (in this case) it ain't.
Only when it comes to being used as a charging port, then yes, it is superior, by design it can carry higher voltages and currents.


----------



## chichaphile

mmm.... 👀


----------



## Another Audiophile

chichaphile said:


> mmm.... 👀


Spiders


----------



## alota

From Mars


----------



## alekc

chichaphile said:


> mmm.... 👀


So it seems that those "fake" photos were not that fake after all. Hopes it sounds opposite to how it looks like.


----------



## Tanalasta

If the WA11 topaz can use USBC as well as other options, I would like a very good reason why micro USB is still an option. Most of us no longer even purchase them. 

Sound quality and how it compares to Mojo / Hugo and streaming options is what I’m interested in. The Hugo 2/2Go is elegant enough and surpasses many desktop streamer/DAC/amps for IEM and easy to drive headphones. I’m hopeful there will be an affordable solution almost as good as technology trickles down


----------



## ClicketEKlack

Tanalasta said:


> If the WA11 topaz can use USBC as well as other options, I would like a very good reason why micro USB is still an option. Most of us no longer even purchase them.
> 
> Sound quality and how it compares to Mojo / Hugo and streaming options is what I’m interested in. The Hugo 2/2Go is elegant enough and surpasses many desktop streamer/DAC/amps for IEM and easy to drive headphones. I’m hopeful there will be an affordable solution almost as good as technology trickles down


One could make the same argument about 3.5mm. It's an inferior, flimsy, outdated connector -- just ask all the smartphone manufacturers -- yet Chord sticks to it. 4.4mm is like USB-C. It should be the ubiquitous balanced connector for both portable and desktop, allowing for smooth, stable transitions between devices. Instead, Chord offers 6.35mm, which connects to zero portable devices other than Hugo2, and 3.5mm, which connects to zero desktop devices other than the TT2. Maybe it's a good ploy for keeping you in the Chord ecosystem or maybe they have investments in adapter companies, but it certainly doesn't feel cutting edge or user-friendly. In the audio world, 3.5mm is ironically like Apple's lightning connector -- a vestigial organ. If this thing's awesome, I'll probably grouse a bit and buy it anyway and pony up for a 3.5mm adapter, but I wish I didn't have to.


----------



## jarnopp

ClicketEKlack said:


> One could make the same argument about 3.5mm. It's an inferior, flimsy, outdated connector -- just ask all the smartphone manufacturers -- yet Chord sticks to it. 4.4mm is like USB-C. It should be the ubiquitous balanced connector for both portable and desktop, allowing for smooth, stable transitions between devices. Instead, Chord offers 6.35mm, which connects to zero portable devices other than Hugo2, and 3.5mm, which connects to zero desktop devices other than the TT2. Maybe it's a good ploy for keeping you in the Chord ecosystem or maybe they have investments in adapter companies, but it certainly doesn't feel cutting edge or user-friendly. In the audio world, 3.5mm is ironically like Apple's lightning connector -- a vestigial organ. If this thing's awesome, I'll probably grouse a bit and buy it anyway and pony up for a 3.5mm adapter, but I wish I didn't have to.


The audio has to come from somewhere. I don’t think the connector itself matters so much, as long as it’s solid and quality. Balanced dips required only when the design is fully balanced. Not necessary for SE designs.


----------



## chihangs

Would be great if chord can give us a 4.4 port and a 3.5 port since mojo has two 3.5 sockets . Would be great the mojo 2 would have a 3.5 and a 4.4 just for the convenience of ppl have 4.4 cable . 
I’m not asking for going balanced . Just for the 4.4 single end  socket so I can use my 4.4 cable without the 3.5 adapter    which will degrade the sound of the cable .


----------



## sabloke (Dec 22, 2021)

I hope this time the Poly thing will work better. It did frustrate the hell out of me when it was launched and lived in a drawer for over a year...


----------



## shizzin

chihangs said:


> Would be great if chord can give us a 4.4 port and a 3.5 port since mojo has two 3.5 sockets . Would be great the mojo 2 would have a 3.5 and a 4.4 just for the convenience of ppl have 4.4 cable .
> I’m not asking for going balanced . Just for the 4.4 single end  socket so I can use my 4.4 cable without the 3.5 adapter    which will degrade the sound of the cable .





ClicketEKlack said:


> One could make the same argument about 3.5mm. It's an inferior, flimsy, outdated connector -- just ask all the smartphone manufacturers -- yet Chord sticks to it. 4.4mm is like USB-C. It should be the ubiquitous balanced connector for both portable and desktop, allowing for smooth, stable transitions between devices. Instead, Chord offers 6.35mm, which connects to zero portable devices other than Hugo2, and 3.5mm, which connects to zero desktop devices other than the TT2. Maybe it's a good ploy for keeping you in the Chord ecosystem or maybe they have investments in adapter companies, but it certainly doesn't feel cutting edge or user-friendly. In the audio world, 3.5mm is ironically like Apple's lightning connector -- a vestigial organ. If this thing's awesome, I'll probably grouse a bit and buy it anyway and pony up for a 3.5mm adapter, but I wish I didn't have to.


Agree that 4.4 is more than enough both for stability and conductivity. We'll still never see it on any phone but it should be the ubiquitous for mobile and desktop otherwise. Ironically, we probably won't see it on ultrathin laptops either so we'll still have to dongle it. That said, I'm listening on my AK with a EA 4.4 adapter and it seems to be great. The PWaudio adapter also seems to be the best on the mojo and if the jack situation is the same and mojo1 and 2 can share it, I'll probably end up just buying it.


----------



## alota

Forget 4.4 with chord


----------



## Another Audiophile

alota said:


> Forget 4.4 with chord


They risk becoming the next Nokia


----------



## alxw0w (Dec 22, 2021)

So it seems like leaked photos form first pages of this topic are more or less right.
Usb C next to micro usb. Still Compatible with Poly.
Yes usb c placement is not the prettiest one.
Chord should think of something like this:
(forgive my paint skills)





Usb instead of optical socket. And coax (3,5mm) could be hybrid. So coax/optical in 3,5mm socket.
It would provide backward compatibility with Poly (but it would require removing toslink dummy socket from poly ) and also providing usb c socket to those who want it.
And it would look just a tad better than putting usb c socket "under" the mojo.

Anyway now I'm 99,9% sure that photos from the first pages were valid. And it was some early model provided to the dealers for evaluation.


----------



## SRKRAM

alxw0w said:


> So it seems like leaked photos form first pages of this topic are more or less right.
> Usb C next to micro usb. Still Compatible with Poly.
> Yes usb c placement is not the prettiest one.
> Chord should think of something like this:
> ...


That image is so obviously edited. Somebody's just copy pasted a picture of a USB-C port onto it.


----------



## alxw0w (Dec 22, 2021)

SRKRAM said:


> That image is so obviously edited. Somebody's just copy pasted a picture of a USB-C port onto it.


Did you read my post ?
I edited it (the photo of mojo) to show how USB c placement could be managed...🤦‍♂️


----------



## kumar402

alxw0w said:


> So it seems like leaked photos form first pages of this topic are more or less right.
> Usb C next to micro usb. Still Compatible with Poly.
> Yes usb c placement is not the prettiest one.
> Chord should think of something like this:
> ...


Only reason I still have my 2013 MacBook Pro is because it has optical out for my Mojo and you removed it


----------



## alxw0w (Dec 22, 2021)

kumar402 said:


> Only reason I still have my 2013 MacBook Pro is because it has optical out for my Mojo and you removed it


3,5mm coax could be used as toslink input.
There are hybrid sockets that can act as a coax and toslink connection.
For example Google Chromecast audio has it (but there it's used for output)
I wrote it in my previous post.


I'm starting to wondering if people read anything nowadays or just looking at pictures and flashy bullet points


----------



## miketlse

SRKRAM said:


> That image is so obviously edited. Somebody's just copy pasted a picture of a USB-C port onto it.


The text '(forgive my paint skills)' should have made it obvious to everyone.


----------



## kumar402

alxw0w said:


> 3,5mm coax could be used as toslink input.
> There are hybrid sockets that can act as a coax and toslink connection.
> For example Google Chromecast audio has it (but there it's used for output)
> I wrote it in my previous post.
> ...


That was a light hearted comment made nothing serious. I don’t hold Mojo in such high regard that I will keep laptop just to feed it


----------



## jarnopp

alxw0w said:


> So it seems like leaked photos form first pages of this topic are more or less right.
> Usb C next to micro usb. Still Compatible with Poly.
> Yes usb c placement is not the prettiest one.
> Chord should think of something like this:
> ...


It looks better. But how would it be compatible with Poly, which has a piece that snaps into the optical port? We would need to snap that off somehow…


----------



## slumberman

jarnopp said:


> It looks better. But how would it be compatible with Poly, which has a piece that snaps into the optical port? We would need to snap that off somehow…


That’s why you have the company redesign the product, not some rando on a forum 😂


----------



## jarnopp

slumberman said:


> That’s why you have the company redesign the product, not some rando on a forum 😂


We’re all randos just trying to get the best sound!


----------



## slumberman

jarnopp said:


> We’re all randos just trying to get the best sound!


Agreed!

I just find it so annoying to read all these people complain about a design choice when they have zero experience in industrial design nor understand the needs for specific choices. 

It’s all irrelevant in the end, as we all know this Mojo 2 will sell like hotcakes just like the first one did…


----------



## alxw0w

jarnopp said:


> It looks better. But how would it be compatible with Poly, which has a piece that snaps into the optical port? We would need to snap that off somehow…


Yup it's a bit hard situation now.
Plate in poly where all ports are placed is some kind of a plastic. This plastic plate with dummy connectors could be potentially changed by user to a new one provided by Chord to all new Mojo 2 buyers.
Yes I know it's less than optimal resolution.


----------



## waveSounds

I wonder if future Mojos will still be keeping legacy design elements to work with legacy add-on components?

Introducing, the Mojo 4! Compatible with original Poly (and Poly 2 and 3)!


----------



## kumar402

waveSounds said:


> I wonder if future Mojos will still be keeping legacy design elements to work with legacy add-on components?
> 
> Introducing, the Mojo 4! Compatible with original Poly (and Poly 2 and 3)!


I too feel with Mojo 2 may be it is time for Poly 2


----------



## amarkabove

ClicketEKlack said:


> In the audio world, 3.5mm is ironically like Apple's lightning connector -- a vestigial organ.


That's just unequivocally false. In the "head-fi" world, maybe. But the larger audio world is mostly single ended, especially the gear professionals in the field are using. So if Chord is trying to keep them in their market base, a SE connector is absolutely a necessity.


----------



## jarnopp

kumar402 said:


> I too feel with Mojo 2 may be it is time for Poly 2


Let us finish getting Poly 1, first!  While it works well for most of my use cases, I look forward to the final polish of what it promised to be.


----------



## ClicketEKlack

amarkabove said:


> That's just unequivocally false. In the "head-fi" world, maybe. But the larger audio world is mostly single ended, especially the gear professionals in the field are using. So if Chord is trying to keep them in their market base, a SE connector is absolutely a necessity.


The Mojo is being marketed as the summit of porta-fi for the consumer market, not professional studio equipment. If SE is so all-important, then -- as another person already pointed out -- have one 3.5mm connector and a 4.4mm. Two 3.5mm sockets are redundant.


----------



## miketlse

kumar402 said:


> That was a light hearted comment made nothing serious. I don’t hold Mojo in such high regard that I will keep laptop just to feed it


Why not? I keep my 2007 build PC because it has an optical output that is convenient for my Chord dacs.


----------



## kumar402

miketlse said:


> Why not? I keep my 2007 build PC because it has an optical output that is convenient for my Chord dacs.


Digital out as SPDIF was a nice feature indeed missing from new laptops. MacBook is turning back the clock with HDMI etc hopefully they bring it back as well


----------



## flyte3333 (Jan 1, 2022)

There is no need to keep or find old and slow laptops just for TOSlink output.

Just get a good USB to TOSlink converter, capable of bit perfect playback and use with any PC/Mac/laptop

Like this:

https://www.minidsp.com/products/usb-audio-interface/usbstreamer-box


----------



## kumar402

flyte3333 said:


> There is no need to keep or find old and slow laptops just for TOSlink output.
> 
> Just get a good USB to TOSlink converter, capable of bit perfect playback and use with any PC/Mac/laptop
> 
> ...


No, it’s not the reason for me to keep it as I have a separate work laptop provided by my employer so only use I have of my personal laptop is….absolutely nothing as I consume media or magazines on iPad or phone and have Pi based solution with NUC for streaming. However I found it as nice feature to have when I started my journey.


----------



## flyte3333

kumar402 said:


> No, it’s not the reason for me to keep it as I have a separate work laptop provided by my employer so only use I have of my personal laptop is….absolutely nothing as I consume media or magazines on iPad or phone and have Pi based solution with NUC for streaming. However I found it as nice feature to have when I started my journey.


I don't follow.

My post was not to tell everyone to buy a USB to TOSlink converter. If you are using a Pi solution then my post is not applicable to you.

It was about people keeping or finding slow old laptops just for TOSlink output.


----------



## Kentajalli

flyte3333 said:


> I don't follow.
> 
> My post was not to tell everyone to buy a USB to TOSlink converter. If you are using a Pi solution then my post is not applicable to you.
> 
> It was about people keeping or finding slow old laptops just for TOSlink output.


Chord DACs do have a top notch USB input section that works perfectly. There is nothing magical about Toslink , save for the fact that it makes no electrical connection to DACs. otherwise it is the same digital signal, albeit limited compared to USB.
Now, to go about and swap Chord s USB input with a dongle that connects to the same USB port is somewhat redundant.
The whole idea of Toslink is to avoid USB and its possible electrical noise, both on the laptop/player and the DAC.


----------



## flyte3333

Kentajalli said:


> There is nothing magical about Toslink , save for the fact that it makes no electrical connection to DACs.



Free of RF is the magic.



Kentajalli said:


> The whole idea of Toslink is to avoid USB and its possible electrical noise, both on the laptop/player and the DAC.



My comments about TOSlink are in regard to the chat above about keeping old slow laptops because it features TOSlink output.

You can recycle that old PC/Mac/laptop and get something newer and faster and just use a USB to TOSlink converter.

Anyway this discussion is going in circles, I'm out.


----------



## Kentajalli

flyte3333 said:


> Anyway this discussion is going in circles, I'm out.


Is this after you try to sneak in the last word or before?!😜


----------



## kadinh

waveSounds said:


>


----------



## utdeep

I suspect that if we whatever the Mojo 2 will be, some of us will be disappointed. Chord marches to the beat of their own drum. 

My wishlist:

USB C - preferably one for data and power 
4.4mm balanced jack
Desktop mode - can do this now by disconnecting battery but would prefer something simple


----------



## musicday

utdeep said:


> I suspect that if we whatever the Mojo 2 will be, some of us will be disappointed. Chord marches to the beat of their own drum.
> 
> My wishlist:
> 
> ...


4.4 mm balanced will definitely not be there.


----------



## rkt31

It should beat some newer Chinese dacs in measurements, should have low, medium and high gain setting, smaller volume steps, replaceable battery and battery should be available easily, without battery it should run on charger for desktop use.


----------



## Olliver

USB C was on the leaked pictures. 
I don´t expect one connection for power and signal, because they have never done it
and theoreticaly it makes sense for signal quality, to separate power from signal.
USB C is nice for newer tablets and smartphones, the signal transfer will still be usb 2.
I like that USB C fit´s more firmly than micro usb.
It´s not expectable to get the first balanced headphone output for mobile divices from chord now.
Buti i presume there will possibly be crossfeed selectable with the forth button.

And because chord said, they make new devices when new fpga´s are available,
there is a new line of fpga chips from xilinx and one in the line (AU10P), would fit in new chord equipment
as an upgrade for the XC7S15 from Mojo1 and Hugo2.
The downside is, that, looking at mouser, it´s so much more expensive than the predecessor, that i expect the mojo 2 to be very expensive too,
maybe up to 1500€.
I´m curious if the mojo 2 will be an real upgrade in sound quality, for at least a lower price than Hugo 2.
Im using the mojo mostly with an LCD 2 classic and like the sound much more than ananda, or grado RS 2, which i both tried.
It sounds like huge loudspeakers, warm, relaxed with depth and colours.


----------



## alota

1500 is an insane price


----------



## amarkabove

Olliver said:


> USB C was on the leaked pictures.
> I don´t expect one connection for power and signal, because they have never done it
> and theoreticaly it makes sense for signal quality, to separate power from signal.
> USB C is nice for newer tablets and smartphones, the signal transfer will still be usb 2.
> ...


There's absolutely no way they would increase the price that much. The Mojo is their entry level portable device. They would price out the majority of their customer base for that product at 1500. I think the absolute highest they could price it is in the 700-800 range and even that is pushing it.


----------



## rocketron

I would hope Chord price it at £450-500.
Wishful thinking on my part.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

amarkabove said:


> There's absolutely no way they would increase the price that much. The Mojo is their entry level portable device. They would price out the majority of their customer base for that product at 1500. I think the absolute highest they could price it is in the 700-800 range and even that is pushing it.



I think it will be significantly higher. I base this guess on the following: 1) Look at the increase of Hugo to Hugo 2 and Hugo TT to Hugo TT2. Significant increases in price to version 2. 2) Chord increased their prices on existing products last year by something like 10-15% due to the supply chain issues and higher inflation. I would expect (not want) the Mojo 2 to come in around 1100-1200. Luckily I have the Mojo and the Hugo 2, so I am not feeling the need for another portable solution.


----------



## amarkabove

CaptainFantastic said:


> I think it will be significantly higher. I base this guess on the following: 1) Look at the increase of Hugo to Hugo 2 and Hugo TT to Hugo TT2. Significant increases in price to version 2. 2) Chord increased their prices on existing products last year by something like 10-15% due to the supply chain issues and higher inflation. I would expect (not want) the Mojo 2 to come in around 1100-1200. Luckily I have the Mojo and the Hugo 2, so I am not feeling the need for another portable solution.


That would be a 100%+ price increase though. The original Mojo was 399 and was eventually increased to 499.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

amarkabove said:


> That would be a 100%+ price increase though. The original Mojo was 399 and was eventually increased to 499.



You are right. Big mistake on my part. Sorry, for some reason I thought it came out at 699. I must be confusing the initial price with something else like the Poly. OK, so based on 499, the new one should be about 750 or more from what I know of Chord's approach.


----------



## Kentajalli

utdeep said:


> I suspect that if we whatever the Mojo 2 will be, some of us will be disappointed. Chord marches to the beat of their own drum.
> 
> My wishlist:
> 
> USB C - preferably one for data and power


Small chance


utdeep said:


> 4.4mm balanced jack


No chance


utdeep said:


> Desktop mode - can do this now by disconnecting battery but would prefer something simple


small chance


----------



## Olliver

Well the  XC7S15 from the mojo is around 25€, it maybe will have been more expensive in the past.
The AU10P is about 160€ to more than 200€, all the other chips from the range are even bigger and more expensive.
And you have to add the prices for the circuit board and the case and chord and the retailers must earn some money.
Even ifi with of the shelf DA converters take 1000€ for their new red device.
I just don´t expect chord to develop a new mojo with the 6 years old FPGA, and i didn´t find any other that would fit.
It´s the smallest from the line.


----------



## amarkabove

Olliver said:


> Well the  XC7S15 from the mojo is around 25€, it maybe will have been more expensive in the past.
> The AU10P is about 160€ to more than 200€, all the other chips from the range are even bigger and more expensive.
> And you have to add the prices for the circuit board and the case and chord and the retailers must earn some money.
> Even ifi with of the shelf DA converters take 1000€ for their new red device.
> ...


The iFi comparison doesn't work as the Diablo is their TOTL portable device, not their entry. And the even newer Gryphon, with a very similar, if not exactly the same, chip just came out at 599 and will likely be the Mojo2's competitor. Also, I'm sure Chord is not paying retail price for chips.


----------



## ClicketEKlack

Does anyone have experience comparing the Mojo to the iFi portables?


----------



## Olliver

Off cause chord aren´t paying retail prices, but you have to add development, material, manufacturing, chords  profits, customs, retailer profits and so on together.
It just doesn´t work if the material is like 25% of the retail price, thats why i think the mojo 2 will be a lot pricier than we would like it to be.
So something like better sound quality than Hugo 2, for about 60% of the price could work for Chord, but maybe not for the the same customers that bought the mojo 1.
I´m happy if i´m wrong.


----------



## Kentajalli (Jan 9, 2022)

Olliver said:


> Well the  XC7S15 from the mojo is around 25€, it maybe will have been more expensive in the past.
> The AU10P is about 160€ to more than 200€, all the other chips from the range are even bigger and more expensive.
> And you have to add the prices for the circuit board and the case and chord and the retailers must earn some money.
> Even ifi with of the shelf DA converters take 1000€ for their new red device.
> ...


Something people are ignoring, these days, is supply!
Lead time for some of those chips is over a year.
Besides the current chip in mojo (if I am not mistaken), is capable of more - Rob Watts just decided not to use all of it, because of heat and battery juice available.
Is it not the same chip used in Hugo2?
With better heat management, more powerful battery, he can use all of its ability, beef up the analogue section, a bit more filtering on USB, _Hey Voila_ we can get a Mojo2.
It will have improved sound quality, probably longer battery life, and with USB-C for charging, noisy voltage doubler is taken out and possibly fast charging introduced.
While we are there add some (useless) HF digital filtering or perhaps crossfeed to justify the added the marble.

Using a chip from 6 years ago? 
NE5532 from early 80's is still being used these days on some prestige equipments.


----------



## JaquesGelee (Jan 9, 2022)

It'll be definetly under 1k pricetag, more than 599 or even 699 doesn't make sense in the product portfolio, even it'll be poly compatible (Extracosts). 499 would be perfect, beats the newest ifi mobile device in price.

But i could be wrong and the price raises like the Qutest about 200. Result...

699 is limit, but too much imo. But people buy everything to an expensive price. That is the problem.

Sorry, but we got headphones for 5k plus as a normal product price...weird world and the wrong direction, reviewers does the rest. Wrong trend.


----------



## amarkabove

JaquesGelee said:


> Sorry, but we got headphones for 5k plus as a normal product price...weird world and the wrong direction, reviewers does the rest. Wrong trend.


5K is nothing when Sennheiser makes a set that's 55K


----------



## JaquesGelee (Jan 9, 2022)

amarkabove said:


> 5K is nothing when Sennheiser makes a set that's 55K


That's a niche product.
Most new TOTL HP's are about 5k. Beside what they offer, this is the wrong pricetrend.

Most actual totl headphones should be easy 1k less and they would sell more and earn enough. Oh, it is not that exclusive anymore, cause it is not expensive enough...

Cheers


----------



## waveSounds

JaquesGelee said:


> That's a niche product.
> Most new TOTL HP's are about 5k. Beside what they offer, this is the wrong pricetrend.



Exactly!

A perfectly reasonable amount.


----------



## musicday

Not long left, end of this month the Chord Mojo 2 will be released. Rejoice everyone !


----------



## Billyak

musicday said:


> Not long left, end of this month the Chord Mojo 2 will be released. Rejoice everyone !


Released or just announced?


----------



## musicday

Billyak said:


> Released or just announced?


Released to be announced


----------



## joshnor713

Billyak said:


> Released or just announced?


Released but unbuyable is probably it. Which is just another way of saying announced I suppose. So let's just stick with announced on Jan 31st! Hooray


----------



## kennyb123

Billyak said:


> Released or just announced?


Thus far they’ve just been teasing us.  They even have a countdown:

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/coming-soon

4 color balls vs 3 in the current Mojo.  The spacing between them has me wondering if this is Mojo 2.  Even if is, it seems as though it won’t be as compact.

This device looks to have a length that approaches the length of Mojo + Poly.  Combining them at this point would make sense.  A single high capacity battery could span the entire length and if the Poly circuits are powered off, battery life when using a phone as a source would be considerably longer.


----------



## JaquesGelee

kennyb123 said:


> Thus far they’ve just been teasing us.  They even have a countdown:
> 
> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/coming-soon
> 
> ...


Yeah, good idea.
But what is the future improvement of the Poly then, mentioned in Update 3.0.?


----------



## kennyb123

JaquesGelee said:


> But what is the future improvement of the Poly then, mentioned in Update 3.0.?


It seems that Poly isn't going away. But maybe there's be a standalone Poly (for Mojo 1) and an integrated Poly (combined with Mojo 2 in a single package).  I'm speculating here of course. 

The timing of the 3.0 update is something I find interesting.  That it was recently released suggests to me that it was released in preparation of what's coming in January.


----------



## jarnopp

kennyb123 said:


> It seems that Poly isn't going away. But maybe there's be a standalone Poly (for Mojo 1) and an integrated Poly (combined with Mojo 2 in a single package).  I'm speculating here of course.
> 
> The timing of the 3.0 update is something I find interesting.  That it was recently released suggests to me that it was released in preparation of what's coming in January.


I doubt it will be an integrated Poly/Mojo2. That would be a $2000 device or more, and only a fraction of Mojo owners bought Poly or would upgrade to the new combo unit. While I love my Poly, it would not be a universally accepted customer experience.


----------



## thehutch

jarnopp said:


> I doubt it will be an integrated Poly/Mojo2. That would be a $2000 device or more, and only a fraction of Mojo owners bought Poly or would upgrade to the new combo unit. While I love my Poly, it would not be a universally accepted customer experience.


Agree 100 percent. Guarantee you they continue with separates. Maybe you get BT like Hugo 2 has.  

I’ve had both experiences with my Poly. With my last iPhone, I’d stream Tidal and the music would drop after a minute or two – no obvious way to fix it without restarting and reconnecting to wifi hotspot. I bought an I phone 13 and now it works perfect every time.

Still, it’s complicated, confusing and slow. The amount of time it takes to switch from Roon to hotspot mode is a real killer. It’s not for everyone.


----------



## iFi audio

Olliver said:


> but you have to add development, material, manufacturing, chords profits, customs, retailer profits and so on together.



That's true. A product cost includes parts, labor, distribution margins (unless one sells directly) and realistically also operational costs of running an audio company. All that impacts price, parts alone are just one aspect of it. There's also R&D that can take months and a lot of money and that eventually has to result profits.


----------



## kennyb123

jarnopp said:


> I doubt it will be an integrated Poly/Mojo2. That would be a $2000 device or more, and only a fraction of Mojo owners bought Poly or would upgrade to the new combo unit. While I love my Poly, it would not be a universally accepted customer experience.



The Poly’s price as a stand-alone would be a lot higher than what it would add to a Mojo 2 were it integrated.  The R&D costs are likely already paid for and it wouldn’t need to have its own dedicated battery and chassis.  Plus the volume would be much higher if it was integral to the Mojo 2 so Chord would pay less for parts than they do presently to make new Polys.

I am just speculating as I said.  The tease photo shows a device that’s longer than the Mojo.  Sure it could still be a Mojo 2.


----------



## jarnopp

kennyb123 said:


> The Poly’s price as a stand-alone would be a lot higher than what it would add to a Mojo 2 were it integrated.  The R&D costs are likely already paid for and it wouldn’t need to have its own dedicated battery and chassis.  Plus the volume would be much higher if it was integral to the Mojo 2 so Chord would pay less for parts than they do presently to make new Polys.
> 
> I am just speculating as I said.  The tease photo shows a device that’s longer than the Mojo.  Sure it could still be a Mojo 2.


I think the tease photo shows the same length. It’s just a different perspective. But we should all see soon enough…


----------



## shizzin

jarnopp said:


> I think the tease photo shows the same length. It’s just a different perspective. But we should all see soon enough…


There's no way they're making an integrated unit. Even if it's a little longer, it's still made to work with the existing poly. If anything, they're hoping to finally make a half-decent product of the poly with the latest updates and their strategy is to sell both it and the mojo 2. With new cases ofc.


----------



## kennyb123

jarnopp said:


> I think the tease photo shows the same length. It’s just a different perspective. But we should all see soon enough…



That there is so much spacing between the balls shows that they weren’t as constrained length-wise.

Though upon further review, I am probably way off base as the tease photo may not be showing us the actual product at all.  The balls are too exposed.


----------



## mainguy (Jan 10, 2022)

shizzin said:


> There's no way they're making an integrated unit. Even if it's a little longer, it's still made to work with the existing poly. If anything, they're hoping to finally make a half-decent product of the poly with the latest updates and their strategy is to sell both it and the mojo 2. With new cases ofc.


I mean if this doesn't at least have some bluetooth functionality it's pretty much a guaranteed flunk. They can't seriously rely on the poly again, what was an absurdly overpriced and glitchy add-on. Chord have to add bluetooth, otherwise this would have to sound insanely good to compete in the modern world of superb DAP's and bluetooth dongles like the go blu that actually sound darn good.

People just won't tether a little brick to their phone via usb in this day and age.


----------



## sabloke

Wouldn't it be nice if the new Mojo would use the new lossless BT codec? One can dream...


----------



## jarnopp

kennyb123 said:


> That there is so much spacing between the balls shows that they weren’t as constrained length-wise.
> 
> Though upon further review, I am probably way off base as the tease photo may not be showing us the actual product at all.  The balls are too exposed.


If you zoom in here, the balls do have a lot of space between them: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-2-speculation-thread.885405/page-10#post-16324058

But, I think we get something the same size, it fits with Poly, has more taps, more power, longer battery, and some unknown “M” function.  Maybe that M is the extra taps with a better filter, with a toggle between more taps and better battery life, perhaps with desktop mode. I don’t think the basic functi9nality of Mojo will change (I.e., we won’t see BT or WiFi added - that is Poly’s job and they clearly are keeping Poly).


----------



## Steve Wilcox

mainguy said:


> I mean if this doesn't at least have some bluetooth functionality it's pretty much a guaranteed flunk. They can't seriously rely on the poly again, what was an absurdly overpriced and glitchy add-on. Chord have to add bluetooth, otherwise this would have to sound insanely good to compete in the modern world of superb DAP's and bluetooth dongles like the go blu that actually sound darn good.
> 
> People just won't tether a little brick to their phone via usb in this day and age.


I agree. Whilst it's a fantastic DAC, it would better be described as MoFru (mobile frustration) than MoJo. I think they have to decide whether they want a genuinely portable device, in which case it needs to include seemless streaming functions; or market it as a budget Hugo, being transportable and desktop friendly.  Personally, I'm hoping for the former.


----------



## NYanakiev (Jan 13, 2022)

Personally, I am hoping for a slightly bigger unit with more taps and better amp section that is backwards compatible with current Polys but also works with an updated version of Poly to match the 2Go for Hugo 2. Ie have automatic source switching, faster operation, etc etc.

I no longer own a Mojo but remember having owned a unit that gathered dust for months with no play time whatsoever. 
I just couldn't bother using it in any other way but as a laptop dac/amp due to having to use it with wires sticking out. I might be in the minority here but I like the idea behind Poly- we just need a better implementation.


----------



## shizzin

NYanakiev said:


> Personally, I am hoping for a slightly bigger unit with more taps and better amp section that is backwards compatible with current Polys but also works with an updated version of Poly to match the 2Go for Hugo 2. Ie have automatic source switching, faster operation, etc etc.
> 
> I no longer own a Mojo but remember having owned a pair that gathered dust for months due to getting no play time whatsoever. I just couldn't bother using it in any other way but as a laptop dac/amp due to having to use it with wires sticking out. I might be in the minority here but I like the idea behind Poly- we just need a better implementation.


No poly is good already, at least with the latest version. Could be up to hardware version as well since mine is new but I remember on my previous unit you would wait forever for it to switch on or it would just do when it felt like it. With its current config, it finally is starting to resemble a plug-and-play device and the wireless now works mostly fine. I'd say the hotspot is its biggest advantage since it bypasses all bluetooth and finally adds convenience. It's just that it still drops connection on certain wifi networks, not sure why. I'm using it in hotspot in the office, for example since it wouldn't play with the network here. Switching is a bit easier now with the more responsive app but still meh for 2022. Anyhow, what I'm saying is it will do for a couple of years but it's still a drawback that they didn't get it right the first time. By now, they should have just done away with it and redesigned the mojo completely with USB-C instead of trying to go backwards on USB-A for the poly.


----------



## NYanakiev

Wifi issues are easily resolved by having a dual band chipset with both 2.4 and 5ghz support. Something Chord decided against for reasons unknown. 
Astell&Kern  SP2000 and a number of other DAPs have excellent sound quality AND dual band support so no idea what the designer was thinking there.


----------



## Another Audiophile

The poly will be compatible with the new device (Mojo 2) for one simple reason. The mojo has been discontinued from the market while the poly is available.


----------



## utdeep

Or maybe they’ve run out of mojo stock and have a replacement while the Poly sits on shelves since there is less demand for it?


----------



## mainguy

shizzin said:


> No poly is good already, at least with the latest version. Could be up to hardware version as well since mine is new but I remember on my previous unit you would wait forever for it to switch on or it would just do when it felt like it. With its current config, it finally is starting to resemble a plug-and-play device and the wireless now works mostly fine. I'd say the hotspot is its biggest advantage since it bypasses all bluetooth and finally adds convenience. It's just that it still drops connection on certain wifi networks, not sure why. I'm using it in hotspot in the office, for example since it wouldn't play with the network here. Switching is a bit easier now with the more responsive app but still meh for 2022. Anyhow, what I'm saying is it will do for a couple of years but it's still a drawback that they didn't get it right the first time. By now, they should have just done away with it and redesigned the mojo completely with USB-C instead of trying to go backwards on USB-A for the poly.


How is the poly good, when fundamentally to play from the sd card you need a wireless connection? That is_ insane_
It should auto pair with your phone instantly via bluetooth and let you play off the sd card. Needing a hotspot for initial setup is just mad. It feels like a beta product to me


----------



## Another Audiophile (Jan 13, 2022)

utdeep said:


> Or maybe they’ve run out of mojo stock and have a replacement while the Poly sits on shelves since there is less demand for it?


I seriously doubt it. The mojo has been discontinued for some time now. Lets see. In few days we will know if I was right or wrong.


----------



## Soundizer

It was supposed to be launched September 2021. Delayed


----------



## shizzin

mainguy said:


> How is the poly good, when fundamentally to play from the sd card you need a wireless connection? That is_ insane_
> It should auto pair with your phone instantly via bluetooth and let you play off the sd card. Needing a hotspot for initial setup is just mad. It feels like a beta product to me


now we know how much of a joke the poly was and still is, no need to remind me. However, I value its wireless capability since I would prefer my signal transmitted perfectly rather than over bluetooth. To me wifi the wifi connection is good enough. Bluetooth is out of the question as that sounds horrible on the mojo/poly. At least the poly is responsive now and turns on as required, with the hardware/software version on my unit. I would still advocate hooking the mojo to a dap or something as I've done but at least the poly finally works to an extent.


----------



## Soundizer

The Poly supports Airplay which is much better then Bluetooth compression.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

So much for their "updated bi-weekly with new imagery" plan. Now I understand that bi-weekly has two meanings, but they are failing even on the twice a month interpretation.

Not important in the grand scheme of things, but just saying... a bit amateurish.


----------



## chronograf86

CaptainFantastic said:


> So much for their "updated bi-weekly with new imagery" plan. Now I understand that bi-weekly has two meanings, but they are failing even on the twice a month interpretation.
> 
> Not important in the grand scheme of things, but just saying... a bit amateurish.


This is quite a fail!


----------



## Jawed

Olliver said:


> as an upgrade for the XC7S15 from Mojo1 and Hugo2.


I thought the FPGA in Mojo and Hugo 2 is XC7A15T?


----------



## Olliver

Jawed said:


> I thought the FPGA in Mojo and Hugo 2 is XC7A15T?


You´re correct. I copied from the wrong column at xilinx.


----------



## Olliver

I allready like it...


----------



## andrewd01

Olliver said:


> I allready like it...


Very interesting! Looks like a tabletop version in that picture.  Maybe it is the new Mojo TT with built in M scaler


----------



## Olliver

Built in M scaler would be fascinating.
I had the chance to listen to the Hugo TT with the M-scaler and was impressed.
The price tag was more than impressive, allmost 10 000€ with cables.
So a new mojo with M scaler would be a must buy, if it is affordable.


----------



## kennyb123 (Jan 14, 2022)

andrewd01 said:


> Very interesting! Looks like a tabletop version in that picture.



I agree.  Contrast that with…





andrewd01 said:


> Maybe it is the new Mojo TT with built in M scaler



Every Chord DAC includes a built-in scaler.  The first stage WTA filter scales the input to up to 16FS (768K).

The number of taps the filter can use for reconstruction is limited by physical constraints such as heat, power consumption and RFI.   A million taps in a Mojo-sized case may get 5 minutes of battery life or it just simply melts down and explodes given today’s technology.

I was somewhat joking in my last sentence.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Olliver said:


> I allready like it...



OK, so everything about the design suggests that these pictures posted previously are in fact the real Mojo 2.


----------



## miketlse

Olliver said:


> Built in M scaler would be fascinating.
> I had the chance to listen to the Hugo TT with the M-scaler and was impressed.
> The price tag was more than impressive, allmost 10 000€ with cables.
> So a new mojo with M scaler would be a must buy, if it is affordable.


I think you are being insanely optimistic in expecting Mojo2 to contain a MScaler, with the associated heat generation, in a Mojo sized case.


----------



## joshnor713

miketlse said:


> I think you are being insanely optimistic in expecting Mojo2 to contain a MScaler, with the associated heat generation, in a Mojo sized case.


Exactly. I'd think we'd see an m-scaler for the Hugo much before we would the Mojo, if even that's possible in the near future.


----------



## alekc

So now it really needs to sound awesome and beat current competitors since it looks... ugly


----------



## jarnopp

alekc said:


> So now it really needs to sound awesome and beat current competitors since it looks... ugly


If it sounds as good as Mojo with the additions of better battery life, cross-feed and more power/more class A output then it’s a win. Additionally, I would expect more taps and better filters. I am not expecting an mScaler, BT, or other streaming. I think there is a good chance there will be a desktop mode.


----------



## Zachik

OK... my turn for a crazy pipedream speculation:   
*Dave level device in a Mojo sized package and Hugo 2 price.*

How am I doing?


----------



## miketlse

Zachik said:


> OK... my turn for a crazy pipedream speculation:
> *Dave level device in a Mojo sized package and Hugo 2 price.*
> 
> How am I doing?


I think you are totally in the insane speculation mode. Enjoy your wee dram.


----------



## Zachik

miketlse said:


> I think you are totally in the insane speculation mode.


More insane than the speculations of a Mojo with M-scaler built in??


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

andrewd01 said:


> Very interesting! Looks like a tabletop version in that picture.  Maybe it is the new Mojo TT with built in M scaler


It looks like a Qutest with 4 balls.


----------



## miketlse

Zachik said:


> More insane than the speculations of a Mojo with M-scaler built in??


insane speculations can trigger expectations in non-posters who are normally non-posters. 
Please consider their mental health.


----------



## Zachik

miketlse said:


> insane speculations can trigger expectations in non-posters who are normally non-posters.
> Please consider their mental health.


I did have the following statement as a preface: "a crazy pipedream speculation"
I do not think ANYONE would take my Mojo 2 speculation seriously...


----------



## miketlse

Zachik said:


> I did have the following statement as a preface: "a crazy pipedream speculation"
> I do not think ANYONE would take my Mojo 2 speculation seriously...


In a Covid world, you cannot be sure that everyone will interpret insane speculations as such. Some head-fiers will interpret them as serious. That is on your conscience.


----------



## lawshredpower

1k would be the perfect MSRP. So I'll bet it'll cost as much as a Hugo 2


----------



## Billyak

It's going to be hilarious when chord launch the mojo 2 and it will be exactly the same as the mojo 1 but with USB c charging and a desktop mode.


----------



## andrewd01

miketlse said:


> insane speculations can trigger expectations in non-posters who are normally non-posters.
> Please consider their mental health.



My post was an attempt at humour, but don’t forget Moore’s Law!  I would not be surprised to see M scaler technology built into a card the size of a micro-SD card within 20 years.  

Looking forward to seeing what Chord comes up with in two weeks. It will be disappointing if the 3 month build up was for a mildly tweaked Mojo!


----------



## mainguy

Billyak said:


> It's going to be hilarious when chord launch the mojo 2 and it will be exactly the same as the mojo 1 but with USB c charging and a desktop mode.


Not so funny for Chord when they have a bunch of units stacked in a warehouse and the company goes into major debt


----------



## ClicketEKlack

It’ll be interesting to see how the SQ of the Mojo 2 fares against the likes of Cayin’s RU6 and the Luxury & Precision W2, because, regardless of how Chord markets it, the Mojo 2 is basically just a squat dongle with fancy lights.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

ClicketEKlack said:


> It’ll be interesting to see how the SQ of the Mojo 2 fares against the likes of Cayin’s RU6 and the Luxury & Precision W2, because, regardless of how Chord markets it, the Mojo 2 is basically just a squat dongle with fancy lights.


It will likely be better because the Mojo OG is competitive with these dongles.


----------



## Kentajalli

Zachik said:


> OK... my turn for a crazy pipedream speculation:
> *Dave level device in a Mojo sized package and Hugo 2 price.*
> 
> How am I doing?


Is that what we are having:
"A crazy pipedream speculation" ?
talk about insults in plain sight.
BTW, you are not even in the ball park!
try:
Dave level performance, with added mScaler and 2Go at used Mojo Classic eBay prices!
with free leather case . . .


----------



## Chris Kaoss

Haha.
Y'all crazy and it could be another tempting 2 weeks straight.    

After this insane period of speculation, it finally comes to an end. ^^
See you guys in the "Official Mojo2 announcement thread" by the end of January.


----------



## utdeep

I’ve listened to all the dongles.  The OG mojo outclasses any of them.  Not much they have to do other than USB C and 4.4mm in my book, but folks keep saying 4.4mm is out of the question.  If it has any micro USB on it, I’ll be disgusted.

After owning all the chord devices, I’m pretty sure Chord doesn’t really care much for user input and has a strong opinion on their design and features.  Personally, I think they struck gold with the original mojo and they will screw this one up with their ego.


----------



## Kentajalli

utdeep said:


> I’ve listened to all the dongles.  The OG mojo outclasses any of them.  Not much they have to do other than USB C and 4.4mm in my book, but folks keep saying 4.4mm is out of the question.  If it has any micro USB on it, I’ll be disgusted.
> 
> After owning all the chord devices, I’m pretty sure Chord doesn’t really care much for user input and has a strong opinion on their design and features.  Personally, I think they struck gold with the original mojo and they will screw this one up with their ego.


Imagine some manufacturer comes up with a new engine design based on say magnetic force, and then people keep asking them if it has six cylinders or eight! 
Chord Dacs, by design are single ended, so 4.4 balanced can be achieved artificially only! Chord is not doing it to please a few techno centered people.
BTW, USB audio is limited to USB 2. no need for a faster USB - USB type C has higher voltage and current capability and USB 3 protocol which is faster than USB 2 - both irrelevant to USB audio.
type C is capable of fast charge currents and voltages, so I hope Chord implements it for that use.


----------



## kennyb123

Kentajalli said:


> BTW, USB audio is limited to USB 2. no need for a faster USB - USB type C has higher voltage and current capability and USB 3 protocol which is faster than USB 2 - both irrelevant to USB audio.
> type C is capable of fast charge currents and voltages, so I hope Chord implements it for that use.


The best part of USB C is the reversible connector.  I can't wait for the day when all the previous USB connectors vanish from the face of the earth.

Fast charging would be great.


----------



## Another Audiophile (Jan 15, 2022)

My speculation is simple. It will be more power, better battery life, usb c additional port and M is for mode like desktop mode and that’s it.


----------



## rocketron

Another Audiophile said:


> My speculation is simple. It will be more power, better battery life, usb c additional port and M is for mode like desktop mode and that’s it.


It will also be more expensive.🤔


----------



## Another Audiophile

rocketron said:


> It will also be more expensive.🤔


Correct. Price will be between mojo and Hugo 2


----------



## Chris Kaoss

Ha.
There's a lot of space in-between. ^^


----------



## utdeep

Type C is where most technology is today.  It doesn’t matter what features it offers, people who buy high-end dac/amps are likely owners of high end computers, smartphones, and tablets.  If it charges via Type C but I still need to carry around a micro-usb cable, then that’s an issue.

Same goes for 4.4mm.  I don’t care about balanced vs. unbalanced but the standards have changed.  Were two 3.5mm jacks ever all that useful on the original mojo?

Why do we accept standards from 2015 when iFi and all their competitors evolve? The even bigger issue is why to move from the Mojo for tiny, incremental changes.


----------



## utdeep

1/31 can’t come soon enough.


----------



## waveSounds

I hope it has a floppy drive and VGA port.


----------



## Olliver

miketlse said:


> I think you are being insanely optimistic in expecting Mojo2 to contain a MScaler, with the associated heat generation, in a Mojo sized case.


Well, i don´t expect an MScaler in the Mojo, i would apreciate it, of cause.
And the new xilinx fpgas have moved from 28nm to 16nm, which means more logic cells with better power efficiency.
And chord allways likes more filter taps in their dacs.
Chord could use the new chips for all their dac´s and just start with the smallest, the mojo.
You remember six years ago, the mojo had a new xilinx fpga with more taps than the hugo 1.


----------



## lucasratmundo

New image in the teaser page.


----------



## ClicketEKlack

Well, that conclusively proves the leaked images were fake. The area between the two center balls is completely different.

For the 4.4mm balanced users out there, might the 3.5mm SE issue be solved with a simple adapter? Does SE => Balanced work that way?


----------



## thehutch

ClicketEKlack said:


> Well, that conclusively proves the leaked images were fake. The area between the two center balls is completely different.
> 
> For the 4.4mm balanced users out there, might the 3.5mm SE issue be solved with a simple adapter? Does SE => Balanced work that way?


Or they were photos of a prototype


----------



## utdeep

Well, that’s how I use the current Chord Mojo with my Sennheiser IE900, Audeze LCD-4Z, and DCA Aeon Noire.  It’s not very convenient.  I’ve forgotten the adapter on a recent travel trip and the Mojo was a paperweight.


----------



## alota

ClicketEKlack said:


> Well, that conclusively proves the leaked images were fake. The area between the two center balls is completely different.
> 
> For the 4.4mm balanced users out there, might the 3.5mm SE issue be solved with a simple adapter? Does SE => Balanced work that way?


Yes. You need an adapter 4.4 to 3.5


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

utdeep said:


> I’ve listened to all the dongles.  The OG mojo outclasses any of them.  Not much they have to do other than USB C and 4.4mm in my book, but folks keep saying 4.4mm is out of the question.  If it has any micro USB on it, I’ll be disgusted.
> 
> After owning all the chord devices, I’m pretty sure Chord doesn’t really care much for user input and has a strong opinion on their design and features.  Personally, I think they struck gold with the original mojo and they will screw this one up with their ego.


It depends on the signature you are seeking.  The RU6 is very different than the Mojo and many people will prefer that sound.    I like them both depending on the use case and pairing.   I think sound quality wise, they are similar.   But, the Mojo has more power and versatility overall.   But the RU6 is more portable.


----------



## Another Audiophile

ClicketEKlack said:


> Well, that conclusively proves the leaked images were fake. The area between the two center balls is completely different.


Looks the same to me.


----------



## miketlse (Jan 15, 2022)

Olliver said:


> Well, i don´t expect an MScaler in the Mojo, i would apreciate it, of cause.
> And the new xilinx fpgas have moved from 28nm to 16nm, which means more logic cells with better power efficiency.
> And chord allways likes more filter taps in their dacs.
> Chord could use the new chips for all their dac´s and just start with the smallest, the mojo.
> You remember six years ago, the mojo had a new xilinx fpga with more taps than the hugo 1.


You probably haven't read the posts by @Rob Watts where he mentions the difference between Xilinx announcing new products (like ultrascale), and them not providing the needed performance boost, and not being physically available, at an economic price. I think he mentioned in one post, that one of their previously announced new products was still vapourware, seven years later.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-16532766
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-16315084


----------



## JaquesGelee

alota said:


> Yes. You need an adapter 4.4 to 3.5


This is only an adapter at the end. No balanced connection.


----------



## Olliver

miketlse said:


> You probably haven't read the posts by @Rob Watts where he mentions the difference between Xilinx announcing new products (like ultrascale), and them not providing the needed performance boost, and not being physically available, at an economic price. I think he mentioned in one post, that one of their previously announced new products was still vapourware, seven years later.
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-16532766
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-16315084


Well you stick the needle in the bubble, but thanks, i´ve read it now.


----------



## ClicketEKlack

JaquesGelee said:


> This is only an adapter at the end. No balanced connection.


Does that impact SQ?


----------



## MarkParity

ClicketEKlack said:


> Does that impact SQ?


No not really, well not in my experience anyway, others will argue yes it does.


----------



## Giru

lucasratmundo said:


> New image in the teaser page.


Looks like the Qutest chassis with Mojo design and a battery slapped in there somewhere😅


----------



## JaquesGelee (Jan 16, 2022)

Giru said:


> Looks like the Qutest chassis with Mojo design and a battery slapped in there somewhere😅


At the end it is the Qutest 2...😅🤷🏼‍♂️

@ClicketEKlack 
No, but some people think they got a balanced connection only with an adapter.


----------



## rkt31

Still no details  or specs ?


----------



## amarkabove

rkt31 said:


> Still no details  or specs ?


End of the month.


----------



## Nostoi

rkt31 said:


> Still no details  or specs ?


But that would spoil the teaser campaign and one prefers to be teased rather than spoilt.


----------



## rkt31

Rob earlier used to give some hints !


----------



## jmwant

Any idea about the price?


----------



## alota

JaquesGelee said:


> This is only an adapter at the end. No balanced connection.


Of course


----------



## jarnopp

jmwant said:


> Any idea about the price?


$799. Since so many people have complained that Poly, as an accessory, shouldn’t be more than Mojo, this would correct that.


----------



## Giru

jarnopp said:


> $799. Since so many people have complained that Poly, as an accessory, shouldn’t be more than Mojo, this would correct that.


My guess is it would be close to the qutest in price. 
~900usd would be my estimate.


----------



## tarikuz

IfI Gryphon is a good player too, isn't it ?


----------



## Another Audiophile

amarkabove said:


> End of the month.


For sure there will be some “leaked” images from distributors.


----------



## Kentajalli (Jan 17, 2022)

MarkParity said:


> No not really, well not in my experience anyway, others will argue yes it does.


DACs that are designed around dedicated chips, can employed double dac chips and then use their outputs to produce balanced output.
Since rechargeable devices run on li-ion batteries (either 3.6V it 7.2V), they can output double the voltage swing compared to SE operation, this means 4 times the power output.
Also certain even harmonic artifacts can cancel out bringing distortion down.
But if the dac engine (such as Chords ) is an SE by design, then to output in balanced mode would require a buffer - which will affect transparency .
so the answer is, An SE dac , used in native mode has best sound.
A balanced dac used in native mode has best sound.

BTW Those DACs that can employ two chips for balanced output, they can also use only one chip for SE output, this means much longer play time on same charge!


----------



## Another Audiophile (Jan 17, 2022)

All things equal the balance is better topology BUT this doesn't mean a balance is inherently better than any SE. For example, the mojo's SE output outperform several "balanced" amplifiers.


----------



## Kentajalli (Jan 17, 2022)

Another Audiophile said:


> All things equal the balance is better topology BUT this doesn't mean a balance is inherently better than any SE. For example, the mojo's SE output outperform several "balanced" amplifiers.


Why is balanced a better topology?
(In our case of headphone DAC/amps)


----------



## alota

Kentajalli said:


> Why is balanced a better topology?
> (In our case of headphone DAC/amps)


Who told this?


----------



## rkt31

Balanced topology in case of headphones is of no use except that it provides double the se output.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Kentajalli said:


> Why is balanced a better topology?
> (In our case of headphone DAC/amps)


Is not the amplifier topology that is better. Is the concept of using balanced circuit and chain throughout your devices. Is not always better as I said but all things equal a balanced configuration from source to amp output using balanced interconnects will provide lower noise and will be immune to RF induced noise from cables. Do I think a balanced configuration will make a “better” mojo? Not really. So balanced is good but not always necessary. If the Dac and amp were separate devices I would prefer a balanced topology to have flexibility with placement for example.


----------



## kennyb123

Kentajalli said:


> Why is balanced a better topology?
> (In our case of headphone DAC/amps)


To do balanced the right way adds costs as some circuitry might need to be doubled.


----------



## alota

In the past i had several electronics only balanced: players, dacs, amplifiers and of course headphones reterminated with 4 pin. Today my thinking is completely different so i left balanced configuration. But depends from many situations if it is better one or other topology


----------



## Another Audiophile

alota said:


> In the past i had several electronics only balanced: players, dacs, amplifiers and of course headphones reterminated with 4 pin. Today my thinking is completely different so i left balanced configuration. But depends from many situations if it is better one or other topology


Depends on your needs. For me my 2 channel stereo system is fully balanced with all components in true balance configuration for two reasons. Noise reduction and placement of components with long run interconnects. For the headphone station SE is good enough and I don’t see a benefit apart from power as mentioned by @rkt31 but from the other hand I have enough power for my needs even in SE. all cables are short and isolated.


----------



## Kentajalli

rkt31 said:


> Balanced topology in case of headphones is of no use except that it provides double the se output.


you mean quadruple !


----------



## rkt31

Kentajalli said:


> you mean quadruple !


Quadruple power double voltage


----------



## ClicketEKlack

Regardless of the merits of balanced/unbalanced, I’ve had bad luck with 3.5mm sockets failing in phones, iPads, laptops etc. It’s a flimsy, outdated port that seems unworthy of being the sole output of a premium device. I use a 4.4mm socket on my Shanling M8, and it feels solid.


----------



## mwhals

ClicketEKlack said:


> Regardless of the merits of balanced/unbalanced, I’ve had bad luck with 3.5mm sockets failing in phones, iPads, laptops etc. It’s a flimsy, outdated port that seems unworthy of being the sole output of a premium device. I use a 4.4mm socket on my Shanling M8, and it feels solid.



In my 50+ years of life, I have never seen a 3.5mm socket fail in any device.


----------



## ClicketEKlack

mwhals said:


> In my 50+ years of life, I have never seen a 3.5mm socket fail in any device.



Congrats. I have. So... your point?


----------



## amarkabove

ClicketEKlack said:


> Regardless of the merits of balanced/unbalanced, I’ve had bad luck with 3.5mm sockets failing in phones, iPads, laptops etc. It’s a flimsy, outdated port that seems unworthy of being the sole output of a premium device. I use a 4.4mm socket on my Shanling M8, and it feels solid.


There is no structural difference (other than size) in the rigidity and durability of TS/TRS/TRRS connectors. Professionals rely on 3.5mm sockets everyday.


----------



## CarlosBryant

Does anyone know the specs and prices?


----------



## Another Audiophile (Jan 18, 2022)

CarlosBryant said:


> Does anyone know the specs and prices?


Yes, @ChordElectronics


----------



## Whitigir

???


----------



## JaquesGelee

Whitigir said:


> ???


Good morning. 😅✌🏻


----------



## Another Audiophile

JaquesGelee said:


> Good morning. 😅✌🏻


😂


----------



## jarnopp

amarkabove said:


> There is no structural difference (other than size) in the rigidity and durability of TS/TRS/TRRS connectors. Professionals rely on 3.5mm sockets everyday.


Yet I only use the right side Mojo out now because the left side 3.5mm socket has failed and crackles constantly. That is one good reason for two outputs.


----------



## chronograf86

Me past several weeks


----------



## HeyWaj10

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/coming-soon

I mean, that's about as tingle your tease buds as you can get right there...


----------



## DanielListening

Listening to my Chord Mojo (sans Poly, still mad/never going to forget) and I’m just enamoured with how it sounds especially with the Timeless from 7Hz. Wow. 

I’m thinking of going back on my vow to never buy another Chord product and asking my local dealer to put me at the top of the list for the Chord Mojo2. 

I cannot decide on a DAP and I think the reason is I am a DAC/AMP or dongle kinda guy. Keep my Sony NW-ZX507 as a source and keep the DAC/AMP stack. If I want a DAP it’s $3,000 with some old version of Android. Ugh.


----------



## supervisor

DanielListening said:


> Keep my Sony NW-ZX507 as a source



that thing is so slow to use it’s intolerable


----------



## Mojo ideas

Kentajalli said:


> Why is balanced a better topology?
> (In our case of headphone DAC/amps)


The reason for balanced topology is to try to mitigate noise being injected into the substrate of a Dac chips noise shaper ….it never quite works Additionally it adds complexity and several modes of distortion. Therefore if you switch externally the way Rob Watts topology is  in our Chord Dacs it’s a far superior solution . Basically it’s better not to have to have a problem rather than to have to fix a problem.


----------



## MarkParity

jarnopp said:


> Yet I only use the right side Mojo out now because the left side 3.5mm socket has failed and crackles constantly. That is one good reason for two outputs.


Mine did the same, it was not the socket that failed though in my case, it was the soldering of the socket to the board. 

A quick application of 60/40 solder (less prone to fracture than this lead free stuff they have to use these days) and it worked perfectly again and is still working to this day.


----------



## jarnopp

MarkParity said:


> Mine did the same, it was not the socket that failed though in my case, it was the soldering of the socket to the board.
> 
> A quick application of 60/40 solder (less prone to fracture than this lead free stuff they have to use these days) and it worked perfectly again and is still working to this day.


That is likely the culprit. If either the 2nd socket fails, or I don’t like Mojo2 , then I’ll open it up and try soldering.


----------



## Whitigir

Well, those sockets will prone to failure eventually as it was baked by a machine with soldering paste for SMD components.  Unless they switch the design to a more robust through hole sockets, then it will be different


----------



## adamjohari

I'm thinking about buying a Hugo 2, should I wait to see what the Mojo 2 has to offer?


----------



## jarnopp

adamjohari said:


> I'm thinking about buying a Hugo 2, should I wait to see what the Mojo 2 has to offer?


I think it only makes sense. Also, audition both, since some prefer the Mojo to the H2 overall.


----------



## thehutch

adamjohari said:


> I'm thinking about buying a Hugo 2, should I wait to see what the Mojo 2 has to offer?


Definitely wait. When Hugo 2 came out it was comparable (even better?) than the HugoTT and it was a while before TT2 was released.


----------



## BLacklWf (Jan 21, 2022)

Mojo ideas said:


> The reason for balanced topology is to try to mitigate noise being injected into the substrate of a Dac chips noise shaper ….it never quite works Additionally it adds complexity and several modes of distortion. Therefore if you switch externally the way Rob Watts topology is  in our Chord Dacs it’s a far superior solution . Basically it’s better not to have to have a problem rather than to have to fix a problem.


Hope you understand that a single-ended headphone out physically shorts the returning wires. I have seen a countless number of engineers who burn months or years trying to reduce electrostatic interference within the board itself - then care for nothing once the signal leaves the device like shorting two physical wires by using the outdated socket. In my opinion, regardless of the topology the SE headphone socket needs to be replaced with a balanced type - rather not shorting type.


----------



## amarkabove

BLacklWf said:


> Hope you understand that a single-ended headphone out physically shorts the returning wires. I have seen a countless number of engineers who burn months or years trying to reduce electrostatic interference within the board itself - then care for nothing once the signal leaves the device like shortening the physical wires by using an outdated socket. In my opinion, regardless of the topology, the SE headphone socket needs to be replaced with a balanced type - rather not shortening type.


Did you just try to explain to Chord how a headphone socket “works,” as far as you understand it? That’s a bold move cotton.


----------



## alxw0w

Another picture


----------



## AlexCBSN

Mmm that “m” button I’m wondering what is it for… 

Moorbo? (A mojo turbo mode)
MONSTER MODE
MQA
MASTERMOJO
MODO MEJORADO (cause of course mojo now speaks Spanish)
MODE
METAL
MARCO (POLO)

Anyway… DAMN!!! Just give us the whole Spec and price sheet for gods sake…


----------



## Spidermanxd




----------



## alxw0w

AlexCBSN said:


> MQA


No way Rob would ever implement this crap into his dacs.


----------



## miketlse

alxw0w said:


> No way Rob would ever implement this crap into his dacs.


To be totally transparent for any 'researchers' exploring ideas for new products to buy - Rob is open to introducing MQA if it improves the sound experience for users, but he has posted several reasons why the lossy MQA codec reduces the sound experience. The probability of Mojo2 incorporating MQA is between zero and a microscopically small percentage.


----------



## alxw0w (Jan 21, 2022)

miketlse said:


> To be totally transparent for any 'researchers' exploring ideas for new products to buy - Rob is open to introducing MQA if it improves the sound experience for users, but he has posted several reasons why the lossy MQA codec reduces the sound experience. The probability of Mojo2 incorporating MQA is between zero and a microscopically small percentage.


Mqa is not about improving SQ. Is about solving issues that doesn't exist in current world. And taking money of customers. Period.

Rob knows it, everybody knows it.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

miketlse said:


> To be totally transparent for any 'researchers' exploring ideas for new products to buy - Rob is open to introducing MQA if it improves the sound experience for users, but he has posted several reasons why the lossy MQA codec reduces the sound experience. The probability of Mojo2 incorporating MQA is between zero and a microscopically small percentage.


Probability of Chord Mojo 2 incorporating MQA is slim to none and Slim just left town.


----------



## soundblast75

alxw0w said:


> Mqa is not about improving SQ. Is about solving issues that doesn't exist in current world. And taking money of customers. Period.
> 
> Rob knows it, everybody knows it.


True, also true Rob makes a ton too and we all believe he knows something others don't, im yet to hear a Chord product that doesn't sound digital 😌


----------



## thehutch

soundblast75 said:


> True, also true Rob makes a ton too and we all believe he knows something others don't, im yet to hear a Chord product that doesn't sound digital 😌


----------



## BLacklWf

amarkabove said:


> Did you just try to explain to Chord how a headphone socket “works,” as far as you understand it? That’s a bold move cotton.


I used to have a national certification on testing the electrical and optical transmission of the backbone of the internet. Not sure anyone at Chord has it. Otherwise, they will never short two wires no-matter-what, cotton.


----------



## WoodyLuvr (Jan 24, 2022)

M for *selectable *"Mini M-Scaler" 

One can be hopeful...


----------



## adamjohari

I'm secretly hoping that this is actually a Hugo 3 as I'll need a semi portable desktop amp


----------



## kumar402

adamjohari said:


> I'm secretly hoping that this is actually a Hugo 3 as I'll need a semi portable desktop amp


Mojo2 may be the Hugo 3 that you are looking for


----------



## kennyb123

WoodyLuvr said:


> M for "Mini M-Scaler"
> 
> One can be hopeful...


Every Chord DAC, including the Mojo, has a mini scaler.  They all run the WTA filter to scale PCM to 705.6/768K.  The number of taps is limited to what is practical for the device, with the M-Scaler having the most powerful processor so it can get to a million taps.

I occasionally listen to music scaled to millions of taps on my Poly/Mojo as I scale it offline first using PGGB.  Mind-blowingly good, but not practical because of how large the files are.


----------



## tradyblix

kumar402 said:


> Mojo2 may be the Hugo 3 that you are looking for



Hugo 3 is the Hugo 3 we are looking for


----------



## ClicketEKlack

Has there ever been a Chord 3 anything, or do they start a new product line after 2? Perhaps the successor to the Hugo 2 should be called the FoMo.


----------



## DanielListening (Jan 23, 2022)

LOL I hope that they take that name. Brilliant.


----------



## WoodyLuvr (Jan 24, 2022)

kennyb123 said:


> Every Chord DAC, including the Mojo, has a mini scaler.  They all run the WTA filter to scale PCM to 705.6/768K.  The number of taps is limited to what is practical for the device, with the M-Scaler having the most powerful processor so it can get to a million taps.
> 
> I occasionally listen to music scaled to millions of taps on my Poly/Mojo as I scale it offline first using PGGB.  Mind-blowingly good, but not practical because of how large the files are.


Edited for clarity... M for *selectable *"Mini M-Scaler" as in selectable output sample rates as seen on the full size M-Scaler so it would become literally a "Mini M-Scaler". This post was more in optimistic jest than what I really expect to be offered though you never know Chord may really surprise us with this new model!


----------



## kumar402 (Jan 24, 2022)

WoodyLuvr said:


> Edited for clarity... M for *selectable *"Mini M-Scaler" as in selectable output sample rates as seen on the full size M-Scaler so it would become literally a "Mini M-Scaler". This post was more in optimistic jest than what I really expect to be offered though you never know Chord may really surprise us with this new model!


How does it offer any benefit? MScaler is an external device that is used to send data to DAC and hence based on each individual DAC we can select a sample rate that a DAC may be capable of. However Mojo 2 will be capable of say 768Khz then what’s the point to selecting say 192Khz in “Mini M Scalar”.

Ok I see your point so when we select say 192Khz in this said MScaler then may be the dac will only upsample till 192Khz. But going by Chord philosophy I don’t think we will get such feature


----------



## DanielListening

It’s the Moffat button. Chord and Schiit collaborated !


----------



## WoodyLuvr (Jan 24, 2022)

kumar402 said:


> Ok I see your point so when we select say 192Khz in this said MScaler then may be the dac will only upsample till 192Khz. But going by Chord philosophy I don’t think we will get such feature


This👆 One would always like to see more selectable features for various set-ups and systems that is all but I agree it does slightly run against the Chord grain... though again it was said more in jest than sincerity.


----------



## Olliver (Jan 24, 2022)

kumar402 said:


> How does it offer any benefit? MScaler is an external device that is used to send data to DAC and hence based on each individual DAC we can select a sample rate that a DAC may be capable of. However Mojo 2 will be capable of say 768Khz then what’s the point to selecting say 192Khz in “Mini M Scalar”.
> 
> Ok I see your point so when we select say 192Khz in this said MScaler then may be the dac will only upsample till 192Khz. But going by Chord philosophy I don’t think we will get such feature


M-Scaling refers to the filter taps not to the sampling frequency.
The filter taps are what needs the most processing power, thats the reason for the m-scaler.
The dacs alone doesn´t have the processing power of the m-scaler.
A new fpga could do more taps than its predecessor, but not a million like the m-scaler.
If they can get new xilinx chips for the mojo, it would be the start point for a whole new generation of dacs at chord.
As i learnt here,  it´s a question of availability and price.


----------



## kennyb123 (Jan 24, 2022)

WoodyLuvr said:


> Edited for clarity... M for *selectable *"Mini M-Scaler" as in selectable output sample rates as seen on the full size M-Scaler so it would become literally a "Mini M-Scaler". This post was more in optimistic jest than what I really expect to be offered though you never know Chord may really surprise us with this new model!


The selectable sample rate is really there for non-Chord DACs. It wouldn’t be ideal to scale to less than 705.6/768 (16FS) and input that into Chord DACs.

The following is a diagram of the DAVE, but the flow is the same even in the Mojo.  Note that WTA1 filter scales to 16FS but at only the number of taps supported by the DAC (164k in DAVE).  That stage is completely bypassed if the incoming rate is already 16FS.   Reducing the M-Scaler to 8FS will bring in a half million taps but that will then be scaled to 16FS with far fewer taps.  That’s suboptimal.

What Mojo 2 will likely have is a WTA1 filter scales using more taps than Mojo1.  No extra scaler needed. It continues to surprise me that Mojo 1 owners don’t already realize their DAC already includes a sophisticated scaler.  It’s what makes Chord DACs sound so good.

Eventually there will be a FPGA that will allow a million taps in a device the size of Mojo.  I wouldn’t hold my breath.


----------



## Olliver

If chord uses the same xilinx fpga as in the Mojo 1 and Hugo 2, more taps are available for the cost of more heat and a bigger battery
and a higher retail price.
But i don´t expect more taps, than in the Hugo 2.
If there is a new fpga with higher power efficency, more taps are imaginable, but for an even bigger price tag.
Even than it won´t be m-scaler alike, but maybe an impressive step forward.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

In any case guys, I owned the full M Scaler and the sound quality improvement was very subtle. Some subtle improvement in bass decay if you really listen for it and a bit more space on classical music. That was about it for me. True, I did not also invest in $2k BNC cables to try to get more out of it as some suggest.

I even contacted Chord and they said that indeed, the M Scaler makes more of a difference for speaker listening.

So I really wouldn't get excited about any mini M Scaler in the Mojo 2. I would expect that improvement to be very, very minimal even with classical music. IMHO


----------



## Olliver

CaptainFantastic said:


> In any case guys, I owned the full M Scaler and the sound quality improvement was very subtle. Some subtle improvement in bass decay if you really listen for it and a bit more space on classical music. That was about it for me. True, I did not also invest in $2k BNC cables to try to get more out of it as some suggest.
> 
> I even contacted Chord and they said that indeed, the M Scaler makes more of a difference for speaker listening.
> 
> So I really wouldn't get excited about any mini M Scaler in the Mojo 2. I would expect that improvement to be very, very minimal even with classical music. IMHO


I had the chance to listen to the m-scaler, Hugo TT2 combination in comparison to an normal dac,
the difference for me was more depth and 3D image, impressive, but the price with BNC cables was around 10K €.
And there where still the ordinary notebook switching supplys and nothing i would suggest to be fitting the quality of the chord equipment.


----------



## kennyb123

CaptainFantastic said:


> In any case guys, I owned the full M Scaler and the sound quality improvement was very subtle. Some subtle improvement in bass decay if you really listen for it and a bit more space on classical music. That was about it for me. True, I did not also invest in $2k BNC cables to try to get more out of it as some suggest.
> 
> I even contacted Chord and they said that indeed, the M Scaler makes more of a difference for speaker listening.
> 
> So I really wouldn't get excited about any mini M Scaler in the Mojo 2. I would expect that improvement to be very, very minimal even with classical music. IMHO



What was your source when you tried it?   And did you use the BNC cables that came with the M-Scaler?  

I hear profound improvements using Poly/Mojo when scaling my music offline with PGGB.  M-Scaler should provide a good measure of that too.

The greatest improvement I hear on my Poly/Mojo from millions of taps is a more dense presentation.  Instruments have more body with more tonal weight.  Drums and percussion carry more weight while at the same time being more dynamic.  Switching back to music that wasn't scaled is immediately disappointing because it's thin and not as full of life.  

I sold my M-Scaler a while ago so I can no longer confirm how it might sound with headphones.


----------



## CaptainFantastic (Jan 24, 2022)

kennyb123 said:


> What was your source when you tried it?   And did you use the BNC cables that came with the M-Scaler?
> 
> I hear profound improvements using Poly/Mojo when scaling my music offline with PGGB.  M-Scaler should provide a good measure of that too.
> 
> ...



I was just streaming Qobuz, WASAPI exclusive, via optical to the M Scaler (so limited to 705), but I also tried and tested USB of course. I used the stock BNC cables + Moon Audio dragon cables. I did hear the difference, but nothing as your describe (profound). As I said, for me it was very subtle, whether optical, USB, whatever type of music, whatever headphone, stock cables or upgraded ones (but not the $2k ones). I always thought my ears were very good, but of course I might be somewhat deficient on this aspect.

In any case, how many taps can an M Scaler built into the Mojo be expected to do? Surely far less than the M Scaler itself. And it sounds like you are going far beyond what the M Scaler is doing when using PGGB as you describe. So again, what can one expect from a Mojo M Scaler? Personally I don't think that's what the M is for, but I was just offering for consideration that even if it were, would it really be a cause for excitement. Let's see.


----------



## alota

CaptainFantastic said:


> In any case guys, I owned the full M Scaler and the sound quality improvement was very subtle. Some subtle improvement in bass decay if you really listen for it and a bit more space on classical music. That was about it for me. True, I did not also invest in $2k BNC cables to try to get more out of it as some suggest.
> 
> I even contacted Chord and they said that indeed, the M Scaler makes more of a difference for speaker listening.
> 
> So I really wouldn't get excited about any mini M Scaler in the Mojo 2. I would expect that improvement to be very, very minimal even with classical music. IMHO


Finally someone that speaks clearly


----------



## PANURUS (Jan 24, 2022)

I remember a post from Rob Watts where the filter on the HUGO2 could showed the difference between HUGO2 and MOJO.
A lot of owners of the Hugo2 found this difference from the filter very subtle but in the same direction that between Hugo2 Mojo, more warm.
Some owners can not detect the difference.


----------



## surfgeorge

kennyb123 said:


> The selectable sample rate is really there for non-Chord DACs. It wouldn’t be ideal to scale to less than 705.6/768 (16FS) and input that into Chord DACs.
> 
> The following is a diagram of the DAVE, but the flow is the same even in the Mojo.  Note that WTA1 filter scales to 16FS but at only the number of taps supported by the DAC (164k in DAVE).  That stage is completely bypassed if the incoming rate is already 16FS.   Reducing the M-Scaler to 8FS will bring in a half million taps but that will then be scaled to 16FS with far fewer taps.  That’s suboptimal.
> 
> ...


Thanks for that summary and the block diagram!

From what I have read about the different CHORD DACs I understood that another big difference between the models is the output stage - how many parallel "channels" the pulse array is using and how the I/V conversion is designed (output stage which also doubles as "amplification").
It was also my understanding that the Mojo is using a simpler output stage design with a capacitor directly in the signal path, and that this is at least partially responsible for the "warmer signature", or in other words the special flavor of the Mojo.

Is this generally correct?

And is it fair to assume/expect that the Mojo 2 will use a similar output stage, simply because of space limitations?
In that case can we expect the basic signature to still be similar to the original Mojo, with improvements in the digital processing and additional features?


----------



## kumar402

It may be something that we have in Qutest may be. I remember we had a button for subtle change in sound signature. During my ownership of Qutest I found it to be very subtle at best


----------



## jarnopp

kumar402 said:


> It may be something that we have in Qutest may be. I remember we had a button for subtle change in sound signature. During my ownership of Qutest I found it to be very subtle at best


I think the : is for mode, primarily desktop mode. What other feature would you want (realistically knowing that mescaline is out of the question)? Cross feed is the only other thing. I’d like more taps and more battery life and maybe more power, but those aren’t features. Filters would be, but I don’t think I need them and they would not be third on my list.

1) desktop mode
2) crossfeed
3) ??


----------



## someyoungguy

What if the ‘M’ button is just for ‘mute’?🤣


----------



## kumar402

someyoungguy said:


> What if the ‘M’ button is just for ‘mute’?🤣


I have mute button on all DAC remote I have be it Schiit Bifrost 2 or Metrum or Sonnet Morpheus so may be not that bad a feature


----------



## gc335

My guess is the "M" is for Mojo mode.  You can have a warm fun signature that the Mojo is knows for and the default mode that may be closer to the neutral Huge.  Just a guess.


----------



## musicday

Would be nice if the battery is user replaceable.


----------



## kennyb123

surfgeorge said:


> Is this generally correct?
> 
> And is it fair to assume/expect that the Mojo 2 will use a similar output stage, simply because of space limitations?
> In that case can we expect the basic signature to still be similar to the original Mojo, with improvements in the digital processing and additional features?


The Mojo was a tremendous success.  I would very much suspect that Chord would want to repeat what contributed to that success while at the same time offering improvements.  

I think your explanation was close but my knowledge on what happens after the FPGA isn’t that strong.


----------



## kennyb123

gc335 said:


> My guess is the "M" is for Mojo mode.  You can have a warm fun signature that the Mojo is knows for and the default mode that may be closer to the neutral Huge.  Just a guess.


I really like this answer.  As I mentioned in post 981, Chord is going to want to repeat what was great about Mojo while also offering improvements.  Problem is that some folks don’t like what is normally an improved sound from Chord.  Some still prefer Mojo to Hugo 2for example.  The Hugo 2 aims to allow you to hear more of the recording.  The Mojo tries to be more forgiving and some prefer that.  When a poor source is used, forgiving can be more enjoyable for longer listening sessions.  So maybe the M button toggles the more forgiving Mojo 1 sound as opposed to the more revealing sound better Chord DACs offer.


----------



## gc335 (Jan 24, 2022)

kennyb123 said:


> I really like this answer.  As I mentioned in post 981, Chord is going to want to repeat what was great about Mojo while also offering improvements.  Problem is that some folks don’t like what is normally an improved sound from Chord.  Some still prefer Mojo to Hugo 2for example.  The Hugo 2 aims to allow you to hear more of the recording.  The Mojo tries to be more forgiving and some prefer that.  When a poor source is used, forgiving can be more enjoyable for longer listening sessions.  So maybe the M button toggles the more forgiving Mojo 1 sound as opposed to the more revealing sound better Chord DACs offer.


Exactly... I had the Hugo 2.  I really like the sound short-term but got bored with it.  I rebought the Mojo and have no plans to sell it because I'm really liking it. I'm really looking forward to more info on the Mojo 2.


----------



## HeyWaj10

Really hoping Mojo2 will be a considerable evolution rather than just a minor update. My goal is to upgrade my DAC, and before this potential teaser came out, I had a short list centered around the Bifrost 2 to match my Lyr 3.  If the Mojo2 can be competitive as a DAC to the Bifrost 2, it would offer the added benefit of being a mobile DAC/amp to compliment the stationary Lyr 3, while also serving a high quality DAC for the stationary system. Fingers crossed and eyes peeled.


----------



## tod-hackett

HeyWaj10 said:


> Really hoping Mojo2 will be a considerable evolution rather than just a minor update. My goal is to upgrade my DAC, and before this potential teaser came out, I had a short list centered around the Bifrost 2 to match my Lyr 3.  If the Mojo2 can be competitive as a DAC to the Bifrost 2, it would offer the added benefit of being a mobile DAC/amp to compliment the stationary Lyr 3, while also serving a high quality DAC for the stationary system. Fingers crossed and eyes peeled.


I was actually thinking about this the other day. My logic is wrong and tasteless but I guesstimate according to the demand of the used market and the Mojo 2 will be a considerable change but not radical. There isn't a huge price difference between Chord Hugo 1 vs Chord Hugo 2 on the used market. From what I remember, a considerable number of members argued the Hugo while impressive wasn't too much better than the Mojo. When the Hugo 2 arrived, a considerable number would say that a cheap Hugo 1 unit was well worth the money and should be purchased over a Hugo 2. Like I said earlier the prices between the two these days are close -I think it might actually come down to preference. Some are speculating the Hugo 2 is likely better than the Mojo2 because of the specs. 

Therefore, according to prices and members the Mojo2 will sit between the Hugo 1 and the Hugo 2.


----------



## adamjohari

HeyWaj10 said:


> Really hoping Mojo2 will be a considerable evolution rather than just a minor update. My goal is to upgrade my DAC, and before this potential teaser came out, I had a short list centered around the Bifrost 2 to match my Lyr 3.  If the Mojo2 can be competitive as a DAC to the Bifrost 2, it would offer the added benefit of being a mobile DAC/amp to compliment the stationary Lyr 3, while also serving a high quality DAC for the stationary system. Fingers crossed and eyes peeled.


to serve as a desktop dac, will need a 3.5mm to RCA cable? the chord hugo 2 has RCA outputs. wonder if the quality would be the same...


----------



## BaTou069

Since Mojo1 got so much praise for SQ, wouldn't it be "good enough" if Mojo2 just improved the issues surrounding the Mojo1? I'd buy a Mojo2 if it sounds the same as Mojo1 but with less heating, prolonged batter health and life, USB C + SPDIF,  3.5mm + 4.4mm instead of 2x 3.5mm? Optional but would be great: Ability of loading PEQ files for EQing specific HPs

And please don't bother telling me that the Mojo won't have a balanced topology so why having a balanced out, since it doesn't really matter, balanced out would be for more power (4x in theory)


----------



## CaptainFantastic

BaTou069 said:


> And please don't bother telling me that the Mojo won't have a balanced topology so why having a balanced out, since it doesn't really matter, balanced out would be for more power (4x in theory)


But that's not how it works. You only get more power out of balanced if the amp has balanced circuitry. Otherwise where do you expect the additional power to come from? The 4.4mm jack?


----------



## MarkParity

CaptainFantastic said:


> But that's not how it works. You only get more power out of balanced if the amp has balanced circuitry. Otherwise where do you expect the additional power to come from? The 4.4mm jack?


People automatically assume that balanced = more power, most of us know it doesn't its entirely possible to design an output stage capable of outputting 10W+ using a 3.5mm socket. Just don't spoil their delusions.


----------



## utdeep

Yes - most amps pre-balanced were capable of outputting a lot more power via single-ended.  Balanced has advantages (I think) but it’s become an excuse to gimp the 3.5mm and add power to 4.4mm only.

My Mojo 1 has a good amount of power on single-ended.


----------



## Billyak

I have never gotten close to maxing out my mojo on any of my headphones or IEMs. 

I don't have anything particularly hard to drive, maybe the HD650's being the most difficult but I just don't get the desire for more and more power for a portable DAC amp. I am more than happy with its current output and would probably welcome less power if it meant lower noise floor and better battery life.


----------



## waveSounds (Jan 26, 2022)

Pfftt, everyone knows that you need at least 6W of power to drive iems to their potential. Amateurs.

The MoJo2 needs two 4.4 ports so you can run double balanced otherwise how will it drive my SE846s?


----------



## miketlse

waveSounds said:


> Pfftt, everyone knows that you need at least 6W of power to drive iems to their potential. Amateurs.
> 
> The MoJo2 needs two 4.4 ports so you can run double balanced otherwise how will it drive my SE846s?


Are those the Special Edition version, with filter plugs that absorb 99% of the sound energy ?


----------



## MarkParity

utdeep said:


> Yes - most amps pre-balanced were capable of outputting a lot more power via single-ended.  Balanced has advantages (I think) but it’s become an excuse to gimp the 3.5mm and add power to 4.4mm only.
> 
> My Mojo 1 has a good amount of power on single-ended.


Chord's Hugo 2 manages just over 1W into 8 ohms. All of its outputs are connected together AFAIK so Hugo 2 owners enjoy 1W out of the 3.5mm socket should they need it.


----------



## GreenBow (Jan 26, 2022)

I still think Mojo is excellent. Am hoping Mojo 2 doesn't double tap power, and maybe only increases by 50%. Thus allowing for more battery life. Might mean the difference in Mojo 2 of a seven-and-a-half hour, or ten hour battery.

Then Mojo 3 make a doubling of tap power since there would be plenty of battery power to go at.

Personally I think Chord will go for best sound quality over battery life. Can't really blame them since their DACs are great. (However I may well be wrong.)

I think Mojo 2 at 50% more tap power than Mojo, would wipe the floor with competition. It would beat any other sub-£1000 DAC. It would likely be best DAC under the Qutest, (possibly matching/besting original 2Qute and Hugo).

Plus battery technology is also incrementally increasing battery life, so all fingers crossed.


----------



## jarnopp

Super-cap power supply in Mojo2? Don’t know if this would help or hurt battery lif, but could improve SQ.


----------



## Ken G

waveSounds said:


> Pfftt, everyone knows that you need at least 6W of power to drive iems to their potential. Amateurs.
> 
> The MoJo2 needs two 4.4 ports so you can run double balanced otherwise how will it drive my SE846s?


LOL. And I can't help but hear Frasier Crane's voice reading this message.


----------



## GreenBow

jarnopp said:


> Super-cap power supply in Mojo2? Don’t know if this would help or hurt battery lif, but could improve SQ.



I don't think it would have any effect on battery life. I think it would provide more power when needed, and improve transient speed, dynamics, and energy. I say I think, coz I think that's how it works in TT2.


----------



## Billyak

Would be interesting if the new mojo only increased tap count when in desktop mode and decreased (by choice maybe?) When running on battery.


----------



## BaTou069

I dont have a mojo or a hard to drive HP, but AFAIK having a higher output power from balanced is possible if the manufacturer chooses to design it that way, balanced amps will let you do this.
Many DAC/AMP dongles nowadays provide both SE and BAL outputs but don't have much more power from BAL, some may have 2x more but its not the norm. AFAIK you can have 4x more.
And yes, the AMP should be balanced for that, but not the dac


----------



## Mediahound

BaTou069 said:


> I dont have a mojo or a hard to drive HP, but AFAIK having a higher output power from balanced is possible if the manufacturer chooses to design it that way, balanced amps will let you do this.
> Many DAC/AMP dongles nowadays provide both SE and BAL outputs but don't have much more power from BAL, some may have 2x more but its not the norm. AFAIK you can have 4x more.
> And yes, the AMP should be balanced for that, but not the dac





> The primary reason many Dacs have a balanced internal topology is try to overcome switching noise that has been induced into the Dac chips substrate. Balanced circuitry though causes other distortions that should be avoided. Chord Dacs have no substrate switching noise because the switching elements are seperated from the FPGA and more importantly from the analogue circuitry. So because we don't use standard Dac chips that can suffer from these problems. Therefore we do not have no need to used a balanced internal topology so we don't! The balanced analogue outputs are derived externally in analogue form only from single ended ultra low distortion output.



from Chord here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...pressions-thread.756029/page-31#post-12646676


----------



## BaTou069

Mediahound said:


> The balanced analogue outputs are derived externally in analogue form only from single ended ultra low distortion output.


How can I understand that last part? Kind of sounds like what I wrote, have single ended topology for the dac but balanced analogue output
With externally does he mean to add something post-mojo?


----------



## WoodyLuvr

Billyak said:


> Would be interesting if the new mojo only increased tap count when in desktop mode and decreased (by choice maybe?) When running on battery.


Yeah, maybe the "M" is a mobile battery saving setting feature.


----------



## Mediahound

BaTou069 said:


> How can I understand that last part? Kind of sounds like what I wrote, have single ended topology for the dac but balanced analogue output
> With externally does he mean to add something post-mojo?


He talking about the balanced outputs of the Chord Hugo TT there, which are basically just there for convenience.


----------



## Malevolent

waveSounds said:


> Pfftt, everyone knows that you need at least 6W of power to drive iems to their potential. Amateurs.
> 
> The MoJo2 needs two 4.4 ports so you can run double balanced otherwise how will it drive my SE846s?


Are you sure that's enough juice for your IEMs, mate?


----------



## BaTou069

Malevolent said:


> Are you sure that's enough juice for your IEMs, mate?


certainly not enough for those TOTL earbuds of @WoodyLuvr  
Sorry woody I couldn't resist, but I'd love to know more about those high impedance earbuds in your signature I'm kind of intrigued didn't know that was a thing


----------



## snowy8171

Hope that is the right price. I was thinking it would be around $900


----------



## discord (Jan 27, 2022)

On the official teaser image I can see two circular front feet, but I don't see that on the Moon Audio image you posted. I guess it could be the angles from which both shots were taken from though.

Edit: The official teaser image also has a bottom-centered protruding piece, the Moon Audio picture doesn't.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

snowy8171 said:


> Hope that is the right price. I was thinking it would be around $900


Looks like it is going to be direct competitors with Ifi Gryphon.   Will be interesting to see how they compare.


----------



## jarnopp

discord said:


> On the official teaser image I can see two circular front feet, but I don't see that on the Moon Audio image you posted. I guess it could be the angles from which both shots were taken from though.
> 
> Edit: The official teaser image also has a bottom-centered protruding piece, the Moon Audio picture doesn't.


It’s on the back, you can’t see it in the Moon picture. But you can see the 6 (3 on a side) screw holes vs Mojo1 with 8.

PS: if that’s the price, I like it!


----------



## snowy8171

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Looks like it is going to be direct competitors with Ifi Gryphon.   Will be interesting to see how they compare.


Yea I might try it out. I had the gryphon, but returned it. Was having way to many problems


----------



## WoodyLuvr (Jan 27, 2022)

BaTou069 said:


> certainly not enough for those TOTL earbuds of @WoodyLuvr
> Sorry woody I couldn't resist, but I'd love to know more about those high impedance earbuds in your signature I'm kind of intrigued didn't know that was a thing


As much as I adore my SENN HD650 full-sized over-the-ears cans they are safely packed away in their box... why? The tropics! I listen to low volume music six to ten hours every day so full-sized headphones are simply way too hot, sweaty, and clampy for such long listening sessions in the heat/humidity. Surprisingly, I don't miss them that much as I have found a healthy compromise which still sounds good to me.

My current stable is now composed of custom DIY earbud models only... all of which have been purpose built and tuned exactly to my liking and preferences. This was not an easy endeavor and took my buying, trading, and/or sampling hundreds and hundreds of different earbuds until I found what I liked best.

I have owned a Chord Mojo twice, a 2Cute and Qutest but seemed to always end up back with the iFi iDSD Nano BL or a Schiit Modi Multibit. Could never make up my mind or was changing my set-up (headAmp and/or transducers). Currently, I am in DAC limbo again and anxiously anticipating this new Chord Product.


----------



## alxw0w

So rumours (pictures) were right


----------



## Another Audiophile

These "leaks" from traders is interesting... Same thing with Annie. Looks like intentional to get the word out and start speculating.


----------



## Nostoi

Another Audiophile said:


> These "leaks" from traders is interesting... Same thing with Annie. Looks like intentional to get the word out and start speculating.


Exactly. The same thing happened with Annie on several websites. The links were then removed, but not before they were out on Reddit/Twitter/Head-Fi, etc. The Chord Hype Machine is gearing up, it seems.


----------



## adamjohari

Anyone using Chord Mojo connected to a speaker amp? Also, what was the msrp of the Mojo 1? 500usd? The Mojo 2 at 725usd I believe.


----------



## Jawed

Assuming that half of the roughly 20% price increase is Covid/parts-shortage related, what does £50/$60 more buy? Bigger battery? Slightly more powerful FPGA? Both?


----------



## MarkParity

Jawed said:


> Assuming that half of the roughly 20% price increase is Covid/parts-shortage related, what does £50/$60 more buy? Bigger battery? Slightly more powerful FPGA? Both?


Nobody knows, this is only a speculation thread.


----------



## shizzin

MarkParity said:


> Nobody knows, this is only a speculation thread.


So will this thread be dead in a few days?


----------



## MarkParity

shizzin said:


> So will this thread be dead in a few days?


Yes it will.   We can all come back and see how many of the speculations were right and how many were wrong next week.


----------



## PANURUS (Jan 27, 2022)

Jawed said:


> Assuming that half of the roughly 20% price increase is Covid/parts-shortage related, what does £50/$60 more buy? Bigger battery? Slightly more powerful FPGA? Both?


The usb-c port and a desktop mode with the old artix used like the HUGO2?
No places for more arrays. So the Hugo2 would stay better and the MOJO2 would stay on the warm side.


----------



## surfgeorge

adamjohari said:


> Anyone using Chord Mojo connected to a speaker amp? Also, what was the msrp of the Mojo 1? 500usd? The Mojo 2 at 725usd I believe.


I did test the Mojo as input to my 2 channel stereo amp and loved the result so much that I bought a used CHORD 2Qute to replace the $4000 DAC I had in the system before.
Mojo is not ideal for continous use though, since it's not really designed for a "desktop mode" and there were mayn reports of premature battery failure when used continuously charging. You can check the Mojo thread for details.


----------



## JaquesGelee

surfgeorge said:


> I did test the Mojo as input to my 2 channel stereo amp and loved the result so much that I bought a used CHORD 2Qute to replace the $4000 DAC I had in the system before.
> Mojo is not ideal for continous use though, since it's not really designed for a "desktop mode" and there were mayn reports of premature battery failure when used continuously charging. You can check the Mojo thread for details.


Pull the battery cable in the Mojo, done...


----------



## adamjohari

Think at the end of the day I'll have to decide on getting a used Hugo 2 vs a Mojo 2. A few more days! Pumped on this


----------



## lawshredpower

Phew it’s not on the same price range as the Hugo, considering Chord pricing logic…


Guys the M button is for turning the unit upside down and setting it to Wumbo.


----------



## Jawed

Subscribers to Hi-fi World magazine can read the review - it's arrived through the post. I'm not a subscriber.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Nostoi said:


> Exactly. The same thing happened with Annie on several websites. The links were then removed, but not before they were out on Reddit/Twitter/Head-Fi, etc. The Chord Hype Machine is gearing up, it seems.


I did an earlier post about that saying wait for "leaked" images.


----------



## 529128

I guess it might soon be the perfect time to buy the Mojo 1 at a bargain price. The Mojo 2 takes nothing away from the Mojo 1.


----------



## CaptainFantastic (Jan 27, 2022)




----------



## Another Audiophile

CaptainFantastic said:


>


more balls?


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Another Audiophile said:


> more balls?



I made a further edit. It was more of a "no comment" commentary on how little the design has changed compared to how the Hugo 2 or the Hugo TT evolved. I get the "if it ain't broken..." principle, but still. How superficial of me, since it's all about the sound, right?


----------



## GreenBow

Gonna be honest, that fourth button with M under it is confusing. Can't think what it could be.


----------



## gikigill

Possibly a mini M Scaler.


----------



## kumar402

I hope this Mini M doesn't thin out the warmth of Mojo.


----------



## amarkabove

henrikgadegaard said:


> I guess it might soon be the perfect time to buy the Mojo 1 at a bargain price. The Mojo 2 takes nothing away from the Mojo 1.


You know this for a fact? Have you heard both? Also, where you gonna find a Mojo at a bargain price, they were discontinued and are out of stock virtually everywhere.


----------



## kumar402

amarkabove said:


> You know this for a fact? Have you heard both? Also, where you gonna find a Mojo at a bargain price, they were discontinued and are out of stock virtually everywhere.


In used market I guess. I feel what he meant was Mojo 1 would still sound good no matter how Mojo 2 turns out to be.


----------



## Another Audiophile

CaptainFantastic said:


> I made a further edit. It was more of a "no comment" commentary on how little the design has changed compared to how the Hugo 2 or the Hugo TT evolved. I get the "if it ain't broken..." principle, but still. How superficial of me, since it's all about the sound, right?


for me it's not only about the sound. It has to sound good to my ears but it has to be functional and beautiful to my eyes. The Hugo wasn't either of these.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Another Audiophile said:


> for me it's not only about the sound. It has to sound good to my ears but it has to be functional and beautiful to my eyes. The Hugo wasn't either of these.



Goes to show how differently we see things. I love the look of the H2. I like the Mojo too, but I wish the Mojo 2 were different... for variety you know.


----------



## JaquesGelee

Ok, 

if the last image is legit, what i think it is. I am really really sure what the "M-Button" does.


----------



## 529128

amarkabove said:


> You know this for a fact? Have you heard both? Also, where you gonna find a Mojo at a bargain price, they were discontinued and are out of stock virtually everywhere.


Relax my friend. Jesus. All I am saying is the new Mojo does not make the older worse. To my ears the Mojo 1 sounds great. There’s plenty a Mojo on the used market. Check hifishark.com. I did not say it has to be new.


----------



## 529128

kumar402 said:


> In used market I guess. I feel what he meant was Mojo 1 would still sound good no matter how Mojo 2 turns out to be.


Spot on. Thank you.


----------



## Chris Kaoss

adamjohari said:


> Anyone using Chord Mojo connected to a speaker amp? Also, what was the msrp of the Mojo 1? 500usd? The Mojo 2 at 725usd I believe.


Did it, connected to my R28, which feed a pair of (active) Elac Air-X 407.
The result sounded amazing.

The Mojo has added a bit more grip on the bass, compared to the R2R dac of the R28.
Was a really great listening.


----------



## Another Audiophile

CaptainFantastic said:


> Goes to show how differently we see things. I love the look of the H2. I like the Mojo too, but I wish the Mojo 2 were different... for variety you know.


I was referring to the Hugo. Not the Hugo 2


----------



## GreenBow (Jan 27, 2022)

I thought it might be an input selector since Mojo 2 supposedly has four inputs. Maybe that was too many for default input selection. However I doubt they would use M like meaning mode, for input.

Even something like as folk have said, more taps for desktop use, why use M. Maybe mode would suit that though, as desktop mode - more taps, vs battery mode.

It would be really quite cool to be able to choose how many taps to use.


----------



## kadinh

JaquesGelee said:


> Ok,
> 
> if the last image is legit, what i think it is. I am really really sure what the "M-Button" does.


*(M)*oney

adds $250 to the price


----------



## waveSounds

CaptainFantastic said:


>



Smaller balls?

I'm out.


----------



## virgopunk

Just out of interest has there been any confirmation that the Poly will still work on the Mojo 2? They'd have to stick with micro USB wouldn't they? If not would we expect a new Poly 2 also?


----------



## Arghavan

virgopunk said:


> Just out of interest has there been any confirmation that the Poly will still work on the Mojo 2? They'd have to stick with micro USB wouldn't they? If not would we expect a new Poly 2 also?


The leaked pictures show they kept microUSB ports (unfortunately) while adding another USB-C port. So yeah, they've kept the Poly compatibility.


----------



## virgopunk

Arghavan said:


> The leaked pictures show they kept microUSB ports (unfortunately) while adding another USB-C port. So yeah, they've kept the Poly compatibility.


Thanks. I was being very lazy by not reading back through the thread.


----------



## miketlse

virgopunk said:


> Just out of interest has there been any confirmation that the Poly will still work on the Mojo 2? They'd have to stick with micro USB wouldn't they? If not would we expect a new Poly 2 also?


The release notes for v3 of the Poly firmware include
– Status LEDs – additional LEDs to represent more detailed statuses including No Detection of DAC and Standby.
– Preparation for further incoming updates – ensuring future-proofing.
I think there was also mention of improved voice feedback about status etc.

All this make me think that the Mojo2 will include additional functionality/capability, and that the status can be communicated via the Poly (LEDS or voice messages).
This would imply that the communication via the usb port will be more bi-directional than was the case with Mojo.
Yes this is speculation on my part, but it would be interesting if it turned out true.


----------



## Charente

JaquesGelee said:


> Ok,
> 
> if the last image is legit, what i think it is. I am really really sure what the "M-Button" does.


I would say 'M' for MODE


----------



## NYanakiev

I got to see some bits meant for the press- quite excited about this release. Definitely not what I expected!


----------



## Bleach-Free

Press "M" when you need a little bit


----------



## kennyb123

gikigill said:


> Possibly a mini M Scaler.


Not a chance.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Charente said:


> I would say 'M' for MODE


I would agree although it would be really cool to be a mini mscaler.     But, mode would actually have more utility.    We will find out next week.


----------



## Another Audiophile

GreenBow said:


> I thought it might be an input selector since Mojo 2 supposedly has four inputs. Maybe that was too many for default input selection. However I doubt they would use M like meaning mode, for input.
> 
> Even something like as folk have said, more taps for desktop use, why use M. Maybe mode would suit that though, as desktop mode - more taps, vs battery mode.
> 
> It would be really quite cool to be able to choose how many taps to use.


M is for mode. Mobile or desktop


----------



## weexisttocease (Jan 27, 2022)

449£


----------



## msq123

weexisttocease said:


> 449£


That’s an awesome price if true, this morning someone posted a screenshot with $725 so I was expecting it to be closer to £600-650


----------



## weexisttocease

From avcat.jp

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.


----------



## msq123

no Bluetooth 😟


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

msq123 said:


> no Bluetooth 😟


I would have taken no bluetooth over the sun rising tomorrow.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

weexisttocease said:


> From avcat.jp
> 
> Uncategorized
> 
> ...


Well, we got USB-C.  That's a big one.    Also have Desktop mode which is big.

40000 vs 27000 taps for Mojo OG.  That's an improvement.

I guess "M" means desktop mode.

This is slightly better than Mojo OG.


----------



## AlexCBSN

No need to double check any other equipment, they had me at 75% battery improvement.

Coax still working so my dear xduoo 05bl still working. Ladies and gentlemen (mainly gentlemen in this forum TBH) we got mojo2, and i cant be happier with it. It SOUNDS promising.


----------



## Bleach-Free

So, basically a Hugo 1.5 without bluetooth? Can't wait for some listening impressions!


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Bleach-Free said:


> So, basically a Hugo 1.5 without bluetooth? Can't wait for some listening impressions!


If you want Bluetooth, get an Ifi Gryphon.


----------



## amarkabove

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Well, we got USB-C.  That's a big one.    Also have Desktop mode which is big.
> 
> 40000 vs 27000 taps for Mojo OG.  That's an improvement.
> 
> ...


I read that to mean "M" would be for menu.


----------



## Bleach-Free

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> If you want Bluetooth, get an Ifi Gryphon.


Oh, I don't care about bluetooth at all. Just looking at similarities and differences between this spec list and that of Hugo 2.


----------



## adamjohari

weexisttocease said:


> From avcat.jp
> 
> Uncategorized
> 
> ...


Hugo 2 has 49,152 taps. This has 40,000 taps. Very close.


----------



## mainguy (Jan 27, 2022)

No bluetooth?

People are relasing $100 DAPs with a built in screen and processor and can still afford to put excellent Aptx-hd and aac transmitters in the same device.

Wake up Chord.


----------



## endless402

adamjohari said:


> Hugo 2 has 49,152 taps. This has 40,000 taps. Very close.


more taps does not equal better sound...


----------



## thehutch

The M button controls the lossless DSP tone control. Built in EQ. That’s pretty cool.


----------



## Mediahound

endless402 said:


> more taps does not equal better sound...


Tell that to Rob Watts. He's got something like a million taps in his lab currently. 

I guess you have not heard the DAVE...


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

mainguy said:


> No bluetooth?
> 
> People are relasing $100 DAPs with a built in screen and processor and can still afford to put excellent Aptx-hd and aac transmitters in the same device.
> 
> Wake up Chord.


And those products sound like crap.   If that's your jam, then buy it.   I would never listen to the Chord Mojo is bluetooth mode even if it had it.


----------



## adamjohari

didn't know that bluetooth was important. i guess people hate lugging around cables.


----------



## soundblast75

Is this bigger and heavier that og?
Usb micro is simply unforgivable.
If i have a few great daps why do i need this?
To have annoying lights in the dark🤪


----------



## AlexCBSN

mainguy said:


> No bluetooth?
> 
> People are relasing $100 DAPs with a built in screen and processor and can still afford to put excellent Aptx-hd and aac transmitters in the same device.
> 
> Wake up Chord.


The only one worth out of em would be qudelix 5k and still it doesnt stand a chance against Mojo OG


----------



## snowy8171

Dual 3.5mm output. Should of maybe added a 4.4mm as well.


----------



## OuYang

Poly has Bluetooth if you really need it on Mojo System.


----------



## adamjohari

So is this a good buy knowing what we know so far? I feel like I'll wait for reviews first before pulling the trigger.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

adamjohari said:


> So is this a good buy knowing what we know so far? I feel like I'll wait for reviews first before pulling the trigger.


I will buy one eventually.  I am sure it will sound better than the Mojo OG and I love it.    Since I also have the Hugo 2, this product is redundant with what I already own.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

AlexCBSN said:


> The only one worth out of em would be qudelix 5k and still it doesnt stand a chance against Mojo OG


and the Qudelix 5k is not even a DAP.    I bought a Hiby R3 Pro to pair it with Mojo and the special case that holds them together nicely.  It sounded pretty good, but not as good as the Mojo/Poly combination.  And, the R3 user interface is slow and sucks.    So, I returned the R3 Pro.


----------



## Currawong

Very likely too, adding bluetooth would mean sacrificing other features. By far, I'd take any of the other improvements over having BT, which is going to negate the sonic improvements of all the other changes.


----------



## utdeep

Hoping the USB C does power and data.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

utdeep said:


> Hoping the USB C does power and data.


Yeah.   Hope USB micro is only for use with the Poly.


----------



## kennyb123

endless402 said:


> more taps does not equal better sound...


More taps means closer to the original recording.  For sure there are many who do not consider that to be better.


----------



## BLacklWf (Jan 29, 2022)

At the current exchange rate, 449£ is about $480, not $600. Because $120 (90£) is VAT. A VAT is like a sales tax, which is already included in the U.K. U.S. consumer don't pay VAT. But, a problem is that U.S. people do not understand VAT. Hence, U.S. retailers seize the opportunity to keep VAT in their own pocket and make a little more profit. They will more likely sell Mojo 2 at $750. They know people will convert 449£ to $600 due to a lack of knowledge of VAT. They will then justify the extra premium of $150 ($750 - $600) for the international shipping and custom. But, the truth is it's about $10 extra to ship to the U.S. vs. shipping within the U.K. At the end of the day, U.S. consumers think that they paid an extra $150 premium to buy a U.K. product in the U.S. But, actually they paid $270 of premium on top of the normal business margin. This doesn't happen with other goods imported from the U.K. But, it happens with almost all U.K. imported audiophile products.


----------



## endless402

Mediahound said:


> Tell that to Rob Watts. He's got something like a million taps in his lab currently.
> 
> I guess you have not heard the DAVE...


You mean the Dave in my signature and avatar? Lol


----------



## endless402

kennyb123 said:


> More taps means closer to the original recording.  For sure there are many who do not consider that to be better.


In theory yes. In the end it’s personal preference. Sometimes mscaler is better. Sometimes it’s not. 

Hugo 2 has more taps than Hugo TT but subjectively the TT sounds better likely due to the better power supply and amp section


----------



## thehutch

endless402 said:


> In theory yes. In the end it’s personal preference. Sometimes mscaler is better. Sometimes it’s not.
> 
> Hugo 2 has more taps than Hugo TT but subjectively the TT sounds better likely due to the better power supply and amp section


FWIW, this guy thought Hugo TT sounded broken after listening to the Hugo 2:


----------



## thehutch

thehutch said:


> FWIW, this guy thought Hugo TT sounded broken after listening to the Hugo 2:



Actually I guess he doesn’t say it in that video but there’s another where he talks about


----------



## joshnor713

Bluetooth on the Hugo 2 is...not good. Even using AptX. Be glad the Mojo 2 put priority on other things. Or be upset that Chord doesn't know how to do Bluetooth well, lol.


----------



## kennyb123

endless402 said:


> In theory yes. In the end it’s personal preference. Sometimes mscaler is better. Sometimes it’s not.


M-Scaler was always better to my ears. I base that on my personal preference where "better" means closer to the sound of live music.



endless402 said:


> Hugo 2 has more taps than Hugo TT but subjectively the TT sounds better likely due to the better power supply and amp section


Of course one cannot judge by taps alone.  But if everything else is kept constant, doubling taps will result in a more lifelike sound.  It will be more revealing too, which isn't always a good thing based on the other components in the chain and one's musical preferences.  

Really fascinating to me was to hear the difference between 2 billion and 3 billion taps when using PGGB.  You would think that 2 billion would be enough and there couldn't be further improvements beyond that, but that turned out to not be the case.  It wasn't difficult to hear the improvements.

I believe the theory tells us that we need an infinite number of taps to perfectly reconstruct the signal.  So as long as everything else is kept equal, increasing the number of taps will always take us in the direction of better reconstructing the signal.


----------



## kennyb123

thehutch said:


> WIW, this guy thought Hugo TT sounded broken after listening to the Hugo 2


That was my reaction when a TT2 showed up and replaced my TT.  Broken is an exaggeration of course, but it was the sounds of cymbals that made it seems as though something was amiss with the TT.  The TT2 simply made them seem more real and in the room with me.  The TT robbed cymbals of some of their natural sheen.


----------



## MarkParity

BLacklWf said:


> U.S. retailers will charge a hefty premium. At the current exchange rate, 449£ is about $600. But, $120 (90£) is VAT. A VAT is like a sales tax, which is already included in the price for people in the U.K. But, U.S. people do not need to pay VAT, so the true USD price is $480. However, the U.S. distributors will sell Mojo 2 at $750. They know U.S. consumers are not aware of VAT. Hence, U.S. retailers seize the opportunity to make a little more profit for themselves. At the end of the day, it's about 60% premium versus a consumer in U.K. International shipping, etc? It only takes about $10 extra to ship to the U.S. compared to shipping within the U.K. This happens with every U.K. imported audiophile product.


Living in the UK I actually like the way Chord price their stuff, its a UK company looking after its UK customers as far as prices are concerned.

iFi on the other hand its 599 in all currencies. $599 is around £450 so we pay a lot more for the Gryphon than other regions, despite iFi claiming to be a UK company.


----------



## msq123

BLacklWf said:


> U.S. retailers will charge a hefty premium. At the current exchange rate, 449£ is about $600. But, $120 (90£) is VAT. A VAT is like a sales tax, which is already included in the price for people in the U.K. But, U.S. people do not need to pay VAT, so the true USD price is $480. However, the U.S. distributors will sell Mojo 2 at $750. They know U.S. consumers are not aware of VAT. Hence, U.S. retailers seize the opportunity to make a little more profit for themselves. At the end of the day, it's about 60% premium versus a consumer in U.K. International shipping, etc? It only takes about $10 extra to ship to the U.S. compared to shipping within the U.K. This happens with every U.K. imported audiophile product.


It’s bad for you guys but it’s very rare for us in the U.K. to get the better end of the stick. Most companies almost treat US$->£ at par when it comes to pricing in the U.K. As a result, we end up paying up to 30% more than you guys.


----------



## NYanakiev

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Well, we got USB-C.  That's a big one.    Also have Desktop mode which is big.
> 
> 40000 vs 27000 taps for Mojo OG.  That's an improvement.
> 
> ...


No- compatibility with a MScaler.


----------



## GreenBow (Jan 28, 2022)

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Well, we got USB-C.  That's a big one.    Also have Desktop mode which is big.
> 
> 40000 vs 27000 taps for Mojo OG.  That's an improvement.
> 
> ...



OG Mojo had 38,000 taps. However they ran at half speed so effectively 19,000 taps.

Will be curious to learn what speed the Mojo 2 taps run at. If it is 40,000 at full speed it should sound excellent.

Scary to think it could be full speed at 40,000 taps, since it's very close to Hugo 2. There is considerably more to Chord DACs than just taps though, as John and Rob frequently tell us.



AlexCBSN said:


> No need to double check any other equipment, they had me at 75% battery improvement.
> 
> Coax still working so my dear xduoo 05bl still working. Ladies and gentlemen (mainly gentlemen in this forum TBH) we got mojo2, and i cant be happier with it. It SOUNDS promising.



75% less power loss. Not 75% more battery life. The script above listed it as over 8 hours.


----------



## NYanakiev

soundblast75 said:


> Is this bigger and heavier that og?
> Usb micro is simply unforgivable.
> If i have a few great daps why do i need this?
> To have annoying lights in the dark🤪


Micro-usb is there for Poly compatibility.


----------



## Randomrubble

No Bluetooth is a problem for a lot of potential buyers. Yes it’s going to be worse than wired, but there are always times when convenience wins out.

Above a certain level it’s kind of pointless to prioritise SQ over convenience for a commute. Background noise is a constant and how much difference does an incremental improvement make while you run over points or hear ‘See it, Say it…’ in the background?

Keeping BT off costs sales. Yes, there’s a purist argument that BT isn’t as good but saying ‘Add a Poly’ at £500 means taking the Mojo out of financial reach fo many and adding loads of bulk, not to mention complexity. Poly is absolutely the opposite of convenience.

Surely a package/kit at a £50-ish premium that included a single function BT adapter would make sense? Chord could still upsell to Poly and generate thousands of extra Mojo sales!


----------



## GreenBow (Jan 28, 2022)

weexisttocease said:


> 449£



I think it will be more than £449.

Chord recently upped all their prices to start with. Plus they usually charge a premuim for their upgraded new model. What with inflation too, and Chord's previous Brexit tax.

Damn if it is £449 though.


Moon Audio had it listed at $749 I think. Converted to British pounds that about £550.

However USA prices in dollars are generally numerically equal to British pounds. Meaning $749 = £749. It equates that way because USA prices have to factor in tax. That bump in price for tax usually equates like I said above.

£749 is a lot of money for a portable DAC though. Add Poly and you're walking about with £1,200. Plus cost of phone to operate it.


----------



## Another Audiophile (Jan 28, 2022)

MarkParity said:


> Living in the UK I actually like the way Chord price their stuff, its a UK company looking after its UK customers as far as prices are concerned.
> 
> iFi on the other hand its 599 in all currencies. $599 is around £450 so we pay a lot more for the Gryphon than other regions, despite iFi claiming to be a UK company.


I couldn't agree more. For me pricing from companies like Ifi is a reason not buying their products.


----------



## waveSounds (Jan 28, 2022)

Despite all my previous jokes in this thread, the Mojo 2 is probably the only piece of new gear I'll buy this year. I was sold on desktop mode.

There's more than enough devices out there with Bluetooth, the 2 not having it really isn't a negative. You think they'd keep those stoopid micro USB ports for compatibility with the Poly if they were going to put wireless connectivity in the new Mojo?


----------



## 051644

It’s really disappointing. If Chord is capable to insert a type c for data transfer, why not just one more for charging. Then you can satisfy us


----------



## soundblast75

Judging by the pic, usb micro is the one for charging


----------



## weexisttocease

It would be interesting to compare the Mojo with the Gryphon. Ifi has more features like BT, you need to add the Poly to the Mojo and that makes it a more expensive offer.


----------



## Another Audiophile

I am just quires how the UHD DSP will be implemented and controlled.


----------



## MarkParity

weexisttocease said:


> It would be interesting to compare the Mojo with the Gryphon. Ifi has more features like BT, you need to add the Poly to the Mojo and that makes it a more expensive offer.


If a Mojo 2 owner wants Bluetooth then there are DAP's around that will take a Bluetooth input and output it over USB to a DAC. Yes its another device to have to charge and carry around but these can be obtained for a lot less then the Poly.


----------



## lawshredpower

Poly’s garbage. Worst part of this Mojo 2 launch is knowing they won’t make a Poly 2. Or so ir seems.


----------



## msq123

lawshredpower said:


> Poly’s garbage. Worst part of this Mojo 2 launch is knowing they won’t make a Poly 2. Or so ir seems.


I don’t have Poly but from what I heard they fixed lot of issues with the software update?


----------



## MarkParity

lawshredpower said:


> Poly’s garbage. Worst part of this Mojo 2 launch is knowing they won’t make a Poly 2. Or so ir seems.


A Poly 2 while it sounds good on paper will do nothing to fix poly 1's issues which were/are mainly firmware based. Chord are not a software company and should have thought the risks through a bit more, before starting development of Poly. 

The concept behind Poly and 2Go are excellent, they just need finishing properly and also require extra F/W features adding that customers are crying out for.

If Chord were ever to open source the code base for Poly/2Go the products could be finally ready for consumers, this will never happen though.


----------



## NYanakiev

lawshredpower said:


> Poly’s garbage. Worst part of this Mojo 2 launch is knowing they won’t make a Poly 2. Or so ir seems.


Nah. It is a viable product now.


----------



## msq123

Could someone please explain issues users faced with Poly? What got fixed with firmware update and what is still a pain point?
I had Mojo which I sold back in 2019 and now getting Mojo 2 as soon as I can get my hands on one but still on the fence about Poly and trying to understand the magnitude of these issues and workarounds?


----------



## MarkParity

msq123 said:


> Could someone please explain issues users faced with Poly? What got fixed with firmware update and what is still a pain point?
> I had Mojo which I sold back in 2019 and now getting Mojo 2 as soon as I can get my hands on one but still on the fence about Poly and trying to understand the magnitude of these issues and workarounds?


Poly is probably off topic for this thread, but for many users including me its the random nature, will it work today or not.

It can be very temperamental sometimes, usually when I want to just listen.

Also it would be easier to use in a mobile setting if Chord ever got ChromeCast or Spotify connect added which are features that were promised at one point.


----------



## SRKRAM

MarkParity said:


> Poly is probably off topic for this thread, but for many users including me its the random nature, will it work today or not.
> 
> It can be very temperamental sometimes, usually when I want to just listen.
> 
> Also it would be easier to use in a mobile setting if Chord ever got ChromeCast or Spotify connect added which are features that were promised at one point.


Mojo 2's built-in EQ make it very tempting for me. Micro usb is a turn off though - a couple of years ago I vowed to only buy devices which use USB-C as I don't like having lot's of different cables around. Unfortunately, devices like the mojo are exempt from the EU's common external power supply legislation. I can't believe that Chord would go with micro usb just for the sake of compatibility with Poly, given that it doesn't seem to be a very compelling product for many people - but obviously Chord know different.
Poly would only be of use to me if it were to support Tidal and Spotify connect - That, combined with built-in EQ would be a dream combination for me.


----------



## shizzin

msq123 said:


> Could someone please explain issues users faced with Poly? What got fixed with firmware update and what is still a pain point?
> I had Mojo which I sold back in 2019 and now getting Mojo 2 as soon as I can get my hands on one but still on the fence about Poly and trying to understand the magnitude of these issues and workarounds?


With the latest firmware it works pretty reliably. Best of all you can bypass bluetooth with it and just use the hotspot outside while retaining internet. Of course the hardware version probably has some role, maybe not, I can't tell but I know I got a replacement poly and it's the latest. The gofigure app now works well; I'm at 3.00 firmware.


----------



## musicday

No matter what, it will sell really well !


----------



## JaquesGelee

shizzin said:


> Of course the hardware version probably has some role, maybe not, I can't tell but I know I got a replacement poly and it's the latest.


Was there any hardware refresh to poly?


----------



## Another Audiophile

musicday said:


> No matter what, it will sell really well !


I am not so sure about that. When mojo came originally it really did fill a gap. Now the mojo 2 will be swimming among sharks I am afraid and when we are talking about mobile devices good sound is not enough because other devices are "good enough" and more diverse. There is competition now. I will personally buy it if the price is right


----------



## shizzin

JaquesGelee said:


> Was there any hardware refresh to poly?


What I know is that my replacement poly is more stable by a mile than what I had previously. Actually my previous poly failed miserably. This one is behaving and I can't tell whether it's just the latest firmware or a combination with the fact that it was probably made later. But it's stable to my surprise.


----------



## mainguy

musicday said:


> No matter what, it will sell really well !


I'm not so sure, what makes you say that?
There's a lot more competitors since Mojo launched, and the landscape has changed. Without bluetooth I think it's not a particularly useful device to be honest, at least until the poly is fixed. Too limited.

People can just grab a DAP that sounds superb, has storage, bluetooth, etc, more battery life than the Mojo, and weighing about the same...


----------



## Mike Foley

Mojo 2 is reviewed in the latest issue of Hi-Fi World, which isn’t officially available until January 31st, but my local shop had a copy. They list the price as £449.00.


----------



## weexisttocease

Mike Foley said:


> Mojo 2 is reviewed in the latest issue of Hi-Fi World, which isn’t officially available until January 31st, but my local shop had a copy. They list the price as £449.00.


Any sound impressions from the review?


----------



## Tristy

Another Audiophile said:


> I am not so sure about that. When mojo came originally it really did fill a gap. Now the mojo 2 will be swimming among sharks I am afraid and when we are talking about mobile devices good sound is not enough because other devices are "good enough" and more diverse. There is competition now. I will personally buy it if the price is right



My prediction is that the Mojo 2 will be significantly better sounding than similar priced competition and other brands will be working for years to catch up, similar to the situation with the original Mojo. In this scenario I think the large disparity in sound quality will be enough for Mojo 2 to differentiate itself and be successful in the market… but only the reviews will tell for certain I guess.


----------



## Mike Foley

I haven’t finished reading yet, but it’s described as outstanding


----------



## Tristy

mainguy said:


> I'm not so sure, what makes you say that?
> There's a lot more competitors since Mojo launched, and the landscape has changed. Without bluetooth I think it's not a particularly useful device to be honest, at least until the poly is fixed. Too limited.
> 
> People can just grab a DAP that sounds superb, has storage, bluetooth, etc, more battery life than the Mojo, and weighing about the same...


Many in the target market don’t care about Bluetooth and other functionality which ultimately leads to inferior sound quality (myself included). These consumers prioritise the best sound quality above all else and these consumers are the ones that mojo 2 will likely cater for.


----------



## thehutch

Mike Foley said:


> I haven’t finished reading yet, but it’s described as outstanding


Maybe share the conclusions graphs if you can?


----------



## musicday

mainguy said:


> I'm not so sure, what makes you say that?
> There's a lot more competitors since Mojo launched, and the landscape has changed. Without bluetooth I think it's not a particularly useful device to be honest, at least until the poly is fixed. Too limited.
> 
> People can just grab a DAP that sounds superb, has storage, bluetooth, etc, more battery life than the Mojo, and weighing about the same...


I am sure the sound has improved a lot compared to the Mojo. Maybe some features are missing but mostly people will focus on the sound and sound alone.
To be honest I would love to see a no battery product from Chord Electronics, something small like a dongle but powerful.


----------



## lawshredpower

MarkParity said:


> A Poly 2 while it sounds good on paper will do nothing to fix poly 1's issues which were/are mainly firmware based. Chord are not a software company and should have thought the risks through a bit more, before starting development of Poly.
> 
> The concept behind Poly and 2Go are excellent, they just need finishing properly and also require extra F/W features adding that customers are crying out for.
> 
> If Chord were ever to open source the code base for Poly/2Go the products could be finally ready for consumers, this will never happen though.



I’ve asked before if there could be a way to implement controlling the music via the app instead of using DLNA through a software update. Chord said it was not possible. So yeah, a Poly 2 would be great. Turn it on, open the Chord app and use it just like a DAP. That would be the dream!


----------



## PANURUS

weexisttocease said:


> From avcat.jp
> 
> Uncategorized
> 
> ...


https://www.xilinx.com/html_docs/ip_docs/pru_files/v-uhdsdi-audio.html

On this document, UHD DSP seems to be relatif to only Ultrascale FPGA But it seems usable with Artix 7 too.

With Gofigure could we change the coefficients in the UHD DSP for equalisation with one interface USB of the Mojo2 or across the Poly? 
40 years later, maybe I will restart to use an equalizer.


----------



## adamjohari

Preordered it already ✌🏼


----------



## msq123 (Jan 28, 2022)

adamjohari said:


> Preordered it already ✌🏼


Cheers, I am in too


----------



## paulgc

Mike Foley said:


> Mojo 2 is reviewed in the latest issue of Hi-Fi World, which isn’t officially available until January 31st, but my local shop had a copy. They list the price as £449.00.


Which month/issue? March?


----------



## alota

i don´t understand. chord not officially released mojo 2 and we have review pre-order and price??


----------



## Charente

Pre-order available in France ... 16-30 days lead time
https://www.son-video.com/article/h...-dac-audio-portables/chord-electronics/mojo-2


----------



## Another Audiophile

Tristy said:


> My prediction is that the Mojo 2 will be significantly better sounding than similar priced competition and other brands will be working for years to catch up, similar to the situation with the original Mojo. In this scenario I think the large disparity in sound quality will be enough for Mojo 2 to differentiate itself and be successful in the market… but only the reviews will tell for certain I guess.


Yes, for the 10% of the 1%


----------



## msq123

alota said:


> i don´t understand. chord not officially released mojo 2 and we have review pre-order and price??


No retailer will say no to your money although no pricing is official yet. I phoned in to my dealer and paid a deposit to reserve  for day 1 dispatch 🤞🏽


----------



## Tristy

Another Audiophile said:


> Yes, for the 10% of the 1%


It's still a market, and a lucrative one at that. There's plenty of dongles and bluetooth receivers that offer questionable sound quality with loads of functionality.


----------



## alota

msq123 said:


> No retailer will say no to your money although no pricing is official yet. I phoned in to my dealer and paid a deposit to reserve  for day 1 dispatch 🤞🏽


ok. but in the chord site nothing and online store presents pictures and description???


----------



## Randomrubble

Tristy said:


> Many in the target market don’t care about Bluetooth and other functionality which ultimately leads to inferior sound quality (myself included). These consumers prioritise the best sound quality above all else and these consumers are the ones that mojo 2 will likely cater for.


The part of the market that is willing to accept not having bluetooth is small and shrinking.

I am in the market for a headphone DAC pretty much right now which will mostly be used wired but sometimes OTG. I'd have pre-order a Mojo 2 with BT straightaway and waited but am now leaning towards the Gryphon...


----------



## waveSounds

I'd wager that the majority of Mojo buyers came as a result of What HiFi's glowing review and not from recommendations by us nerds on audio forums or other esoteric hobbyist platforms. If the Mojo 2 gets a similar review then it's success is all but guaranteed.


----------



## BLacklWf

msq123 said:


> It’s bad for you guys but it’s very rare for us in the U.K. to get the better end of the stick. Most companies almost treat US$->£ at par when it comes to pricing in the U.K. As a result, we end up paying up to 30% more than you guys.


Actually, 20% of that premium is VAT. In U.S. the sales tax is not included in the price. So, you always have to multiply by 1.2 when you are converting to U.K. price.


----------



## MarkParity

waveSounds said:


> I'd wager that the majority of Mojo buyers came as a result of What HiFi's glowing review and not from recommendations by us nerds on audio forums or other esoteric hobbyist platforms. If the Mojo 2 gets a similar review then it's success is all but guaranteed.


Agreed, believe the hype, we are aboard the train already.


----------



## alota

from pictures i think someone has mojo, refuse mojo 2. i´m sure in the next days we will have a lot of enthusiastic reviews


----------



## Szymon The Crackhead

The fact that this uses microUSB for charging is just insulting. For anything over €100 that would be a dealbreaker, but for over €500 in 2022? Get outta here. Instant 0/10 based on that choice alone. 

(And yes, I know it’s because of the Poly. I don’t care about the Poly. Literally all I wanted was a USB C Mojo. Screw you, Chord)


----------



## alota (Jan 28, 2022)

Szymon The Crackhead said:


> The fact that this uses microUSB for charging is just insulting. For anything over €100 that would be a dealbreaker, but for over €500 in 2022? Get outta here. Instant 0/10 based on that choice alone.
> 
> (And yes, I know it’s because of the Poly. I don’t care about the Poly. Literally all I wanted was a USB C Mojo. Screw you, Chord)


i thought the same
Edit: i will stay with my ru6


----------



## BLacklWf (Jan 28, 2022)

MarkParity said:


> Living in the UK I actually like the way Chord price their stuff, its a UK company looking after its UK customers as far as prices are concerned.
> 
> iFi on the other hand its 599 in all currencies. $599 is around £450 so we pay a lot more for the Gryphon than other regions, despite iFi claiming to be a UK company.


Again, 20% of everything in the U.K. is VAT, not so in the U.S. So, when you convert U.S. prices, you need to multiply it by 1.2 on top of the conversion rate. Just because your governments literally tax their citizens to the death.

A totally separate note. We are taught that taxes are essential and good. It's essential of course. But, many modern governments actually levy more tax than the Middle Ages landlords. If add up every taxes you pay including federal tax, state tax, city tax, sales tax/VAT, death tax, and so many taxes already built into the utilities such as toll, airport, hotel, cellphone, internet, parking, rental car, electricity, water, etc that you pay without being aware, many people pay more than 50% of every money they ever make in taxes. Literally, many free citizens of modern-day pay more taxes than a peasant of the dark ages.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Tristy said:


> It's still a market, and a lucrative one at that. There's plenty of dongles and bluetooth receivers that offer questionable sound quality with loads of functionality.


yes but these sound "good enough" and are portable. The mojo as a portable device connected to your mobile was a total failure for me and that's why I bought the poly. Failure because of constant clicks and pops.


----------



## Another Audiophile

BLacklWf said:


> literally tax their citizen to the death.


We pay for our services and I am fine with it.


----------



## waveSounds

MarkParity said:


> Agreed, believe the hype, we are aboard the train already.


----------



## Tristy (Jan 28, 2022)

Another Audiophile said:


> yes but these sound "good enough" and are portable. The mojo as a portable device connected to your mobile was a total failure for me and that's why I bought the poly. Failure because of constant clicks and pops.


"Good enough" isn't good enough for those wanting the best sound quality haha. I think the point is that maybe the Mojo2 isn't aimed at you as a consumer if you're not seeing the value in it as a portable solution looking to achieve the best sound quality. I am just speculating as we don't know if the Mojo2 is going to measure up in the sound quality department yet... if it doesn't, then I can foresee problems.


----------



## Nostoi

BLacklWf said:


> Again, 20% of everything in the U.K. is VAT, not so in the U.S. So, when you are converting any U.S. prices, you need to multiply it by 1.2 on top of the conversion rate. Just because your governments literally tax their citizen to the death.
> 
> A totally separate note. Many people are taught that taxes are essential and good. It's essential of course, but many modern governments actually tax their citizen more than the middle age landlords. Many free citizens of the developed world literally pay more taxes than a peasant. When you consider every taxes you pay including VAT, many in Europe and U.K. pays more than 50% of every money they make in taxes.


Uh oh. Are you one of those "sovereign citizens"? Because I hear it's quite trendy to be one these days.


----------



## Bleach-Free

I wish more companies would take Robs/Chords approach to sound quality first and foremost over anything else with regards to their DACs. So many companies feel the need to release products so quickly just to get the latest "features" implemented, often times at the expense of sound quality. It took all of about 20 minutes listening to a friends OG Mojo for me to realize how special Robs DACs are compared to others. Wasn't long after that when I bought my own. I have complete faith in Rob that Mojo2 will sound fantastic and be a significant upgrade.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Tristy said:


> "Good enough" isn't good enough for those wanting the best sound quality haha. I think the point is that maybe the Mojo2 isn't aimed at you as a consumer if you're not seeing the value in it as a portable solution looking to achieve the best sound quality. I am just speculating as we don't know if the Mojo2 is going to measure up in the sound quality department yet... if it doesn't, then I can foresee problems.


Personally I will be happy if it works compared to the original as a mobile device.


----------



## alota

Bleach-Free said:


> I wish more companies would take Robs/Chords approach to sound quality first and foremost over anything else with regards to their DACs. So many companies feel the need to release products so quickly just to get the latest "features" implemented, often times at the expense of sound quality. It took all of about 20 minutes listening to a friends OG Mojo for me to realize how special Robs DACs are compared to others. Wasn't long after that when I bought my own. I have complete faith in Rob that Mojo2 will sound fantastic and be a significant upgrade.


Honestly this thought does not justify certain choices.


----------



## chesebert

lawshredpower said:


> Poly’s garbage. Worst part of this Mojo 2 launch is knowing they won’t make a Poly 2. Or so ir seems.


Get a better a better wifi router/fix your networking issue and use poly with an idevice.


----------



## chesebert

msq123 said:


> Could someone please explain issues users faced with Poly? What got fixed with firmware update and what is still a pain point?
> I had Mojo which I sold back in 2019 and now getting Mojo 2 as soon as I can get my hands on one but still on the fence about Poly and trying to understand the magnitude of these issues and workarounds?


people have **** home networks or use crappy wifi router or insist they want to avoid Apple products at all cost - in other words mostly user errors...


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

chesebert said:


> people have **** home networks or use crappy wifi router or insist they want to avoid Apple products at all cost - in other words mostly user errors...


Yeah, I had a Netgear router and my Poly would drop its network connection at least once per day and that was very annoying.   But, when I installed a Google Mesh network, I no longer have network problems.

I also had problems getting the music player working.  The only one I could get to work is mconnect.   Mconnect is okay, but no better than that.    A DAP interface would be much better.


----------



## andrewd01

The Mojo 2 looks like a great DAC for £449.  Assuming that price is correct I think Mojo2 is a far more compelling choice than the Hugo 2 at £1895.

At its price point I can forgive the micro USB charging port, but no way would I accept this on the far more expensive H2.
When I demoed the H2 it had all sorts of pops and crackles due to the dodgy connection due to damaged micro USB input socket (easily bent out of shape).


----------



## MarkParity

andrewd01 said:


> The Mojo 2 looks like a great DAC for £449.  Assuming that price is correct I think Mojo2 is a far more compelling choice than the Hugo 2 at £1895.
> 
> At its price point I can forgive the micro USB charging port, but no way would I accept this on the far more expensive H2.
> When I demoed the H2 it had all sorts of pops and crackles due to the dodgy connection due to damaged micro USB input socket (easily bent out of shape).


Ahh but Hugo 2 wraps your music with silk sheets and serves it up with the best champagne and Belgian chocolates. Does Mojo 2 do that, is the question I want to see answered.


----------



## chesebert

andrewd01 said:


> The Mojo 2 looks like a great DAC for £449.  Assuming that price is correct I think Mojo2 is a far more compelling choice than the Hugo 2 at £1895.
> 
> At its price point I can forgive the micro USB charging port, but no way would I accept this on the far more expensive H2.
> When I demoed the H2 it had all sorts of pops and crackles due to the dodgy connection due to damaged micro USB input socket (easily bent out of shape).


You have to see this from Chord's perspective - just buy Poly/2Go and the connection problems are solved. In all honesty, wifi/network protocol is much more robust than USB audio and your Hugo2/Mojo2 will sound better over wifi (airplay) anyway.


----------



## andrewd01

chesebert said:


> You have to see this from Chord's perspective - just buy Poly/2Go and the connection problems are solved. In all honesty, wifi/network protocol is much more robust than USB audio and your Hugo2/Mojo2 will sound better over wifi (airplay) anyway.


It looks like the problems are already mostly sorted on Mojo2, since the crappy micro usb is only used for charging.  The USBC should be quite robust for audio signal.

If I bought one of these it would probably to use as a desktop DAC in a second system.  Most of my mobile listening (pre pandemic) is in noisy trains or planes where an ipad with Tidal offline straight into Bose noise cancelling headphones is good enough.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

chesebert said:


> You have to see this from Chord's perspective - just buy Poly/2Go and the connection problems are solved. In all honesty, wifi/network protocol is much more robust than USB audio and your Hugo2/Mojo2 will sound better over wifi (airplay) anyway.


I am the customer.  Why do I need to look at it from their perspective?    I need to survey the alternatives in the market and choose the products that best meet my needs at the prices that work for me.    I say this as a Mojo/Poly and Hugo 2/2go owner.    I do agree with you that when everything works, the Mojo and Hugo 2 sound great.   However, the DAP user experience has won me over.   Having an integrated player, DAC, Amp and network device is very nice.    I prefer my Hiby RS6 and iBasso DX300 to the Chord Mojo/Poly and if I want Hugo 2/2go sound quality, I can pair them with either the Cayin C9 or Woo Audio WA8.   I am sure the Mojo 2 will sound better than the OG, but I don't think it will be enough to change fundamentally my preferred user experience.


----------



## chesebert

andrewd01 said:


> It looks like the problems are already mostly sorted on Mojo2, since the crappy micro usb is only used for charging.  The USBC should be quite robust for audio signal.
> 
> If I bought one of these it would probably to use as a desktop DAC in a second system.  Most of my mobile listening (pre pandemic) is in noisy trains or planes where an ipad with Tidal offline straight into Bose noise cancelling headphones is good enough.





HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I am the customer.  Why do I need to look at it from their perspective?    I need to survey the alternatives in the market and choose the products that best meet my needs at the prices that work for me.    I say this as a Mojo/Poly and Hugo 2/2go owner.    I do agree with you that when everything works, the Mojo and Hugo 2 sound great.   However, the DAP user experience has won me over.   Having an integrated player, DAC, Amp and network device is very nice.    I prefer my Hiby RS6 and iBasso DX300 to the Chord Mojo/Poly and if I want Hugo 2/2go sound quality, I can pair them with either the Cayin C9 or Woo Audio WA8.   I am sure the Mojo 2 will sound better than the OG, but I don't think it will be enough to change fundamentally my preferred user experience.


I forgot to add “/s” to my post… 😌


----------



## paulgc

This thread has really heated up. Just wait until next week when we have the details! For what it is worth... I love my Poly (now, was bleeding edge) as a Roon Endpoint in the house. [2Go for Desktop using Ethernet] I am very interested to see what Mojo 2 brings to the table. And of course... when will it actually be available in the wild (North America).


----------



## kennyb123

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I prefer my Hiby RS6 and iBasso DX300 to the Chord Mojo/Poly


I can’t tell you how many times frustration with Poly had me nearly ready to purchase an iBasso DX300.  How do you feel its sound quality compares to Poly/Mojo?


----------



## lawshredpower

chesebert said:


> Get a better a better wifi router/fix your networking issue and use poly with an idevice.



I've never said I had connection issues.


----------



## Mike Foley

I’ve just got in from work. Here’s the summary at the bottom of the HFW review.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

kennyb123 said:


> I can’t tell you how many times frustration with Poly had me nearly ready to purchase an iBasso DX300.  How do you feel its sound quality compares to Poly/Mojo?


I haven't really done an extensive A/B test between them.   But, I love my DX300 with AMP12.   It's fast, it has 10 hours of battery life and pairs beautifully with the Cayin C9 to drive full sized headphones.


----------



## lawshredpower

msq123 said:


> Could someone please explain issues users faced with Poly? What got fixed with firmware update and what is still a pain point?
> I had Mojo which I sold back in 2019 and now getting Mojo 2 as soon as I can get my hands on one but still on the fence about Poly and trying to understand the magnitude of these issues and workarounds?



The need for a DLNA app to use your Poly. Never had performance issues, just hated every single minute of it.


----------



## lawshredpower

Mike Foley said:


> I’ve just got in from work. Here’s the summary at the bottom of the HFW review.



I'm sold, very curious about it!!


----------



## miketlse

BLacklWf said:


> Again, 20% of everything in the U.K. is VAT, not so in the U.S. So, when you are converting any U.S. prices, you need to multiply it by 1.2 on top of the conversion rate. Just because your governments literally tax their citizen to the death.
> 
> A totally separate note. Many people are taught that taxes are essential and good. It's essential of course, but many modern governments actually tax their citizen more than the middle age landlords. Many free citizens of the developed world literally pay more taxes than a peasant. When you consider every taxes you pay including VAT, many in Europe and U.K. pays more than 50% of every money they make in taxes.


Ok we pay more taxes, but in the middle ages there was no welfare state or public health services, so if peasants became ill or poor they had to beg for charity from the church, and probably die before aged 40.
If that is your ideology of a good lifestyle, then so be it.
Just don't expect intelligent humans to describe it as a good or idyllic lifestyle.


----------



## BLacklWf

miketlse said:


> Ok we pay more taxes, but in the middle ages there was no welfare state or public health services, so if peasants became ill or poor they had to beg for charity from the church, and probably die before aged 40.
> If that is your ideology of a good lifestyle, then so be it.
> Just don't expect intelligent humans to describe it as a good or idyllic lifestyle.


My reference to the modern-day peasantry was meant to be humor. I apologize if I offended anyone.


----------



## paulgc

Mike Foley said:


> I’ve just got in from work. Here’s the summary at the bottom of the HFW review.


Very curious if they compare to Mojo 1 in the review?


----------



## miketlse

BLacklWf said:


> My reference to the modern-day peasantry was meant to be humor. I apologize if I offended anyone.


You did come across as a Tea Party fanatic. 
Sorry if I offended you.


----------



## BLacklWf

miketlse said:


> You did come across as a Tea Party fanatic.
> Sorry if I offended you.


Well.. I'm a coffee person.


----------



## miketlse

BLacklWf said:


> Well.. I'm a coffee person.


That sounds much more encouraging.


----------



## alekc

Mike Foley said:


> I’ve just got in from work. Here’s the summary at the bottom of the HFW review.


@Mike Foley  thanks for sharing it with us.

On a side note: when will reviewers learn that lack of balanced connection isn't always a drawback, especially when considering Chord dac/amp architecture. Doesn't put a lot of confidence in reviewer IMHO.


----------



## elira

alekc said:


> @Mike Foley  thanks for sharing it with us.
> 
> On a side note: when will reviewers learn that lack of balanced connection isn't always a drawback, especially when considering Chord dac/amp architecture. Doesn't put a lot of confidence in reviewer IMHO.


It seems like nowadays everything has to be balanced otherwise it’s not worth considering.


----------



## andrewd01

Curious why that review complains about the need for an adapter to use with an iphone. Wouldn’t you just run a lightning to USBC cable?


----------



## alekc

elira said:


> It seems like nowadays everything has to be balanced otherwise it’s not worth considering.


@elira indeed, sad but true  Can't wait to hear single ended Mojo 2  I wonder if it will get the same synergy with AudioQuest cans Mojo has.


----------



## kennyb123

alekc said:


> On a side note: when will reviewers learn that lack of balanced connection isn't always a drawback, especially when considering Chord dac/amp architecture. Doesn't put a lot of confidence in reviewer IMHO.


That was my reaction too.  Some “reviewers” measure against a “what’s hip” list instead of thinking much about what makes for a great listening experience.  I bet the review knocks the Mojo 2 for not supporting MQA.  I see that as a plus.


----------



## mainguy

kennyb123 said:


> I can’t tell you how many times frustration with Poly had me nearly ready to purchase an iBasso DX300.  How do you feel its sound quality compares to Poly/Mojo?


Different dap, but i have a wm1a. The poly crushes it in SQ.
BUT if you put the wm1z firmware on the wm1a…reverse that. The wm1a with the firmware (which makes it a wm1z in all but name, really) is better than a mojo/poly to my ear. No doubt about it. Plus it has 20h battery life, and can stream from a phone via bluetooth in a touch of a button.

Its just a much better device than the mojo/poly in every metric if portable use is the goal imo


----------



## SRKRAM

mainguy said:


> Different dap, but i have a wm1a. The poly crushes it in SQ.
> BUT if you put the wm1z firmware on the wm1a…reverse that. The wm1a with the firmware (which makes it a wm1z in all but name, really) is better than a mojo/poly to my ear. No doubt about it. Plus it has 20h battery life, and can stream from a phone via bluetooth in a touch of a button.
> 
> Its just a much better device than the mojo/poly in every metric if portable use is the goal imo


I also went the DAP route and don't miss the mojo at all. Started with a fiio m11 pro and then got an M11 plus. It's nice to have an all in one solution with good sound quality.


----------



## adamjohari

I already paid for my Mojo 2. Surprised by the early promotion. Got it for a good price. Don't know if we can discuss prices here since I'm new to the forum.


----------



## elira

adamjohari said:


> I already paid for my Mojo 2. Surprised by the early promotion. Got it for a good price. Don't know if we can discuss prices here since I'm new to the forum.


You can, but your dealer might not be happy.


----------



## adamjohari

elira said:


> You can, but your dealer might not be happy.


Yeah nevermind. All good 👍🏻


----------



## utdeep

This really charges with microUSB? In 2022?


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

elira said:


> You can, but your dealer might not be happy.


It depends on whether or not there are more than one Chord dealers in Malaysia.


----------



## weexisttocease

Just for curiosity how big is the combo Mojo+Poly? From the spec sheet and some pictures it looks smaller than a smartphone. Of course is thicker but maybe not as long and larger than a Pixel 4, for example.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

weexisttocease said:


> Just for curiosity how big is the combo Mojo+Poly? From the spec sheet and some pictures it looks smaller than a smartphone. Of course is thicker but maybe not as long and larger than a Pixel 4, for example.


I am measuring mine now.

L:  5.25 inches
W: 2.625 inches
D: 1 inch

It is smaller than the screen on my iPhone Xs Max and 1 inch thick.   it's a nice form factor.


----------



## KittySneeze

andrewd01 said:


> Curious why that review complains about the need for an adapter to use with an iphone. Wouldn’t you just run a lightning to USBC cable?


Apple devices require a specific “Camera Kit” adapter to allow for OTG functionality through the lightning port. The adapter uses a bulky USB-A female to connect to the audio source, so most devices require an additional adapter to go from their USB-C/Micro USB DACs to a male USB-A, which can then connect to the Apple adapter.

That all said, there are some companies that sell usb-c or micro-usb to lightning OTG cables, but they are prone to failure since they do not use the proprietary Apple chip. However, I have had  success using the usb-c to lightning OTG cables from Luxury & Precision, Lotoo, and DD HiFi.

If those companies are able to reliably produce and provide Apple cables for their portable devices, it is reasonable to expect Chord to provide something similar as well—especially for a portable product at this price point.


----------



## paulgc

Hanesu said:


> I want a Mojo/Poly combination in one machine - of course in


----------



## AlexCBSN

Voxata said:


>


Just got home, opened head fi to check the thread. Cant relate more to this image…


----------



## Voxata

AlexCBSN said:


> Just got home, opened head fi to check the thread. Cant relate more to this image…



Popcorn got cold, I've lost interest.


----------



## THANOSTITAN

Greetings Butties

May I please kindly ask where to pre-order a chord mojo 2 ?

Whats the retail price ?

Thank You Butties


----------



## WoodyLuvr (Jan 29, 2022)

THANOSTITAN said:


> Greetings Butties
> 
> May I please kindly ask where to pre-order a chord mojo 2 ?
> 
> ...


Nice try Thanos! Really? Did you really think we would point the way to a source of four (4) infinity stones in one go? Stay dead!  _-Avengers_

P.S. - F' you space clown for killing off half of our families and friends when you snapped those chubby fingers of yours. By the way, stay dead!


----------



## andrewd01

KittySneeze said:


> Apple devices require a specific “Camera Kit” adapter to allow for OTG functionality through the lightning port. The adapter uses a bulky USB-A female to connect to the audio source, so most devices require an additional adapter to go from their USB-C/Micro USB DACs to a male USB-A, which can then connect to the Apple adapter.
> 
> That all said, there are some companies that sell usb-c or micro-usb to lightning OTG cables, but they are prone to failure since they do not use the proprietary Apple chip. However, I have had  success using the usb-c to lightning OTG cables from Luxury & Precision, Lotoo, and DD HiFi.
> 
> If those companies are able to reliably produce and provide Apple cables for their portable devices, it is reasonable to expect Chord to provide something similar as well—especially for a portable product at this price point.



That’s a bummer.  I had assumed the lightning port works like a USB out.


----------



## rkt31

andrewd01 said:


> That’s a bummer.  I had assumed the lightning port works like a USB out.


And still people buy apple products. 😝


----------



## 529128

Will they include a usb c to usb a cable? Then it’s possible to connect to the iPhone via the Apple cck.


----------



## Charente (Jan 29, 2022)

Here in Europe, the Mojo 2 is Euros 599 ... which puts it head-to-head on price with ifi Gryphon, also at Euros 599. Arguably, and on paper only, the Gryphon has more going for it. So the Mojo 2 really only has SQ to differentiate itself (?) ... it will HAVE to be 'outstanding'. I have delayed purchasing a Gryphon when I heard about the Mojo 2 ... I'm looking forward to hear the user feedback ... and preferably a comparison.

EDIT: The Gryphon comes with an OTG USB-C - Lightning cable. No CCK required.


----------



## kennyb123

Charente said:


> Here in Europe, the Mojo 2 is Euros 599 ... which puts it head-to-head on price with ifi Gryphon, also at Euros 599. Arguably, and on paper only, the Gryphon has more going for it. So the Mojo 2 really only has SQ to differentiate itself (?) ... it will HAVE to be 'outstanding'. I have delayed purchasing a Gryphon when I heard about the Mojo 2 ... I'm looking forward to hear the user feedback ... and preferably a comparison.


I was unfamiliar with the Gryphon so I just had a look at it.  Yeah on paper it seems to have a lot more going for it.  When price constraints are imposed on a DAC, that's not always a good thing.  Smart though to wait for reports to come back.  Both look like great options and I don't think anyone could go wrong with either choice.

Having said that, I think the eq feature in Mojo 2 is going to be a real difference-maker.  That has a good chance of leaving much of the competition in the dust.  I base that on how much folks here fiddle with different pads to try to get the sound they prefer from their headphones.  Mojo 2 owners might not have to mess with such things going forward.


----------



## kumar402 (Jan 29, 2022)

chesebert said:


> people have **** home networks or use crappy wifi router or insist they want to avoid Apple products at all cost - in other words mostly user errors...


I have not used Poly but saying something doesn’t work for some one because of some crappy router is just absurd. Do they specify on their product page about the Wi-Fi setup or network setup one should have for it to work? If they have then that’s fine but if they haven’t then Chord can’t say it is problem at user end when a crappy phone or laptop of same user works perfectly fine on same crappy network. Also doesn’t it mean to work on crappy airport  and bus stand Wi-Fi across the globe ?


----------



## PhilW

Everyone slating Poly at the moment  have you all tried the latest firmware iteration as literally all the flaws are now ironed out and it works exceptionally well imho.


----------



## kennyb123

kumar402 said:


> I have not used Poly but saying something doesn’t work for some one because of some crappy router is just absurd.


I don't think it's actually true that crappy routers are the problem.  The Poly isn't quite a resilient though to network glitches than a good many other devices.  It's gotten a lot better with the new firmware.


----------



## mainguy

PhilW said:


> Everyone slating Poly at the moment  have you all tried the latest firmware iteration as literally all the flaws are now ironed out and it works exceptionally well imho.


it doesnt change the basic functionality, which I believe is the same, to connect my phone to poly when im out id have to make a wifi hotspot, and then pair them. I cant just play music from the sd card via bluetooth, with no hotspot needed at any point. Or am i wrong?


----------



## HiFiHawaii808 (Jan 29, 2022)

mainguy said:


> it doesnt change the basic functionality, which I believe is the same, to connect my phone to poly when im out id have to make a wifi hotspot, and then pair them. I cant just play music from the sd card via bluetooth, with no hotspot needed at any point. Or am i wrong?


Bluetooth sound quality sucks.    If you want to use Bluetooth, just buy and IFI Go Blu or Sony WF-1000XM4 and pair it with your smartphone..

Those who don't have the Poly have no idea how much better the sound quality is when the signal is streaming directly over Wifi than either USB or Bluetooth or Airplay.

I could never get the iPhone hotspot to work with the Poly to allow me to stream to it.   Maybe it works now, but I wasted to much time trying to get it to work, I am done trying.


----------



## x RELIC x

I realize why there is so much discussion about the Poly concerning the Mojo2, but it seems like a lot of the conversation specific to the Poly pros and cons could go to the poly thread.


----------



## shizzin

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I could never get the iPhone hotspot to work with the Poly to allow me to stream to it.   Maybe it works now, but I wasted to much time trying to get it to work, I am done trying.


 
takes 3min


----------



## Currawong (Jan 29, 2022)

msq123 said:


> No retailer will say no to your money although no pricing is official yet. I phoned in to my dealer and paid a deposit to reserve  for day 1 dispatch 🤞🏽


Any retailer advertising a pre-order pre-embargo is risking getting no stock at all. That would be rather embarrassing, having to refund all their customers.


Randomrubble said:


> The part of the market that is willing to accept not having bluetooth is small and shrinking.


You mean, I think it should have Bluetooth. I think, like someone else suggested, a Gryphon is a better option if you want Bluetooth, and I haven't tried it yet.  Maybe when APTx Lossless becomes available... and if it is actually lossless and works reliably (I'm willing to best that most of the time it isn't lossless).  Chord obviously have put their energy in the Poly and true lossless transmission using WiFi, though it has been something of a rough ride.


utdeep said:


> This really charges with microUSB? In 2022?


Here's what I think the logic is here:
You might ask, why not have both ports as they have with the data port, if they want to keep Poly compatibility? I'm willing to bet there's a reason preventing that, such as safety. There is always some idiot out there that will try and use both charging ports at the same time, maybe with a Poly connected, and fry the device, for example. Two ports may also not meet whatever charging specifications it is supposed to meet. Basically, a bad idea overall. Then, of course, between the minor inconvenience of having to use a micro USB cable, versus the major inconvenience of Poly customers being screwed over, I think the choice was pretty obvious.

Not to mention, the people who are genuinely upset at not having both ports being USB-C is going to be incredibly small in number versus the vast majority of people who don't care.

And the USB-C socket itself, other than being able to be inserted in either direction, brings zero benefit in and of itself.


----------



## kennyb123

Currawong said:


> You might ask, why not have both ports as they have with the data port, if they want to keep Poly compatibility? I'm willing to bet there's a reason preventing that, such as safety.


Having a separate data port allows the Mojo to connect to a phone and not drain the phone's battery.  That's been one of Chord's design goals, which is also why there is no galvanic isolation on their mobile DACs.  Galvanic isolation needs to draw from the source's battery to provide current to the port.


----------



## alekc

kennyb123 said:


> That was my reaction too.  Some “reviewers” measure against a “what’s hip” list instead of thinking much about what makes for a great listening experience.  I bet the review knocks the Mojo 2 for not supporting MQA.  I see that as a plus.


@kennyb123 indeed. Same here - I've stopped investing into some companies gear due to their obligatory support of MQA. I would consider ifi for example but since I have to pay additional fee for their MQA support by default I am not interested any longer, especially since their GTO filter is so similar to MQA filter.


----------



## flyte3333

kennyb123 said:


> Having said that, I think the eq feature in Mojo 2 is going to be a real difference-maker. That has a good chance of leaving much of the competition in the dust. I base that on how much folks here fiddle with different pads to try to get the sound they prefer from their headphones. Mojo 2 owners might not have to mess with such things going forward.



EQ feature has been confirmed? It is via Poly?


----------



## Charente

flyte3333 said:


> EQ feature has been confirmed? It is via Poly?


 I'm a direct wired user of anything portable ... I don't have any intention of buying a Poly ... not being able to use a fundamental and USP piece of functionality without it, would be a show-stopper ...


----------



## msq123

Currawong said:


> Any retailer advertising a pre-order pre-embargo is risking getting no stock at all. That would be rather embarrassing, having to refund all their customers.



I agree but they weren’t advertising. I phoned and asked if they are able to reserve one for me on day 1 if I pay a deposit to which they agreed. Will find out on Monday if I am getting my Mojo or refund 🤞🏽

You are spot on about micro USB, too much fuss about something so trivial. I am happy as long as I have a USB C port for data.


----------



## karmazynowy

flyte3333 said:


> EQ feature has been confirmed? It is via Poly?





Charente said:


> I'm a direct wired user of anything portable ... I don't have any intention of buying a Poly ... not being able to use a fundamental and USP piece of functionality without it, would be a show-stopper ...





> The Chord Mojo 2 also differs from its predecessor by its new features accessible via the menu button. Among these is a function allowing complete adjustment of the equalization. When activated, Chord Mojo 2's EQ allows you to adjust four frequency ranges (20Hz, 125Hz, 3kHz, 20kHz) in plus or minus nine 1dB steps (18 in total) via the knobs +/- used for volume adjustment. Channel balance can also be adjusted by enabling the feature in the Mojo 2 menu.


----------



## Hanesu

Gryphon is often mentioned as a BT alternative in this thread....but it has one disadvantage that has not been mentioned yet: It is huge! Gone are those times when the XDSD had almost the same form factor as the Mojo!


----------



## GreenBow

andrewd01 said:


> The Mojo 2 looks like a great DAC for £449.  Assuming that price is correct I think Mojo2 is a far more compelling choice than the Hugo 2 at £1895.
> 
> At its price point I can forgive the micro USB charging port, but no way would I accept this on the far more expensive H2.
> When I demoed the H2 it had all sorts of pops and crackles due to the dodgy connection due to damaged micro USB input socket (easily bent out of shape).



Did you see the wired connection to the Hugo 2 input? Only ask because I wonder if you demoed Hugo 2 with 2Go playing. Some users get pops and clicks with 2Go. They describe it as sounding like vinyl pops and clicks. For some users it has been fixed, but some still report it as happening.


----------



## GreenBow

Price of £449. I really did not see that coming after Chord's price rises recently. However I suppose the Mojo line is their gateway device, and many go on to buy more Chord equipment.

It does kind of make me apprehensive about how many more taps they will have added to this model. (I guess I should shut-up though coz we'll all know in two days.)

Am glad they priced Mojo 2 reasonable from another perspective too. That were it say £600 or more, it would have been kind of dissapointing.


----------



## adamjohari

Does this mean we can connect an iPhone via lightning to usb-c cable to the Chord Mojo2? Would rather not use those camera adapters.


----------



## Currawong (Jan 29, 2022)

kennyb123 said:


> Having a separate data port allows the Mojo to connect to a phone and not drain the phone's battery.  That's been one of Chord's design goals, which is also why there is no galvanic isolation on their mobile DACs.  Galvanic isolation needs to draw from the source's battery to provide current to the port.


Definitely. I probably didn't make it clear, but I was talking about having two power input ports. That is, one micro-USB and one USB-C, both for power input. Now I think of it, doing so would require something like doubling the power circuitry, or programming something extra into the power management so that either port would work, as the specifications for power over USB-C and USB-A/B are different.


GreenBow said:


> Did you see the wired connection to the Hugo 2 input? Only ask because I wonder if you demoed Hugo 2 with 2Go playing. Some users get pops and clicks with 2Go. They describe it as sounding like vinyl pops and clicks. For some users it has been fixed, but some still report it as happening.


It's a bit more complex than that. For example, there was an issue with Roon, which Roon themselves had to fix IIRC. Some of the other issues may be related to specific software. Pops and clicks mean that there are data transfer errors, which means a significant drop in data transfer. I suggested, among other things, logging into one's wifi router and disabling any packet priority features to see if it fixed things. There's also the consideration that many people live in apartments where there are numerous base stations around, and that may cause too much signal degradation for the 2go to work reliably, or may have more devices than they realise (I have over 30 on my network, both wired and wireless!).


----------



## kumar402

GreenBow said:


> Did you see the wired connection to the Hugo 2 input? Only ask because I wonder if you demoed Hugo 2 with 2Go playing. Some users get pops and clicks with 2Go. They describe it as sounding like vinyl pops and clicks. For some users it has been fixed, but some still report it as happening.


I have experienced those pops and clicks and most of the time it is bad USB implementation and are generally fixed via some firmware update


----------



## rocketron

adamjohari said:


> Does this mean we can connect an iPhone via lightning to usb-c cable to the Chord Mojo2? Would rather not use those camera adapters.


Yes you can use a lightning to usb-c cable.
Hopefully Chord will include one in the box.


----------



## kumar402

rocketron said:


> Yes you can use a lightning to usb-c cable.
> Hopefully Chord will include one in the box.


We have to get one from outside and I’m 90% sure about this. Thing is these cable need Made for iPhone/iPad chip and I don’t think chord is gonna pay a fee for those chip.
But who knows I may be wrong. We will know in few days


----------



## msq123

rocketron said:


> Yes you can use a lightning to usb-c cable.
> Hopefully Chord will include one in the box.





kumar402 said:


> We have to get one from outside and I’m 90% sure about this. Thing is these cable need Made for iPhone/iPad chip and I don’t think chord is gonna pay a fee for those chip.
> But who knows I may be wrong. We will know in few days




You can’t use any cable as @kumar402 pointed out and unlikely Chord paying any fees to Apple so your best bet is to use something like this to avoid camera adapter. 

Avoid generic Chinese cable which are prone to failure.

https://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/fiio-lt-lt1-usb-type-c-to-lightning-data-cable


----------



## rocketron

DdHifi do lightning to usb-c cables along with a lightning to usb-c adapter.
They all work perfectly.


----------



## utdeep

The audio quality on this better be incredible.  I can’t believe how out of touch this feels with standards of the day.

USB-C for power is amazing - allowing faster recharge rates. I don’t think a single modern device (tablets, computers, daps, most smartphones) outside of the iPhone  that hasn’t embraced this standard for everything
The micro USB ports on the device seem to be so that it works with the Poly.  After using a brand new poly last year, I can’t think of a worse purchase I made last year.  Based on reading the poly thread, I don’t think doubling down on using  this accessory with the mojo was smart.  My micro USB ports on the mojo were the first thing to break
4.4 mm - regardless of whether there is any value in balanced with this architecture, I can’t see the value of two 3.5mm ports unless their volume could be controlled independently of each other. 
I’m looking forward to head-to-head reviews with the iFi products because it feels like there at least 4 are near competitors.  IFi wasn’t even around for the first mojo.  At least there is one company that listens to the market for the standards of the day.

However, I’ll probably be the first person buying one on the used market due to FOMO.  I will never let go of my original mojo.


----------



## apmusson

weexisttocease said:


> coaxial (including dual data for M scaler



I'm looking forward to trying my Mscaler with the Mojo 2!

I'm guessing it will make it sound better than a Dave? 😉


----------



## Chris Kaoss

Different, i guess.


----------



## snowy8171

utdeep said:


> The audio quality on this better be incredible.  I can’t believe how out of touch this feels with standards of the day.
> 
> USB-C for power is amazing - allowing faster recharge rates. I don’t think a single modern device (tablets, computers, daps, most smartphones) outside of the iPhone  that hasn’t embraced this standard for everything
> The micro USB ports on the device seem to be so that it works with the Poly.  After using a brand new poly last year, I can’t think of a worse purchase I made last year.  Based on reading the poly thread, I don’t think doubling down on using  this accessory with the mojo was smart.  My micro USB ports on the mojo were the first thing to break
> ...


yea lack of 4.4mm or 2.5mm is not ideal. really no point of 2 3.5mm ports


----------



## Chris Kaoss

It still was and will be a Mo(bile)Jo(y).

So why not sharing your beloved music, with the same audio quality, with others while on the go?

It's even better then using a y-cable, imo.

The majority of earphones is single ended a d the Mojo (og) has (the) power to spare.
No need for different terminations.

My thoughts about, ofc.


----------



## utdeep (Jan 29, 2022)

Because using 2 headphones with the Mojo may mean a real imbalance on volume because they require different amounts of power?  If my wife used the Aeon Noire and I used the Sennheiser IE900,  I might blow out my ears if we try to watch a movie together


----------



## andrewd01

GreenBow said:


> Did you see the wired connection to the Hugo 2 input? Only ask because I wonder if you demoed Hugo 2 with 2Go playing. Some users get pops and clicks with 2Go. They describe it as sounding like vinyl pops and clicks. For some users it has been fixed, but some still report it as happening.


Yes it was a few years ago before 2Go existed.  It was a shop demo unit that obviously got plugged and unplugged a lot more than usual and the power cord was very loose and wobbly in the socket.


----------



## joshnor713

utdeep said:


> Because using 2 headphones with the Mojo may mean a real imbalance on volume because they require different amounts of power?  If my wife used the Aeon Noire and I used the Sennheiser IE900,  I might blow out my ears if we try to watch a movie together


This. You have to be using the same headphones, and even then, people have different volume sensitivities. Having two of the same ports is totally impractical and a waste of space. If it can't be used for 6.3mm as an alternative SE port, use the space for something else. Was really hoping this would've been changed after Mojo 1


----------



## jarnopp

snowy8171 said:


> yea lack of 4.4mm or 2.5mm is not ideal. really no point of 2 3.5mm ports


It’s helpful when you are driving speakers and a sub…


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

Not sure how I feel about applying EQ and changing channel balance without a screen to display the changes.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

AnalogEuphoria said:


> Not sure how I feel about applying EQ and changing channel balance without a screen to display the changes.


The only EQ I care about is parametric EQ.   Not sure what the Mojo EQ does, but I doubt that I will use it.    If the Mojo 2 had 12 band parametric EQ, I would buy it just for that reason.


----------



## ClicketEKlack

jarnopp said:


> It’s helpful when you are driving speakers and a sub…


Pretty nifty rig. In this case, it's more of a StaJo (Stationary Joy). I don't see much portable use for 2 x 3.5 mm. I understand Chord has no interest in the technical aspects of balanced output, but it sure would be nice from the consumer standpoint to have options other than adapters. 

I'm still very curious about the Mojo 2. If the sound is better than my Shanling M8, it could be a compelling break from DAP operating systems.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

ClicketEKlack said:


> Pretty nifty rig. In this case, it's more of a StaJo (Stationary Joy). I don't see much portable use for 2 x 3.5 mm. I understand Chord has no interest in the technical aspects of balanced output, but it sure would be nice from the consumer standpoint to have options other than adapters.
> 
> I'm still very curious about the Mojo 2. If the sound is better than my Shanling M8, it could be a compelling break from DAP operating systems.


If it is as resolving as the Hugo 2, but has the same warmer presentation of Mojo OG, then it would be very interesting indeed.


----------



## stretchneck

I hope Chord publish how many taps the mojo 2 will have, interested in the “new ultra-high definition DSP, an optimized Field Programmable Gate Array” statement… I wonder what new features are in play!


----------



## elira

ClicketEKlack said:


> I understand Chord has no interest in the technical aspects of balanced output, but it sure would be nice from the consumer standpoint to have options other than adapters.


They cannot realistically fit all available connectors in there. I think adapters are reasonable, if it’s your main device you can get a cable for it, it’s not like all the cables are made with a single connector type.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

elira said:


> They cannot realistically fit all available connectors in there. I think adapters are reasonable, if it’s your main device you can get a cable for it, it’s not like all the cables are made with a single connector type.


I am very adapter averse since I have not had good luck with them no matter the cost.   The only thing worse than adapters is having to directly connect to Apple Lightning or anything USB micro.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Chris Kaoss said:


> It still was and will be a Mo(bile)Jo(y).


Don’t get me wrong here. I like my mojo and is many things but mobile joy is not. More of a mobile nightmare to be fare with all these clicks, pops and 4G interference. Hope mojo 2 will have these issues addressed


----------



## elira

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I am very adapter averse since I have not had good luck with them no matter the cost.   The only thing worse than adapters is having to directly connect to Apple Lightning or anything USB micro.


They were referring to the output being single ended and not balanced, nothing to do with the USB connection.


----------



## kennyb123

AnalogEuphoria said:


> Not sure how I feel about applying EQ and changing channel balance without a screen to display the changes.


Apparently “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.”

It would be brutal to apply this using the 4 color balls.  My guess is that they’ll release an app that allows this to be configured using a PC or Mac.  Those with a Poly will be able to configure it with GoFigure.  

Also “Advanced DSP allows integrated tone adjustment over all frequency bands”.  I really hope they allow ea curves to be uploaded and applied.


----------



## SoundJedi

From Hifigo rumours thread: there's USB-C but not for charging....


----------



## surfgeorge

adamjohari said:


> So is this a good buy knowing what we know so far? I feel like I'll wait for reviews first before pulling the trigger.


Actually much better than expected IMO. No coupling capacitors in the output, crossfeed (yes! I really missed that compared to Hugo 2), desktop mode, EQ!? Biggie! Great for IEMs. And even more! I am really impressed.


----------



## weexisttocease

SoundJedi said:


> From Hifigo rumours thread: there's USB-C but not for charging....


It's already confirmed USB-C as a input. Charging is through micro USB.


----------



## mainguy

weexisttocease said:


> It's already confirmed USB-C as a input. Charging is through micro USB.


Charging through micro-USB? I'm sorry what Chord?
This is going to have to sound amazing. It has the same battery life as the ifi go blu, a tiny unit which is like seven times lighter, and charges through an archaic method. It seems like the technology is last gen tbh.


----------



## weexisttocease

mainguy said:


> Charging through micro-USB? I'm sorry what Chord?
> This is going to have to sound amazing. It has the same battery life as the ifi go blu, a tiny unit which is like seven times lighter, and charges through an archaic method. It seems like the technology is last gen tbh.



I also prefer USB-C over micro USB but I guess Chord kept the same design to be compatible with the Poly.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

A lot of poly customers would be annoyed if they wanted to upgrade mojo and it wasn’t compatible


----------



## mainguy

weexisttocease said:


> I also prefer USB-C over micro USB but I guess Chord kept the same design to be compatible with the Poly.


Amusing part is they could've probably built a bluetooth transmitter and a microsd reader into the Mojo 2 for what, £20-30 more on the line production cost? People are putting both of those in $90 DAPs, with screens, CPUs, etc, etc.

I think in this case their desire to make money of more poly sales has left them with what looks like an essentially backwards product that belongs in another decade. It's quite likely their desire to make more money will actually leave them with less....


----------



## Zachik

AnalogEuphoria said:


> A lot of poly customers would be annoyed if they wanted to upgrade mojo and it wasn’t compatible


You mean all 8 of them?   

Sorry... I could not resist...


----------



## mainguy (Jan 30, 2022)

Zachik said:


> You mean all 8 of them?
> 
> Sorry... I could not resist...


I mean most poly owners have thrown themselves off their local bridge/highrise at this point.


----------



## SRKRAM

mainguy said:


> I mean most poly owners have thrown themselves of their local bridge/highrise at this point.


I wonder if Chord spent so much money developing Poly that they just want to try and continue to flog it to unsuspecting mojo 2 owners.


----------



## Thrill Killer

Well, it seems like pics I posted sometime ago. And that others had posted turned out to be the actual product. Some of them are from last Spring. So Chord has been sitting on this for awhile. Probably had to stop production because of shortages. My local dealer had placed his order in June. And was to receive them in September. But, nothing happened. I guess it's happening now.


----------



## Progisus

I feel like I must be doing something wrong…. My mojo/poly has worked as well as any dap since day 1. Roon, upnp, phone hotspot, poly hotspot etc. My only beef is poly discharging without use. Look forward to mojo 2 sound quality impressions. Micro usb on any device in 2022 is wrong.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

elira said:


> They were referring to the output being single ended and not balanced, nothing to do with the USB connection.


I detest output adapters, too.    I have bought many 2.5mm to 4.4mm adapters and they don't last long.  That's part of being adapter averse.    I dislike input and output adapters.


----------



## HiWire

Were there any substantial changes during the Mojo's production run? I'm wondering if there is any benefit to being an early adopter.

The HFW summary looks promising.


----------



## utdeep

I'm just eager to see @Currawong review this thing.  I think he's the only reviewer smart enough to review it against its predecessor and give an honest assessment.  Based on his comments though, I don't put much stock in the technology commentary.  

The micro-USB ship has sailed for portable devices and many people care - otherwise, most competitors wouldn't have changed.  
The Poly was not universally loved like the Mojo, and most folks who needed that functionality found better, smarter tools to get what they need.  
The topology might not need balanced output to sound better (shoot- mojo provided more power to the 3.5mm than most of my $1000+ DAPs with their balanced outputs) but high-end headphones rely on either 6.3 or 4.4 mm plugs these days
I just don't think there is data to support the conclusion that most customers won't care about these things.  If you're buying $2000 - $4000 headphones, you're probably rocking other recent tech.  Inconveniences add up. 

I don't have a bone to pick here with Chord or people who defend the design, but just a little disappointment in whether Chord even gives a care for where the market moves.


----------



## miketlse

HiWire said:


> Were there any substantial changes during the Mojo's production run? I'm wondering if there is any benefit to being an early adopter.
> 
> The HFW summary looks promising.


I think the only up date was to relocate the usb ports from the top surface of the circuit Board to the bottom surface.


----------



## utdeep

Friends, I should chill out, but I just feel like this update is a slap in the face of folks who want more from a company after a seven year wait.  People who've watched other companies evolve and experiment with cool new designs.  Dongles that add spectacular new features through firmware. 

If their magical EQ function isn't going to be managed through an app, I suspect we will require an instruction manual so we can manipulate the mojo's weird little balls to get to what we want.  yay.


----------



## kennyb123

utdeep said:


> The micro-USB ship has sailed for portable devices and many people care - otherwise, most competitors wouldn't have changed.


I despise micro-USB, so I understand the disappointment.  But in the big scheme of things, this reaction seems a little overblown.  Micro-USB will only need to be used for charging so it's not like there's any loss in functionality. 



utdeep said:


> The Poly was not universally loved like the Mojo, and most folks who needed that functionality found better, smarter tools to get what they need.


I can't stand companies that just bail on existing customers.  Chord is now finally showing a commitment to the Poly that seemed not to be there for most of its life.  The original concept of Poly adding connectivity options to the Mojo was a smart one - but it had just been poorly executed as far as firmware and software.  The hardware itself has been sound so with continued updates there is still hope for it.



utdeep said:


> The topology might not need balanced output to sound better (shoot- mojo provided more power to the 3.5mm than most of my $1000+ DAPs with their balanced outputs) but high-end headphones rely on either 6.3 or 4.4 mm plugs these days


The market for mobile DACs is tremendous.  There will be some companies that aim to capture as much of the market as they can and there will be others that focus on a particular niche that plays to their strengths.  Chord's Rob Watts designed a DAC that is still viewed by many as one of the best on the planet, the DAVE.  Chord is therefore wise to focus on the particular niche that values sound quality above everything else.  That Chord can offer an inexpensive mobile DAC that was cut from the same cloth as the DAVE is something no other manufacturer can do.

It's up to everyone individually to decide what's most important to them.  Unfortunately that often comes with a set of tradeoffs.



utdeep said:


> I just don't think there is data to support the conclusion that most customers won't care about these things.  If you're buying $2000 - $4000 headphones, you're probably rocking other recent tech.  Inconveniences add up.



I actually agree with you on the inconveniences adding up.  I've felt that about Poly through most of the time I've owned it.  So despite my fondness for the sound quality that Rob is able to deliver, I might still end up with something like the iBasso DX300.  My fear though is finding that the grass isn't actually greener with that.



utdeep said:


> I don't have a bone to pick here with Chord or people who defend the design, but just a little disappointment in whether Chord even gives a care for where the market moves.


I hear you.  I'm actually a product manager for a technology company so I thought I'd offer some insight into what their reasoning might be.  It never goes well when a company tries to be everything for everyone.  Success is more likely to come by carving out the right niche.   The job can be a lot more fun when you do that too.


----------



## gavinfabl

Just catching up on the posts. I really liked the original Mojo. But if the rumours are true that the Mojo 2 charges by micro usb, I don’t care how good it might sound, it’s not on my list to buy. I only have one device now that uses micro usb and that’s a 5 year old Sony camera, that’s due to be replaced, and the replacement will have usb c. All my plugs are usb c, and it makes life so much easier. Here’s to hoping it will charge by usb c.


----------



## Charente

Some of the design decisions on Mojo 2 will dictate what Poly 2 might be like ... if there will be one


----------



## sabloke




----------



## MarkParity

sabloke said:


>


Weird, I get this, seems the release date/time is slipping already.


----------



## sabloke

Well, I'm 10:30 ahead of you over there in UK. However, right now I'm 4 hours away form 31st, meaning the Mojo is launched around mid day tomorrow my time? Is there a staggered launch or it is simply a web page design oversight?


----------



## miketlse

Charente said:


> Some of the design decisions on Mojo 2 will dictate what Poly 2 might be like ... if there will be one


I don't think you will see a Poly 2 in the near future.
The Poly v3 firmware update includes this statement 'Preparation for further incoming updates – ensuring future-proofing.'.
To me that is a clear hint that Poly was being prepared for the new Mojo 2 functionalities.
There is no need to update the Poly hardware yet, just for Mojo 2.


----------



## kumar402

ClicketEKlack said:


> Pretty nifty rig. In this case, it's more of a StaJo (Stationary Joy). I don't see much portable use for 2 x 3.5 mm. I understand Chord has no interest in the technical aspects of balanced output, but it sure would be nice from the consumer standpoint to have options other than adapters.
> 
> I'm still very curious about the Mojo 2. If the sound is better than my Shanling M8, it could be a compelling break from DAP operating systems.





MarkParity said:


> Weird, I get this, seems the release date/time is slipping already.


Hahaha programming error ? Taking the end user time zone


----------



## miketlse

sabloke said:


> Well, I'm 10:30 ahead of you over there in UK. However, right now I'm 4 hours away form 31st, meaning the Mojo is launched around mid day tomorrow my time? Is there a staggered launch or it is simply a web page design oversight?


In just another 5 hours you will be able to tell us all.
The display I see in France is indicating 11am, which would be 10am in UK.
I doubt the release is staggered, because that would make it more difficult logistically for Chord to control the flow of announcements from themselves and dealers.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

miketlse said:


> In just another 5 hours you will be able to tell us all.
> The display I see in France is indicating 11am, which would be 10am in UK.
> I doubt the release is staggered, because that would make it more difficult logistically for Chord to control the flow of announcements from themselves and dealers.



By the way, is Chord releasing more than just the Mojo2 tomorrow? Someone mentioned in the Hugo 2 thread the imminent release of an M Scaler thing for the Hugo 2...


----------



## miketlse

CaptainFantastic said:


> By the way, is Chord releasing more than just the Mojo2 tomorrow? Someone mentioned in the Hugo 2 thread the imminent release of an M Scaler thing for the Hugo 2...


Rob has posted that he has been working on a xMScaler scheduled for the end of 2022, but I don't remember any more clues.
I think there has been a lot of wishful thinking recently - several posters had convinced themselves the Mojo 2 would include a MScaler.
Still just another 24 hours, and we will know for sure about the Hugo 2.


----------



## musicday

If you own Hugo2 will you still buy the Mojo2?


----------



## adamjohari

musicday said:


> If you own Hugo2 will you still buy the Mojo2?


Actually I was thinking about getting a used hugo 2. But since the Mojo 2 came out, ordered it instead. Will wait for the Hugo 3


----------



## Mr X

musicday said:


> If you own Hugo2 will you still buy the Mojo2?



I'm trying to resist until I see real world reviews.

I went from OG Mojo to MojoPoly (didn't really have any Polo issues even as an early adopter) to Hugo 2 and then Hugo2Go

Loved the Hugo2Go sound over the MojoPoly so sold it and as I'm really out of the house these days, plus preferring convenience over wires when I am, I will probably not purchase and stick to Hugo2Go BUT... I've said that many a time and will no doubt lust one.

So if it offers anything different to Hugo2 other than form factor, then I might.


----------



## apmusson

musicday said:


> If you own Hugo2 will you still buy the Mojo2?


I am


----------



## HiWire

miketlse said:


> I think the only up date was to relocate the usb ports from the top surface of the circuit Board to the bottom surface.



Thanks!

I'll keep a close eye on the reviews of the new Mojo 2. I've wanted one for years.


----------



## surfgeorge (Jan 30, 2022)

musicday said:


> If you own Hugo2 will you still buy the Mojo2?


I have both the Mojo and Hugo 2, and thinking of getting the Mojo 2 as well.
If I get the M2, I will use the Mojo Original as DAC in my office stereo.

Based on the available information I expect M2 to be more transparent & have better definition in bass and treble due to no coupling capacitor and more taps.
The cross-feed filter is a feature I really like on H2 for specific tracks, very useful to have that in a portable IEM DAC/Amp.
The improved battery management and desktop feature is great - event though not that relevant for my use case.

*The factor that will decide for me if I'll buy the M2 is the implementation of EQ* - if it's a parametric EQ with an app for setting up and the possibility to store many presets I am sure I will buy the M2. This EQ feature is really unexpected but a HUGE deal for IEM use IMO.

For example I own the Sony EX1000, which has a 16mm DD with one of the best bass responses I have ever heard in an IEM but a rather big spike in the treble.
I LOVE it with PEQ from my laptop - but basically never use it for various reasons. With a PEQ implementation by CHORD I would be extremely happy.

I have little doubt that the M2 will have superior SQ for it's price, it adds more useful features (on paper) than I'd have expetced, I just really hope that the EQ is parametric and has a good user interface. In that case I think I'll have to get a Poly too... Well done CHORD!


----------



## tod-hackett

found this picture while trying to figure out how pre-ordering works.


----------



## amarkabove

utdeep said:


> The topology might not need balanced output to sound better (shoot- mojo provided more power to the 3.5mm than most of my $1000+ DAPs with their balanced outputs) but high-end headphones rely on either 6.3 or 4.4 mm plugs these days


Well, 6.3 is still SE, and a 6.3 - 3.5 is a near ubiquitous adapter at this point. 

Completely agree on the Micro USB point though.


----------



## iDesign (Jan 30, 2022)

I agree with many posts about the decision to continue on with the obsolete USB-micro standard in 2022– they made a mistake including it even for backwards compatibility with the Poly. Since the release of the original Mojo, many smaller products (non-FPGA) have entered the market and the times of a device this physical size have passed. The battery life and charging times of the Mojo were dismal and they would have to be massively improved in the Mojo 2 to make it even compelling and competitive. As a Chord diehard, this one leaves me underwhelmed and part of me would rather use Apple’s 3.5mm headphone adapter on-the-go In 2022. That said, I’ll likely purchase the Mojo 2 because I gifted my Mojo to a family member last year.

I assume the M button on the Mojo 2 is for the 768 capability Rob Watts regretted not including in the Mojo for compatibility with the M scaler.


----------



## alekc

iDesign said:


> I agree with many posts about the decision to continue on with the obsolete USB-micro standard in 2022– they made a mistake including it even for backwards compatibility with the Poly. Since the release of the original Mojo, many smaller products (non-FPGA) have entered the market and the times of a device this physical size have passed. The battery life and charging times of the Mojo were dismal and they would have to be massively improved in the Mojo 2 to make it even compelling and competitive. As a Chord diehard, this one leaves me underwhelmed and part of me would rather use Apple’s 3.5mm headphone adapter on-the-go In 2022. That said, I’ll likely purchase the Mojo 2 because I gifted my Mojo to a family member last year.
> 
> I assume the M button on the Mojo 2 is for the 768 capability Rob Watts regretted not including in the Mojo for compatibility with the M scaler.


@iDesign  if you are correct about the M button than my M Scaler is ready for Mojo 2


----------



## musicday (Jan 30, 2022)

So tomorrow in UK, before lunch time we will know everything about the Mojo2.
😀👍


----------



## jarnopp

iDesign said:


> I agree with many posts about the decision to continue on with the obsolete USB-micro standard in 2022– they made a mistake including it even for backwards compatibility with the Poly. Since the release of the original Mojo, many smaller products (non-FPGA) have entered the market and the times of a device this physical size have passed. The battery life and charging times of the Mojo were dismal and they would have to be massively improved in the Mojo 2 to make it even compelling and competitive. As a Chord diehard, this one leaves me underwhelmed and part of me would rather use Apple’s 3.5mm headphone adapter on-the-go In 2022. That said, I’ll likely purchase the Mojo 2 because I gifted my Mojo to a family member last year.
> 
> I assume the M button on the Mojo 2 is for the 768 capability Rob Watts regretted not including in the Mojo for compatibility with the M scaler.


I think the M button is more for modes. There wouldn’t need to be a button to have mScaler compatibility, but just the appropriate trrs jack like on H2. But, it is interesting that Rob is designing EQ into Mojo. Perhaps that will also be an addition to future mScalers?


----------



## dakanao

tod-hackett said:


> found this picture while trying to figure out how pre-ordering works.


Is this a real pic though or a fake? We don’t know how it looks yet


----------



## iDesign

jarnopp said:


> I think the M button is more for modes. There wouldn’t need to be a button to have mScaler compatibility, but just the appropriate trrs jack like on H2. But, it is interesting that Rob is designing EQ into Mojo. Perhaps that will also be an addition to future mScalers?


Whatever it’s function, if the battery life isn’t significantly improved over the original Mojo, its DOA. I also hope Chord makes replacement batteries easily available to customers. In the past, the battery service/warranty was embarrassingly handled by Chord and it’s North American distributor.


----------



## mainguy (Jan 30, 2022)

iDesign said:


> Whatever it’s function, if the battery life isn’t significantly improved over the original Mojo, its DOA. I also hope Chord makes replacement batteries easily available to customers. In the past, the battery service/warranty was embarrassingly handled by Chord and it’s North American distributor.


We already know its battery is up to 8 hours, which is pretty darn awful for a £449 device tbh, as that will wane with time obviously.


----------



## SRKRAM

dakanao said:


> Is this a real pic though or a fake? We don’t know how it looks yet


Exactly - not long to wait now.


----------



## miketlse

dakanao said:


> Is this a real pic though or a fake? We don’t know how it looks yet


Really? Maverick dealers started posting pictures and specifications on Friday. The first review is already out in HiFi World magazine.


----------



## mainguy

miketlse said:


> Really? Maverick dealers started posting pictures and specifications on Friday. The first review is already out in HiFi World magazine.


what's the review say?


----------



## rocketron

mainguy said:


> what's the review say?


There’s a picture of the review a few pages back.
£449 and very favourable.


----------



## rocketron

I confirmed with my dealer on Friday.
£449.00 and £45.00 for the case.


----------



## miketlse

It is in the March issue, and only available to subscribers, plus some dealers seem to have hard copies. 
A few posters have copied some details in their posts over the weekend.
I think I remember someone quoting 'outstanding'.
Just another few hours, and I expect many dealers will be openly allowing downloads of the review.


----------



## weexisttocease

mainguy said:


> what's the review say?


https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-2-speculation-thread.885405/post-16787534


----------



## Another Audiophile

musicday said:


> So tomorrow in UK, before lunch time we will know everything about the Mojo2.
> 😀👍


Everything? Hardly the basics to be honest. Chord is not famous for extensive and detailed specifications


----------



## tod-hackett (Jan 30, 2022)

dakanao said:


> Is this a real pic though or a fake? We don’t know how it looks yet


Haha, it is real

I too was skeptical until I came across that picture "in the wild".

From what I can tell an "accredited" online audio magazine in Greece accidently posted a review or something similar. The actual webpage was pulled almost immediately -the webpage posted the picture 3 ago days and it is already down- but the indexed picture remained.


----------



## kumar402

mainguy said:


> We already know its battery is up to 8 hours, which is pretty darn awful for a £449 device tbh, as that will wane with time obviously.


Not a fanboy of chord myself but there are are like $1000+ DAPs with only 8-10hrs battery backup


----------



## Billyak

I wouldn't mind the 8 hour battery life if charging was fast but it's crazy how slow the charging is with the OG mojo.


----------



## tod-hackett

Billyak said:


> I wouldn't mind the 8 hour battery life if charging was fast but it's crazy how slow the charging is with the OG mojo.


Isn't that a selling point for the Mojo2? Rapid charging: something like 75% faster or something?


----------



## alota

With microusb fastcharging???


----------



## mainguy

kumar402 said:


> Not a fanboy of chord myself but there are are like $1000+ DAPs with only 8-10hrs battery backup


with a screen and CPU running an OS dude, plus bluetooth...


----------



## tod-hackett

alota said:


> With microusb fastcharging???


"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."

I guess it is not quite fast-charging.


----------



## miketlse

mainguy said:


> with a screen and CPU running an OS dude, plus bluetooth...


Never forget the explanation from the original Mojo, that it is performing 500x the processing of typical dacs, in order to maximise how accurately the music transients can be reconstructed.
Yes other Dacs and Daps using chip based solutions which use minimal processing, can achieve long battery life at the expense of the accuracy of music transients.
It is a trade off decision for each individual potential owner: long battery life v the quality of music reproduction. You can't have both.


----------



## Charente

Charging time approx 4 hours ...​Characteristics​*Construction*
Aircraft-grade aluminum housing
Advanced digital volume control, backlit spherical knob
Optimized Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) processor
Improved WTA filter
EQ function
Channel
balance Smart desktop mode
Input, sample rate, volume level and level battery indicated by colored LEDs
*Measurements*
Output Power (1 KHz/1V, two channels driven):
- 300 ohms / 90 mW
- 30 ohms / 600 mW
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD - 1 KHz, 2.5 V / 300 Ω): 0.0003%
Range dynamic: 125 dB
Output impedance: 0.075 ohms
*Connections*
1 micro USB input compatible with 768 kHz / 32 bits
1 USB-C input compatible with 768 kHz / 32 bits
1 coaxial mini-jack input compatible with 768 kHz / 32 bits
1 Toslink optical input compatible with 192 kHz / 24 bits
2 mini-jack headphone outputs 3.5 mm
1 micro USB port for battery charging
*Power*
Mains or rechargeable battery
Autonomy on battery: approximately 8 hours
Charging time: approximately 4 hours
Mains charger supplied
*General*
Dimensions (WxHxD): 83 x 22.9 x 62 mm
Weight: 185 g


----------



## Nostoi

Any Austrian/German pre-orders available yet? 

Been using my Mojo 1 since 2016 and it still runs and sounds beautifully - all ports intact, battery life still holds when it's not connected to my 2010 Thinkpad (thus, forming a "vintage" class pairing). All this talk about balanced outputs, quick charge, and your fancy USB-C connections...nah, that's not what Chord is about. 

I am 100% psyched for Mojo 2.


----------



## iDesign (Jan 30, 2022)

Billyak said:


> I wouldn't mind the 8 hour battery life if charging was fast but it's crazy how slow the charging is with the OG mojo.


Exactly. The key metric is the charge time.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

Charente said:


> *Power*
> Mains or rechargeable battery


Interesting


----------



## kumar402

If Mojo disengages battery in desktop mode then I see lot of ppl running it as desktop DAC with good LPS


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

kumar402 said:


> If Mojo disengages battery in desktop mode then I see lot of ppl running it as desktop DAC with good LPS


I did that for a while with Hugo 2, then I decided it was better just to get a true desktop DAC.


----------



## Chris Kaoss

tod-hackett said:


> "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."
> 
> I guess it is not quite fast-charging.


Power loss is always a synonym for heat production. 

Hopefully one can charge while listening without creating a heat gun.


----------



## Charente

I wonder if my Uptone UltraCap 5v LPS will do the job ? It's been collecting dust in a drawer for a while !!


----------



## kumar402

Charente said:


> I wonder if my Uptone UltraCap 5v LPS will do the job ? It's been collecting dust in a drawer for a while !!


I have the same LPS v1.2 that I use with my streamer. It should work fine with Mojo


----------



## SRKRAM

Charente said:


> Charging time approx 4 hours ...​Characteristics​



Useful info about the EQ function - actually more of a tone control:

_When activated, Chord Mojo 2's EQ allows you to adjust four frequency ranges (20Hz, 125Hz, 3kHz, 20kHz) in plus or minus nine 1dB steps (18 in total) via the knobs +/- used for volume adjustment. Channel balance can also be adjusted by enabling the feature in the Mojo 2 menu._​
Wish it would have had a 4K band, as that would have suited my preferences for the 2021 LCD-X.
I imagine that the Hugo 3 will have more flexible eq capabilities.


----------



## kumar402

SRKRAM said:


> Useful info about the EQ function - actually more of a tone control:
> 
> _When activated, Chord Mojo 2's EQ allows you to adjust four frequency ranges (20Hz, 125Hz, 3kHz, 20kHz) in plus or minus nine 1dB steps (18 in total) via the knobs +/- used for volume adjustment. Channel balance can also be adjusted by enabling the feature in the Mojo 2 menu._​
> Wish it would have had a 4K band, as that would have suited my preferences for the 2021 LCD-X.
> I imagine that the Hugo 3 will have more flexible eq capabilities.


It may have Wide Q so you can mitigate 4K a bit. But I’m just assuming


----------



## SRKRAM

kumar402 said:


> It may have Wide Q so you can mitigate 4K a bit. But I’m just assuming


That's a good point. It would be possible to simulate with a parametric eq to get an approximation of what the mojo2 would do. As you say, the Q value would be wide.


----------



## kumar402

SRKRAM said:


> That's a good point. It would be possible to simulate with a parametric eq to get an approximation of what the mojo2 would do. As you say, the Q value would be wide.


We will know during official release or once impression starts coming in from experienced members


----------



## pattont

kumar402 said:


> If Mojo disengages battery in desktop mode then I see lot of ppl running it as desktop DAC with good LPS



I would be much more interested in one if this is the case.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808 (Jan 30, 2022)

SRKRAM said:


> That's a good point. It would be possible to simulate with a parametric eq to get an approximation of what the mojo2 would do. As you say, the Q value would be wide.


Too bad Chord didn't go all the way an implement full parametric EQ.  I would have definitely bought it just for that.

Maybe they will put that into Mojo 3 in 2029, but I'll bet the Mojo 3 still has USB-micro for charging.


----------



## surfgeorge

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Too bad Chord didn't go all the way an implement full parametric EQ.  I would have definitely bought it just for that.


I am with you on that!! Full parametric EQ would have been a killer feature, especially since I‘d be pretty sure that an implementation in a CHORD device would not create any negative effects on the digital data. But a 4 band EQ has little value for me 

But parametric EQ might really be a feature reserved for the future higher end products, which makes sense from marketing perspective.


----------



## pattont

surfgeorge said:


> I am with you on that!! Full parametric EQ would have been a killer feature, especially since I‘d be pretty sure that an implementation in a CHORD device would not create any negative effects on the digital data. But a 4 band EQ has little value for me
> 
> But parametric EQ might really be a feature reserved for the future higher end products, which makes sense from marketing perspective.


Yea, but man it would be a killer feature and to me not that hard to implement. They could justify the higher versions with other things


----------



## CaptainFantastic




----------



## GreenBow (Jan 30, 2022)

'M' stands for Menu then I guess.

I figured it was not the four filter settings like on Hugo 2, TT2, and Qutest, because it would say 'Filter'.


Anyway ten hours to go. Hopefully any review embargo will lift and there'll be floods of reviews straight away.


----------



## pattont

GreenBow said:


> 'M' stands for Menu then I guess.
> 
> I figured it was not the four filter settings like on Hugo 2, TT2, and Qutest, because it would say 'Filter'.
> 
> ...


Yea pretty excited when near gear is dropping!


----------



## Sirch

GreenBow said:


> 'M' stands for Menu then I guess.
> 
> I figured it was not the four filter settings like on Hugo 2, TT2, and Qutest, because it would say 'Filter'.
> 
> ...


As a PGGB user, the improvement/options for the WTA filter(s?) will be the major factor in my purchase decision.  If there is no incisive filter I will probably go for a Qutest or H2.


----------



## pattont

Sirch said:


> As a PGGB user, the improvement/options for the WTA filter(s?) will be the major factor in my purchase decision.  If there is no incisive filter I will probably go for a Qutest or H2.


I’ll be waiting for them to go on sale tbh! I don’t think I could justify full price just like when the original released.


----------



## seeteeyou

Speaking of PGGB, we could actually put foobar2000 and Windows 11 PE on this cute little machine and go up to 1 billion taps anywhere with 12V powerbank such as PowerAdd Pilot Pro2 etc.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/morefine-m6-ultra-thin-pocket-size-4k-mini-pc
https://jplay.eu/forum/index.php?/topic/4410-windows-11-pe-audiophile-creation-guide/?p=58068


----------



## tusing

So disappointed in Chord's insistence of sticking with slow-charging micro-USB. It's not even a good connector, it is legitimately the worst possible choice. Chord is stuck in an era 15 years old. I won't be buying the Mojo 2 because of this.


----------



## Spidermanxd

tusing said:


> So disappointed in Chord's insistence of sticking with slow-charging micro-USB. It's not even a good connector, it is legitimately the worst possible choice. Chord is stuck in an era 15 years old. I won't be buying the Mojo 2 because of this.


It because they will have to spend an extra $.99 to upgrade to usb c, that $.99 more into their pocket


----------



## Spidermanxd




----------



## iDesign (Jan 31, 2022)

Spidermanxd said:


> It because they will have to spend an extra $.99 to upgrade to usb c, that $.99 more into their pocket


Rather it likely was for backwards compatibility with the Poly. As I predicted very early in this thread, Chord would design the Mojo 2 to work with Poly which meant it would have to retain the same aging form factor and I/O. The Poly _in my opinion_ was a failure from the moment Chord outsourced the development to disignconsultants.com and it never should have seen the light of day. I'm disappointed, but not surprised, to see they're still committed to the Poly and hopefully by 2026 it won't still be a buggy "pubic beta." If it weren't for the Poly, the Mojo 2 wouldn't be stuck in another era.

It is so unfortunate to see Rob Watt's incredible work handicapped by Disign Consultants' Poly.


----------



## Voxata

iDesign said:


> Rather it likely was for backwards compatibility with the Poly. As I predicted very early in this thread, Chord would design the Mojo 2 to work with Poly which meant it would have to retain the same aging form factor and I/O. The Poly _in my opinion_ was a failure from the moment Chord outsourced the development to disignconsultants.com and it never should have seen the light of day. I'm disappointed, but not surprised, to see they're still committed to the Poly and hopefully by 2026 it won't still be a buggy "pubic beta." If it weren't for the Poly, the Mojo 2 wouldn't be stuck in another era.



Not good. These functions should have been included and Poly left to dust.


----------



## OuYang

So we can expect Hugo 3 will still using micro USB for compability with 2go then 2go 2 will using micro USB for compability with Hugo 3 then on and on?


----------



## elira

OuYang said:


> So we can expect Hugo 3 will still using micro USB for compability with 2go then 2go 2 will using micro USB for compability with Hugo 3 then on and on?


Yes, forever until the end of time.


----------



## sabloke

Countdown negative two hours here down under and still can't see a damn thing about it


----------



## Another Audiophile

last speculation. M is for mode that will work only with poly.


----------



## JaquesGelee

Another Audiophile said:


> last speculation. M is for mode that will work only with poly.


Or even when some other devices is connected to the Mojo 2


----------



## kumar402

If they have let go of fast charging and USB C port for charge just to keep it backward compatible with Poly then it’s a business decision clouded by fear.


----------



## adamjohari

i dont think i have any items that still use a micro usb port...


----------



## adamjohari

OuYang said:


> So we can expect Hugo 3 will still using micro USB for compability with 2go then 2go 2 will using micro USB for compability with Hugo 3 then on and on?


This scares me


----------



## someyoungguy

Seriously can we move on from the microUSB conversation now? It was the standard for years, so in the unlikely event you’ve thrown out all your appropriate cables, they’re easy to obtain (and one will probably be included with Mojo2).

I feel like we need to start a “people who hate microUSB so much they will skip a hifi product out of spite club” thread. 🤪


----------



## sabloke

someyoungguy said:


> Seriously can we move on from the microUSB conversation now? It was the standard for years, so in the unlikely event you’ve thrown out all your appropriate cables, they’re easy to obtain (and one will probably be included with Mojo2).
> 
> I feel like we need to start a “people who hate microUSB so much they will skip a hifi product out of spite club” thread. 🤪


Could not agree more! By now we are familiar with the impossible to stack shape and all the ports that were caried on from the first one, so the only two questions should be "does it sound any better?" and "what's with the new button?"


----------



## kumar402

Did I miss the event?


----------



## alota

Me too ahahahah. This a strange signal


----------



## andrewd01

I hope the code on the FPGA has less bugs than the code for the countdown tracker


----------



## kumar402

alota said:


> Me too ahahahah. This a strange signal


May be it has taken place in some other dimension where the music out of Mojo takes us


----------



## MarkParity

Its all a bit of a joke now this countdown thing but on a serious note we now have no idea what time today we should all drop everything and celebrate the release of the Mojo 2.

You had one job Chord Website designer and you messed up.


----------



## gavinfabl

MarkParity said:


> Its all a bit of a joke now this countdown thing but on a serious note we now have no idea what time today we should all drop everything and celebrate the release of the Mojo 2.
> 
> You had one job Chord Website designer and you messed up.


It’s 8am in the UK. I imagine their offices open around 9am. Hopefully nobody is isolating due to covid. So they probably need to make the coffees first, check their emails, make sure their website has extra bandwidth before opening up orders around lunchtime today.


----------



## iDesign (Jan 31, 2022)

kumar402 said:


> Did I miss the event?


I believe its a counter showing how many days obsolete USB-micro and the Poly already are.


----------



## someyoungguy

There’s a press release at: https://audiofi.net/2022/01/its-the-mojo-2-from-chord-electronics/

Much the same details as already seen earlier in the thread.


----------



## alekc

kumar402 said:


> Did I miss the event?


@kumar402 nope, but how typical of British Gents who thinks their timezone is the one to rule the world, I guess some habit from good old times of Great British Empire when ruling over seas and oceans


----------



## kumar402

iDesign said:


> I believe its a counter showing how many days obsolete USB-micro and the Poly already are.


You have nailed it


----------



## Another Audiophile

kumar402 said:


> You have nailed it


you start looking a bit silly now. It's a USB connection. Not the cure for cancer.


----------



## kumar402

Another Audiophile said:


> you start looking a bit silly now. It's a USB connection. Not the cure for cancer.


Ya, as I was clicking on Post Reply I felt the same. it’s Monday afternoon and I should get back to work


----------



## sabloke

I guess the ones whining about micro USB don't have the means to buy it anyway, so stock on Ramen noodles guys and stop polluting this magnificent thread 😂


----------



## kumar402

May be some want the very best of available tech to be implemented in the 2nd iteration of product they love so they know they are getting the best out of hard earned money. 
However some are ok with obsolete and mediocre tech


----------



## gavinfabl

For everyone whose posting disrespectful comments about people who mentioned the disappointment over micro usb, please stop. If it wasnt important to those that mentioned it, it wouldn’t have been posted by them. The fact that many people have mentioned it, and not just a few, shows that it does matter.

Taking other peoples point of view, that it is just a cable, yes it is just that. Ultimately, it will live or die by its sound quality. Maybe compatibility with other Chord products was the reason micro usb had to remain.


----------



## Another Audiophile (Jan 31, 2022)

kumar402 said:


> May be some want the very best of available tech to be implemented in the 2nd iteration of product they love so they know they are getting the best out of hard earned money.
> However some are ok with obsolete and mediocre tech


I have good news. You are not obliged to buy it and you can still go for the very best. Is not illegal. Well noted about the micro but it is what it is. Let make some other speculations before the time is up


----------



## rkt31

Nothing about which is related with sound quality improvement, only about additional features. How many taps used, how many elements in pulse array, how many volume steps, maximum output, which user replaceable battery used ?


----------



## rkt31

Is there any mojo 2 official thread yet ?


----------



## Nostoi

Back on track. Be sure to exhale now.


----------



## Another Audiophile (Jan 31, 2022)

gavinfabl said:


> For everyone whose posting disrespectful comments about people who mentioned the disappointment over micro usb, please stop. If it wasnt important to those that mentioned it, it wouldn’t have been posted by them. The fact that many people have mentioned it, and not just a few, shows that it does matter.
> 
> Taking other peoples point of view, that it is just a cable, yes it is just that. Ultimately, it will live or die by its sound quality. Maybe compatibility with other Chord products was the reason micro usb had to remain.





Nostoi said:


> Back on track. Be sure to exhale now.


We know now what time the open the office LOL


----------



## MarkParity

Nostoi said:


> Back on track. Be sure to exhale now.


Exciting, less than an hour to go, I'm off to get a coffee and some popcorn.


----------



## rkt31

Some are known "chord haters" and r2r lovers ! 😆


----------



## kumar402

rkt31 said:


> Some are known "chord haters" and r2r lovers ! 😆


If you are pointing to me then I love Chord Mojo and I still have it when many here have sold it and only because I love it a lot that I browsed the website to see the announcement. Anyway I know these comments by me in not addding any value so I’m sorry.


----------



## Scrum92

I don't understand the negativity around Micro-USB. *There is a USB-C input*, and the Micro-USB connection is _obviously _for backwards compatibility with Poly.


----------



## apmusson (Jan 31, 2022)

alekc said:


> @kumar402 nope, but how typical of British Gents who thinks their timezone is the one to rule the world, I guess some habit from good old times of Great British Empire when ruling over seas and oceans


The good old days 😁😉


----------



## rkt31

Scrum92 said:


> I don't understand the negativity around Micro-USB. *There is a USB-C input*, and the Micro-USB connection is _obviously _for backwards compatibility with Poly.


yes


----------



## adamjohari

Scrum92 said:


> I don't understand the negativity around Micro-USB. *There is a USB-C input*, and the Micro-USB connection is _obviously _for backwards compatibility with Poly.


you have to carry a micro-usb cable just to charge it, when everyone is using usb-c. usb-c also enables fast charging. new mojo is missing out. having said that, i still bought it.


----------



## Olliver (Jan 31, 2022)

Fast charging would have been nice, but not having it´s no deal breaker for me.
The possibility to use usb c as well as usb micro for audio connection, is very nice.
Now i use audioquest dragontail/coffee usb a, to micro usb, since there is no usb c to micro usb wire.
So i appreciate the possibilty to use an usb c to usb c wire without the dongle, but i would have to buy a new wire.


----------



## Scrum92

alekc said:


> @kumar402 nope, but how typical of British Gents who thinks their timezone is the one to rule the world, I guess some habit from good old times of Great British Empire when ruling over seas and oceans



It's a British company who operate during British business hours. There is an irony in your expectation that they should adhere to somebody else's time zone... figure it out...


----------



## rkt31

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD - 1 KHz, 2.5 V / 300 Ω): 0.0003% ) for mojo 2, for original mojo it was @ 3v: 0.00017%, so the difference is due to 2.5v vs 3v or may be mojo figure was for 600ohm ?


----------



## 529128

Any idea of where to get a short usb c - lightning cable in Europe? 

Apple's own is 1m and upwards. Would be nice with a shorter (and maybe cheap) cable to connect directly with the iPhone. 

I know one can use Chord's own micro usb - usb a cable but that would have to be connected to the cck adapter.


----------



## Scrum92

adamjohari said:


> you have to carry a micro-usb cable just to charge it, when everyone is using usb-c. usb-c also enables fast charging. new mojo is missing out. having said that, i still bought it.



Ah, right, in that case I take back what I said... *** Chord! 

I jest! 

It wouldn't put me off, but I imagine that must also be to do with the Poly backwards compatibility given the power and data must line up in order to attach them? Frustrating for the non-Poly users all the same.


----------



## alxw0w (Jan 31, 2022)

adamjohari said:


> usb-c also enables fast charging.


Usb c is just an interface. By itself It enables jack shiiiiiit

And fast charging could be done using micro USB.

A lot of post here just show pure ignorance and a lot of wishful thinking.

But I'm not gonna lie, I have a lot of fun reading posts here. Keep them going.


----------



## Rob Watts

PANURUS said:


> https://www.xilinx.com/html_docs/ip_docs/pru_files/v-uhdsdi-audio.html
> 
> On this document, UHD DSP seems to be relatif to only Ultrascale FPGA But it seems usable with Artix 7 too.
> 
> ...



The Mojo UHD DSP is my own unique custom core, it's nothing to do with Xilinx IP.



Mike Foley said:


> I’ve just got in from work. Here’s the summary at the bottom of the HFW review.



Lack of balanced output should be in the advantages side; adding balanced outputs would degrade transparency with my DAC architecture.



kennyb123 said:


> I was unfamiliar with the Gryphon so I just had a look at it.  Yeah on paper it seems to have a lot more going for it.  When price constraints are imposed on a DAC, that's not always a good thing.  Smart though to wait for reports to come back.  Both look like great options and I don't think anyone could go wrong with either choice.
> 
> Having said that, I think the eq feature in Mojo 2 is going to be a real difference-maker.  That has a good chance of leaving much of the competition in the dust.  I base that on how much folks here fiddle with different pads to try to get the sound they prefer from their headphones.  Mojo 2 owners might not have to mess with such things going forward.



Like most audiophiles I always hated tone controls or EQ, as they damage sound quality. This also applies with 64 bit processing (more on this later today). So having an ability to adjust tonal quality without it degrading sound quality should prove very interesting - I am intrigued as to how this will be accepted by users.



Currawong said:


> Any retailer advertising a pre-order pre-embargo is risking getting no stock at all. That would be rather embarrassing, having to refund all their customers.
> 
> You mean, I think it should have Bluetooth. I think, like someone else suggested, a Gryphon is a better option if you want Bluetooth, and I haven't tried it yet.  Maybe when APTx Lossless becomes available... and if it is actually lossless and works reliably (I'm willing to best that most of the time it isn't lossless).  Chord obviously have put their energy in the Poly and true lossless transmission using WiFi, though it has been something of a rough ride.
> 
> ...



The intent was to put two charging ports in - micro and USB C. However, it was impossible to fit the extra USB C charging port - USB C connectors are quite large and deep.



gavinfabl said:


> Just catching up on the posts. I really liked the original Mojo. But if the rumours are true that the Mojo 2 charges by micro usb, I don’t care how good it might sound, it’s not on my list to buy. I only have one device now that uses micro usb and that’s a 5 year old Sony camera, that’s due to be replaced, and the replacement will have usb c. All my plugs are usb c, and it makes life so much easier. Here’s to hoping it will charge by usb c.



You need to understand one essential truth for me.

Musicality/sound quality comes first.
Musicality/sound quality comes second.
Musicality/sound quality comes third.
Musicality/sound quality comes fourth.
Musicality/sound quality comes fifth.
Musicality/sound quality comes sixth.
Everything else is next.

If musicality is not your number one priority, look elsewhere. You will be inundated with choice.


----------



## MarkParity

Olliver said:


> Fast charging would have been nice, but not having it´s no deal breaker for me.
> The possibility to use usb c as well as usb micro for audio connection, is very nice.
> Now i use audioquest dragontail/coffee usb a, to micro usb, since there is no usb c to micro usb wire.
> So i appreciate the possibilty to use an usb c to usb c wire without the dongle, but i would have to buy a new wire.


If by fast charging you mean QC or PD that was never going to happen as I understand it this functionality is part of the SOC in mobile phones etc.

Even iFi who have started to implement a USB C connection still limit charging to 5V 2A or 10 watts.


----------



## gavinfabl

Rob Watts said:


> The Mojo UHD DSP is my own unique custom core, it's nothing to do with Xilinx IP.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Morning Rob,

Thanks for your reply to everyone's comments. Is there a dedicated thread yet for the Mojo 2 or is it going live soon?


----------



## mainguy

adamjohari said:


> you have to carry a micro-usb cable just to charge it, when everyone is using usb-c. usb-c also enables fast charging. new mojo is missing out. having said that, i still bought it.


It's very odd to need micro-USB to charge, I almost don't believe it, as it should be quite simple to have two charging inputs, both USB-C and micro USB. From an electronics perspective i can't see how that would cause any problems?

Strange. Chord must have a reason.


----------



## kennyb123

Rob Watts said:


> You need to understand one essential truth for me.
> 
> Musicality/sound quality comes first.
> Musicality/sound quality comes second.
> ...



Glad to see this.


----------



## alota

Rob Watts said:


> If musicality is not your number one priority, look elsewhere. You will be inundated with choice.


Good joke. Typical british humor


----------



## sabloke

If USB ports would matter there would be no iPhones, let's face it. If type-C is a must for you I bet that iFi and Fiio would be more than happy to take your money.


----------



## Rob Watts

gavinfabl said:


> Morning Rob,
> 
> Thanks for your reply to everyone's comments. Is there a dedicated thread yet for the Mojo 2 or is it going live soon?


I don't know, I guess it will happen soon. I want to post my technical presentation so am waiting just like you!


----------



## mainguy (Jan 31, 2022)

sabloke said:


> If USB ports would matter there would be no iPhones, let's face it. If type-C is a must for you I bet that iFi and Fiio would be more than happy to take your money.


I dont think it's a case of being a must, I'll still buy Mojo 2.

But it's just so darn easy to have two charging inputs, and lets not deny it, USB-C is miiiiiles more convenient. In 2022 most of our devices are USB-C as are powerbanks with built in cables. Nobody will release micro USB products this side of 2020. It should be USB-C as well as micro USB for the poly.

Nothing wrong with as a consumer having a clear preference, and also some understanding of circuits to know that having two power inlets is not a feat of engineering...


----------



## Olliver (Jan 31, 2022)

henrikgadegaard said:


> Any idea of where to get a short usb c - lightning cable in Europe?
> 
> Apple's own is 1m and upwards. Would be nice with a shorter (and maybe cheap) cable to connect directly with the iPhone.
> 
> I know one can use Chord's own micro usb - usb a cable but that would have to be connected to the cck adapter.


You will need the apple adapter, because of an handshake chip implemented in it.
There will be no sound output with an normal ligthning usb c wire, even apples own wires need the adapter for audio output.
I once bougth one from fio, with an unofficial ship, it worked for a while, until apple made an ios update, now it´s garbadge.


----------



## CaptainFantastic (Jan 31, 2022)

> Rob Watts said:
> 
> 
> > You need to understand one essential truth for me.
> ...



Fully understood, fully appreciated. The dedication to performance (in the intended use of the product) is the reason I own three Chord units.

But beware that this makes it sound like everything else about the product be damned. This is the "Mojo" - "Mobile Joy". At some point all the musicality/sound quality becomes not worth much if you ignore practicalities. They rightly shouldn't be your first, second, or third considerations, but they should be somewhere on the list... in the case of the Mojo, how do we make this easier for mobile use. In the case of the TT2, how do we make this not break down so darn much. And so on.


----------



## Nostoi

Personally, I'm very happy that I'll be able to continue using this dual USB micro cable, which came in the Mojo accessory pack back in 2015. Still works like a gem. Thanks Chord for taking care of the old crew!


----------



## PhenixS1970

henrikgadegaard said:


> Any idea of where to get a short usb c - lightning cable in Europe?
> 
> Apple's own is 1m and upwards. Would be nice with a shorter (and maybe cheap) cable to connect directly with the iPhone.
> 
> I know one can use Chord's own micro usb - usb a cable but that would have to be connected to the cck adapter.


I think that the Lotoo USB C - lightning cable should work (it's sold as an accessory for the S1 & S2 dongles).  I have the S2 and no need for cck adapter (as intended).


----------



## Another Audiophile (Jan 31, 2022)

PhenixS1970 said:


> I think that the Lotoo USB C - lightning cable should work (it's sold as an accessory for the S1 & S2 dongles).  I have the S2 and no need for cck adapter (as intended).


I have the cable and works with the Fiio BTR5 and iPhone. The cable connection will depend on the mojo's performance and rejection of noise induced by 4G. If it is like the original then there is no point for a wired connection.


----------



## rkt31

Rob Watts said:


> I don't know, I guess it will happen soon. I want to post my technical presentation so am waiting just like you!


thanks for joining Mr. Rob. regarding sound quality, how mojo 2 compares with some of the top measuring dacs around $1000 mark ?


----------



## AndrewOld (Jan 31, 2022)

Very impressed so far.


----------



## Nostoi

Are we being trolled or is this an episode of the Twilight Zone?


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Nostoi said:


> Are we being trolled or is this an episode of the Twilight Zone?



We are being reminded that the world is an unpredictable place. But perhaps Joy awaits for those willing to stick it through...


----------



## 529128 (Jan 31, 2022)

This is the end... Should be a joyful event. Now it's turning into the apocalypse. Back to the future, please.


----------



## ThatPhil

just refresh the page it's showing just 55 mins left for me


----------



## chronograf86

mainguy said:


> I dont think it's a case of being a must, I'll still buy Mojo 2.
> 
> But it's just so darn easy to have two charging inputs, and lets not deny it, USB-C is miiiiiles more convenient. In 2022 most of our devices are USB-C as are powerbanks with built in cables. Nobody will release micro USB products this side of 2020. It should be USB-C as well as micro USB for the poly.
> 
> Nothing wrong with as a consumer having a clear preference, and also some understanding of circuits to know that having two power inlets is not a feat of engineering...


Is it so hard to let it go? You got the explanation from the product developer. Have a solution for Rob how to make that happen? Bring it on!!!


----------



## Olliver

Last time i checked, it was +7 minutes, now it´s in the minus range again.


----------



## AndrewOld

According to mine, it happened a day and a half ago - Saturday evening.


----------



## MarkParity (Jan 31, 2022)

ThatPhil said:


> just refresh the page it's showing just 55 mins left for me


Yes or 11am GMT, set your alarms folks.

This time did appear to slip by one hour though as I'm sure it was 10am before.

So these times +44m


----------



## 529128

I hope Chord are better at DAC implementation than countdown implementation.

This is ridiculous. You shouldn't use a countdown if you are not able to do it properly.

Well, musicality comes first.


----------



## sabloke

henrikgadegaard said:


> I hope Chord are better at DAC implementation than countdown implementation.
> 
> This is ridiculous. You shouldn't use a countdown if you are not able to do it properly.
> 
> Well, musicality comes first.


Musicality comes first but a bit later.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

sabloke said:


> Musicality comes first but a bit later.


Musicality is never late, Master Headfier, nor is it early, it arrives precisely when it means to.


----------



## 529128

May the Mojo be with you.


----------



## Malevolent

Everyone (including myself) is eagerly awaiting the official announcement of the Mojo 2.


----------



## JohnFi

audiofi.net took down Mojo 2 article. Syncing the clocks....


----------



## sabloke

That countdown clock surely has a lot of jitter.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

henrikgadegaard said:


> May the Mojo be with you.



Mojo 2 sits puzzled why he still has micro-USB ports in 2022. Mojo OG to Mojo 2: "I am your father".


----------



## alekc

Scrum92 said:


> It's a British company who operate during British business hours. There is an irony in your expectation that they should adhere to somebody else's time zone... figure it out...


@Scrum92 relax mate - it was a joke hence the "  " at the end. No need to figure out anything.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

Ahh, so this is where the party is.

Here is my invite. Was wondering why there were no updates after searching on google.


----------



## alota

it was much more elegant from chord  to declare: we continue to use the micro usb to not change the poly


----------



## GraveNoX

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/mojo-2
https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/mojo-2-poly-premium-leather-case


----------



## Nikolas N

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/mojo-2


----------



## sabloke




----------



## GraveNoX

3000 RON in Romania https://www.avstore.ro/dac-uri/chord-electronics-mojo-2/
That's 600 EUR


----------



## shwnwllms

https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/31/...tal-analogue-converter-wired-headphones-audio


----------



## Johnfg465vd

I wonder if it's more clinical like the Hugo 2 or similar to Mojo?

Also, how much power does Mojo have @30 Ohm? Looks like it's 600 mW for Mojo 2.

Annoying to see Micro USB again. My Mojo's input started to fail after 1 and half year. Would have been nice to have a Poly update with better Bluetooth codec and overall usability, seems like a missed opportunity.


----------



## PhilW

Yay, I can now finally discuss the Mojo 2. Keeping quiet for that time has been hard work. 

Having been to the Shard for the original launch of the Mojo I am psyched to hear the new Mojo 2.


----------



## mainguy

First written review, with comparison to Mojo 1

'Long story short, no matter from what angle I’m looking at, Mojo2 feels like a major step up in terms of sonics'

https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/chord-mojo-2-review-chord-getting-their-mojo-back/


----------



## chichaphile (Jan 31, 2022)

Mojo2


----------



## Benno1988

https://www.stereonet.com/au/news/chord-mojo-2-portable-dac-headphone-amplifier-official


----------



## Nostoi (Jan 31, 2022)

"If I had to put a number on the audible jump from Mojo to Mojo 2, I’d say 15.3%."

https://darko.audio/2022/01/not-a-review-of-the-chord-electronics-mojo-2/


----------



## OuYang

I can't find manual on website, but according to the review, M button is for EQ and Crossfeed, so no filter function?


----------



## MarkParity

I will get one one day after all the hype has died down a bit.

I was happy with Mojo, I just want to know if the RF issues are gone, then I'm in. Until then I will wait patiently.


----------



## emgeebee

Mine's ordered, alongside a (first) replacement battery for my mojo 1 after 6 and a bit years. Great work Rob and team, can't wait!


----------



## Another Audiophile

I found the manual here but no reference to line level output. Anyone who knows how to select line level out and what the voltage is?


----------



## Uebelkraehe

Nostoi said:


> "If I had to put a number on the audible jump from Mojo to Mojo 2, I’d say 15.3%."
> 
> https://darko.audio/2022/01/not-a-review-of-the-chord-electronics-mojo-2/


Not 15.351%?


----------



## kumar402

Another Audiophile said:


> I found the manual here but no reference to line level output. Anyone who knows how to select line level out and what the voltage is?


Mojo 1 had 3v out when you switch on with both volume button pressed and if you go down 4 times in volume it was close to 2 v


----------



## Malevolent

The Mojo 2 looks a bit more refined from the top - removing the grooved lines on the corners, and switching to a 4-ball control system provides the successor with a more upmarket appearance.

If nothing else, it is a prettier device. 

I'm definitely eager to audition Chord's latest.


----------



## Slim1970

It’s already showing up on Chord’s website:

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/mojo-2


----------



## mainguy

Nostoi said:


> "If I had to put a number on the audible jump from Mojo to Mojo 2, I’d say 15.3%."
> 
> https://darko.audio/2022/01/not-a-review-of-the-chord-electronics-mojo-2/


Hmm so incremental change in sound, not the Hugo leap I was hoping for lol


----------



## sabloke

Damn, can't find any retailers down under to order one...


----------



## tod-hackett

Darko Audio:

"Anyone hoping for a review today (January 31st) will be disappointed. I alighted the DAC review train last week and Chord’s press release has embargoed review coverage until tomorrow (Feb 1st). In my book, one embargo is fine but two smacks of manufacturer overreach."


----------



## Another Audiophile

kumar402 said:


> Mojo 1 had 3v out when you switch on with both volume button pressed and if you go down 4 times in volume it was close to 2 v


yes, I know that but what's the case with the new one?


----------



## gryffe

What hifi reporting it.

https://www.whathifi.com/news/chord-mojo-2-dac-is-official-showcases-worlds-first-lossless-dsp

Ordered mine today from Peter Tyson in UK. Arriving tomorrow can't wait.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

MarkParity said:


> I will get one one day after all the hype has died down a bit.
> 
> I was happy with Mojo, I just want to know if the RF issues are gone, then I'm in. Until then I will wait patiently.


According to soundnews review, no RF on Mojo 2.


----------



## Slim1970

Where the heck can we get this in the states?


----------



## tod-hackett

Slim1970 said:


> Where the heck can we get this in the states?


Probably after 9am east coast time. Or whenever the store opens.


----------



## CaptainFantastic (Jan 31, 2022)

Slim1970 said:


> Where the heck can we get this in the states?



Moon Audio? They did a pre-release video. Surely it will be up for sale during the U.S. daytime today.


----------



## Slim1970

CaptainFantastic said:


> Moon Audio? They did a pre-release video. Surely it will be up for sale during the U.S. daytime today.


I think I will add one to my collection. The EQ feature intrigues me.


----------



## ufospls2

Really bummed the USB-C doesn't appear to be charge/data capable, only data. Having to use Micro USB for charging rules it out for me entirely. A missed opportunity IMO. Shame.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

Slim1970 said:


> I think I will add one to my collection. The EQ feature intrigues me.


Yeah, me too. Although EQing with buttons seems a bit clunky.

Can't wait to get my hands on it. Hopefully the pricing will be reasonable here.


----------



## kopeli

Will you still need a camera kit to feed data from an iPad Pro with usb-c input?


----------



## slumberman

kopeli said:


> Will you still need a camera kit to feed data from an iPad Pro with usb-c input?


No.
I have used mine directly connected an iPad Air no problem.


----------



## kumar402

Johnfg465vd said:


> Can't wait to get my hands on it. Hopefully the pricing will be reasonable here.


It’s $725


----------



## CrocodileDundee (Jan 31, 2022)

sabloke said:


> Damn, can't find any retailers down under to order one...


They will have it soon.

I think this is the mojo I was waiting for. 

Edit: they could’ve got rid of that Optical input for something more useful portable. Also impressive how they kept the micro USB for charging. (I know it’s because of the current Poly) USB C for data and Micro for charging? 🤨

Maybe not the Mojo I was waiting.


----------



## Rob Watts

My technical presentation is up on my blog here.


----------



## royiko

what's the *Tap-length *of the new Mojo2? Is it in the Hugo 2 level?


----------



## musicinmymind

I got hugo 2 used for 1.2k usd just a month back. Now mojo2 may sound better for half the cost


----------



## Collusion[FIN]

royiko said:


> what's the *Tap-length *of the new Mojo2? Is it in the Hugo 2 level?


40,960 taps according to Rob's presentation.


----------



## alota

impressive specifications. just a a shame not to modernize mojo and poly further


----------



## sabloke

CrocodileDundee said:


> They will have it soon.
> 
> I think this is the mojo I was waiting for.
> 
> ...


Or maybe just listen to it instead of counting ports before making a decision.


----------



## kumar402

so out of box it is Neutral as compared to OG Mojo which was warm out of box but now there is high shelf and low shelf filter available at 3Khz and 125Hz to tune sound to one’s preference


----------



## SRKRAM

Rob Watts said:


> My technical presentation is up on my blog here.


Thanks for sharing the material in your blog. I'm looking forward to receiving my mojo 2 tomorrow.

The EQ functions are a very nice addition. It would be useful to have a tool (even an Excel) which would show the sum effect of the 4 EQ filters, so do you have anything you could share?


----------



## CrocodileDundee

sabloke said:


> Or maybe just listen to it instead of counting ports before making a decision.


I will definitely listen to as mojo 1 sounded amazing, but the micro usb was my holder on mojo 1.


----------



## kumar402

Last few pages of product manual has good explanation of EQ with diagram.
https://chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Mojo-2-user-manual-V.1.pdf


----------



## Johnfg465vd

kumar402 said:


> It’s $725


No i meant here in india. Don't see any local listings.


----------



## mainguy

musicinmymind said:


> I got hugo 2 used for 1.2k usd just a month back. Now mojo2 may sound better for half the cost


haha i doubt it dude


----------



## Hanesu

Hehe....the sheer interest in this thread already shows that Chord is going to sell a few units


----------



## kumar402

Johnfg465vd said:


> No i meant here in india. Don't see any local listings.


Not yet listed but will eventually come in headphonezone. At best it will be 50K but we can only assume


----------



## Another Audiophile

Looks like the line level out function has been ditched.


----------



## Currawong

And, if gross overkill, MScaler connectivity has been added.


----------



## MarkParity

Another Audiophile said:


> Looks like the line level out function has been ditched.


Its was just a volume pre-set. Perhaps Chord got some complaints where people were activating it by mistake and damaging things so decided to remove it from Mojo 2


----------



## Pcppps

I am interested in it but I dont reli understand whats updated exactly other than the usb type c port.


----------



## Slim1970

Another Audiophile said:


> Looks like the line level out function has been ditched.


Wait, isn't there desktop mode? I suspect it works just like it does on the Hugo 2.


----------



## Nostoi

Slim1970 said:


> Wait, isn't there desktop mode? I suspect it works just like it does on the Hugo 2.


Exactly, same as Hugo 2 - only for preserving battery. 

Line level isn't a big deal to me. It's not like it's an actual line out, it just locks the volume at 2v or whatever it is. I never found it works especially well on Hugo 2 or Mojo, as it never seemed to "remember" this setting unless you went either up or down one notch on the volume.


----------



## alota

Currawong said:


> And, if gross overkill, MScaler connectivity has been added.


The descriptiin refere menu button


----------



## Slim1970

Nostoi said:


> Exactly, same as Hugo 2 - only for preserving battery.
> 
> Line level isn't a big deal to me. It's not like it's an actual line out, it just locks the volume at 2v or whatever it is. I never found it works especially well on Hugo 2 or Mojo, as it never seemed to "remember" this setting unless you went either up or down one notch on the volume.


In desktop mode, the output voltage is constant and the volume is still variable. It seems to be somewhat the same thing just a different name.


----------



## 529128

Just ordered. Will receive it tomorrow.

Decided to ditch my stationary setup (BF2+Burson HA160DS) for the portability and flexibility of the new Mojo and to release some cash to spend on the new Beyerdynamic DT900 Pro X. I loved the OG Mojo.


----------



## rcoleman1

I'll pass. Keeping my Hugo 2 and wait for Mojo 3 (or Hugo 3). One can dream right?


----------



## MarkParity

rcoleman1 said:


> I'll pass. Keeping my Hugo 2 and wait for Mojo 3 (or Hugo 3). One can dream right?


What with USB C charging and a balanced output, yes you can dream but don't hold your breath waiting.


----------



## TheDuke990

Forget it if it is already posted


----------



## gavinfabl

Should receive my Mojo 2 tomorrow. Going to have some fun comparing it with my iFi Gryphon & Xduoo XD-05 Bal (with Burson V5i-D op amps). I sense a huge review video.


----------



## TheDuke990

Lucky guy. I'm still not able to find a dealer in Germany with Mojo 2 in stock.


----------



## soundblast75

Bloody hell, so many button complications.
EQ looks great


----------



## Scrum92

Are the balls different? They look like glossy balls.


----------



## andrewd01

The EQ feature looks interesting, but perhaps not the easiest interface for entering the desired EQ.
It would be nice to see Chord collaborating with headphone manufacturers to make dedicated EQ profiles which can then be uploaded to the Mojo2.  For example something like what Audeze does with Roon.


----------



## adamjohari

Can the Chord Mojo 2 power the Hifiman Arya? Saw a review saying that it might not be good enough for the Arya...


----------



## Jawed

adamjohari said:


> Can the Chord Mojo 2 power the Hifiman Arya? Saw a review saying that it might not be good enough for the Arya...


 Is the review in English? Can you link the review? It could be helpful to the discussion.


----------



## gavinfabl

Jawed said:


> Is the review in English? Can you link the review? It could be helpful to the discussion.


It got taken down & made private. Released too soon before the embargo.


----------



## Pcppps

I have read that the eq has four band only but there are complicated filters available.   Shouldnt there be more as there is dsp?


----------



## SRKRAM

TheDuke990 said:


> Lucky guy. I'm still not able to find a dealer in Germany with Mojo 2 in stock.


Seems to be in stock here:
https://www.cma.audio/kategorien/kopfhoerer/kopfhoererverstaerker/chord-electronics-mojo-2-schwarz


----------



## Rob Watts

SRKRAM said:


> Thanks for sharing the material in your blog. I'm looking forward to receiving my mojo 2 tomorrow.
> 
> The EQ functions are a very nice addition. It would be useful to have a tool (even an Excel) which would show the sum effect of the 4 EQ filters, so do you have anything you could share?



No tool currently. But a simple excel tool is a good idea.



Slim1970 said:


> Wait, isn't there desktop mode? I suspect it works just like it does on the Hugo 2.



When the battery is fully charged it will go into desktop mode - and unlike Hugo 2 the battery is disconnected to preserve battery life. That meant I had to improve the PSU regulation/rejection and design the charger so that when in desktop mode it was a low impedance high current power source.


----------



## 529128

Found a relatively cheap mfi usb c to Lightning cable. Hope it works.


----------



## Manuelia

TheDuke990 said:


> Lucky guy. I'm still not able to find a dealer in Germany with Mojo 2 in stock.


Don't know if it helps you, but saw the mojo 2 on my preferred swiss audio online shop  -> https://www.k55.ch.


----------



## tod-hackett

It is up on moonaudio as a pre-order(Feb 15th)!

https://www.moon-audio.com/chord-mojo-dac-headphone-amp.html


----------



## CapitalJD

Is the US pricing confirmed? Pre-orders are up for $725 but I can buy from a UK retailer for under $600 including shipping.


----------



## piglet

I have a question about the Mojo 2. When used with the iPhone do you still need the Apple camera connection kit as with the old Mojo or will the Mojo 2 plug into the iPhone directly?

I wonder if those with the old Mojo have found if the Apple camera connection kit has a negative impact on the sound?

Thank you.


----------



## Chartreuse

So what can we power with this guy? HE1000SE? LCD-4z? LCD-5? 

Looking for something to amp up at work without looking ridiculous at my desk, this might be the ticket.


----------



## mwhals

Micro USB is short sided. Now if the Poly is updated, it will have to stay micro USB to be compatible with Mojo 2. At some point Chord has to bite the bullet and get with USB C. Now would have been a perfect time, but they blew it. I was considering this, but will skip it for something else.


----------



## GreenBow (Jan 31, 2022)

@Rob Watts

Please is the 40,960 taps running at (what you call) full speed?

It would be nice to guage tap speed in comparison to Mojo and Hugo 2.

If it is full speed, it's four-fifths a Hugo 2, which is - .


(If I recall right the original Mojo was 38,000 taps at half speed.)


----------



## cfranchi

Too bad that Mojo 2 doesn’t have wifi capability, I don’t really see the new killing features of Mojo 2, maybe the EQ but many users don’t care.


----------



## AlexCBSN (Jan 31, 2022)

Fun to read all the backlash, tbh since audio quality is my goal, I'm getting one and giving it a chance. I don't count on chord to be bleeding edge in technology, I count on them to deliver sound quality that surpasses other offers. At least I know they release this and I won't be seeing the mojo2 plus, mojo2 ltd, mojo2 rse, mojo2 lite in the next 6 months. The product was worked on for 4 years under a serious brand. That's it, no less no more. It won't be tearing apart 4.4 connectors, nor needing fw updates to correct overheating issues. Sometimes that reliability it's more than enough.

When you buy a racecar, you don't mind if it has USB c heck... Some don't even mind if it has traction control. You buy it for racing


----------



## joshnor713

mwhals said:


> Micro USB is short sided. Now if the Poly is updated, it will have to stay micro USB to be compatible with Mojo 2. At some point Chord has to bite the bullet and get with USB C. Now would have been a perfect time, but they blew it. I was considering this, but will skip it for something else.


Or debut Poly 2 with Mojo 3, all with USB-C. Problem solved.


----------



## PhilW

CapitalJD said:


> Is the US pricing confirmed? Pre-orders are up for $725 but I can buy from a UK retailer for under $600 including shipping.


I highly doubt any UK retailer will send it to you.


----------



## apmusson

GreenBow said:


> @Rob Watts
> 
> Please is the 40,960 taps running at (what you call) full speed?
> 
> ...


And with an Mscaler it's 1,000,0000 taps...   😁. 

I wonder how the filtering circuitry and desktop power mode compares to the Hugo 2 which I'm currently using with the Mscaler?


----------



## Gww1

@PhilW, I ordered from your good self earlier - when do you think you'll be getting the first batch in and out?


----------



## Another Audiophile

Scrum92 said:


> Are the balls different? They look like glossy balls.


definitely smaller


----------



## Another Audiophile

Rob Watts said:


> and design the charger


What Charger? I thought it just acmes with a short cable.


----------



## soundblast75

What's the problem with the Roumanian video, i thought it was good??


----------



## kumar402

CapitalJD said:


> Is the US pricing confirmed? Pre-orders are up for $725 but I can buy from a UK retailer for under $600 including shipping.


I remember when Sony Z1R was launched, a lot of head-fier got it for cheap from UK


----------



## soundblast75

Gww1 said:


> @PhilW, I ordered from your good self earlier - when do you think you'll be getting the first batch in and out?


It should be in stock right away


----------



## kumar402

piglet said:


> I have a question about the Mojo 2. When used with the iPhone do you still need the Apple camera connection kit as with the old Mojo or will the Mojo 2 plug into the iPhone directly?
> 
> I wonder if those with the old Mojo have found if the Apple camera connection kit has a negative impact on the sound?
> 
> Thank you.


You can get lightening to USB C cable from a Cayin, Shanling, Lotoo. Those cable have “Made for iPhone/iPad” chip I guess.


----------



## Slim1970

Rob Watts said:


> When the battery is fully charged it will go into desktop mode - and unlike Hugo 2 the battery is disconnected to preserve battery life. That meant I had to improve the PSU regulation/rejection and design the charger so that when in desktop mode it was a low impedance high current power source.


This is even better! Thanks for chiming in Rob.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Slim1970 said:


> This is even better! Thanks for chiming in Rob.



But imagine how we, Hugo 2 owners, feel when reading that. I mean progress, all for it and glad Rob could implement it in the Mojo2. But it still feels a bit wrong for my Hugo 2...


----------



## Dynamo5561

It's 2022 and a new product is released with micro USB in , 4 band equalizer and 3,5mm outputs only. I'd consider that as an epic fail. ⁉️


----------



## Rob Watts

GreenBow said:


> @Rob Watts
> 
> Please is the 40,960 taps running at (what you call) full speed?
> 
> ...


The speed is irrelevant - it's taps that count. It doesn't matter if you use 80 DSP cores at "half" speed (Mojo 2) or 40 cores at "full" speed - the result is the same. So it is indeed four fifths of Hugo 2 tap length - but remember no WTA 2 and taps are only part of the overall sound quality.


----------



## Alexnova

If you don't want to use the EQ, does the signal still go through that DSP? I don't want my audio signal going through another layer of processing.


----------



## Randomrubble (Jan 31, 2022)

cfranchi said:


> Too bad that Mojo 2 doesn’t have wifi capability, I don’t really see the new killing features of Mojo 2, maybe the EQ but many users don’t care.



Given that Poly exists, to show at is possible, it's almost perverse that wireless has not been addressed with a simplified, cheaper, single use case add-on BT or wifi adapter to stream straight off a phone or server.


----------



## CaptainFantastic




----------



## ubs28

So who is going to pay $1000 to upgrade from the Poly + Mojo to the Poly + Mojo 2? (as you also have to buy a new case, which is atleast $200)


----------



## d y l a n

Is the Mojo 2 the same size as the Mojo?


----------



## gonzalo05

Any us dealer have them in stock?


----------



## plakat

I was in fact waiting for the Mojos successor for quite some time now, but fortunately I won't have to spend any money -- which is not a bad thing  
Seeing that Micro-USB charging port killed it immediately for me... sorry to say that. V3,5mm headphone output is OK, at least one 6.3mm would have been better. An integrated Bluetooth receiver would have been nice since I'd never consider the Poly: much too complicated product, making the whole package much too large and heavy.

Then... that menu button. I don't need EQ and could not care less about that new feature (crossfeed maybe a bit more interesting, but mostly not my cup of tea either). But having a menu button that has me remember some color code -- no, thanks.

Yes, I'm quite disappointed, which may make this post sound harsher than necessary. But on the other hand, its one item less to care about, to wait for I guess. Still have fond memories of my original Mojo which I sold long ago, I'll just keep my old Hugo (1. gen) and call it a day.


----------



## Jawed

Rob Watts said:


> The speed is irrelevant - it's taps that count. It doesn't matter if you use 80 DSP cores at "half" speed (Mojo 2) or 40 cores at "full" speed - the result is the same. So it is indeed four fifths of Hugo 2 tap length - but remember no WTA 2 and taps are only part of the overall sound quality.


Ooh, so Mojo 2 uses a more powerful FPGA, the XC7A25T? Or the 35T?


----------



## CaptainFantastic

@ChordElectronics @Rob Watts Will you see with Head Fi how to migrate this to an official Mojo 2 thread (not just speculation as it was). I see that now other threads are being created under the Sponsored forum, etc. Becoming a bit of a mess in that sense...


----------



## Jawed




----------



## jarnopp

CaptainFantastic said:


> @ChordElectronics @Rob Watts Will you see with Head Fi how to migrate this to an official Mojo 2 thread (not just speculation as it was). I see that now other threads are being created under the Sponsored forum, etc. Becoming a bit of a mess in that sense...


What’s messy? Keep posting, keep reading. Someone can change the title, maybe add “ and impressions now released”


----------



## piglet

kumar402 said:


> You can get lightening to USB C cable from a Cayin, Shanling, Lotoo. Those cable have “Made for iPhone/iPad” chip I guess.


That is interesting thank you.

From your reply I guess that the Mojo 2 cannot be plugged into the iPhone with a simple OTG cable. However a "made for iPhone" cable might work well.


----------



## piglet

plakat said:


> Seeing that Micro-USB charging port killed it immediately for me


I found that rather disappointing. I hate Micro-USB. It is never the right way around when I want to plug it in and I find myself fiddling around with it. USB-C is really good that way. Actually Apple's Lightning port is also really good I think however it has the problem of being limited of course. However Micro-USB is horrible. I was surprised to see any Micro-USB on this new device. Everyone is moving to USB-C now I think.


----------



## JohnFi

I may by old Mojo. Just to taste the feel. But the new one is an insult to human interface with respect to the age where we are. And with respect to the price asked it's no go. Sorry. Why this reminds me of Sir Sinclair.


----------



## piglet (Jan 31, 2022)

I am looking at the Mojo 2 with interest. Currently I have an iFi Audio xDSD Gryphon, which is fabulous. However I've only had it a couple of weeks and, actually, I could still send it back within the 30 day period if I decide to get a Mojo 2.

Initially though there is one big negative with the Mojo 2 which is that it does not have bluetooth. I have been very surprised by the usefulness of the inclusion of bluetooth with the xDSD Gryphon. I thought I was never going to use it, but the quality of it is really very good indeed, it is not as good as using the cable, but it is massively better than the bluetooth with the bluetooth headphones I have (Audio-Technica ATH-M50XBT). So, it seems to me that the loss in quality of using bluetooth with those headphones is actually more about the audio circuitry for that than it is about the bluetooth.

I like to use my xDSD Gryphon when out walking and on public transport (with FiiO FH7 IEMs), and then I am using my iPhone for other things. It is so handy to have the xDSD Gryphon connected with bluetooth. I still take the OTG cable so I can have a sit on the promenade (in Brighton & Hove city) maybe after I've done all the things for the day and then I will plug in the xDSD Gryphon and listen to music in first class quality.

So, I think not having the bluetooth with the Mojo 2 will probably mean I won't be getting one, even though there is much about it to really like. I like possibilities with the DSP that it has such as the different cross-feed choices.


----------



## Czykierek

Hi everyone! 

I've read through the whole thread and can't find an answer as to whether it's possible to set the line output. If there isn't, does it know what volume to set (the colour of the volume balls) that will be closest to the 3V value?
I should receive the Mojo 2 tomorrow or Wednesday and would like to know this so I don't overdrive the Mojo or the signal is too low. I couldn't find anything in the manual about this either.


----------



## Mediahound

Czykierek said:


> can't find an answer as to whether it's possible to set the line output.


The original Mojo just pre set a certain volume level for line output level. So, even if the Mojo 2 doesn't have a preset for it, once we learn which volume color is 'line out', you can just set it to that. However, setting the Mojo 2 to desktop mode, may set this automatically.


----------



## kumar402

Czykierek said:


> Hi everyone!
> 
> I've read through the whole thread and can't find an answer as to whether it's possible to set the line output. If there isn't, does it know what volume to set (the colour of the volume balls) that will be closest to the 3V value?
> I should receive the Mojo 2 tomorrow or Wednesday and would like to know this so I don't overdrive the Mojo or the signal is too low. I couldn't find anything in the manual about this either.


Not sure if it helps


----------



## Mediahound

plakat said:


> Seeing that Micro-USB charging port killed it immediately for me.



At least it also has USB-C. They had to keep the micro USB ports for backwards compatibility with the Poly. Micro USB is not dead yet. I still have current modern day devices that use it such as my Sony ZV-1 camera.


----------



## ianausten

Micro-USB connectors are an abomination and over the years has caused several devices of mine to fail. They have no place on premium product at this price point in 2022.

I understand why Chord have done this but also desperately disappointed in their decision.

As Chord only offer a "bog standard" 12 month warranty, I won't be spending any of my money on one of these.


----------



## kumar402

Mediahound said:


> The original Mojo just pre set a certain volume level for line output level. So, even if the Mojo 2 doesn't have a preset for it, once we learn which volume color is 'line out', you can just set it to that. However, setting the Mojo 2 to desktop mode, may set this automatically.


I guess Mojo goes in desktop mode once the battery is charged and if it goes to 2v automatically then a lot of IEMs are gonna blow away


----------



## Mediahound

ianausten said:


> Micro-USB connectors are an abomination and over the years has caused several devices of mine to fail. They have no place on premium product at this price point in 2022.
> 
> I understand why Chord have done this but also desperately disappointed in their decision.
> 
> As Chord only offer a "bog standard" 12 month warranty, I won't be spending any of my money on one of these.


People would have complained much worse had they left micro-usb out, with zero backwards compatibility with the Poly, which is a fairly recently released product.


----------



## alota

price in euros 599 is good


----------



## ianausten

Mediahound said:


> People would have complained much worse had they left micro-usb out, with zero backwards compatibility with the Poly, which is a fairly recently released product.


I've no issue with the presence of the pesky micro-USB connectors but that the charging port is a single point of failure - one that through prior bad experience, I have no confidence in.

Not adding in the option to charge through the USB-C connector is a mistake.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Jawed said:


>



What a completely useless shill video.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Where is the official thread?    Going to wait for a comparison review of Mojo OG, Mojo 2 and Hugo 2.


----------



## Mediahound

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> What a completely useless shill video.


They're a retailer who wants to sell Mojo2's, so this is expected.


----------



## plakat

ianausten said:


> I've no issue with the presence of the pesky micro-USB connectors but that the charging port is a single point of failure - one that through prior bad experience, I have no confidence in.
> 
> Not adding in the option to charge through the USB-C connector is a mistake.


Exactly that. I wouldn’t of spend 600€ on a product that only charges via micro-USB in 2022.

As far as I remember, the release of the Poly is several years ago. And while I value longer product lifetimes, I still consider it an error to hold the more important part (Mojo) back by a requirement to be backwards compatible with a rather old accessory that sold much less units.

But as I said above, it’s fine with me. I don’t have to get one after all. I feel a bit frustrated by Chords choices, but otherwise I’m sure it’s still a fine sounding device. I don’t need one, so ultimately I don’t care that much…


----------



## kumar402

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Where is the official thread?    Going to wait for a comparison review of Mojo OG, Mojo 2 and Hugo 2.


We will get those reviews once real world user get their hands on it. Right now it’s marketing engine rolling


----------



## HiFiHawaii808 (Jan 31, 2022)

Mediahound said:


> They're a retailer who wants to sell Mojo2's, so this is expected.


Okay.   With the name "audio advice" I thought it would be giving me audio advice.

I found it strange that one the first things he paired the Mojo 2 up with was a pair of wireless headphones which have their own internal DACs.   Then, he beamed about how much better it sounded than the speaker jack on his laptop.   You don't need a $700 product to improve performance of a wireless headphone or the speaker jack on your laptop.   You first need a better headphone which is what you should spend the $700 on and a $100 DAC.  And why would you wire up a wireless headphone in the first place?

If Rob Watts saw that video, I think he would be cringing.

Now, if you paired the Mojo 2 up with a Hifiman Susvara and it sounded great, then that would be something and would make the Mojo 2 worth buying.


----------



## Slim1970

CaptainFantastic said:


> But imagine how we, Hugo 2 owners, feel when reading that. I mean progress, all for it and glad Rob could implement it in the Mojo2. But it still feels a bit wrong for my Hugo 2...


Yeah, it’s tough reading about new tech implementations. I just sold my Hugo2 in favor of the Mojo 2. My preorder is in.


----------



## Mediahound

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Okay.   With the name "audio advice" I thought it would be giving me audio advice.


Nope, they're actually a store.


----------



## miketlse

Nostoi said:


> Exactly, same as Hugo 2 - only for preserving battery.
> 
> Line level isn't a big deal to me. It's not like it's an actual line out, it just locks the volume at 2v or whatever it is. I never found it works especially well on Hugo 2 or Mojo, as it never seemed to "remember" this setting unless you went either up or down one notch on the volume.


Yes that was always the functionality - line out was the short cut to a line out voltage but did not remember the setting. If one used the voltage buttons to +ve or -ve the voltage was remembered, and this caught out some iem users.


----------



## miketlse

GreenBow said:


> @Rob Watts
> 
> Please is the 40,960 taps running at (what you call) full speed?
> 
> ...


Check Robs posts. I think it may have been 38,000 taps but with the algorithm parameters tweaked so that it was averaged at 26,000 taps.
Apologies if this memory is not 100% exact, but a simple search should reveal the exact number of taps etc.


----------



## bwardrop

I couldn’t find any info in the tech specs about UAC1 support. The original Mojo didn’t support it so I know the chances are probably slim to none.


----------



## sudheerts

Does it support Line Level mode as previous mojo, I doubt.


----------



## gc335 (Jan 31, 2022)

sudheerts said:


> Does it support Line Level mode as previous mojo, I doubt.


https://www.moon-audio.com/files/chord/chord-mojo-2-user-manual.pdf

I don't see anything about it.

My preorder is in but not selling my original Mojo yet!


----------



## utdeep

If it's high tech and/or mainstream, it won't be from Chord.  They want to bring 3.5mm, micro USB, the poly, and little round colorful UI balls back into fashion.

I'm guessing UAC1 is out of the question.  And don't expect any firmware updates.  I don't think the Mojo 1 had any.

Looking forward to buying one of these on the classifieds in six months.


----------



## Voxata

ianausten said:


> I've no issue with the presence of the pesky micro-USB connectors but that the charging port is a single point of failure - one that through prior bad experience, I have no confidence in.
> 
> Not adding in the option to charge through the USB-C connector is a mistake.



I'd have to agree here. If charging was capable on the USBC port it'd be a non issue. Since you can only charge via the Micro.. strange. That connector came out mid 2000s. I'd also hoped the Mojo2 would have been an all in one device, retiring the poly. Sacrifices have been made to hang onto that dated accessory. 

Thankfully SQ is the top priority, so maybe there's some hope there. Hope it's a knock out of the park for those that buy.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

utdeep said:


> If it's high tech and/or mainstream, it won't be from Chord.  They want to bring 3.5mm, micro USB, the poly, and little round colorful UI balls back into fashion.
> 
> I'm guessing UAC1 is out of the question.  And don't expect any firmware updates.  I don't think the Mojo 1 had any.
> 
> Looking forward to buying one of these on the classifieds in six months.


Yeah, I'll buy one when the price reaches about $400-450.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Slim1970 said:


> Yeah, it’s tough reading about new tech implementations. I just sold my Hugo2 in favor of the Mojo 2. My preorder is in.


Just curious.  Why did you do that?   Do you not like the Hugo 2?


----------



## Slim1970

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Just curious.  Why did you do that?   Do you not like the Hugo 2?


I have not  been using the Hugo 2 much since getting the Dave. It's been basically sitting around. I was previously having the Hugo 2 do double duty, but mostly using it as a DAC with some other amps in a second setup. Now that I've sold my second setup, I want to go a different direction and try something new.


----------



## nycdoi

is it about time to get second handed mojo 1 for price cheaper than black friday deal?


----------



## gc335

nycdoi said:


> is it about time to get second handed mojo 1 for price cheaper than black friday deal?


I'm hanging on to mine for now.


----------



## ecwl

plakat said:


> I was in fact waiting for the Mojos successor for quite some time now, but fortunately I won't have to spend any money -- which is not a bad thing
> An integrated Bluetooth receiver would have been nice since I'd never consider the Poly: much too complicated product, making the whole package much too large and heavy.





plakat said:


> Yes, I'm quite disappointed, which may make this post sound harsher than necessary. But on the other hand, its one item less to care about, to wait for I guess. Still have fond memories of my original Mojo which I sold long ago, I'll just keep my old Hugo (1. gen) and call it a day.


I think you are underestimating the sonic improvements from the 16fs WTA filter, DC servo and improved noise shaper compared to your older Hugo 1. Is it a big enough jump to be worth the sonic upgrade? my guess is almost definitely yes but only you can decide.
No Bluetooth is disappointing but in such a small form factor, it would be much harder to isolate the Bluetooth receiver noise from the rest of the DAC I presume.
Chord user interface is definitely extremely idiosyncratic. Even as a Chord super fan, I’m somewhat annoyed. But their focus is always sound quality first. Now whether you like the sound and are willing to pay for it is obviously a very individual decision.


----------



## miketlse

nycdoi said:


> is it about time to get second handed mojo 1 for price cheaper than black friday deal?


Undoubtedly. When I first tried the Mojo I found it a step above the Oppo HA 2 that I was then using.
Now is a good time to try the original Mojo, but there is a good chance that you will then want to demo the Mojo 2.
No problem but if you enjoy a particular DAC you can find you are starting a long journey of upgraditis.


----------



## mainguy (Jan 31, 2022)

ecwl said:


> I think you are underestimating the sonic improvements from the 16fs WTA filter, DC servo and improved noise shaper compared to your older Hugo 1. Is it a big enough jump to be worth the sonic upgrade? my guess is almost definitely yes but only you can decide.
> No Bluetooth is disappointing but in such a small form factor, it would be much harder to isolate the Bluetooth receiver noise from the rest of the DAC I presume.
> Chord user interface is definitely extremely idiosyncratic. Even as a Chord super fan, I’m somewhat annoyed. But their focus is always sound quality first. Now whether you like the sound and are willing to pay for it is obviously a very individual decision.


You think the mojo 2 will sound better than a hugo 1? I was aware from reading around the hugo 1 sounds a good chunk better than the mojo 1. Im just not sure how the mojo 2 will stack up but it would be quite something for it to rival a much larger, higher end unit surely?


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Slim1970 said:


> I have not  been using the Hugo 2 much since getting the Dave. It's been basically sitting around. I was previously having the Hugo 2 do double duty, but mostly using it as a DAC with some other amps in a second setup. Now that I've sold my second setup, I want to go a different direction and try something new.


I see.   I have the same issues with both the Mojo and Hugo 2.    I was using the Hugo 2 as a desktop DAC, but then I got a TT2 and didn't need it for that anymore.   The best use case was for travelling.  I would connect to it via USB and then I could EQ with Equalizer APO.    That's why I would love parametric EQ in the Mojo 2.   I would buy that in a nanosecond at its current price if it had 12 band parametric EQ.     The problem is to do it, you need a screen interface which Chord is not good at delivering on.    I love the sound of the Hugo 2/2go, but it's just easier to use a DAP and so that is what I do now when not listening to my desktop.


----------



## miketlse

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I see.   I have the same issues with both the Mojo and Hugo 2.    I was using the Hugo 2 as a desktop DAC, but then I got a TT2 and didn't need it for that anymore.   The best use case was for travelling.  I would connect to it via USB and then I could EQ with Equalizer APO.    That's why I would love parametric EQ in the Mojo 2.   I would buy that in a nanosecond at its current price if it had 12 band parametric EQ.     The problem is to do it, you need a screen interface which Chord is not good at delivering on.    I love the sound of the Hugo 2/2go, but it's just easier to use a DAP and so that is what I do now when not listening to my desktop.


The question of screen interfaces is on my mind, but I assume that the issue of best apps/interfaces will gradually become clear once users get their hands on the Mojo2.


----------



## endless402

mainguy said:


> You think the mojo 2 will sound better than a hugo 1? I was aware from reading around the hugo 1 sounds a good chunk better than the mojo 1. Im just not sure how the mojo 2 will stack up but it would be quite something for it to rival a much larger, higher end unit surely?


hugo 1 is quite a bit better than the mojo 1. I had mojo, H1 and H2 all at the same time once...
my guess is that mojo 2 will be more technical than H1, but H1 will be warmer. 
I prefer using the hugo rca outs adapted to a 4.4 output produced a bigger soundstage than through the 3.5


----------



## Charente

alota said:


> price in euros 599 is good


I'm not sure it is ... 

The ifi Gryphon is £599 in the UK and it's Euros 599 in France. An equivalence price.

The Mojo2 UK price has British VAT included at £450 ... if that was deducted for export, should it not be cheaper ??

I need to do the maths but it feels too much to me.


----------



## alota (Jan 31, 2022)

Wrong post. Sorry


----------



## Charente

alota said:


> Wrong post. Sorry


----------



## CaptainFantastic




----------



## paulgc

New video with early impression from @MoonAudio . I am not disappointed at all and have one on pre-order. Sounds like a bit of a mini H2 in many respects. Well at least functions.

My Mojo(M1) now only gets a max of 4 hours battery and have non-OEM ordered on eBay. Just wasn't sure where else to go! Plan to keep the M1 and mated to the Poly as my walking around Roon rig. Thinking the M2 with my laptop (for now) as a travel rig and my H2/2Go as my desktop higher end setup.


----------



## Slim1970

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I see.   I have the same issues with both the Mojo and Hugo 2.    I was using the Hugo 2 as a desktop DAC, but then I got a TT2 and didn't need it for that anymore.   The best use case was for travelling.  I would connect to it via USB and then I could EQ with Equalizer APO.    That's why I would love parametric EQ in the Mojo 2.   I would buy that in a nanosecond at its current price if it had 12 band parametric EQ.     The problem is to do it, you need a screen interface which Chord is not good at delivering on.    I love the sound of the Hugo 2/2go, but it's just easier to use a DAP and so that is what I do now when not listening to my desktop.


So what are you doing with your Hugo2?


----------



## iDesign (Jan 31, 2022)

I hope Chord takes the heavy feedback they‘ve received and introduces a non-Poly Gen 1 compatible version of the Mojo 2 with dual USB-C I/O. Its a simple problem to rework and would pave the way for a better, smaller Poly 2.


----------



## utdeep

If they did, who would buy this version?  They’re all in now.  Just like they were with the Poly


----------



## iDesign (Jan 31, 2022)

utdeep said:


> If they did, who would buy this version?  They’re all in now.  Just like they were with the Poly


If such a version existed today, I would order it. The Mojo 2 leaves a bit to be desired and if I wanted go back in time with old I/O, it almost makes more sense to buy a used Hugo 2. While the Mojo 2 may be backwards compatible with the Poly, its barely compatible with iOS and Android as evidenced by the firmware log…


----------



## Mr X

endless402 said:


> hugo 1 is quite a bit better than the mojo 1. I had mojo, H1 and H2 all at the same time once...
> my guess is that mojo 2 will be more technical than H1, but H1 will be warmer.
> I prefer using the hugo rca outs adapted to a 4.4 output produced a bigger soundstage than through the 3.5


Any guesses of Mojo 2 Vs Hugo 2? Care to speculate?


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Mr X said:


> Any guesses of Mojo 2 Vs Hugo 2? Care to speculate?



From the horse's mouth, the Hugo 2 is still superior.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-16792503


----------



## elira (Jan 31, 2022)

@Rob Watts, why do you consider Hugo 2 to be superior? The added features in the Mojo 2 make it seem less of an upgrade.


----------



## emgeebee

Any chance of a separate thread about why USB-C is essential in all gadgets for the USB-C evangelists? It's quite annoying for those of us who prioritise other things above that  

I'm very excited for mine to arrive tomorrow and kudos to chord for a smooth release (at least in the UK) with stock available next-day. I remember the poly release had a several month waitlist which was painful and was preparing for the same.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

elira said:


> @Rob Watts, do you consider Hugo 2 to be superior? The added features in the Mojo 2 make it seem less of an upgrade.



Did you mean to ask "Why do you consider Hugo 2 to be superior?" Because my post directly above yours gives you a link to where Rob Watts himself stated, today, that the Hugo 2 is superior.


----------



## elira

CaptainFantastic said:


> Did you mean to ask "Why do you consider Hugo 2 to be superior?" Because my post directly above yours gives you a link to where Rob Watts himself stated, today, that the Hugo 2 is superior.


I didn't see your post.


----------



## shootertwist

That micro usb charging is a deal breaker for me… would have been nice if the usb c could be used for charging. I no longer have a chord mojo but i remember owning it twice in the last 6-7yrs and really liked its sound. The second time i owned it was when i went all in with the mojo-poly combination and sound wise it was great. I even managed to overcome poly’s cumbersome setup and made it work…

But back to that micro usb charging, what makes this worse is that if chord follows a similar pattern of upgrades, you will be stuck with this micro usb for the next 6-7yrs. My devices are all usb-c now with the exception of the iphone 13 pro max hence i am also one of those disappointed chord went with this old connector… but i guess i saved anyway so its a good thing. Like the others, the chord mojo 2 was a sure buy for me as i enjoyed the mojo 1… until i saw that connector.


----------



## rhart00

shootertwist said:


> That micro usb charging is a deal breaker for me… would have been nice if the usb c could be used for charging. I no longer have a chord mojo but i remember owning it twice in the last 6-7yrs and really liked its sound. The second time i owned it was when i went all in with the mojo-poly combination and sound wise it was great. I even managed to overcome poly’s cumbersome setup and made it work…
> 
> But back to that micro usb charging, what makes this worse is that if chord follows a similar pattern of upgrades, you will be stuck with this micro usb for the next 6-7yrs. My devices are all usb-c now with the exception of the iphone 13 pro max hence i am also one of those disappointed chord went with this old connector… but i guess i saved anyway so its a good thing. Like the others, the chord mojo 2 was a sure buy for me as i enjoyed the mojo 1… until i saw that connector.


Took the words out of my mouth.


----------



## CrocodileDundee

shootertwist said:


> Like the others, the chord mojo 2 was a sure buy for me as i enjoyed the mojo 1… until i saw that connector.


That was me… 

I made a comment “this may be the Mojo I was waiting for.” Than had to edit my post after seeing the connector.

Charge and data on the same connector is not good for sound, so I wouldn’t expect them to use the new USB C for charging. I was expecting to have all connectors replaced by USB C in prepararion for also a new Poly with less troublesome setup.


----------



## GreenBow (Jan 31, 2022)

I don't really have any issues with the micro-USB. It's fiddly to get the cable in but that is all. Just have to concentrate and be careful.

USB-C would be very nice, but it's not a deal breaker in any regard.

However I got the impression from someone's post that USB-C would be able to charge faster. After googling, I read that the max current across micro-usb is 1A. That explains why when using a 2A charger I meansured the same current as a 1A charger.

I guess it's a downside though if Chord's DACs could charge faster using USB-C. Four hours charging is somewhat a drag. However it never really gets in the way for me. If I am using Hugo 2 and it runs out of battery, I can charge and play for a while. Or switch to Mojo.

Chord DAC batteries taking four hours to charge has never really been a problem. Although it would be nice if they charged in half the time. It would for sure improve the user-experience.

Having said all that, it depends also on the charge rate of the battery.


----------



## jlbrach

I certainly wouldnt buy or not buy a mojo 2 over usb-c or micro-usb....


----------



## Czykierek (Jan 31, 2022)

I completely fail to understand everyone who complains about the unfortunate micro usb socket. What would it change? From what Rob Watts has written here on head.fi, charging the battery with fdpa technology is faster, and in stationary mode it disconnects the battery when not in use, so you no longer need to disconnect the battery as I did on my Mojo 1st gen. For data transfer there is USB-C and microUSB. Think of all the Poly owners when their streamer is no longer compatible with the next generation Mojo overnight (I don't own a Poly).


----------



## elira

Czykierek said:


> I completely fail to understand everyone who complains about the unfortunate micro usb socket. What would it change? From what Rob Watts has written here on head.fi, charging the battery with fdpa technology is faster, and in stationary mode it disconnects the battery when not in use, so you no longer need to disconnect the battery as I did on my Mojo 1st gen. For data transfer there is USB-C and microUSB. Think of all the Poly owners when their streamer is no longer compatible with the next generation Mojo overnight (I don't own a Poly).


With USB C PD they could make it charge faster, and with almost everything being USB C nowadays a single cable can charge most things.


----------



## 5ko2za

The micro-usb connection failed on my original Mojo just as I was considering stumping up for a Poly. Listening via optical SPDIF for a year.. waiting hopefully for an improved Mojo 2. Hoping it would be a combined MojoPoly in one (without the flimsy micro-usb connection).The only really portable solution. No such luck. Micro-usb does fail - so keep your fingers crossed.


----------



## OuYang

The life cycle of Chord products are usually very long so connector may not be a deal breaker but it is a concern.

Mojo 2 is what it is so what I really want is new Poly lite version with:

•Smaller size
•One USB-C for data and charging, then we can forget Micro USB for years
•Better Bluetooth codec support
•APP can control DSP functions of Mojo 2 through Bluetooth, Menu button operation is too complicated.


----------



## Czykierek

elira said:


> With USB C PD they could make it charge faster, and with almost everything being USB C nowadays a single cable can charge most things.







But charging is faster on the newer generation Mojo 2 anyway, and one more cable makes such a big difference? Of course, I'm writing my opinion from the point of view of stationary use and not mobile use.


----------



## vlach

Malevolent said:


> If nothing else, it is a prettier device.


To you maybe. I personally prefer the larger volume balls on the original Mojo.


----------



## DanielListening

I guess what I am thinking is:
- if it sounds better than the Mojo, then ultimately that’s all I care about 
- there are no other options that produce this sound quality, I guess I’m getting a Mojo2

However if it turns out to not be a huge improvement on the original or another DAC/AMP can do it better than I will buy that.


----------



## Currawong (Jan 31, 2022)

Dynamo5561 said:


> It's 2022 and a new product is released with micro USB in , 4 band equalizer and 3,5mm outputs only. I'd consider that as an epic fail. ⁉️


I think that people who consider the USB port type and only 3.5mm socket as more important than everything else about the device, of which nobody else makes anything close to the abilities of, most definitely shouldn't buy one. It's the wrong product for you, without a doubt.


ianausten said:


> Micro-USB connectors are an abomination and over the years has caused several devices of mine to fail. They have no place on premium product at this price point in 2022.


I've had USB-C connectors fail. The most reliable connector I've used has been Apple's Lightning.


iDesign said:


> I hope Chord takes the heavy feedback they‘ve received and introduces a non-Poly Gen 1 compatible version of the Mojo 2 with dual USB-C I/O. Its a simple problem to rework and would pave the way for a better, smaller Poly 2.


Why would they cause market confusion and a huge amount of trouble for themselves re-designing a product completely,  just because a few people on a forum complained? Like the Mojo, thousands of people will buy them, and almost all wont care about the USB port type.


----------



## sabloke

5ko2za said:


> The micro-usb connection failed on my original Mojo just as I was considering stumping up for a Poly. Listening via optical SPDIF for a year.. waiting hopefully for an improved Mojo 2. Hoping it would be a combined MojoPoly in one (without the flimsy micro-usb connection).The only really portable solution. No such luck. Micro-usb does fail - so keep your fingers crossed.


You didn't think this through I guess. The micro USB you will only use for charging. For data you can use either the data micro or type C USB port. I doubt the charging micro usb port will ever fail if you treat your unit half decently. As for the data port, failures tend to occur due to mobile use but even in that case you have two of those on Mojo 2,so redundancy is assured.


----------



## iDesign (Jan 31, 2022)

Currawong said:


> Why would they cause market confusion and a huge amount of trouble for themselves re-designing a product completely, as well as causing market confusion, just because a few people on a forum complained? Like the Mojo, thousands of people will buy them, and almost all wont care about the USB port type.


Of course they could as part of a mid-product life cycle update in 2024 and retire the original Poly at that time. Many, many companies do life cycle impulse updates. Has Chord adapted to user feedback from forums and reviewers? Yes, the USB input in the Blu Mk II was added based on feedback from this very forum (see here and all the prior pages).


----------



## DanielListening

The release of the Mojo2 makes me want the iFi Gryphon.

I was really hoping for a device like the Gryphon made by Chord.


----------



## someyoungguy

Review at: https://www.stereonet.com/au/review...ojo-2-portable-dac-headphone-amplifier-review


----------



## sabloke

elira said:


> With USB C PD they could make it charge faster, and with almost everything being USB C nowadays a single cable can charge most things.


Very fast charging means shorter battery life. Might not be an issue for a phone that you replace every 1-2 years but for a device like Mojo 2 that should last you much longer, that's a bummer. I bet that most folks complaining about not being able to charge via the type-C port would be whining about the lack of separation between data and power if that was implemented


----------



## Progisus

Currawong said:


> I think that people who consider the USB port type and only 3.5mm socket as more important than everything else about the device, of which nobody else makes anything close to the abilities of, most definitely shouldn't buy one. It's the wrong product for you, without a doubt.
> 
> I've had USB-C connectors fail. The most reliable connector I've used has been Apple's Lightning.
> 
> Why would they cause market confusion and a huge amount of trouble for themselves re-designing a product completely,  just because a few people on a forum complained? Like the Mojo, thousands of people will buy them, and almost all wont care about the USB port type.


I agree. The usbc on my ipad pro is loosening. All the lightning connectors on iphones and other ipads are still tight. After consideration I think Chord did the right thing by making the mojo 2 poly compatible. Without that it would be off my radar.


----------



## Barndoor

I personally would have preferred for the M2 design not to have been held back by the Poly, but a separate Poly to M2 adapter sold.
That said, it won't prevent me from me purchasing the M2 at some point in the future.


----------



## sabloke

Looks like there's a month wait if I preorder now. Guess I'll just wait then, wait a few months for the bugs to be ironed out 😊


----------



## iPaintCode

From all the years reading Rob Watt’s post, he’s always been brutally honest and very detailed in his writings. With that said, I’m not at all bothered by the very close I/O layout; it’s a given for Poly support day one also. I’m sure there are a lot of home users using the Mojo 1 or Hugo’s with micro USB cables. They can still plug and play with the Mojo 2. If you don’t like the direction a chord has taken, as Rob said, there are a plethora of offerings that would seem to suit you better. I understand people want the shiny new I/O and connectors, but Watts has stated balanced output is not something he designs in his offerings. He‘s never released a lousy-sounding DAC because you didn’t get your 4.4mm (much larger onboard than 3.5mm like his USB-C statement) connector. My Mojo 1 has served my needs just as it stands for, mobile joy.

My Son’s birthday is coming up, and he’s turning 12 and has really taken a considerable liking to headphone hifi and always ask to use my M1. So I’ve decided to replace my M1 for an M2 and will give my Son the Mojo 1 along with a brand new pair of 1st gen Focal Clear Pro (I have two brand new pairs, don’t ask…), he will be absolutely over the moon as he loves the Clear Pros and I still have my Clear Pro Mg all for myself. He spends hours with the Mojo 1 and my Clear Pro Mg, and now he will have his own Clear Pro and M1, which pair amazingly well. I’m more excited to give him his dream headphone hi-fi setup than sit on the forums and cry over Rob Watts I/O decisions, so please move on and stop whizzing on the M2 launch parade.

I will use the M2 I have on order for my campfire IEM’s and travel DAC. It’s a win-win and let’s all give Rob Watts a big round of applause for pushing out amazing DACs.


----------



## Hanesu

I am wondering what were the cons against also developing a Poly 2 and releasing it together with the Mojo 2?


----------



## Slim1970

Where can we find the Mojo 2's case for sale?


----------



## DanielListening

I think Chord is a really small, privately owned company that is risk adverse and cannot afford to gamble on a product and take risks/doesn't have lots of money for R&D and this is why we end up with a Chord Mojo2.

That being said the Chord Mojo still sounds better than anything else in the portable (is it really portable?) market. The form factor isn't great, it isn't really portable, more transportable. Again, it sounds amazing but is a PITA. 

The Chord Mojo2 seems to be continuing that legacy.


----------



## DanielListening

Slim1970 said:


> Where can we find the Mojo 2's case for sale?



Where can I find a Chord Mojo2 for sale? My local dealer isn't sure they will have a unit for me.


----------



## Slim1970

DanielListening said:


> Where can I find a Chord Mojo2 for sale? My local dealer isn't sure they will have a unit for me.


I preordered mine from Moon Audio. Expected ship date is February 15th. Hopefully this hold true.


----------



## DanielListening

Moon has a really good relationship with Chord. I have a good feeling about your order!  

Moon has done a lot for Chord as a dealer. I am all the way up in Canada and I know about Moon & Chord. I think Moon's review made me finally buy the Mojo in the first place.


----------



## Another Audiophile

I just hope with the new poly firmware update we will be able to adjust the EQ through Go figure. That will be handy.


----------



## DanielListening

I just wish I could get my Poly working on a standard network and I didn't need to get a router just specifically to work with the Poly. 

Google/Nest Wifi is the router that works. I will need to set it up again. I have no issues with any other device on my network from my cable company.


----------



## GraveNoX (Feb 1, 2022)

piglet said:


> I am looking at the Mojo 2 with interest. Currently I have an iFi Audio xDSD Gryphon, which is fabulous. However I've only had it a couple of weeks and, actually, I could still send it back within the 30 day period if I decide to get a Mojo 2.


This describes perfectly this hobby. You are very impressed with the current setup but for some reason you already thinking to change it, for something else. And it's also a hurry to change it before the return policy ends. So it's like you want to get rid of it as fast as possible, even if the current setup is "fabulous".
The phrase doesn't make any sense, but also shows the true meaning of being an audiophile.
Not fabulous enough.


----------



## kumar402

GraveNoX said:


> This describes perfectly this hobby. You are very impressed with the current setup but for some reason you already thinking to change it, for something else. And it's also a hurry to change it before the return policy ends. So it's like you want to get rid of it as fast as possible, even if the current setup is "fabulous".
> The phrase doesn't make any sense, but also shows the true meaning of being an audiophile.
> Not fabulous enough.


It’s about journey and not destination
Let’s chase the unicorn


----------



## plakat

ecwl said:


> I think you are underestimating the sonic improvements from the 16fs WTA filter, DC servo and improved noise shaper compared to your older Hugo 1. Is it a big enough jump to be worth the sonic upgrade? my guess is almost definitely yes but only you can decide.
> No Bluetooth is disappointing but in such a small form factor, it would be much harder to isolate the Bluetooth receiver noise from the rest of the DAC I presume.
> Chord user interface is definitely extremely idiosyncratic. Even as a Chord super fan, I’m somewhat annoyed. But their focus is always sound quality first. Now whether you like the sound and are willing to pay for it is obviously a very individual decision.


For me that decision is quite easy — I’m mostly done with upgraditis 
I skipped the Hugo2 since I liked the old model better. I‘d rather not expect the new Mojo to be heads and shoulders above the Hugo 2… so most definitely not worth 600€ to me.

Yes, isolating high frequency noise sources like Bluetooth is an engineering challenge. But one I’d prefer Chord to take up on rather than an EQ or backwards compatibility with the Poly…

But I’ll in all honesty skip the rest of the discussion. For one I think it’s not that fair to add more and more rather negative comments about a product that I did not even hear. And… that I don’t even plan on trying out at all. I’m sure it’ll sound good overall, it’s just not what would have persuaded me to get one.


----------



## Ultrainferno

Find out how the Mojo 2 sounds and performs and why we are awarding it, now on Headfonia! 

https://www.headfonia.com/chord-electronics-mojo-2-review/


----------



## andrewd01

A question for the IEM users: What is a good recommendation of IEM that would be a good match for the Mojo2 without spending crazy money?


----------



## Uebelkraehe (Feb 1, 2022)

Ordered one, will be interesting to see if Chord has indeed some special Mojo compared to stuff like the M11 Plus Ltd or a rather traditional portable DAC/amp like the TRI TK-2 or if they just specialize in a technobabble variant of audiophile mumbo jumbo.


----------



## trondav

iPaintCode said:


> From all the years reading Rob Watt’s post, he’s always been brutally honest and very detailed in his writings. With that said, I’m not at all bothered by the very close I/O layout; it’s a given for Poly support day one also. I’m sure there are a lot of home users using the Mojo 1 or Hugo’s with micro USB cables. They can still plug and play with the Mojo 2. If you don’t like the direction a chord has taken, as Rob said, there are a plethora of offerings that would seem to suit you better. I understand people want the shiny new I/O and connectors, but Watts has stated balanced output is not something he designs in his offerings. He‘s never released a lousy-sounding DAC because you didn’t get your 4.4mm (much larger onboard than 3.5mm like his USB-C statement) connector. My Mojo 1 has served my needs just as it stands for, mobile joy.
> 
> My Son’s birthday is coming up, and he’s turning 12 and has really taken a considerable liking to headphone hifi and always ask to use my M1. So I’ve decided to replace my M1 for an M2 and will give my Son the Mojo 1 along with a brand new pair of 1st gen Focal Clear Pro (I have two brand new pairs, don’t ask…), he will be absolutely over the moon as he loves the Clear Pros and I still have my Clear Pro Mg all for myself. He spends hours with the Mojo 1 and my Clear Pro Mg, and now he will have his own Clear Pro and M1, which pair amazingly well. I’m more excited to give him his dream headphone hi-fi setup than sit on the forums and cry over Rob Watts I/O decisions, so please move on and stop whizzing on the M2 launch parade.
> 
> I will use the M2 I have on order for my campfire IEM’s and travel DAC. It’s a win-win and let’s all give Rob Watts a big round of applause for pushing out amazing DACs.


If all fathers were like that .....  He is a lucky kid!


----------



## kumar402

Here is a business Idea - Mojo Deskpad 
The deskpad will have all the color combination and it’s meaning for volume and EQ printed on it for quick access as a cheat sheet to run Mojo 2


----------



## soundperfection

so looking at the specs I would call this more of a revision than a successor to the mojo.   I would expect the performance to be more on hugo 2 level after 7 years from the original mojo.


----------



## Rebel Chris

Why would build Chord a Mojo with Hugo 2 specs and sound? Businesswise its would kill off Hugo TT2 sales.


----------



## Currawong

Rebel Chris said:


> Why would build Chord a Mojo with Hugo 2 specs and sound? Businesswise its would kill off Hugo TT2 sales.


Because they can't? Not without making it bigger, and then it would be a Hugo 3.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

Currawong said:


> Because they can't? Not without making it bigger, and then it would be a Hugo 3.


Will there be a review of the Mojo 2 from you anytime soon? I'd be curious to hear your thoughts about the unit.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

Finally the Mojo 2 is listed in my country but with "coming soon" status 😞. It's ~70 USD increase from the previous one, given the rise of chip pricess right now, it does pretty seem reasonable.

I wonder how it compares to the competition (Gryphon, Honey H1...)


----------



## kumar402

Johnfg465vd said:


> Finally the Mojo 2 is listed in my country but with "coming soon" status 😞. It's ~70 USD increase from the previous one, given the rise of chip pricess right now, it does pretty seem reasonable.
> 
> I wonder how it compares to the competition (Gryphon, Honey H1...)


But priced well in India considering it cost $725 + state Tax in US


----------



## gavinfabl

So my Mojo 2 just got delivered. Now the testing ….


----------



## Chris Kaoss

gavinfabl said:


> So my Mojo 2 just got delivered. Now the testing ….


Nice.
Have fun with.
Still on the fence, but really satisfied with the 1.

Well, the Crossfeed intrigues me by a bit. ^^

No matter what, there's always something.


----------



## TheDuke990

My only concern was that it would be possible to drive my HD800S and Empyrean well enough. Headfonia said yes so I'll push the button once it's available at my favorite dealer.


----------



## ufospls2 (Feb 1, 2022)

Currawong said:


> I think that people who consider the USB port type and only 3.5mm socket as more important than everything else about the device, of which nobody else makes anything close to the abilities of, most definitely shouldn't buy one. It's the wrong product for you, without a doubt.
> 
> I've had USB-C connectors fail. The most reliable connector I've used has been Apple's Lightning.
> 
> Why would they cause market confusion and a huge amount of trouble for themselves re-designing a product completely,  just because a few people on a forum complained? Like the Mojo, thousands of people will buy them, and almost all wont care about the USB port type.



USB-C can fail, yes, but it is _much_ more robust and unusual to see it fail outright than with Micro USB.

I had the Mojo 1, it sounded good but the Micro USB ports both became loose and had intermittent connections (which was beyond annoying) in addition to the battery issues everyone else had. If you buy a Mojo2 and use it as a desktop DAC which is never plugged/unplugged, then the ports wont wear out. However, the constant dropping of signal, constantly replacing USB cables which the micro usb connectors also wore out on, was beyond unacceptable for a 2022 device. It will all depend on how often one plugs and unplugs the cable/ports. If you are a heavy user, using it in multiple applications, then thats a problem.

The only solution I can see is an adapter plugged into the charging port which you never remove, never wearing the port down, and using a usb-c into the adapter.

I usually agree with you, but totally disagree on this one.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Ordered mine which will be delivered tomorrow. The 6 years warranty from the retailer comes as essential. From my experience with the mojo1 it will be something that will be used.


----------



## soundperfection

Rebel Chris said:


> Why would build Chord a Mojo with Hugo 2 specs and sound? Businesswise its would kill off Hugo TT2 sales.



cuz hugo 3 will probably be out soon.  Old tech is old tech


----------



## soundblast75

Another Audiophile said:


> Ordered mine which will be delivered tomorrow. The 6 years warranty from the retailer comes as essential. From my experience with the mojo1 it will be something that will be used.


Where's this?6 years is great


----------



## Rob Watts

Alexnova said:


> If you don't want to use the EQ, does the signal still go through that DSP? I don't want my audio signal going through another layer of processing.



The DSP core handles EQ, cross-feed and finally the volume control, so it's always operational. But if EQ or cross-feed are all off, then the volume control receives bit perfect data from WTA1. So there is no processing at all when all the features are off.



Jawed said:


> Ooh, so Mojo 2 uses a more powerful FPGA, the XC7A25T? Or the 35T?



No it's still using the 15T. But the power savings I made on the rest of the circuitry means that I can now use the FPGA to the max.



elira said:


> @Rob Watts, why do you consider Hugo 2 to be superior? The added features in the Mojo 2 make it seem less of an upgrade.



Hugo 2 has the WTA 2 filter, better noise shapers, 10 elements rather than 4 (that's a big change) and the second order analogue noise shaper amplifier - this makes a big difference too particularly with low impedance headphones. But of course Mojo 2 has reduced the gap to Hugo 2 compared to Mojo, and it has the EQ features.


----------



## soundblast75

I think its funny they decided to go with 2 3.5 HOs, considering its aimed at only extreme audiofools, how many of us ever need this, time to invite the wife aboard🤣🥳


----------



## Mr X

Quite a detailed review here...


----------



## SoundJedi

Pondering a Mojo2 purchase. Such a shame Bluetooth was not included. 

This said I am thinking the Topping BC3 would be a perfect complement. It's small enough, has LDAC support and optical out. Should do the trick right?


----------



## Johnfg465vd

SoundJedi said:


> Pondering a Mojo2 purchase. Such a shame Bluetooth was not included.
> 
> This said I am thinking the Topping BC3 would be a perfect complement. It's small enough, has LDAC support and optical out. Should do the trick right?


HiBy R2 looks nice too, a lot more features for the price and can be used as a usb transport for the Mojo 2.

Apart from the LDAC codec support, I like that you can connect the R2 to your phone with HiBy Link and control music playback on the phone. It should provide much better sound quality since all the music will be stored on the R2 and not sent to it via a lossy codec. Poor man's Poly 😁.


----------



## Another Audiophile

soundblast75 said:


> I think its funny they decided to go with 2 3.5 HOs, considering its aimed at only extreme audiofools, how many of us ever need this, time to invite the wife aboard🤣🥳


I use it all the time with Audeze LCD-X and MX4. I listen with my partner or with friends and I had some very cool party nights with it.


----------



## Another Audiophile

soundblast75 said:


> Where's this?6 years is great


Richer Sounds in the United Kingdom. Also my poly and mojo1 are with 6 years warranty and already replaced the batteries in both free of charge.


----------



## SoundJedi (Feb 1, 2022)

Mr X said:


> Quite a detailed review here...




A comparison of the DAC functionality compared to Hugo2 is what I am really after. None of the reviews on Yuptub have that yet. Hugo2 is my desktop DAC and I never use the amp so it's a bit overkill.

Edit: there's a sound comp here. Decisions decisions... 

https://www.headfonia.com/chord-electronics-mojo-2-review/4/


----------



## msq123

Today just got very exciting


----------



## SoundJedi

msq123 said:


> Today just got very exciting



Congrats! Mojo2 vs TT2 DAC performance comp  please? I know it's prob not a fair comparison but who knows.


----------



## Another Audiophile

anybody knows the charging time from empty?


----------



## msq123

SoundJedi said:


> Congrats! Mojo2 vs TT2 DAC performance comp  please? I know it's prob not a fair comparison but who knows.


I will but as you said it’s not fair at all


----------



## SoundJedi

msq123 said:


> I will but as you said it’s not fair at all



Well if Mojo2 gets anywhere near the zip code (for DAC part alone obviously) that would count as a huge win. If it doesn't, it sounds like it's still a decent upgrade over the Mojo1 so it's a no lose situation 😊.


----------



## Wilderbeast

My Mojo 2 is arriving tomorrow (UK). I'm keen to compare it with my Hugo 2. For what it's worth, I think the original Hugo was the best sounding of the lot.

But I've just realised I may have to wait to hear anything. I have an iPhone and no CCK. So, a bit of a niche, random question: Can I plug my 2go into my Mojo 2?


----------



## PhilW

Let's get this show on the road. It's gonna be an interesting back to back.


----------



## lawshredpower

No official thread yet?


----------



## Tanalasta

Currawong said:


> Because they can't? Not without making it bigger, and then it would be a Hugo 3.


I hope the Hugo3 is cross compatible with the 2Go and fits in the same leather case. The money investment in Chord products is real.

The one thing about the reviews that I appreciate is that the Mojo2/Poly setup does not make my 2Go/Hugo2 redundant. Phew. money saved. Now to see what TT3 or Hugo3 may hold one day. That micro-USB though!!! I can understand why they did it but at some point, I think Chord will have to move with the times.


----------



## soundblast75

Another Audiophile said:


> Richer Sounds in the United Kingdom. Also my poly and mojo1 are with 6 years warranty and already replaced the batteries in both free of charge.


Oh thats great news, im uk too🍻🍻


----------



## msq123

Another Audiophile said:


> Richer Sounds in the United Kingdom. Also my poly and mojo1 are with 6 years warranty and already replaced the batteries in both free of charge.


I got it through richer sound too, 6y is default from them?


----------



## Another Audiophile

soundblast75 said:


> Oh thats great news, im uk too🍻🍻


jolly good then. They have free next day shipping and the 6 years warranty is reasonable. If not used can be refunded. You can't go wrong with that


----------



## DavidW

Another Audiophile said:


> I use it all the time with Audeze LCD-X and MX4. I listen with my partner or with friends and I had some very cool party nights with it.


We do it too- my son and I out for walk in the early days of the pandemic. Listening to the Beatles on the Mojo


----------



## lowrider007

Just watched the video review from Pursuit Perfect System, he mentioned something about charging or battery projection circuit, does this mean I can use the Mojo 2 as a desktop DAC plugged in permanently without the battery degrading?


----------



## msq123

lowrider007 said:


> Just watched the video review from Pursuit Perfect System, he mentioned something about charging or battery projection circuit, does this mean I can use the Mojo 2 as a desktop DAC plugged in permanently without the battery degrading?


That’s correct, it disconnects the battery in desktop operation which caused heating issues on the original and reduced battery life


----------



## Nostoi

soundblast75 said:


> I think its funny they decided to go with 2 3.5 HOs, considering its aimed at only extreme audiofools, how many of us ever need this, time to invite the wife aboard🤣🥳


I used this function for many years with my wife watching films. She uses her V-Moda Crossfade 2, I'm likely using some kind of easy to drive Beyerdynamic closed back (DT700 Pro X, T5P 2nd gen). Always works a treat. Surprised more people don't appreciate this function.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

msq123 said:


> I got it through richer sound too, 6y is default from them?



It's an extra offer for 10% of the cost of the product


----------



## WilOverton

Well, despite the Mojo+Poly (yes, I've never had any problems with either) continuing to be the best sounding bit of kit I've ever owned I'm still experiencing a bit of new toy fever. TBH, I think I'd probably be better off upgrading my IEMs (Fiio FD5 - up to the FD7?) than getting the Mojo 2 but the lure is defintely strong.


----------



## lowrider007

msq123 said:


> That’s correct, it disconnects the battery in desktop operation which caused heating issues on the original and reduced battery life



Ummmm, interesting, I've been on the look out for a Chord Qutest on the cheap for a while but doesn't seem to be any deals around, the Mojo 2 is very temping for the price.


----------



## Another Audiophile

AnalogEuphoria said:


> It's an extra offer for 10% of the cost of the product


Yes,

In my case the extended warranty was offered free of charge. I suggest you phone up your local store and talk it through.


----------



## ubs28

So it seems a few people have the Mojo 2 already. How much better does it sound over the Mojo 1?


----------



## soundblast75

Nostoi said:


> I used this function for many years with my wife watching films. She uses her V-Moda Crossfade 2, I'm likely using some kind of easy to drive Beyerdynamic closed back (DT700 Pro X, T5P 2nd gen). Always works a treat. Surprised more people don't appreciate this function.


Well now i do too🥂🥂👍😁


----------



## Nostoi

soundblast75 said:


> Well now i do too🥂🥂👍😁


There you go - free upgrade for your wife!


----------



## soundblast75




----------



## soundblast75

Nostoi said:


> There you go - free upgrade for your wife!


Yeah just don't tell her how much lol


----------



## Nostoi

soundblast75 said:


> Yeah just don't tell her how much lol


That goes without saying - it's the only situation in audio life where a lack of transparency result in a happy ending!


----------



## soundblast75

Nostoi said:


> That goes without saying - it's the only situation in audio life where a lack of transparency result in a happy ending!


Hahaha, well said😂😂😂🤘


----------



## rwelles

Will the Mojo 2 and the Poly fit into the Chord combo case?


----------



## someyoungguy

rwelles said:


> Will the Mojo 2 and the Poly fit into the Chord combo case?


I think you’ll need a new case as the buttons won’t line up with the case holes for Mojo1?


----------



## kumar402

Take criticism as an area of improvement. There is nothing wrong in criticizing some feature which a person doesn’t like. If every one will sing flowery praise then how will a company improve


----------



## kumar402

Nostoi said:


> I used this function for many years with my wife watching films. She uses her V-Moda Crossfade 2, I'm likely using some kind of easy to drive Beyerdynamic closed back (DT700 Pro X, T5P 2nd gen). Always works a treat. Surprised more people don't appreciate this function.


I too have used it with my better half watching movies taking digital out of my portable projector


----------



## Nostoi

kumar402 said:


> I too have used it with my better half watching movies taking digital out of my portable projector


I find the collected works of Steven Seagal are especially rewarding on the Mojo. Something about Seagal's lethargic martial arts style translates with unnerving clarity on the Mojo. It's almost as though he's in the room with my wife and I as we simultaneously watch him on screen, breathing heavily just behind us. 

I love it, sadly my wife hates it.


----------



## kumar402

Nostoi said:


> I find the collected works of Steven Seagal are especially rewarding on the Mojo. Something about Seagal's lethargic martial arts style translates with unnerving clarity on the Mojo. It's almost as though he's in the room with my wife and I as we simultaneously watch him on screen, breathing heavily just behind us.
> 
> I love it, sadly my wife hates it.


Worth trying…thanks for reco


----------



## Mr X

SoundJedi said:


> A comparison of the DAC functionality compared to Hugo2 is what I am really after. None of the reviews on Yuptub have that yet. Hugo2 is my desktop DAC and I never use the amp so it's a bit overkill.
> 
> Edit: there's a sound comp here. Decisions decisions...
> 
> https://www.headfonia.com/chord-electronics-mojo-2-review/4/


Thanks for this link. 
After reading and pondering a bit more, I think my decision is to stick with my Hugo2 and 2Go. If I start travelling again later in the year my decision may change so will keep watching for user reviews and comments.


----------



## x RELIC x (Feb 2, 2022)

SoundJedi said:


> A comparison of the DAC functionality compared to Hugo2 is what I am really after. None of the reviews on Yuptub have that yet. Hugo2 is my desktop DAC and I never use the amp so it's a bit overkill.
> 
> Edit: there's a sound comp here. Decisions decisions...
> 
> https://www.headfonia.com/chord-electronics-mojo-2-review/4/


Because you can never hear the difference between the DAC and the amp in Rob’s designs because there is no separate amp to bypass. DAC mode has always been a volume preset and the analogue out is never bypassed, and no hardware change happens in DAC mode. The design is more akin to the analogue out of other DACs so it can’t be separated from the DAC. You are actually always listening to the ‘amp’. Very different design than traditional gear. If a reviewer says they can hear a difference with DAC mode in the Hugo2 then I wouldn’t believe it.


----------



## gryffe

First impressions after 30 mins playing on phone are I'm knocked out, and Chord have knocked it out the park. I had a Mojo about 3 years ago which I did enjoy, but I didn't have this standard of phone, or these standard of headphones so for me to compare MK1 and MK 2 Mojo's is probably a waste of time. What I can compare the MK 2 with is the Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt and although that sounds fantastic for what it is the Mojo grinds it into the dust for a couple of hundred quid extra. The Dragonfly I would rate an 8 without hearing the Mojo 2. Compared to the Mojo 2 the Dragonfly is a 7, the Mojo 2 is a 10


----------



## Alan Billington

rwelles said:


> Will the Mojo 2 and the Poly fit into the Chord combo case?


I’m going to shoe horn my combo in! I rarely use the buttons but we should still be able to access 3 of them I think if not perhaps the menu button. I’d be happy to manage I think for a while


----------



## SRKRAM

Just got my mojo 2. I've yet to listen to it, but when I first got it out of the box I thought it had a foot missing. Turns out that the USB-C protuberance is the 4th foot.


----------



## virgopunk

Johnfg465vd said:


> HiBy R2 looks nice too, a lot more features for the price and can be used as a usb transport for the Mojo 2.
> 
> Apart from the LDAC codec support, I like that you can connect the R2 to your phone with HiBy Link and control music playback on the phone. It should provide much better sound quality since all the music will be stored on the R2 and not sent to it via a lossy codec. Poor man's Poly 😁.


Shame the R2 only has a single msd slot. The Tempotec has dual slots (I use it with X2 1TB cards) , USB transport and is smaller. It doesn't have anywhere near as many features but that dual sd slot is what I want from a transport.


----------



## gavinfabl

I’m listening to the Mojo 2 with a vast selection of headphones, but it proving messy to compare to the Gryphon and Xduoo XD-05 Bal as I was using 4.4mm balanced cables with them. I have had to change everything to 3.5mm unbalanced. Has anyone got an idea how to swap cables fast?

My verdict on the the Mojo 2 so far -  “The best balls in the business”  . I just love the coloured balls. As to the sound quality it’s still a work in progress trying to establish the quality and also compare it.


----------



## Nostoi

gavinfabl said:


> I’m listening to the Mojo 2 with a vast selection of headphones, but it proving messy to compare to the Gryphon and Xduoo XD-05 Bal as I was using 4.4mm balanced cables with them. I have had to change everything to 3.5mm unbalanced. Has anyone got an idea how to swap cables fast?
> 
> My verdict on the the Mojo 2 so far -  “The best balls in the business”  . I just love the coloured balls. As to the sound quality it’s still a work in progress trying to establish the quality and also compare it.


I use the following adaptor when I run balanced headphones on my Mojo without having to change cables. Works well, feels solid. 

https://www.ddhifi.com/productinfo/1429484.html


----------



## AlexCBSN

gavinfabl said:


> I’m listening to the Mojo 2 with a vast selection of headphones, but it proving messy to compare to the Gryphon and Xduoo XD-05 Bal as I was using 4.4mm balanced cables with them. I have had to change everything to 3.5mm unbalanced. Has anyone got an idea how to swap cables fast?
> 
> My verdict on the the Mojo 2 so far -  “The best balls in the business”  . I just love the coloured balls. As to the sound quality it’s still a work in progress trying to establish the quality and also compare it.


I would compare both on their best, mojo on 3.5 and gryphon on 4.4 

I’m super interested in this comparison


----------



## Jawed

Interview with Rob:

https://darko.audio/2022/02/podcast-rob-watts-on-the-chord-mojo-2/


----------



## the1andonly

WilOverton said:


> Well, despite the Mojo+Poly (yes, I've never had any problems with either) continuing to be the best sounding bit of kit I've ever owned I'm still experiencing a bit of new toy fever. TBH, I think I'd probably be better off upgrading my IEMs (Fiio FD5 - up to the FD7?) than getting the Mojo 2 but the lure is defintely strong.


Mojo and poly was magic... regretfully I had HUGE trouble when I tried to update the software on poly after years of not updating, sold both and regretting getting rid of the mojo, the poly was at that point showing signs of being trouble for me, but getting back to the Mojo I messed up by selling now. Good on the people getting the Mojo 2 I know it will sound amazing! I am interested to here comparisons as well, and I know Chords prices even for the plain Mojo vary quite a bit from the US market price I believe they had the same bump going from one side of the pond to another, but it's just too dang expensive ATM for me to get! 😭


----------



## elira

gavinfabl said:


> Has anyone got an idea how to swap cables fast?


Use adapters to 4 pin XLR.


----------



## the1andonly

gavinfabl said:


> I’m listening to the Mojo 2 with a vast selection of headphones, but it proving messy to compare to the Gryphon and Xduoo XD-05 Bal as I was using 4.4mm balanced cables with them. I have had to change everything to 3.5mm unbalanced. Has anyone got an idea how to swap cables fast?
> 
> My verdict on the the Mojo 2 so far -  “The best balls in the business”  . I just love the coloured balls. As to the sound quality it’s still a work in progress trying to establish the quality and also compare it.


I always wanted to use an aux switch I bought one for line level usage and wanted to try with amps but I was scared at best it would introduce some interference and at worst having multiple high powered AMP or nice headphones hooked up to it(it's a 4 source 4 output switch that connects 1 of 16 options for source/output)

Maybe I am wrong? If anyone wants to chime in it wouldn't be a problem I really don't use it anymore, I think it's like $20 for one, I would be willing to send it to someone if they paid shipping if it helped which would only be like $5 max for USPS first class, I would just caution them to know whether it's safe or not, I am a worry wart so I am too scared cat to try, and too lazy to look up

it's all unbalanced 3.5 though, 2 switches one selects input 1 of 4 the other for output same 1 of 4


----------



## gavinfabl

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I’ll just swap to 4.4mm cables when switching to the Gryphon & Xduoo. I don’t want to introduce any interference into the process. I’ll get an extra pair of hands to help me speed the process up.


----------



## andrewd01

SRKRAM said:


> Just got my mojo 2. I've yet to listen to it, but when I first got it out of the box I thought it had a foot missing. Turns out that the USB-C protuberance is the 4th foot.


Does that sticker peel off easily?  Looks awful.


----------



## rhart00

So poly 2 will now have to be microUSB


Another Audiophile said:


> Ordered mine which will be delivered tomorrow. The 6 years warranty from the retailer comes as essential. From my experience with the mojo1 it will be something that will be used.


What retailer is that?


----------



## jwbrent

SRKRAM said:


> Just got my mojo 2. I've yet to listen to it, but when I first got it out of the box I thought it had a foot missing. Turns out that the USB-C protuberance is the 4th foot.



Small nitpick, why Chord can’t train its production staff to properly place the sticker on the bottom of the chassis so it is straight baffles me for a high end company. My OG Mojo was like this as well. As I said, small annoyance.

I seem to recall the OG Mojo had the same capability of the number of taps as the OG Hugo which I also owned, but they scaled it down so it wouldn’t impact Hugo sales. The tap count on the Mojo 2 appears to be 40K although the information on it uses different terminology, i.e., DSP cores.

I like the new menu options, especially crossfeed. Aesthetically, I wonder why Chord didn’t use a colored ball for menu, instead using what appears to be grey. 🤔

Lossless EQ is a very nice addition. 👍

Looking forward to impressions although I’ll likely buy one since I really liked the OG Mojo.


----------



## jwbrent

andrewd01 said:


> Does that sticker peel off easily?  Looks awful.



Yes, it looks like the same sticker on the OG Mojo which I did remove because it was crooked, however, I would advise not tossing it but keeping it safe somewhere in case of warranty repair.


----------



## JezR

Hi everyone,

I got my Mojo 2 this morning, could I ask a favour from someone, I've watched two Mojo 2 unboxing's on YouTube, one from the UK and the other US, in both they show a button guide card that should be included in the box, I didn't get one for some reason.

Any chance someone could scan or photo the front and back of the card and PM it to me if it's not too much of a faff, it would be much appreciated, thank you.

Cheers, Jez


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

AlexCBSN said:


> I would compare both on their best, mojo on 3.5 and gryphon on 4.4
> 
> I’m super interested in this comparison


Yeah, me, too.    Since the Mojo 2 is supposed to be more transparent than the Mojo OG, I am also wondering about the general sound signature.


----------



## weexisttocease

JezR said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I got my Mojo 2 this morning, could I ask a favour from someone, I've watched two Mojo 2 unboxing's on YouTube, one from the UK and the other US, in both they show a button guide card that should be included in the box, I didn't get one for some reason.
> 
> ...



You can download the user manual.

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Mojo-2-user-manual-V.1.pdf


----------



## gavinfabl

JezR said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I got my Mojo 2 this morning, could I ask a favour from someone, I've watched two Mojo 2 unboxing's on YouTube, one from the UK and the other US, in both they show a button guide card that should be included in the box, I didn't get one for some reason.
> 
> ...


I don’t recall one either with mine. I’m going to screenshot the manual & print the specific pages.


----------



## SRKRAM

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Yeah, me, too.    Since the Mojo 2 is supposed to be more transparent than the Mojo OG, I am also wondering about the general sound signature.


I had a Mojo OG which I hardly ever used and literally just sold, and today I got a Mojo 2 out of curiosity. I've just dialled the upper treble down a couple of dB as it seemed brighter. I also noticed some harshness on recordings where I hadn't noticed it before.


----------



## JezR

gavinfabl said:


> I don’t recall one either with mine. I’m going to screenshot the manual & print the specific pages.


I've got the manual, lots of pages. Perfect Pursuit was one of the videos, he says don't lose the card.


----------



## gryffe

JezR said:


> I've got the manual, lots of pages. Perfect Pursuit was one of the videos, he says don't lose the card.


Yep, I've not got that card either. Can only assume they ditched it or just sent to reviewers


----------



## JezR

gryffe said:


> Yep, I've not got that card either. Can only assume they ditched it or just sent to reviewers


Okay understood, thanks for letting me know, I will plough through the manual at my leisure.


----------



## Another Audiophile

rhart00 said:


> So poly 2 will now have to be microUSB
> 
> What retailer is that?


Richer Sounds UK


----------



## vlach

msq123 said:


> That’s correct, it disconnects the battery in desktop operation which caused heating issues on the original and reduced battery life


This feature helps extend the battery life due to reduced heat, however the battery is still exposed to the heat generated from normal operation. It would be good to know if the (improved) charging circuit can be used to power the M2 with the battery removed altogether.


----------



## jwbrent

Jawed said:


> Interview with Rob:
> 
> https://darko.audio/2022/02/podcast-rob-watts-on-the-chord-mojo-2/



Nice interview. I now understand the reason why the OG Mojo didn’t use its full tap count capability was due to a heat issue.


----------



## jwbrent

TheEldestBoy said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> How long ago was the Chord Mojo released?
> 
> ...



Any chance you can change the thread title and eliminate “speculation” since the Mojo 2 is live. ✌️


----------



## vlach

gavinfabl said:


> I’m listening to the Mojo 2 with a vast selection of headphones, but it proving messy to compare to the Gryphon and Xduoo XD-05 Bal as I was using 4.4mm balanced cables with them. I have had to change everything to 3.5mm unbalanced. Has anyone got an idea how to swap cables fast?
> 
> My verdict on the the Mojo 2 so far -  “The best balls in the business”  . I just love the coloured balls. As to the sound quality it’s still a work in progress trying to establish the quality and also compare it.


How about comparing it to the M1 as a starting point?


----------



## andrewd01

jwbrent said:


> Yes, it looks like the same sticker on the OG Mojo which I did remove because it was crooked, however, I would advise not tossing it but keeping it safe somewhere in case of warranty repair.



It’s strange that the top of the Mojo looks like an industrial work of art, yet on the bottom it looks like a crude DIY project.  Good to know that the ugly sticker can be peeled off!


----------



## shizzin

gavinfabl said:


> I’m listening to the Mojo 2 with a vast selection of headphones, but it proving messy to compare to the Gryphon and Xduoo XD-05 Bal as I was using 4.4mm balanced cables with them. I have had to change everything to 3.5mm unbalanced. Has anyone got an idea how to swap cables fast?
> 
> My verdict on the the Mojo 2 so far -  “The best balls in the business”  . I just love the coloured balls. As to the sound quality it’s still a work in progress trying to establish the quality and also compare it.


May I ask why you need to even bother equalizing everything to 3.5? Just compare them with what you got. I don't think it's anyone's fault that the Mojo doesn't have balanced except its creator. Or are the 3.5 and 4.4mm cables you got very different? I'm just hinting that maybe after so many years we need to take the mojo for what it is. It is a single-ended device and so far I've never been able to listen to it through my 4.4 TOTL cables. Could be a flaw.


----------



## jwbrent

andrewd01 said:


> It’s strange that the top of the Mojo looks like an industrial work of art, yet on the bottom it looks like a crude DIY project.  Good to know that the ugly sticker can be peeled off!



I would recommend using a razor blade to carefully detach one of the corners of the sticker so you can then slowly peel off the entire sticker without deforming it in any way. If you have a warranty issue down the road (1 year warranty in the US), you don’t want a wrinkled corner being the reason why the distributor won’t honor the warranty.

Of course, this all is based on the sticker on the M2 being the same as the OG Mojo. From the picture I saw, it looks the same to me, hopefully Chord didn’t use one of those stickers that deforms from removal found on inexpensive product. ✌️


----------



## soundblast75

SRKRAM said:


> I had a Mojo OG which I hardly ever used and literally just sold, and today I got a Mojo 2 out of curiosity. I've just dialled the upper treble down a couple of dB as it seemed brighter. I also noticed some harshness on recordings where I hadn't noticed it before.


Welcome to chip land😅


----------



## jwbrent

shizzin said:


> May I ask why you need to even bother equalizing everything to 3.5? Just compare them with what you got. I don't think it's anyone's fault that the Mojo doesn't have balanced except its creator. Or are the 3.5 and 4.4mm cables you got very different? I'm just hinting that maybe after so many years we need to take the mojo for what it is. It is a single-ended device and so far I've never been able to listen to it through my 4.4 TOTL cables. Could be a flaw.



My solution is one of these, nice and clean and very well made. Big fan of DD hifi adaptors. 👍


----------



## jwbrent

SRKRAM said:


> I had a Mojo OG which I hardly ever used and literally just sold, and today I got a Mojo 2 out of curiosity. I've just dialled the upper treble down a couple of dB as it seemed brighter. I also noticed some harshness on recordings where I hadn't noticed it before.



Rob in his interview with John Darko commented the new design was purposely tuned for neutrality for enhanced performance, no warm OG Mojo timbre. One of the reasons for the EQ capability is to retune the Mojo 2 as the original for those that love that sound (I was one of them).


----------



## alota

jwbrent said:


> Rob in his interview with John Darko commented the new design was purposely tuned for neutrality for enhanced performance, no warm OG Mojo timbre. One of the reasons for the EQ capability is to retune the Mojo 2 as the original for those that love that sound (I was one of them).


So where is purity of sound if every version of mojo is tuned? Honestly i don' t understand


----------



## SRKRAM

gavinfabl said:


> I’m listening to the Mojo 2 with a vast selection of headphones, but it proving messy to compare to the Gryphon and Xduoo XD-05 Bal as I was using 4.4mm balanced cables with them. I have had to change everything to 3.5mm unbalanced. Has anyone got an idea how to swap cables fast?
> 
> My verdict on the the Mojo 2 so far -  “The best balls in the business”  . I just love the coloured balls. As to the sound quality it’s still a work in progress trying to establish the quality and also compare it.


I use this adapter 
Geekria Apollo 3.5mm Stereo Male... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08JM3F5WP?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share


----------



## jwbrent (Feb 1, 2022)

alota said:


> So where is purity of sound if every version of mojo is tuned? Honestly i don' t understand



Although Rob speaks in a highly technical manner when describing all the changes he made and why, I really recommend if you are interested in acquiring an M2 to listen to the podcast, it answers a lot of questions about the new design goals.

There are two Mojos that have been released, the original and the new 2. From my recollection, the OG was tuned as it was because the designated market in Chord’s view was for phones which due to their circuitry are noisy (RFI) devices which add brightness to the sound, and the thought was a warmer version would mate better with the intended use. Because the M2 now has lossless EQ, Rob wanted to improve the overall performance and clarity by designing it to be neutral. ✌️


----------



## jwbrent

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Yeah, me, too.    Since the Mojo 2 is supposed to be more transparent than the Mojo OG, I am also wondering about the general sound signature.



Me too, although while the Gryphon is the best looking portable dac/amp they’ve made (imho), I’m likely going to buy the M2 and use a DD hifi adaptor for my 4.4mm cables. But I’d still like to read a shootout between the two. 🙏


----------



## TheEldestBoy

jwbrent said:


> Any chance you can change the thread title and eliminate “speculation” since the Mojo 2 is live. ✌️



Done!


----------



## jwbrent

SRKRAM said:


> I had a Mojo OG which I hardly ever used and literally just sold, and today I got a Mojo 2 out of curiosity. I've just dialled the upper treble down a couple of dB as it seemed brighter. I also noticed some harshness on recordings where I hadn't noticed it before.



Here comes the controversy, _burn-in_. Rob has actually stated in the Mojo thread he doesn’t hear a difference which I always found baffling because that wasn’t my experience with the Mojo. He primarily uses headphones for his listening whereas I use flagship IEMs which are highly resolving, so perhaps that’s the reason why. 🤷


----------



## mainguy

jwbrent said:


> Here comes the controversy, _burn-in_. Rob has actually stated in the Mojo thread he doesn’t hear a difference which I always found baffling because that wasn’t my experience with the Mojo. He primarily uses headphones for his listening whereas I use flagship IEMs which are highly resolving, so perhaps that’s the reason why. 🤷


He’s probably right and your brain is just getting used to it dude.


----------



## SRKRAM

jwbrent said:


> Here comes the controversy, _burn-in_. Rob has actually stated in the Mojo thread he doesn’t hear a difference which I always found baffling because that wasn’t my experience with the Mojo. He primarily uses headphones for his listening whereas I use flagship IEMs which are highly resolving, so perhaps that’s the reason why. 🤷


I just listened to the Darko podcast with Rob Watts and he said it would be necessary to turn down the treble a couple of dB to bring the sound closer to that of the mojo OG, which is exactly what I had been doing.
I've been listening to the mojo 2 for a couple of hours and I feel that the sound has changed slightly, but I'm sure that it's just my brain that's changed.


----------



## shizzin

jwbrent said:


> My solution is one of these, nice and clean and very well made. Big fan of DD hifi adaptors. 👍


Yeah these are a cheap solution. No loss/alteration in quality you reckon?


----------



## jwbrent

shizzin said:


> Yeah these are a cheap solution. No loss/alteration in quality you reckon?



None that I heard. I owned one before but then included it in a transaction I made. For my use, having the 4.4m inserting at a right angle to the 3.5mm jack on the Mojo is a plus. Using no cable, all hardware, is a plus. Very well made, and I’m a stickler about this. ✌️


----------



## shizzin

jwbrent said:


> None that I heard. I owned one before but then included it in a transaction I made. For my use, having the 4.4m inserting at a right angle to the 3.5mm jack on the Mojo is a plus. Using no cable, all hardware, is a plus. Very well made, and I’m a stickler about this. ✌️


I wonder what the point would be of something like the pw audio mojo 4.4 adapter. Looks way cooler tbh but then how would that sound.


----------



## jwbrent (Feb 1, 2022)

shizzin said:


> I wonder what the point would be of something like the pw audio mojo 4.4 adapter. Looks way cooler tbh but then how would that sound.



PWA is using occ copper for its pigtail adapter, so that as well as its storied reputation is driving the $87 retail. As to its non-pigtail adaptor for $87, the fact that it is longish means there is going to be pressure on the Mojo 3.5mm connector/jack. I recall there used to be a Mojo specific adaptor by PWA that plugs in to both of the Mojo’s 3.5mm jacks to give you a balanced output, but I don’t know if they make it anymore.


----------



## shizzin

jwbrent said:


> PWA is using occ copper for its pigtail adapter, so that as well as its storied reputation is driving the $87 retail. As to its non-pigtail adaptor for $87, the fact that it is longish means there is going to be pressure on the Mojo 3.5mm connector/jack. I recall there used to be a Mojo specific adaptor by PWA that plugs in to both of the Mojo’s 3.5mm jacks to give you a balanced output, but I don’t know if they make it anymore.


Yeah no I was talking precisely about the latter and it can still be bought.


----------



## endless402

shizzin said:


> I wonder what the point would be of something like the pw audio mojo 4.4 adapter. Looks way cooler tbh but then how would that sound.



adapters all sound different...you wont know till you try. i havent been a fan of the ddhifi ones. The Cayin 4.4 to 3.5 one was more dynamic from my expeirence and now i use a pw audio one on my hugo


----------



## jwbrent

shizzin said:


> Yeah no I was talking precisely about the latter and it can still be bought.



okay, good to know. I’ll have to check it out again and see if I can justify the cost, it wasn’t cheap.


----------



## jwbrent

$169, hmmm, yeah, I might go for this instead.


----------



## jwbrent

Headfonia review on the Mojo 2.


----------



## jwbrent

Courtesy of Headfonia:


----------



## iDesign (Feb 1, 2022)

GraveNoX said:


> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/mojo-2
> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/mojo-2-poly-premium-leather-case


On the topic of cases, I quite prefer this version of the Mojo case over current Mojo 2 case. The contrasting red stitching, leather grain, and sloppy construction on the Mojo 2 case looks terrible. Hopefully, Dignis will remedy that.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

I’m also a big fan of the hard case, fingers crossed for a mojo 2 variant.


----------



## Another Audiophile

iDesign said:


> On the topic of cases, I quite prefer this version of the Mojo case over current Mojo 2 case. The contrasting red stitching, leather grain, and sloppy construction on the Mojo 2 case looks terrible. Hopefully, Dignis will remedy that.


One more vote for the hard case


----------



## GreenBow

What HiFi review.

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/chord-mojo-2


----------



## PJDubyaM

I was looking forward to the reveal, but it ain't for me. Strikes me that this is more Mojo 1.5. A fundamental design / positioning choice was to keep the same footprint as the original and to maintain compatibility with Poly, whereas I was _hoping_ for a unit that combined Poly-like functionality from the get go (and maybe a 1/4" headphone socket!). I obviously understand that such choices would mean that the unit would be bigger, but it would still be smaller and more elegant than Mojo + Poly.

I was an early adopter of Mojopoly, and my experience with two separate units and 'That App' (which I understand has since improved) means that my bar for entry for another Mojo-level unit is set pretty high.

(my desktop headphone rig is Chord, so I do generally  their stuff)


----------



## emba4

is there some sort of official way to switch it so you only get L or R out of each 3.5mm for balanced or do they not support it at all?


----------



## gavinfabl

emba4 said:


> is there some sort of official way to switch it so you only get L or R out of each 3.5mm for balanced or do they not support it at all?


It is unbalanced only. Rob Watts explained why the unbalanced is better audio quality in this further back in this thread.


----------



## gryffe

Excellent and well detailed overview of Mojo 2 here at Headphonia.

https://www.headfonia.com/chord-electronics-mojo-2-review/

I heartily concur with this paragraph from the review - loving the Mojo 2 with my HD 800S's

*"The Sennheiser HD800S and Mojo 2 combo is excellent. I didn’t expect it to sound this remarkable but I could listen to this all day long. Clarity, precision, excellent PRaT, a good amount of overall body, nice bass impact and all that with a musical presentations. My ears approve."*


----------



## andrewd01

jwbrent said:


> Although Rob speaks in a highly technical manner when describing all the changes he made and why, I really recommend if you are interested in acquiring an M2 to listen to the podcast, it answers a lot of questions about the new design goals.
> 
> There are two Mojos that have been released, the original and the new 2. From my recollection, the OG was tuned as it was because the designated market in Chord’s view was for phones which due to their circuitry are noisy (RFI) devices which add brightness to the sound, and the thought was a warmer version would mate better with the intended use. Because the M2 now has lossless EQ, Rob wanted to improve the overall performance and clarity by designing it to be neutral. ✌️



@Rob Watts It would be useful to know what EQ settings give the best match to Mojo 1 based on spectral measurements of the output signal.


----------



## GreenBow (Feb 2, 2022)

gryffe said:


> Excellent and well detailed overview of Mojo 2 here at Headphonia.
> 
> https://www.headfonia.com/chord-electronics-mojo-2-review/
> 
> ...



I like this bit from the What HiFi review.

Quote,
"Music has the vividity of a stained glass window here. .." (https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/chord-mojo-2)


When I was talking about the Hugo 2 once, I decribed sometimes as seeing the sounds as translucent colours. Generally I think the Hugo 2 has the effect of being visualised as colours in a sound-stage. I don't mean coloured for example as tonally warm if there is a mid bass hump. I mean generally the sounds can appear like colours.


EDIT: For reference, in comparison the TT2 just sounds more real. That's not meant derogatory of the Hugo 2, in my opinion. The Hugo 2 is peerless in every respect, and I love mine all the way. Am just making a reference of Hugo 2 and TT2.


----------



## emba4

Well I'm currently in London for a few days, there must be somewhere round here I can try it out side by side with an ifi gryphon I'll just let my ears decide I guess


----------



## Laurence11

emba4 said:


> Well I'm currently in London for a few days, there must be somewhere round here I can try it out side by side with an ifi gryphon I'll just let my ears decide I guess


Spiritland Headphone Bar. 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=london+headphone+shop&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#

Worth giving him a ring and see if he has it in. Absolutely lovely guy who will happily let you demo. 

David


----------



## MarkParity

GreenBow said:


> What HiFi review.
> 
> https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/chord-mojo-2


I don't take What HiFi's reviews too seriously anymore. How do we know how much money was paid for the "review"

_"Play a Tidal Master of Elbow’s What Am I Without You, and the organ opener lurches forward with more texture and exuberance, the echo clings eagerly to Guy Garvey’s more tangible crooning, and the bass notes are substantially plumper. Not only a blessing in its maturation of the Mojo 2’s soundstage, but the distinct openness also does wonders to capture the atmosphere of the choir accompaniment in this track."_

Mojo doesn't even have MQA capability so they would be OK with just playing the normal FLAC/PCM version of that track.

Casually mentioning "Tidal Master" suggests that possibly some sponsorship money also changed hands there too.


----------



## alxw0w

@Rob Watts as I understand Mojo 2 still can be connected to efficient speakers directly ?
If so is the power similar to 1st Mojo into ~8ohms ?

I remember taking Mojo1 + Poly to my brother and connecting it directly to his 92db speakers.
The look of his face  priceless


----------



## Billyak

Anyone with the mojo 2 and a pair of campfire audio Andromeda know if there is still noticeable hiss when connected directly?


----------



## wwyjoe

Folks, am thinking of getting the Mojo 2 + Poly. Main usage is to stream Tidal from my phone to M2 Poly via Bluetooth. 

Does the M2 Poly support LDAC? I understand the Poly is bluetooth 4.1, when bluetooth now is 5.0+. Does these mean it is an overkill, or I'm not maximising the combo's sound potential based on my usage of Bluetooth streaming?


----------



## alxw0w

wwyjoe said:


> Folks, am thinking of getting the Mojo 2 + Poly. Main usage is to stream Tidal from my phone to M2 Poly via Bluetooth.
> 
> Does the M2 Poly support LDAC? I understand the Poly is bluetooth 4.1, when bluetooth now is 5.0+. Does these mean it is an overkill, or I'm not maximising the combo's sound potential based on my usage of Bluetooth streaming?


Nope. Bluetooth on poly is very very basic.
You need to use some app like bubble upnp to get the best SQ.


----------



## Another Audiophile

wwyjoe said:


> Folks, am thinking of getting the Mojo 2 + Poly. Main usage is to stream Tidal from my phone to M2 Poly via Bluetooth.
> 
> Does the M2 Poly support LDAC? I understand the Poly is bluetooth 4.1, when bluetooth now is 5.0+. Does these mean it is an overkill, or I'm not maximising the combo's sound potential based on my usage of Bluetooth streaming?


If bluetooth is your game then you are better off with a bluetooth module instead of the poly.


----------



## emba4

Laurence11 said:


> Spiritland Headphone Bar.
> 
> https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=london+headphone+shop&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#
> 
> ...


Thank you for that it's exactly what I was after, although I should possibly curse you as it may wound my bank balance


----------



## kumar402

MarkParity said:


> I don't take What HiFi's reviews too seriously anymore. How do we know how much money was paid for the "review"
> 
> _"Play a Tidal Master of Elbow’s What Am I Without You, and the organ opener lurches forward with more texture and exuberance, the echo clings eagerly to Guy Garvey’s more tangible crooning, and the bass notes are substantially plumper. Not only a blessing in its maturation of the Mojo 2’s soundstage, but the distinct openness also does wonders to capture the atmosphere of the choir accompaniment in this track."_
> 
> ...


Copy and paste with some song change for other DAC review. It’s all in template


----------



## NYanakiev

iDesign said:


> On the topic of cases, I quite prefer this version of the Mojo case over current Mojo 2 case. The contrasting red stitching, leather grain, and sloppy construction on the Mojo 2 case looks terrible. Hopefully, Dignis will remedy that.


The OG Mojo (and Mojopoly) case was utterly horrible. Hard plastic with a thin bit of leather on top. Hated it to bits.
The Van Nuys case for Mojopoly was excellent, on the other hand. I like the new Mojo 2 cases a lot.


----------



## gryffe (Feb 2, 2022)

GreenBow said:


> I like this bit from the What HiFi review.
> 
> Quote,
> "Music has the vividity of a stained glass window here. .." (https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/chord-mojo-2)
> ...


I also have the Hugo 2 and my main use is late at night with Sennheiser HD800S, the Hugo 2 is connected to Macbook with Audioquest USB. Must admit that I was really surprised how much the Mojo 2 gave the Hugo 2 a run for it's money in this set up, given the huge price difference. It's early days but if anything I "preferred" the sound from the Mojo 2, maybe it's a better fit with the HD800S's.
Anyway, I'm now going to use the Mojo 2 for when I'm on the go, and as a replacement for the Hugo 2 at night. The Hugo 2 can now take up permanent residence as part of my hifi rig. I can pay the Mojo 2 no higher compliment.


----------



## SRKRAM

PJDubyaM said:


> I was looking forward to the reveal, but it ain't for me. Strikes me that this is more Mojo 1.5. A fundamental design / positioning choice was to keep the same footprint as the original and to maintain compatibility with Poly


I find the decision to keep mico USB for Poly compatibility quite strange. Poly was released over 4 years ago, and is surely due for a replacement, while micro USB is already on its last legs - the EU have already banned it for many product types.

I don't think mojo 2 will have the longevity of the original because even today it looks a bit anachronistic with micro USB.


----------



## SoundJedi (Feb 2, 2022)

gryffe said:


> I also have the Hugo 2 and my main use is late at night with Sennheiser HD800S, the Hugo 2 is connected to Macbook with Audioquest USB. Must admit that I was really surprised how much the Mojo 2 gave the Hugo 2 a run for it's money in this set up, given the huge price difference. It's early days but if anything I "preferred" the sound from the Mojo 2, maybe it's a better fit with the HD800S's.
> Anyway, I'm now going to use the Mojo 2 for when I'm on the go, and as a replacement for the Hugo 2 at night. The Hugo 2 can now take up permanent residence as part of my hifi rig. I can pay the Mojo 2 no higher compliment.



Wow this is promising! Going to take the Hugo2 and C9 to Richer Sounds later. They'll have a Mojo2 on demo later today. Will do some comps and report back!


----------



## alekc

SRKRAM said:


> I find the decision to keep mico USB for Poly compatibility quite strange. Poly was released over 4 years ago, and is surely due for a replacement, while micro USB is already on its last legs - the EU have already banned it for many product types.
> 
> I don't think mojo 2 will have the longevity of the original because even today it looks a bit anachronistic with micro USB.


@SRKRAM I think you touched few interesting and important points. First of all I like Chord idea to keep compatibility with Poly as I treat it as a promise to finally solve all Poly issues for all the customers finally, especially since those issues are mostly if not exclusively software based. In fact with release of Mojo 2 I've decided to go with Poly, despite all of its problems and placed an order for the two. As a side note: none of few dealers carrying Mojo 2 I've been speaking with for last few days had Poly in stock. 

I don't find anything great in some Chinese manufactures releasing upgrades of their hardware every 6 or 12 months. It tells me only they never truly done their homework at the first place, especially if you pay premium. I like Chord strategy a lot more. 

I do not care about micro usb as long as love both SQ and sound signature of Mojo 2. 

One of my favorites amps of all time is AuroraSound HEADA designed many years ago for example. One could say that its design is obsolete as it supports 3pin dual XLR outputs. Do I care about it? No, not at all - I love what it gives me in terms of sound. Same could be with Mojo 2.


----------



## Uebelkraehe

Just ordered the ddHifi 4.4mm adapter (essential not just for IEMs at this point and on its way to become THE general standard in the non pro segment - should imo therefore be included irrespective of assumed sound quality (non-)advantages) and an RCA to 3.5mm cable to go with Mojo 2. Will be interesting to see how it fares in desktop mode against the DAC in the Burson C3R, too.


----------



## gryffe

I've not read every post over the last day or two, but I get the impression that most of the disappointed or doubters of the Mojo 2 are basing their criticism on how it looks, or disdain at still having micro usb etc, and I would imagine that every one of them hasn't heard it. I take all this on board, and while no doubt aesthetically and functionally it isn't perfect, for me the bottom line is the SQ. In my opinion so far it is terrific, and from my previous experience with the original Mojo it is a massive improvement for little price hike.
I'd encourage anybody who is dubious to give it a demo, you may be pleasantly surprised.


----------



## gryffe

SoundJedi said:


> Wow this is promising! Going to take the Hugo2 and C9 to Richer Sounds later. They'll have a Mojo2 on demo later today. Will do some comps and report back!


Would love to hear about your experience.


----------



## akelew

GreenBow said:


> . I don't mean coloured for example as tonally warm if there is a mid bass hump. I mean generally the sounds can appear like colours.


Are you sure you don't just have Chromesthesia?


----------



## Slim1970

SoundJedi said:


> Wow this is promising! Going to take the Hugo2 and C9 to Richer Sounds later. They'll have a Mojo2 on demo later today. Will do some comps and report back!


Let us know what it sounds like. Looking to forward to hearing about this comparison.


----------



## Nostoi

SoundJedi said:


> Wow this is promising! Going to take the Hugo2 and C9 to Richer Sounds later. They'll have a Mojo2 on demo later today. Will do some comps and report back!


Yes, eager to hear.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

Product status changed from "Coming Soon" to "available for Pre-Order".

Unfortunately, expected delivery time is by the end of March which seems excruciatingly long 😞.


----------



## Alan Billington

wwyjoe said:


> Folks, am thinking of getting the Mojo 2 + Poly. Main usage is to stream Tidal from my phone to M2 Poly via Bluetooth.
> 
> Does the M2 Poly support LDAC? I understand the Poly is bluetooth 4.1, when bluetooth now is 5.0+. Does these mean it is an overkill, or I'm not maximising the combo's sound potential based on my usage of Bluetooth streaming?


Your phone will stream to your Poly via wifi which I’m guessing / thinking is superior? Poly can be a pseudo wifi hotspot 👍


----------



## soundblast75

gryffe said:


> I've not read every post over the last day or two, but I get the impression that most of the disappointed or doubters of the Mojo 2 are basing their criticism on how it looks, or disdain at still having micro usb etc, and I would imagine that every one of them hasn't heard it. I take all this on board, and while no doubt aesthetically and functionally it isn't perfect, for me the bottom line is the SQ. In my opinion so far it is terrific, and from my previous experience with the original Mojo it is a massive improvement for little price hike.
> I'd encourage anybody who is dubious to give it a demo, you may be pleasantly surprised.


Well, while i will definitely audition it, as it isn't majorly different from 1 I don't expect to like it much, the new EQ being the only reason to possibly consider it


----------



## JaquesGelee (Feb 2, 2022)

Uebelkraehe said:


> Just ordered the ddHifi 4.4mm adapter (essential not just for IEMs at this point and on its way to become THE general standard in the non pro segment - should imo therefore be included irrespective of assumed sound quality (non-)advantages) and an RCA to 3.5mm cable to go with Mojo 2. Will be interesting to see how it fares in desktop mode against the DAC in the Burson C3R, too.


Which ddHifi 4.4 Adapter do you have ordered and for what exactly? 😅🤔


----------



## msq123

JaquesGelee said:


> Which ddHifi 4.4 Adapter do have ordered and for what exactly? 😅🤔


I think he is referring to DJ44C 4.4mm-3.5mm. I have ordered the same to run 4.4mm in to mojo

https://www.linsoul.com/products/dd-dj44b-dj44c?variant=39673524650139


----------



## JaquesGelee (Feb 2, 2022)

msq123 said:


> I think he is referring to DJ44C 4.4mm-3.5mm. I have ordered the same to run 4.4mm in to mojo
> 
> https://www.linsoul.com/products/dd-dj44b-dj44c?variant=39673524650139


Do you have too many 4.4 cables or even no 3.5 SE one?


----------



## msq123

JaquesGelee said:


> Do you have to much 4.4 cables or even no 3.5 SE one?


I have few 4.4 customs, also bought mest Mk2 recently with 4.4 which is what I primarily plan to use mojo for. Unfortunately it will be few days before I get it with Chinese New Year holidays


----------



## syazwaned

emba4 said:


> Well I'm currently in London for a few days, there must be somewhere round here I can try it out side by side with an ifi gryphon I'll just let my ears decide I guess


Please share your findings later


----------



## SoundJedi

My very quick findings: this is no Hugo2 but a beast nonetheless. 

A lot of super expensive DAPs be crying in a corner very soon.


----------



## Uebelkraehe (Feb 2, 2022)

msq123 said:


> I think he is referring to DJ44C 4.4mm-3.5mm. I have ordered the same to run 4.4mm in to mojo
> 
> https://www.linsoul.com/products/dd-dj44b-dj44c?variant=39673524650139


Exactly. I have quite a few IEMs (and cables for my headphones) with this connector which i'd like to use with the Mojo 2. And especially with IEMs i'm not a fan of frequently changing cables.


----------



## Tristy

SoundJedi said:


> My very quick findings: this is no Hugo2 but a beast nonetheless.
> 
> A lot of super expensive DAPs be crying in a corner very soon.


What DAP's have you compared it against?


----------



## SoundJedi

Tristy said:


> What DAP's have you compared it against?



I haven't compared it to any DAP, it was just an expression 😊. 

I'll share more detailed impressions later.


----------



## Another Audiophile (Feb 2, 2022)

Received my unit. First impression is very clear. The balls are smaller, much smaller. Mojo 1 - Mojo 2 = 1-0

Edit: smaller balls means volume can’t easily be adjusted while the mojo is in you pocket


----------



## msq123

Anyone tried it with mfi lightning to USB C? I am going to order this to drop CCK and want to confirm if this works okay?

https://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/fiio-lt-lt1-usb-type-c-to-lightning-data-cable


----------



## Mr X

SoundJedi said:


> My very quick findings: this is no Hugo2 but a beast nonetheless.
> 
> A lot of super expensive DAPs be crying in a corner very soon.



So to early to say whether you will...

a) Keep the Hugo 2 and buy a Mojo 2 alongside
b) Replace your Hugo 2 with Mojo 2
c) Stick with your Hugo 2


----------



## Another Audiophile

Second observation. Interference from mobile 4G is still there just like it was in Mojo1. That makes it a transportable and not portable device unless you have a poly and you can keep the mobile away from the mojo.


----------



## Another Audiophile

msq123 said:


> Anyone tried it with mfi lightning to USB C? I am going to order this to drop CCK and want to confirm if this works okay?
> 
> https://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/fiio-lt-lt1-usb-type-c-to-lightning-data-cable


I tried it with Lotoo USB-C to lighting. The cable works but there is interference, clicks and pops from the mobile's 4G. Thats a no go then.


----------



## captblaze

Another Audiophile said:


> I tried it with Lotoo USB-C to lighting. The cable works but there is interference, clicks and pops from the mobile's 4G. Thats a no go then.


You have me rethinking my pre-order. That is a true deal breaker give how susceptible Mojo is to that very thing


----------



## msq123

Another Audiophile said:


> Second observation. Interference from mobile 4G is still there just like it was in Mojo1. That makes it a transportable and not portable device unless you have a poly and you can keep the mobile away from the mojo.


Interesting.. I haven’t had that. will try again and report back


----------



## Another Audiophile

msq123 said:


> Interesting.. I haven’t had that. will try again and report back


disconnect your mobile from wifi and leave the mobile on network data.


----------



## Another Audiophile (Feb 2, 2022)

3rd observation. The Mojo 2 is more dynamic sounding compared to the original. Faster and more accurate bass. Song: Adeline - Illusions (Score 1-1)


----------



## Another Audiophile

captblaze said:


> You have me rethinking my pre-order. That is a true deal breaker give how susceptible Mojo is to that very thing


I would say it's the same interference just like in the original mojo. Personally I have the poly but without it for me is a transportable device not a portable.


----------



## u2u2

Following with interest as I own an early MOJO and have a MOJO 2 on order... Been through 3G, 4G, and now on 5G. Not had any interference problems. Is there something in the air over the pond or is the interference related to cable and phone selection? Live beside a cell tower? Apple and CCK here... What are you gents using that have the interference? Still time to avoid a mistake if I am making one


----------



## Another Audiophile (Feb 2, 2022)

u2u2 said:


> Following with interest as I own an early MOJO and have a MOJO 2 on order... Been through 3G, 4G, and now on 5G. Not had any interference problems. Is there something in the air over the pond or is the interference related to cable and phone selection? Live beside a cell tower? Apple and CCK here... What are you gents using that have the interference? Still time to avoid a mistake if I am making one


Not an expert. I only know that when the mobile is close to both mojos there is noise and interference from 3G 4G. I think is when the network moves from no network to 3G and 4G


----------



## SoundJedi

Quick impressions from this morning's audition. 

https://eliseaudio.com/blogs/impressions-and-reviews/chord-mojo2-serious-chops


----------



## AlexCBSN

fun fact: since i changed to a oneplus 9pro, interference noise has reduced drastically, dunno why, iphone and samsung a72 were EFI beasts

still, i have no 700 bucks for poly (though i do have em for mojo2) so the xduoo bl05 still has it for me portable wise


----------



## Another Audiophile

4th observation. Power delivery is the same. Another draw.


----------



## Slim1970

Mr X said:


> So to early to say whether you will...
> 
> a) Keep the Hugo 2 and buy a Mojo 2 alongside
> b) Replace your Hugo 2 with Mojo 2
> c) Stick with your Hugo 2


B for me


----------



## gryffe

SoundJedi said:


> Quick impressions from this morning's audition.
> 
> https://eliseaudio.com/blogs/impressions-and-reviews/chord-mojo2-serious-chops


Cracking synopsis. While I'll still use it with Macbook when at home, totally agree that it's On The Go that the Mojo 2 is an absolute killer. I'd love to hear the competition at this price.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Timbre and spatial queues with overtones and decay Mojo 2 wins. Sounds less congested and music flows naturally. Acoustic guitars have more body which sounds closer to a guitar played live. The word that describes it best is density.  Mojo 1 is good but lacks the overtone definition compared to mojo 2. Song Alba Molina - Dicen, album El Beso.

Score: 2-1


----------



## Another Audiophile

Space and imaging is close between the two devices but what is different is the depth specificity and space between sounds. The Mojo 2 provides a better perception of depth and sound separation. Song Max Cooper - Resynthesis 3D from the album 3D reworks 001.

Score 3-1


----------



## Another Audiophile

I will stop since I don't want to annoy you with everlasting posts. Maybe will do a complete comparison in my Instagram account


----------



## msq123

Another Audiophile said:


> I will stop since I don't want to annoy you with everlasting posts. Maybe will do a complete comparison in my Instagram account


Not annoying at all, these posts were very helpful. Thanks


----------



## msq123

Another Audiophile said:


> disconnect your mobile from wifi and leave the mobile on network data.


I have tried but unable to replicate. Wondering if this happens when you transition from 3G to 4g or vice versa? I am home and 4G network is fairly solid here, maybe when out and about?


----------



## captblaze

Another Audiophile said:


> Space and imaging is close between the two devices but what is different is the depth specificity and space between sounds. The Mojo 2 provides a better perception of depth and sound separation. Song Max Cooper - Resynthesis 3D from the album 3D reworks 001.
> 
> Score 3-1


you are starting to reel me back in


----------



## Another Audiophile

msq123 said:


> I have tried but unable to replicate. Wondering if this happens when you transition from 3G to 4g or vice versa? I am home and 4G network is fairly solid here, maybe when out and about?


You are right. It happens when it moves from 4G to 3G and vice versa


----------



## Another Audiophile

captblaze said:


> you are starting to reel me back in


OK then. Another observation then (shut me down if it's annoying). How the Mojo 2 can handle rubbish recordings that I tend to love because I was born in the 80s grew up in the 90s? That's very interesting. With very compressed and congested music the Mojo 2 tends to give a bit more space to the sound compared to the Mojo1. Music still sounds compressed but less so compared to Mojo1. Is like the clarity and specificity helps to separate instruments within the recording. Another win for the Mojo 2.

Song Rock n Roll Star - Oasis from the album Definitely maybe.  

Score 4-1


----------



## Another Audiophile

We need a new case and the "premium leather" will not cut it. The Case from Mojo1 is way better. Mojo 1 wins on that.

Score 4-1.5 (can't give a whole point for a case)


----------



## Another Audiophile

Female vocals are more forward with the Mojo 1 and with the mojo 2 are clear but a bit further back on the stage. The Mojo1 has a warmer female vocal presentation and because of that will come across more intimate. The mojo 1 offers more palpable female vocal reproduction. This will be subject to preference and I understand that some might prefer the tonal character offered by the Mojo2. For me is a win for the Mojo1 

Score 4-2.5

Song Gillian Welch - The Way It Goes from the album The Harrow and the Harvest


----------



## msq123

Another Audiophile said:


> We need a new case and the "premium leather" will not cut it. The Case from Mojo1 is way better. Mojo 1 wins on that.
> 
> Score 4-1.5 (can't give a whole point for a case)


Never used case with Mojo OG. Did that help with cellular interference? 
We may see some  third party cases down the line


----------



## Another Audiophile

msq123 said:


> Never used case with Mojo OG. Did that help with cellular interference?
> We may see some  third party cases down the line


I always use it with the poly. I had both the hard case and the premium leather and the hard case is cheaper and better in terms of protection and rigidity


----------



## Another Audiophile (Feb 2, 2022)

For reference. Headphone used for the comparison is my reference Drop HD6XX.


----------



## mainguy

Another Audiophile said:


> For reference.


great work man


----------



## Another Audiophile

Same story with male vocals. With the mojo1 vocals are more forward and warmer which gives the perception of presence and body compared to thiner in comparison Mojo 2. Nevertheless the Mojo 2 is more transparent in the way male vocals are reproduced and probably more accurate. Not sure, wasn't there during the recording. I prefer the male vocal reproduction from Mojo 1. I have to test this with speakers in my 2-channel stereo to see how the transparency vs intimacy works with the room. 

Score 4-3.5

Song Hans Theessink - St James Infirmary from the album Songs from the Southland


----------



## vlach

gryffe said:


> Excellent and well detailed overview of Mojo 2 here at Headphonia.
> 
> https://www.headfonia.com/chord-electronics-mojo-2-review/


Great review overall, however i take issue with the statement below because the original Mojo is said to have a warmer sound signature and by all accounts the Mojo2 has more treble energy/extension. I just don't see how anyone could experience listening fatigue with the original Mojo. 

_“I find the Mojo 2 to cause no listening fatigue at all and that’s not something I could say about the original Mojo (for my ears)”_


----------



## msq123

Another Audiophile said:


> Same story with male vocals. With the mojo1 vocals are more forward and warmer which gives the perception of presence and body compared to thiner in comparison Mojo 2. Nevertheless the Mojo 2 is more transparent in the way male vocals are reproduced and probably more accurate. Not sure, wasn't there during the recording. I prefer the male vocal reproduction from Mojo 1. I have to test this with speakers in my 2-channel stereo to see how the transparency vs intimacy works with the room.
> 
> Score 4-3.5
> 
> Song Hans Theessink - St James Infirmary from the album Songs from the Southland


Have you tried tinkering with Upper bass/Lower treble EQ?


----------



## Another Audiophile

msq123 said:


> Have you tried tinkering with Upper bass/Lower treble EQ?


Hi, 
No, just default settings with all eq and CF off. That will be later on


----------



## Another Audiophile

Just hooked them both on my main stereo system. The depth definition mentioned earlier is way more apparent in a speaker set up. The mojo 1 offers much deeper stage. Guys, considering the EQ settings CF etc. I think these two devices need a lot of time to compare them. I certainly wouldn’t trust a review which took few days to conclude. Seriously, this is something way more complex. Song from Max copper used before. System speakers: Harbeth p3esr xd, amplifier Yamaha A-S3000, subwoofer: rel T7i, source Audirvana + macmini.


----------



## jwbrent

Another Audiophile said:


> I tried it with Lotoo USB-C to lighting. The cable works but there is interference, clicks and pops from the mobile's 4G. Thats a no go then.



The Lotoo cable isn’t well shielded, a common issue for those that purchased the PAW S1. If you use a ferrite core, aka choke, the noise is eliminated.


----------



## GreenBow (Feb 2, 2022)

akelew said:


> Are you sure you don't just have Chromesthesia?



I don't know, in reply to your question. (I think I heard it called music synesthesia.) However remember I qouted What HiFI effectively compared the Mojo 2 to a stained glass window.

I put it more to using the Hugo 2 with Shure KSE 1200. The pairing has such synergy that it takes time to adjust to. It took me a considerable time. Initilally I found the KSE detailed, but it took weeks/months to fully adjust. (My other headphones don't do it to the same degree with Hugo 2.)

The KSE are so transparent to an unbelievable degree, and they leave sounds so clearly represented in the soundstage. Jude (Head-Fi) described them KSE 1500, as *rich neutral*. The KSE1200 have the same headphones and energiser, except that the KSE1500 energiser has a DAC too. Meaning identical sound signature when wired from and analogue source like Hugo 2 heaphone port.

They are not bright at all or warm. Exactly as I find the Hugo 2 - detailed and transparent. The KSE 1200 are perfectly (reference) balanced just like the Hugo 2, and now like the Mojo 2 is said to be. (I believe it of the Mojo 2 being reference balanced, going by reviews and Rob Watts comments and his presentation.)

I have the TT2 also, and I don't find the TT2 Shure KSE 1200 so 'colourful' in pairing. There is just way more detail with TT2, and fills in the 'picture' more. (Although it may be more to do with me being sat -up straight when using TT2 and Shure KSE 1200.)


----------



## vlach

Slim1970 said:


> B for me


Have you heard both?


----------



## u2u2

Spent a bunch of time trying to induce noise problems into my MOJO this morning. Lossy and Hi Res Lossless streaming on cellular, wi fi, phone in all conceivable positions around and against the MOJO, near tube amps, and my laptop. Assorted cables, none of which are audiophile type. Best one is by Beats! Only because the cable is red matching MOJOs red balls  The MOJO did not miss a beat or utter an inappropriate sound. Six plus years of happiness with MOJO. Will continue with my MOJO 2 order with complete confidence. Hope those of you with issues find a resolution.


----------



## Czykierek

Another Audiophile said:


> Just hooked them both on my main stereo system. The depth definition mentioned earlier is way more apparent in a speaker set up. The mojo 1 offers much deeper stage. Guys, considering the EQ settings CF etc. I think these two devices need a lot of time to compare them. I certainly wouldn’t trust a review which took few days to conclude. Seriously, this is something way more complex. Song from Max copper used before. System speakers: Harbeth p3esr xd, amplifier Yamaha A-S3000, subwoofer: rel T7i, source Audirvana + macmini.


Thank you for sharing your insights with us. The Mojo 2 arrived today and I will be listening to the new dac after work. Can you tell me what setting you used when connecting the Mojo 2 to your stereo? What volume did you set? I think it can also make a difference in the reception and comparison of the two dacs, depending on what the Mojo output voltage is.


----------



## vlach

gryffe said:


> It's early days but if anything I "preferred" the sound from the Mojo 2


Would you mind sharing in which ways you preferred the Mojo 2 over the Hugo 2? Is the preference in terms of tonal balance, soundstage, resolution, precision, etc.


----------



## Another Audiophile

jwbrent said:


> The Lotoo cable isn’t well shielded, a common issue for those that purchased the PAW S1. If you use a ferrite core, aka choke, the noise is eliminated.


The Fiio BTR5 doesn’t seem to have this issue when used wired with the same wire. If Fiio can do it then I am sure Chord could have done better. Also is not a cable issue. It does the same when connected with poly or with my mac when the mobile is in close proximity


----------



## Another Audiophile

Czykierek said:


> Thank you for sharing your insights with us. The Mojo 2 arrived today and I will be listening to the new dac after work. Can you tell me what setting you used when connecting the Mojo 2 to your stereo? What volume did you set? I think it can also make a difference in the reception and comparison of the two dacs, depending on what the Mojo output voltage is.


I set it about 2v (blue) according to the table shared by Rob Watts in his presentation.


----------



## gavinfabl (Feb 2, 2022)

I’ve had my Mojo 2 playing non stop since I got it 33 hours ago. It definitely needs a small burn in. I’ve been using several headphones, not encountered any issues  I’ve also been comparing it constantly with the Gryphon & Xduoo XD05 BAL with Burson op amps using the balanced option.

Someone mentioned the balls are smaller and harder to use in your pocket. I am not finding that. The opposite actually. The two balls at either end are smaller than the two volume balls in the middle. Simple. The balls are all smaller than those on the original Mojo.


----------



## Another Audiophile

u2u2 said:


> Spent a bunch of time trying to induce noise problems into my MOJO this morning. Lossy and Hi Res Lossless streaming on cellular, wi fi, phone in all conceivable positions around and against the MOJO, near tube amps, and my laptop. Assorted cables, none of which are audiophile type. Best one is by Beats! Only because the cable is red matching MOJOs red balls  The MOJO did not miss a beat or utter an inappropriate sound. Six plus years of happiness with MOJO. Will continue with my MOJO 2 order with complete confidence. Hope those of you with issues find a resolution.


Maybe is not an issue with 5G. In my case it is clearly an issue for those who want to use it with their mobile wired. Anyone else?


----------



## Another Audiophile

gavinfabl said:


> . The two balls at either end are smaller than the two volume balls in the middle. Simple.


yes, I said that. Got them both outside in my Jeans pockets. Was easier to adjust the volume with the older model


----------



## GreenBow (Feb 2, 2022)

I was suprised to hear the Mojo 2 suffers from RFI from phones. I might be on the wrong track but does it mean that the USB input is not filtered?

I remember the USB input on the Mojo needed something like an AudioQuest Jitterbug.

Whereas Rob implemented USB input filtering with Hugo 2 and TT2 after folk had the issue with Mojo.

I always figured any Mojo model after the original Mojo, would be filtered on the USB input. Provided there was space to implement that in the small Mojo case though.


----------



## Czykierek

Another Audiophile said:


> I set it about 2v (blue) according to the table shared by Rob Watts in his presentation.


Ok I understand, I think when I compare the two dacs I will set the colour to violet (voltage range between 2.38-3V), Mojo 1 on line output has about 3V.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Czykierek said:


> Ok I understand, I think when I compare the two dacs I will set the colour to violet (voltage range between 2.38-3V), Mojo 1 on line output has about 3V.


You can adjust it as you wish. If your input sensitivity is 2V then you can do that. Mojo 1 is 4 clicks down from line level.


----------



## Another Audiophile

GreenBow said:


> I was suprised to hear the Mojo 2 suffers from RFI from phones. I might be on the wrong track but does it mean that the USB input is not filtered?
> 
> I remember the USB input on the Mojo needed something like an AudioQuest Jitterbug.
> 
> ...


Is not a USB issue. It does that with the poly, mac or even when connected with optical to my Mac. All I have to do is bring the mobile close to the mojo. Is the typical interference you get from mobile phones and was the same for the mojo 1


----------



## Johnfg465vd

gavinfabl said:


> I’ve also been comparing it constantly with the Gryphon & Xduoo XD05 BAL with Burson op amps using the balanced option.


ETA for a comparison video? 


Another Audiophile said:


> Maybe is not an issue with 5G. In my case it is clearly an issue for those who want to use it with their mobile wired. Anyone else?


I experienced this on Mojo when stacked with my phone.


----------



## jlbrach

andrewd01 said:


> @Rob Watts It would be useful to know what EQ settings give the best match to Mojo 1 based on spectral measurements of the output signal.


I have heard others ask this question and please forgive me I am not trying to be rude here...but if you want to tune the new mojo 2 to sound like the old mojo why not just save the money and use the original or buy a used original?..


----------



## gavinfabl

Johnfg465vd said:


> ETA for a comparison video?
> 
> I experienced this on Mojo when stacked with my phone.


This weekend. I want to let the Mojo have at least 50 hours usage before logging the results properly.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

jlbrach said:


> I have heard others ask this question and please forgive me I am not trying to be rude here...but if you want to tune the new mojo 2 to sound like the old mojo why not just save the money and use the original or buy a used original?..


Probably because the original Mojo won't have the technical improvements nor the extra features like Desktop mode, Type-C...

Having the technical chops (depth, detail...) of Mojo 2 with a warmer, fatigue free tuning does sound nice.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Johnfg465vd said:


> ETA for a comparison video?
> 
> I experienced this on Mojo when stacked with my phone.


At least I am not the only one


----------



## vlach (Feb 2, 2022)

Johnfg465vd said:


> Probably because the original Mojo won't have the technical improvements nor the extra features like Desktop mode, Type-C...
> 
> Having the technical chops (depth, detail...) of Mojo 2 with a warmer, fatigue free tuning does sound nice.


It is actually the _original_ Mojo that is said to have the warmer sound signature of the two.


----------



## GreenBow

Another Audiophile said:


> Is not a USB issue. It does that with the poly, mac or even when connected with optical to my Mac. All I have to do is bring the mobile close to the mojo. Is the typical interference you get from mobile phones and was the same for the mojo 1



Yeah, thank you, got it. 

I competely forgot about that. I remember reading about it a long time ago in the Mojo thread.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

SRKRAM said:


> I find the decision to keep mico USB for Poly compatibility quite strange. Poly was released over 4 years ago, and is surely due for a replacement, while micro USB is already on its last legs - the EU have already banned it for many product types.
> 
> I don't think mojo 2 will have the longevity of the original because even today it looks a bit anachronistic with micro USB.


I think the issue is that Chord made the Mojo for new customers (attractive price point for the quality), and made the Mojo 2 for existing customers, and that prevents it from being a slam dunk. The absence of a balanced output is likely to not cannibalize Hugo 2 sales or create the necessity to make a Hugo 3... however many competing products from other brands have balanced outputs. The locked in dimensions and use of legacy micro USB so people can use the Poly with it also resulted in the strange USB-C placement. Chord also seems to be locked in to the obtuse color interface that requires you have a manual at all times (why not print some of the directions on the back of the unit?). While the sound quality may be better there are a number of compromises that make it a difficult choice to upgrade.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

SoundJedi said:


> Quick impressions from this morning's audition.
> 
> https://eliseaudio.com/blogs/impressions-and-reviews/chord-mojo2-serious-chops



 "This said, I rarely use its amp section"

Hugo2 doesn't have an amp section, can't be bypassed as far as I know?


----------



## elira

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> The absence of a balanced output is likely to not cannibalize Hugo 2 sales or create the necessity to make a Hugo 3... however many competing products from other brands have balanced outputs.


If the single ended output has enough power there's no need for a balanced output, and given the design of the DAC adding extra circuitry to get a balanced output would degrade the quality.


----------



## Mediahound

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> The absence of a balanced output is likely to not cannibalize Hugo 2 sales



But the Hugo 2 doesn't have balanced out either, b/c it's not needed.


----------



## msq123

AnalogEuphoria said:


> "This said, I rarely use its amp section"
> 
> Hugo2 doesn't have an amp section, can't be bypassed as far as I know?


You are thinking Qutest. Hugo 2 has an amp section.


----------



## Another Audiophile

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> I think the issue is that Chord made the Mojo for new customers (attractive price point for the quality), and made the Mojo 2 for existing customers, and that prevents it from being a slam dunk. The absence of a balanced output is likely to not cannibalize Hugo 2 sales or create the necessity to make a Hugo 3... however many competing products from other brands have balanced outputs. The locked in dimensions and use of legacy micro USB so people can use the Poly with it also resulted in the strange USB-C placement. Chord also seems to be locked in to the obtuse color interface that requires you have a manual at all times (why not print some of the directions on the back of the unit?). While the sound quality may be better there are a number of compromises that make it a difficult choice to upgrade.


If sound is the number one priority the question is what 4.4 balanced will bring? For these designs nothing. Balanced is not always inherently better. So why to bother with something that will bring no value? Is 3.5 ideal? No but is universal and delivers.


----------



## kumar402

Mojo 1 has warmer sound but that doesn’t mean it is fatigue free. It just has some mid bass bump due to capacitor in path. However the treble has enough energy and with wrong headphone can sound bright. 
I haven’t heard Mojo 2 but it was told by Rob it is neutral and has smoother treble


----------



## jarnopp

msq123 said:


> You are thinking Qutest. Hugo 2 has an amp section.


All Chord’s (Rob’s) DACs of course need to create an analog signal from digital, and it has to have some voltage. Rob does this in a very direct and transparent way, in one stage, with (Mojo, Hugo, etc,) or without (Qutest) a digital volume control. But there is not separate amp section in any of them, as the analog amplification is integrated into the I/V conversion stage.


----------



## jlbrach

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> I think the issue is that Chord made the Mojo for new customers (attractive price point for the quality), and made the Mojo 2 for existing customers, and that prevents it from being a slam dunk. The absence of a balanced output is likely to not cannibalize Hugo 2 sales or create the necessity to make a Hugo 3... however many competing products from other brands have balanced outputs. The locked in dimensions and use of legacy micro USB so people can use the Poly with it also resulted in the strange USB-C placement. Chord also seems to be locked in to the obtuse color interface that requires you have a manual at all times (why not print some of the directions on the back of the unit?). While the sound quality may be better there are a number of compromises that make it a difficult choice to upgrade.


balanced outputs are overrated... I have both balanced and single ended amps and find no difference in sound quality...in some cases power will be greater out of the balanced out when both are offered on an amp but on a volume matched basis I have found no difference.....


----------



## jlbrach

msq123 said:


> You are thinking Qutest. Hugo 2 has an amp section.


it does not have a separate amp section


----------



## Mr X

SoundJedi said:


> Quick impressions from this morning's audition.
> 
> https://eliseaudio.com/blogs/impressions-and-reviews/chord-mojo2-serious-chops



Very useful. Many thanks!

I think I will resist until I really start travelling again,


----------



## Whitigir

Mr X said:


> Very useful. Many thanks!
> 
> I think I will resist until I really start travelling again,


Not to be negative, but it sounded like if it was Mojo 1 review up there LOL!


----------



## FixwolF (Feb 2, 2022)

Is there any indication of a release date yet? Nm haven't been up 2 date~ : )


----------



## SoundJedi

Slim1970 said:


> B for me



Wonder if your answer would be the same if you didn't have a little guy called Dave 😝. 

It's gonna have to be A or C for me...


----------



## marcusd

If you have a folding Samsung Z Flip 3 then it is quite a compact little setup with the Mojo 2


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Mediahound said:


> But the Hugo 2 doesn't have balanced out either, b/c it's not needed.


To cannibalize means to take away sales from another product. If the Mojo 2 were balanced people would potentially buy it instead of the Hugo 2.  



Another Audiophile said:


> If sound is the number one priority the question is what 4.4 balanced will bring? For these designs nothing. Balanced is not always inherently better. So why to bother with something that will bring no value? Is 3.5 ideal? No but is universal and delivers.


I agree that balanced does not always sound better but there are cases where it does. A cable run to a device in close proximity to a mobile phone would at minimum benefit from common-mode rejection. If you don't think it offers a benefit and other people do, why wouldn't a manufacturer offer both to satisfy both parties and maximize revenue? 

Listen, I get it, Chord products sound very good, but some consumers also value intuitive design and modern features. I don't like Chord enough to dismiss the caveats, but if you do, great. Buy it. Whatever I say won't change your mind.


----------



## Whitigir

I don’t think offering 4.4 and 2.5 is a meaning that Mojo2 is balanced design. It can be just for practical purposes.  Single ended out, but allow the usage of both 4.4 and 2.5 plugs.  Can’t do just that ?


----------



## hakunamakaka

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> To cannibalize means to take away sales from another product. If the Mojo 2 were balanced people would potentially buy it instead of the Hugo 2.
> 
> 
> I agree that balanced does not always sound better but there are cases where it does. A cable run to a device in close proximity to a mobile phone would at minimum benefit from common-mode rejection. If you don't think it offers a benefit and other people do, why wouldn't a manufacturer offer both to satisfy both parties and maximize revenue?
> ...



Balanced output has nothing to do with sound quality. Users may report that balanced is better only because it is more powerful in devices that has both outputs. In some equipment they may use better components in balanced, but you cat get opposite results if you would focus on unbalanced circuit. For such portable dac/amps balanced output serves only as a marketing trick. 

My current desktop setup has only unbalanced 1/4 (6.3mm) output, but it smoked all balanced dac/amps that I had by far margin


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

Whitigir said:


> I don’t think offering 4.4 and 2.5 is a meaning that Mojo2 is balanced design. It can be just for practical purposes.  Single ended out, but allow the usage of both 4.4 and 2.5 plugs.  Can’t do just that ?



Right it's not balanced, that was just my hope and aspiration that the new one would have the feature. 

That's true though, some manufacturers add balanced connections for convenience. I find the 2.5mm and 3.5mm can get damaged when people are travelling and hard on their equipment, so I guess the 4.4 would be more robust.


----------



## Kentajalli

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> I think the issue is that Chord made the Mojo for new customers (attractive price point for the quality), and made the Mojo 2 for existing customers, and that prevents it from being a slam dunk. The absence of a balanced output is likely to not cannibalize Hugo 2 sales or create the necessity to make a Hugo 3... however many competing products from other brands have balanced outputs..


Does Hugo2 have balanced output?
The USB-C is indeed strange! Mr. W said they put it in to silence those who demanded it.
Chord may have a stock-pile of Polys , so had to keep things compatible .
USB-C has only two benefits in our case.
- being reversible
- better power capabilities  ( auto 9V , 12V etc.)
Sadly, for backward compatibility , Chord chose not to use the later.


----------



## Kentajalli

jlbrach said:


> balanced outputs are overrated... I have both balanced and single ended amps and find no difference in sound quality...in some cases power will be greater out of the balanced out when both are offered on an amp but on a volume matched basis I have found no difference.....


In case of a battery operated device with limited voltage supply, balanced can achieve four times power output.


----------



## HiGHFLYiN9

hakunamakaka said:


> Balanced output has nothing to do with sound quality.


I respectfully disagree, but we can discuss elsewhere as the thread is derailing and that wasn't my intention.


----------



## andrewd01

Johnfg465vd said:


> Probably because the original Mojo won't have the technical improvements nor the extra features like Desktop mode, Type-C...
> 
> Having the technical chops (depth, detail...) of Mojo 2 with a warmer, fatigue free tuning does sound nice.


Exactly.  If I bought a Mojo2 I would most likely use it with an iphone or ipad which are no doubt noisy sources, and would likely benefit of some tuning to reduce the digital glare.  The new features of the M2 are compelling enough to make it an obvious choice over the six year old original model.

I think the lossless EQ is a brilliant idea, but with 38,416 possible permutations of EQ settings it would be good to have some published settings recommendations, or even better, software presets to achieve some target curves based on actual spectral measurements instead of just winging it by trial and error.  One example would be the settings required to match the Mojo 1 spectral response.  Other examples would be tuning profiles optimised for particular headphones.


----------



## Jawed (Feb 2, 2022)

andrewd01 said:


> I think the lossless EQ is a brilliant idea, but with 38,416 possible permutations of EQ settings it would be good to have some published settings recommendations, or even better, software presets to achieve some target curves based on actual spectral measurements instead of just winging it by trial and error.  One example would be the settings required to match the Mojo 1 spectral response.  Other examples would be tuning profiles optimised for particular headphones.


19x19x19x19 = 130,321 different EQ settings.

Maybe Rob is hoping people will construct little colour charts for headphones and share them:

20Hz125Hz3kHz20kHz

Or maybe that's not such a good idea 

EDIT: Yeah, I forgot about + or -, bad idea...


----------



## jlbrach

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> To cannibalize means to take away sales from another product. If the Mojo 2 were balanced people would potentially buy it instead of the Hugo 2.
> 
> 
> I agree that balanced does not always sound better but there are cases where it does. A cable run to a device in close proximity to a mobile phone would at minimum benefit from common-mode rejection. If you don't think it offers a benefit and other people do, why wouldn't a manufacturer offer both to satisfy both parties and maximize revenue?
> ...


the hugo 2 is a different device...more expensive and as rob watts says a more advanced device...i cannot imagine anyone buying a mojo 2 over a hugo 2 because it is balanced which really isnt of much difference one way or another


----------



## Slim1970

SoundJedi said:


> Wonder if your answer would be the same if you didn't have a little guy called Dave 😝.
> 
> It's gonna have to be A or C for me...


It's a major part of my decision. Before I got the Dave I was using the Hugo 2 as my main DAC. Since getting the Dave, my Hugo 2 has been just sitting around. It makes my decision to sort of "downgrade" a little easier.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

vlach said:


> It is actually the _original_ Mojo that is said to have the warmer sound signature of the two.


I should have been more clear. I meant the technical improvements of Mojo 2 with the sound signature of Mojo for those who like the original signature. Isn't that the whole purpose of the new DSP tuning, adjust the signature to one's prefetence.


kumar402 said:


> Mojo 1 has warmer sound but that doesn’t mean it is fatigue free. It just has some mid bass bump due to capacitor in path. However the treble has enough energy and with wrong headphone can sound bright.


Yes, I experienced that with Mojo and Sundara pairing. I actually don't think Mojo sounds "warm", to my ears it has some roll off in the higher frequencies which paired with it's non-sibilant nature, makes it sound like it.

Enough about Mojo though, let's get back on track with the Mojo 2. Can anyone share a comparison between Mojo 2 and some other DAC's? I think we've established that Mojo 2 is better than Mojo.


----------



## Mediahound

HiGHFLYiN9 said:


> I agree that balanced does not always sound better but there are cases where it does. A cable run to a device in close proximity to a mobile phone would at minimum benefit from common-mode rejection. If you don't think it offers a benefit and other people do, why wouldn't a manufacturer offer both to satisfy both parties and maximize revenue?



The secret about balanced is that a lot of manufacturers HAVE to incorporate balanced because of their noisy substrate designs and going balanced is the only way to make them less noisy. From these devices, yes, balanced will sound better. 

Chord does not need to do this since they are a better design, hence, no need for balanced.

IE:



Mojo ideas said:


> Yes we don't need to have a balanced output because it's a dodgy fix for a problem Rob watts Dac designs don't have.


----------



## mikecheck95

What is "upper treble" and what is "lower treble" I wish it was more clear how these are being affected as well as "where". like is "upper treble" just from 10k-20k or does it start rolling off earlier than that (5-6khz)? I suspect this EQ is meant to create a bass boost as well as to help headphones with a bit of mid-recession or "shouty-ness" around the 3khz area. The problem is that if we bring up the 3khz area we actually have to bring it back down on most headphones or vice versa. Hope for clarity on this. Would love to EQ a set of LCD-X or LCD-2 with these to fix the upper-mid recession and would be worried about creating a big spike around 6k (as most of the audezes come back to normal around 6-7k)


----------



## jwbrent

Headfonic’s review on the Mojo 2 is up.


----------



## jwbrent

mikecheck95 said:


> What is "upper treble" and what is "lower treble" I wish it was more clear how these are being affected as well as "where". like is "upper treble" just from 10k-20k or does it start rolling off earlier than that (5-6khz)? I suspect this EQ is meant to create a bass boost as well as to help headphones with a bit of mid-recession or "shouty-ness" around the 3khz area. The problem is that if we bring up the 3khz area we actually have to bring it back down on most headphones or vice versa. Hope for clarity on this. Would love to EQ a set of LCD-X or LCD-2 with these to fix the upper-mid recession and would be worried about creating a big spike around 6k (as most of the audezes come back to normal around 6-7k)



My idea of the different treble regions are as follows:

4kHz-8kHz = lower treble

8kHz-16kHz = treble

16kHz-up = upper treble/ultrasonic


----------



## mikecheck95

jwbrent said:


> My idea of the different treble regions are as follows:
> 
> 4kHz-8kHz = lower treble
> 
> ...



I always thought...

Bass: 20hz - 200hz
Upper Bass: 200hz-700hz
Mids: 700hz-3000hz
Upper Mids: 3000hz-7000hz
Highs: 7000hz+

Either way none of this is clear in my opinion in any of the material released by chord.


----------



## Infoseeker

mikecheck95 said:


> What is "upper treble" and what is "lower treble" I wish it was more clear how these are being affected as well as "where". like is "upper treble" just from 10k-20k or does it start rolling off earlier than that (5-6khz)? I suspect this EQ is meant to create a bass boost as well as to help headphones with a bit of mid-recession or "shouty-ness" around the 3khz area. The problem is that if we bring up the 3khz area we actually have to bring it back down on most headphones or vice versa. Hope for clarity on this. Would love to EQ a set of LCD-X or LCD-2 with these to fix the upper-mid recession and would be worried about creating a big spike around 6k (as most of the audezes come back to normal around 6-7k)


According to Darko. We have the exact positions if the EQ bands.

I can see me using the 20Hz & 125Hz as nice bass boosts. iFi xBass should feel threatened by this. haha

I cant imagine a scenario where the 3kHz & 20kHz bands would be applicable. Unless you got a headphone that needs help specifically at 3kHz.

Now if they had a position for 6kHz that would be nice for the Utopia & HD800S.


----------



## Barndoor

Especially not 20khz. I for one can't hear anywhere near that and suspect many others can't.


----------



## mikecheck95 (Feb 3, 2022)

Infoseeker said:


> According to Darko. We have the exact positions if the EQ bands.
> 
> I can see me using the 20Hz & 125Hz as nice bass boosts. iFi xBass should feel threatened by this. haha
> 
> ...




I've seen this. I also see that Rob Watts compares uses the term shelf filter to describe the lower treble and mid-bass filter but not the lower bass or upper treble filter. I'm wondering if those are peak filters (which would have a bit of a different shape to shelf filters. I've also seen the diagrams in the mojo's user guide which looks as though the shelf filters have extremely large Q values and that for the lower treble filter you'd be boosting frequencies starting as low as 125hz with the peak being 3khz. I highly doubt they would put such a crappy EQ implementation in their new Mojo.

There are lots of headphones that need a bass boost as you're mentioning but also other ones that require help around 3k (think of the audezes that have a bit of recession there or all of the mid focused headphones that have a bit TOO much energy there and sound shouty) it would have made sense to have a peak filter at 3khz rather than a shelf and I'm kind of disappointed about that. Hopefully I'm wrong and it's better than I'm assuming based off of the rough diagram in the user guide.


----------



## mikecheck95 (Feb 3, 2022)

Barndoor said:


> Especially not 20khz. I for one can't hear anywhere near that and suspect many others can't.


Exactly. Who cares about 20khz? I can't even hear above 17k anymore which I'm lucky to have (in my late 20s) and it's only going downhill from here. Rob Watts definitely can't hear these super high frequencies. Unless this filter starts attenuating frequencies around 7k I can't see it being of much use to the average person.


----------



## ubs28

mikecheck95 said:


> Exactly. Who cares about 20khz? I can't even hear above 17k anymore which I'm lucky to have (in my late 20s) and it's only going downhill from here. Rob Watts definitely can't hear these super high frequencies. Unless this filter starts attenuating frequencies around 7k I can't see it being of much use to the average person.



As a music producer who works with alot of EQ's, I do hear it. Fine if you do not hear it, but that doesn't mean others don't.


----------



## ubs28

Another Audiophile said:


> Female vocals are more forward with the Mojo 1 and with the mojo 2 are clear but a bit further back on the stage. The Mojo1 has a warmer female vocal presentation and because of that will come across more intimate. The mojo 1 offers more palpable female vocal reproduction. This will be subject to preference and I understand that some might prefer the tonal character offered by the Mojo2. For me is a win for the Mojo1
> 
> Score 4-2.5
> 
> Song Gillian Welch - The Way It Goes from the album The Harrow and the Harvest



So the difference between Mojo 1 and Mojo 2 is just character? If so, I guess it is not worth spending $1000 to upgrade from the Mojo 1 to the Mojo 2? (Because I would also need to buy a new Van Nuys case that fits the Poly + Mojo 2 which is going to be $200+ atleast for sure).


----------



## jwbrent

mikecheck95 said:


> I always thought...
> 
> Bass: 20hz - 200hz
> Upper Bass: 200hz-700hz
> ...



My numbers are in general, not specific to the Mojo 2 and its eq. ✌️


----------



## x RELIC x

ubs28 said:


> So the difference between Mojo 1 and Mojo 2 is just character? If so, I guess it is not worth spending $1000 to upgrade from the Mojo 1 to the Mojo 2? (Because I would also need to buy a new Van Nuys case that fits the Poly + Mojo 2 which is going to be $200+ atleast for sure).


No, there’s more than just character. In case anyone didn’t see Rob’s technical post about Mojo2, here it is:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-16792307



Rob Watts said:


> So here is my technical presentation about Mojo 2 - the changes from Mojo.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## x RELIC x

@ChordElectronics you should have made an ‘official‘ thread for the Mojo2 with more info in the first page, rather than this thread with 100+ pages of speculation.


----------



## jwbrent (Feb 3, 2022)

x RELIC x said:


> @ChordElectronics you should have made an ‘official‘ thread for the Mojo2 with more info in the first page, rather than this thread with 100+ pages of speculation.



I suggested the op of this thread remove “Speculation” from its original title since the other Mojo 2 thread was created by a Chord dealer. Having multiple threads for the same product gets tiresome to follow. ✌️

I do see your point about the bulk of this thread beginning with speculation instead of product info.


----------



## jwbrent

Are there any US dealers that have Mojo 2s to ship, all the ones I’ve checked say Preorder.


----------



## Another Audiophile

ubs28 said:


> So the difference between Mojo 1 and Mojo 2 is just character? If so, I guess it is not worth spending $1000 to upgrade from the Mojo 1 to the Mojo 2? (Because I would also need to buy a new Van Nuys case that fits the Poly + Mojo 2 which is going to be $200+ atleast for sure).


It's not only the "character" these are my early impressions and I've given more details in previous posts.


----------



## jwbrent

mikecheck95 said:


> Exactly. Who cares about 20khz? I can't even hear above 17k anymore which I'm lucky to have (in my late 20s) and it's only going downhill from here. Rob Watts definitely can't hear these super high frequencies. Unless this filter starts attenuating frequencies around 7k I can't see it being of much use to the average person.



Adjusting the 20kHz eq setting, I imagine, will also impact frequencies below.


----------



## jwbrent

x RELIC x said:


> @ChordElectronics you should have made an ‘official‘ thread for the Mojo2 with more info in the first page, rather than this thread with 100+ pages of speculation.



Actually, there’s a way to fix this. The op could edit his first post by indicating the page number that begins with the actual product release thereby creating a shortcut for users to get to the meat of the matter. If you think that is a good idea, I’m happy to message the op with the suggestion.


----------



## mikecheck95

Rob Watts has actually responded on the Watts


jwbrent said:


> Adjusting the 20kHz eq setting, I imagine, will also impact frequencies below.


Right, and what I was getting at with my question was "how far below does it reach". Rob Watts has answered it. It's quite a wide Q value of 0.5 and this would affect frequencies as low as 7.5k. Which, in my opinion is the right way to do it with a high peak filter like that.


----------



## karmazynowy

Yes, it will, same about 20hz. Just look at Mojos manual:






It is also worth mention that all those tone controlls sums up.


----------



## mikecheck95

karmazynowy said:


> Yes, it will, same about 20hz. Just look at Mojos manual:
> 
> 
> 
> It is also worth mention that all those tone controlls sums up.


How many lines should there be between 3khz and 20khz which lines correspond with which frequencies? How come on one it shows the Lower treble shelf filter affecting frequencies as low as 125hz but in "graph 2" it shows it affecting less of a range.


----------



## karmazynowy

Because on graph 1 there are maximum adjustments applied of +/- 9db. Not the case in graph2.


----------



## andrewd01

Jawed said:


> 19x19x19x19 = 130,321 different EQ settings.
> 
> Maybe Rob is hoping people will construct little colour charts for headphones and share them:
> 
> ...


You are right. I counted 14 possible settings per band because I looked at page 13 of the manual.  I didn’t notice that the table continued on page 14, so 19 settings per band is correct.


----------



## Olliver (Feb 3, 2022)

andrewd01 said:


> Exactly.  If I bought a Mojo2 I would most likely use it with an iphone or ipad which are no doubt noisy sources, and would likely benefit of some tuning to reduce the digital glare.  The new features of the M2 are compelling enough to make it an obvious choice over the six year old original model.


Exactly, i use an ifi iSilencer between the audioquest dragon tail and carbon usb cable, when pluging the filter in or out, the noise reduction ist directly audible with a calmer sound with much more depth.
If the Mojo 2 would have it´s own noise filter, i could use usb-C to usb-C wire without the dongle and the filter.

So did Rob Watts mention something about usb filtering in the mojo 2?


----------



## Another Audiophile

Early days but I've added 6db @ 20Hz sub bass boost and 5db shelf at 120Hz with my HD6xx, LCD-X and LCD-MX4. That's it for me, this is a very very very serious DSP and for this feature it worth the upgrade from the Mojo 1 to Mojo 2. 

Song Goldwing - Billie Eilish album Happier Than Ever.

Game over.


----------



## Wilderbeast

Initial thoughts after a day:

Sound wise, a cleaner, livelier sound than the original Mojo. I was pleased that a 3D image jumped out at me through all my IEMs (I haven't tried headphones).

I haven't compared it directly with my Hugo 2 yet, but I can say the Mojo 2 sounds musical and 'lovely' - something I wouldn't say about the H2. 

My favourite thing about the M2 is the crossfeed, which I also love on the Hugo and H2. For IEMs at least it throws the music on a stage in front - it's fun picking out the position of individual instruments on the 'stage'.

Sadly I've had the same connection problems I had with the original Mojo - Chord DACS just don't play nicely with iPhones for me. It won't work using a CCK and my FIIO lightning dongle worked yesterday but not today. If anyone can tell me a reliable solution I'd be grateful (though I'd rather not buy a Poly).


----------



## Olliver

Wilderbeast said:


> Initial thoughts after a day:
> 
> Sound wise, a cleaner, livelier sound than the original Mojo. I was pleased that a 3D image jumped out at me through all my IEMs (I haven't tried headphones).
> 
> ...


I would recomend the audioquest dragon tail, in direct comparison it sounds better than the apple cck.
Sadly it´s somehow true what you say about the iphone sound quality, i stopped using it with the mojo, after i compared it to the ipad pro.
The sound is much better, i don´t now why, it has more density and authority at the same volume level.

So the mojo isn´t portable any more, because the ipad is to uge.


----------



## soundblast75

Olliver said:


> I would recomend the audioquest dragon tail, in direct comparison it sounds better than the apple cck.
> Sadly it´s somehow true what you say about the iphone sound quality, i stopped using it with the mojo, after i compared it to the ipad pro.
> The sound is much better, i don´t now why, it has more density and authority at the same volume level.
> 
> So the mojo isn´t portable any more, because the ipad is to uge.


The mojo sounds not so good with an IPhone??


----------



## Olliver

It´s interesting how different the Mojo 2 sound apears to different people, from colder and less musicaly than the Hugo 2, to lovelier and more musical.
So i´m curios how it compares to mojo 1, when i receive it.
I have ordered it on Monday, from the german distributor, it should be in stock.


----------



## mainguy

Wilderbeast said:


> Initial thoughts after a day:
> 
> Sound wise, a cleaner, livelier sound than the original Mojo. I was pleased that a 3D image jumped out at me through all my IEMs (I haven't tried headphones).
> 
> ...


what about compared to Hugo 1? I recall that being a favourite of yours


----------



## Olliver

soundblast75 said:


> The mojo sounds not so good with an IPhone??


Sadly yes, compared to the ipad. 
A while ago i´ve listened to some qobuz streaming i´ve heard the other day and it was sounding worse.
I asked myself what was different yesterday and remembered i´ve used the ipad, than i made direct comparisons with several tracks
with the same settings and the iphone was sounding thinner with less authority and density.
There was no sound difference between the 2020 or 2021 ipads and their different chip sets..
I tried huawei P40 pro, but android changes everything to the same sampling rates on its own, so it doesn´t work perfect anyway.
The iphone doesn´t sound bad per se, but it definitly loses against the ipad.


----------



## kumar402

Olliver said:


> Sadly yes, compared to the ipad.
> A while ago i´ve listened to some qobuz streaming i´ve heard the other day and it was sounding worse.
> I asked myself what was different yesterday and remembered i´ve used the ipad, than i made direct comparisons with several tracks
> with the same settings and the iphone was sounding thinner with less authority and density.
> ...


Well a good source is always good for DAC. An iPhone has lot of things cramped in small enclosure and it’s prone to sending some noise back to DAC. Mojo is prone to picking up noise from phone so no wonder iPad sounds better with it


----------



## Epiteto (Feb 3, 2022)

how should the equalizer on m2 be changed to have the sound character of m1?
has anyone opened it to see what it looks like inside?


----------



## Alan Billington

soundblast75 said:


> The mojo sounds not so good with an IPhone??


Mojo 2 works perfectly with the iPhone via Poly. Others have had issues but for my simple streaming at home / out and about it’s never been an issue on M1/2. It also removes the main issue I have with cables - they degrade over time and the connection then becomes flaky after a few months.


----------



## gatherer1234

Interested in the iPhone quality via CCK into Mojo comments, as that is what i’m currently using at work (Roon->Poly/Mojo at home). 

Based on the comments, i’d imagine that macbook -> usb-c/micro cable -> mojo is better than iPad -> CCK cable -> mojo is better than iPhone -> CCK cable -> mojo. Would that seem about right? 

However, each of these is increasingly unwieldy and not so convenient for me at work. Is there a better solution for this scenario ? Is it time to start looking at Portable dap devices? 

Basic scenario is using qobuz/tidal to  stream/offline hi res into mojo from a Wi-Fi/device at work office


----------



## msq123

Wilderbeast said:


> Sadly I've had the same connection problems I had with the original Mojo - Chord DACS just don't play nicely with iPhones for me. It won't work using a CCK and my FIIO lightning dongle worked yesterday but not today. If anyone can tell me a reliable solution I'd be grateful (though I'd rather not buy a Poly).


Could this be faulty port or cable? I am using a well used 2 year old CCK with no issues and from what I have seen yours is the first post with this issue. Maybe worth having looked at and if replacement is needed?


----------



## gryffe

vlach said:


> Would you mind sharing in which ways you preferred the Mojo 2 over the Hugo 2? Is the preference in terms of tonal balance, soundstage, resolution, precision, etc.


I'm not great at articulating these things, but if anything it just seemed to sound deeper, fuller with more precise bass, and the treble was handled better by the Mojo 2 at higher volumes imo. I also wonder if it might be that the Mojo 2 was a better partner with the Sennheiser HD800S headphones.


----------



## Olliver (Feb 3, 2022)

Well audioquest dragon tail is better than cck and good usb cables help a lot.
I don´t if the mojo 2 still needs filtering, like the mojo 1 does.
I´m talking about an usb noise filter from audioquest or ifi
I will propably try direct usb-C cable with out adapter and filter, if there is some usb filtering on the mojo 2.
I´m streaming qobuz via wifi to the ipad and than via usb to the mojo.


----------



## lucasratmundo

Another Audiophile said:


> Second observation. Interference from mobile 4G is still there just like it was in Mojo1. That makes it a transportable and not portable device unless you have a poly and you can keep the mobile away from the mojo.


My experience has been different so far. I've just tried the Mojo 2 with an iPhone with a short USB-C/Lightning cable and I had no problems with interference.


----------



## soundblast75

Well i have like 5 totl dongles and all sound great with iPhone


----------



## Another Audiophile

lucasratmundo said:


> My experience has been different so far. I've just tried the Mojo 2 with an iPhone with a short USB-C/Lightning cable and I had no problems with interference.


Ok, I don't know why it happens. Just that it happens.


----------



## Olliver

Epiteto said:


> how should the equalizer on m2 be changed to have the sound character of m1?
> has anyone opened it to see what it looks like inside?


I´m quite curious about the visible circuit/pcb changings and didn´t find any photos yet.


----------



## JaquesGelee

Olliver said:


> I´m quite curious about the visible circuit/pcb changings and didn´t find any photos yet.


Maybe cause nearly nobody got the device yet beside UK buyers and the balls to open it? 🤷🏼‍♂️


----------



## Wilderbeast

mainguy said:


> what about compared to Hugo 1? I recall that being a favourite of yours


Regrettably, I sold my H1 years ago. Any comparison would be based on rose-tinted memory!


----------



## Wilderbeast (Feb 3, 2022)

msq123 said:


> Could this be faulty port or cable? I am using a well used 2 year old CCK with no issues and from what I have seen yours is the first post with this issue. Maybe worth having looked at and if replacement is needed?


There may well be a fault somewhere. I'll do some further tests.


----------



## rocketron

Received mine first thing this morning.
Playing from iPhone XR with a ddHifi lightning to usbc cable.
Perfect no problems at all.
Sound wise it’s like M1 and H2 had a love child.
Well done Chord.👍


----------



## Wilderbeast

rocketron said:


> Sound wise it’s like M1 and H2 had a love child.


Well said. I agree!


----------



## Olliver

JaquesGelee said:


> Maybe cause nearly nobody got the device yet beside UK buyers and the balls to open it? 🤷🏼‍♂️


You only need a hex driver and balls to open the mojo?
I expect Photos any moment yet.


----------



## gatherer1234

lucasratmundo said:


> My experience has been different so far. I've just tried the Mojo 2 with an iPhone with a short USB-C/Lightning cable and I had no problems with interference.



Hi - which cables are you using for this? Is the lightening cable the apple CCK type thing which then allows a usb-a cable to connect. That’s what I’m currently using. It’s a bit unwieldy but to be fair, I’ve had no reliability issues with it at all and it’s near 5 years old now.


----------



## wwyjoe

Hi Everyone! I'm of 2 minds to get either Chord2+Poly, or Hiby RS6. The former is well reviewed thus far, but the Hiby RS6 is packed with more features, newer specs including bluetooth and connectivity options, MQA unfolding and of course, its sound is also well reviewed too. 

Any thoughts how the sound between the two would compare? Particularly those who had received their Mojo 2 and also has listening experiences with RS6. 

Thanks!


----------



## mainguy (Feb 3, 2022)

wwyjoe said:


> Hi Everyone! I'm of 2 minds to get either Chord2+Poly, or Hiby RS6. The former is well reviewed thus far, but the Hiby RS6 is packed with more features, newer specs including bluetooth and connectivity options, MQA unfolding and of course, its sound is also well reviewed too.
> 
> Any thoughts how the sound between the two would compare? Particularly those who had received their Mojo 2 and also has listening experiences with RS6.
> 
> Thanks!


The Mojo Poly combo will blow just about any dap away. Ive owned the KANN dap (£1100 dap) side by side with the og mojo and poly. The latter sounded so much better…I even demoed it against an ak380, a $2500 dap, and the mojopoly again, came out ahead.

The only DAP thats got close to mojo for me are the high end Sony ones (wm1z or wm1a with wm1z firmware, basically the same thing)


----------



## SRKRAM

Below are some photos (I just blanked out a couple of marks which I though could be used for identification) :
Now back together and listening to music again.


----------



## rocketron

It will never sound the same?
You have let the magic dust out.
😂😂😂😂


----------



## SRKRAM

rocketron said:


> It will never sound the same?
> You have let the magic dust out.
> 😂😂😂😂


At least the magic smoke is still in there


----------



## rocketron

Did you notice the date on the board.
October 2020.


----------



## SRKRAM

rocketron said:


> Did you notice the date on the board.
> October 2020.


Yes, I noticed the same. However, I expect that Rob was able to continue working on the FPGA code after the hardware design was frozen.


----------



## JaquesGelee

rocketron said:


> Did you notice the date on the board.
> October 2020.


I see no problem here. They startest in 2018 with Mojo 2.


----------



## marcusd

Another Audiophile said:


> Early days but I've added 6db @ 20Hz sub bass boost and 5db shelf at 120Hz with my HD6xx, LCD-X and LCD-MX4. That's it for me, this is a very very very serious DSP and for this feature it worth the upgrade from the Mojo 1 to Mojo 2.
> 
> Song Goldwing - Billie Eilish album Happier Than Ever.
> 
> Game over.



This. People are dismissing the DSP before they try it and its really, really good.


----------



## Olliver

SRKRAM said:


> Below are some photos (I just blanked out a couple of marks which I though could be used for identification) :
> Now back together and listening to music again.


Interesting, not only the two tantal coupling capacitors are gone, as expected,
but also the two 330uF and 220uF for filtering.
I guess Rob Watts must have done some serious work on the power regulation.
Not only the coupling capacitors, but also the filtering capacitors have a lot of influence on the sound.


----------



## Another Audiophile

marcusd said:


> This. People are dismissing the DSP before they try it and its really, really good.


Yes it is. By far the best DSP I've tried on a portable device. Right now I have the Fiio M11 pro with usb player pro parametric, Fiio btr5 and sony WM1A with EQ. The chord's limited DSP is way better. Adding what you want without discarding anything else.


----------



## Epiteto

does the battery connector seem soldered to the pcb?


----------



## shizzin

mainguy said:


> The Mojo Poly combo will blow just about any dap away. Ive owned the KANN dap (£1100 dap) side by side with the og mojo and poly. The latter sounded so much better…I even demoed it against an ak380, a $2500 dap, and the mojopoly again, came out ahead.
> 
> The only DAP thats got close to mojo for me are the high end Sony ones (wm1z or wm1a with wm1z firmware, basically the same thing)


Are you talking about mojo2 against the ak380 cause I certainly have both ak380 and OG mojo and the AK beats it.


----------



## TheEldestBoy (Feb 3, 2022)

What has been the primary issue with the poly?

If I were to buy the mojo 2 I would consider getting the poly as well; my use case scenario would be I would be listening from an Apple device via airplay (I would exclusively been using it inside my home, so no need to do any funky hot spot set ups, it would just be on my home Wi-Fi network).

From my understanding this would cap me at 16/44, which I think I might be OK with.

I am most excited about the DSP, as I listen at lower volumes so being able to boost the bass is a huge win for me.

NOTE: my current set-up is an iFi hip Dac attached to my iPhone. Sounds great with bass boost on my HD6xx’s.


----------



## kumar402

TheEldestBoy said:


> What has been the primary issue with the poly?
> 
> If I were to buy the mojo 2 I would consider getting the poly as well; my use case scenario would be I would be listening from an Apple device via airplay (I would exclusively been using it inside my home, so no need to do any funky hot spot set ups, it would just be on my home Wi-Fi network).
> 
> ...


Mojo will be step up from iFi Hip. I have iFi Hip and Mojo 1 and Mojo is better in every aspect.


----------



## Olliver (Feb 3, 2022)

TheEldestBoy said:


> What has been the primary issue with the poly?
> 
> If I were to buy the mojo 2 I would consider getting the poly as well; my use case scenario would be I would be listening from an Apple device via airplay (I would exclusively been using it inside my home, so no need to do any funky hot spot set ups, it would just be on my home Wi-Fi network).
> 
> ...


As far as i know it´s limited to 44/48 but able to play 24bit, thats clearly above 16bit cd quality.
From listening tests i would say for sound quality, bit resolution is more important than sampling rate.
It´s the same if you use the apple certified products like audeze cipher cable, it´s also limited to 24bit 44Khz.

I just checked the audeze blutooth module, it´s also 24bit 44/48 Khz


----------



## TheEldestBoy

… I’m wondering if the poly’s main “issues” have an effect on airplay with iPhone? Or do the issues lay elsewhere? (I see on the forums that many people say the poly has major issues… And I’m just wondering if these issues pertain to listening via airplay? In other words, would  my particular set up be affected by the issues?).


----------



## Another Audiophile (Feb 3, 2022)

Trying now extensively the Mojo 2 with 6db @ 20Hz sub bass boost and 5db shelf at 120Hz and Audeze LCD-X and LCD-MX4. You get a boost on bass which is super well controlled, articulate, precise and quick. the most important benefit so far from this DSP is ZERO bleed to the mids. It's fantastic. Not sure why people will spend time talking USB connectors and not the DSP which in my opinions the star of the show

Edit: Also 2 db at 3KZ. This is amazing guys


----------



## mainguy

TheEldestBoy said:


> What has been the primary issue with the poly?
> 
> If I were to buy the mojo 2 I would consider getting the poly as well; my use case scenario would be I would be listening from an Apple device via airplay (I would exclusively been using it inside my home, so no need to do any funky hot spot set ups, it would just be on my home Wi-Fi network).
> 
> ...


For your use case the poly is fantastic. It's how i used to use it, in the home, with airplay, its exceptional.


----------



## Czykierek

Epiteto said:


> does the battery connector seem soldered to the pcb?









I think it is soldered to the PCB. I didn't want to use a lot of force so as not to break it off.


----------



## ardbeg1975

Olliver said:


> As far as i know it´s limited to 44/48 but able to play 24bit, thats clearly above 16bit cd quality.
> From listening tests i would say for sound quality, bit resolution is more important than sampling rate.
> It´s the same if you use the apple certified products like audeze cipher cable, it´s also limited to 24bit 44Khz.
> 
> I just checked the audeze blutooth module, it´s also 24bit 44/48 Khz


Related question for the group. Is it correct to assume I can get above 24/44.1 with M2+Poly over wifi to iPhone using mconnect upnp protocol and Qobuz streaming?


----------



## TheEldestBoy

mainguy said:


> For your use case the poly is fantastic. It's how i used to use it, in the home, with airplay, its exceptional.



Great to hear that!


----------



## NYanakiev

I am getting the Mojo 2 and Poly on Friday. Excited to be going back to a portable Chord setup after owning the OG Mojo and Poly.


----------



## alekc

wwyjoe said:


> Hi Everyone! I'm of 2 minds to get either Chord2+Poly, or Hiby RS6. The former is well reviewed thus far, but the Hiby RS6 is packed with more features, newer specs including bluetooth and connectivity options, MQA unfolding and of course, its sound is also well reviewed too.
> 
> Any thoughts how the sound between the two would compare? Particularly those who had received their Mojo 2 and also has listening experiences with RS6.
> 
> Thanks!


@wwyjoe I think I know how to make your choice easier: if you care about MQA forget about anything from Chord brand. If you however care about SQ, forget about MQA and do not use it as requirement point. Last but not least: newer specs, more up-to-date ports etc. usually tells you nothing about how the device will sound. Listen to both and only then make your choice, we all hear differently so our advice and feelings maybe very flawed from your perspective. That said, I've ordered Mojo 2 without listening, just based on my Mojo 1 and Hugo TT2 experience.


----------



## kumar402

wwyjoe said:


> Hi Everyone! I'm of 2 minds to get either Chord2+Poly, or Hiby RS6. The former is well reviewed thus far, but the Hiby RS6 is packed with more features, newer specs including bluetooth and connectivity options, MQA unfolding and of course, its sound is also well reviewed too.
> 
> Any thoughts how the sound between the two would compare? Particularly those who had received their Mojo 2 and also has listening experiences with RS6.
> 
> Thanks!


RS6 has R2R DAC and may not be good in measurement if that’s your kind of thing. If you need all in one and convenience is your number one priority then go for DAP


----------



## Epiteto

Czykierek said:


> I think it is soldered to the PCB. I didn't want to use a lot of force so as not to break it off.


Thank you very much for your photos;
this is bad news; in the worst case,, in the future, the cables will be cut to solder the new battery


----------



## emgeebee

Another Audiophile said:


> Trying now extensively the Mojo 2 with 6db @ 20Hz sub bass boost and 5db shelf at 120Hz and Audeze LCD-X and LCD-MX4. You get a boost on bass which is super well controlled, articulate, precise and quick. the most important benefit so far from this DSP is ZERO bleed to the mids. It's fantastic. Not sure why people will spend time talking USB connectors and not the DSP which in my opinions the star of the show
> 
> Edit: Also 2 db at 3KZ. This is amazing guys


I agree. I'm not good at describing what i hear (in general)... but Im really enjoying it with a bit of bass oooomph applied


----------



## Czykierek

Epiteto said:


> Thank you very much for your photos;
> this is bad news; in the worst case,, in the future, the cables will be cut to solder the new battery


It may be possible to slide the plug out of the connector somehow. Although the plug itself is unusual. In Mojo 1 the connector was standard. I think soldering a new battery wouldn't be a problem, because as you can see in the pictures there are +/- pads right next to it for soldering a new battery.


----------



## waveSounds

Another Audiophile said:


> Trying now extensively the Mojo 2 with 6db @ 20Hz sub bass boost and 5db shelf at 120Hz and Audeze LCD-X and LCD-MX4. You get a boost on bass which is super well controlled, articulate, precise and quick. the most important benefit so far from this DSP is ZERO bleed to the mids. It's fantastic. Not sure why people will spend time talking USB connectors and not the DSP which in my opinions the star of the show
> 
> Edit: Also 2 db at 3KZ. This is amazing guys



Might have to look into expediting my Mojo 2 purchase... +18db 20Hz boost for my TH900


----------



## TheEldestBoy

Does the poly work with airplay 2? Or is it only  the original airplay?


----------



## Alan Billington

TheEldestBoy said:


> … I’m wondering if the poly’s main “issues” have an effect on airplay with iPhone? Or do the issues lay elsewhere? (I see on the forums that many people say the poly has major issues… And I’m just wondering if these issues pertain to listening via airplay? In other words, would  my particular set up be affected by the issues?).


Mojo Poly can work seamlessly over airplay. Mine are superb. There’s been many issues with routers and the Gofigure app. The latter now stable. Hotspot out and about is also so simple. Enjoy 👍


----------



## mikecheck95 (Feb 3, 2022)

In case anyone was following my earlier _tirade_ about the EQ filters… Rob Watts has confirmed on another thread that the filters are, in fact, much more reasonable and well thought-out than they appear in Chord’s literature. He has actually shared the graphs with the EQ plots at the various settings. I think this is above and beyond and I’m impressed by the transparency. Luckily, in this case, it will help them sell more units. I couldn’t think of a better EQ implementation given 4 bands to suit a wide variety of headphones.

Post in thread 'Watts Up...?'
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-16797744


----------



## TheEldestBoy

Alan Billington said:


> Mojo Poly can work seamlessly over airplay. Mine are superb. There’s been many issues with routers and the Gofigure app. The latter now stable. Hotspot out and about is also so simple. Enjoy 👍


Great! Is it airplay 2?


----------



## vo_obgyn

I’m looking forward to see what Mojo 2 DSP settings are being used for various headphones. Right now, I’m using the Roon DSP presets for my Audeze cans (eg. LCD-X). Roon only has DSP presets for the Audeze lineup. It would be good to know which Mojo 2 DSP settings work best for people using Roon who are listening to cans other than those of Audeze.


----------



## mwhals

TheEldestBoy said:


> Great! Is it airplay 2?


Airplay 2 will stream to an airplay 1 device fine. Airplay 1 devices just can't be included in multiroom groups, which is not applicable with a Mojo 2. It would be more applicable to SONOs speakers throughout a house.


----------



## NYanakiev (Feb 3, 2022)

Another big selling point for me is Poly's excellent Roon endpoint capability. Really look forward to have it around the house as good old DAVE is stuck on the audio rack. EQ is not something I normally tinker with, but hey, there is always a first time.


----------



## TheEldestBoy

mwhals said:


> Airplay 2 will stream to an airplay 1 device fine. Airplay 1 devices just can't be included in multiroom groups, which is not applicable with a Mojo 2. It would be more applicable to SONOs speakers throughout a house.


Got it - thanks.


----------



## msq123

lucasratmundo said:


> My experience has been different so far. I've just tried the Mojo 2 with an iPhone with a short USB-C/Lightning cable and I had no problems with interference.





soundblast75 said:


> Well i have like 5 totl dongles and all sound great with iPhone



Could you pls list the lightning dongles you are using? I am looking to get Fiio Lt-Lt1 but if there are other options with better shielding I could get those. Thanks


----------



## u2u2

This thread is turning into a great one with impressions, opinions, internal photos and all. The soldered battery ought to be a subtle upgrade and will help justify the price of replacement years from now. Mojo 2 is selling out and pre orders are well into March from what I am seeing. Chord must be over the moon. Hope mine shows in the two weeks the dealer estimated. In the meantime I am considering Poly but have concerns... hope you guys keep posting on it. I did find a way to add balls to my Mojo 1 but it is not so portable. None the less five balls beat three and I anticipate six will beat four  

Passing the waiting time:


----------



## mikecheck95

I mean luckily you an play around with it if you have an EQ program/plugin

The Q value for the 20hz and 20khz peak filters is 0.5 and the shelves are shelves… so no Q value? although, if it asks for one (as I think it does in roon) 0.71 should do the trick! 

I reckon +3 to 6db in the lower treble and -4 to 8db in the upper treble will help to balance the majority of the darker Audezes out (although one could be more conservative and still get desirable results). Audezes also sound fantastic with a bass shelf. Of course, I need actually listen with the mojo 2 and make adjustments and can’t wait to do so!


----------



## SRKRAM

Epiteto said:


> does the battery connector seem soldered to the pcb?


Sorry, it didn't show clearly in the photo. It is a connector; a low profile, vertical-mating type like a snapbee:


----------



## Another Audiophile (Feb 3, 2022)

mikecheck95 said:


> I reckon +3 to 6db in the lower treble and -4 to 8db in the upper treble will help to balance the majority of the darker Audezes out


I can confirm that it does give a very pleasant ear gain. Tried it with both LCD-X and LCD-MX4 and sounds fantastic. My profile is 6db @ 20Hz sub bass boost and 5db shelf at 120Hz and 2 db @ 3KHz.


----------



## Czykierek

SRKRAM said:


> Sorry, it didn't show clearly in the photo. It is a connector; a low profile, vertical-mating type like a snapbee:


Great, so it's possible to disconnect the battery. I must admit that I have not come across this connector before. All you have to do is lever the plug on the front.


----------



## vlach

SRKRAM said:


> Below are some photos (I just blanked out a couple of marks which I though could be used for identification) :
> Now back together and listening to music again.


Thank you!!!


----------



## vlach

My understanding is that the desktop mode isolates the battery and stops charging it when it is full. Can i assume then that the charging circuit drives the output stage and the battery is out of the equation? If so can i also assume that removing the battery altogether would achieve the same result; as in the charging circuit driving the output stage?


----------



## Uebelkraehe

First impressions:


----------



## jarnopp

vlach said:


> My understanding is that the desktop mode isolates the battery and stops charging it when it is full. Can i assume then that the charging circuit drives the output stage and the battery is out of the equation? If so can i also assume that removing the battery altogether would achieve the same result; as in the charging circuit driving the output stage?


I think we would need more detail from @Rob Watts on how the circuit works. If it checks the battery to see if it’s full, then bypasses the battery until the next power cycle, what would happen if there is no battery on the next power cycle? It may not irk at all. (No knowledge, just making up a scenario…)


----------



## Another Audiophile

vlach said:


> My understanding is that the desktop mode isolates the battery and stops charging it when it is full.


I am not convinced on that yet. I left it off and connected overnight with the magenta light up. In the morning the mojo was slightly warm to the touch which indicates that something is going on even on desktop mode and when the mojo is off. Would like to know what


----------



## vlach (Feb 3, 2022)

Another Audiophile said:


> I am not convinced on that yet. I left it off and connected overnight with the magenta light up. In the morning the mojo was slightly warm to the touch which indicates that something is going on even on desktop mode and when the mojo is off. Would like to know what


The same thing happens with the OG Mojo, battery removed and powered off. As long as the 5V power source is connected to the USB port, the charging circuit is active and the unit feels slightly warm to the touch. I suspect the same thing is happening with the M2 once the battery if full/bypassed. I think the charging circuit is active but as @jarnopp suggested earlier, we need Rob Watts to confirm all this, including if it is possible to operate the M2 with the battery removed.


----------



## nycdoi

when i see these dsp functions i think of lcd-i4.. maybe it is about time to rid of the audeze lightning cable?


----------



## hakunamakaka

DSP function is so intriguing that I’m actually considering to put my DAP for sale….and I have to admit I got my weakness for these marbles…The only problem is poly which goes for 600euros here and I read about many compatibility issues with it. Shouldn’t be the case for such an expensive streamer


----------



## TheEldestBoy

hakunamakaka said:


> DSP function is so intriguing that I’m actually considering to put my DAP for sale….and I have to admit I got my weakness for these marbles…The only problem is poly which goes for 600euros here and I read about many compatibility issues with it. Shouldn’t be the case for such an expensive streamer



I'm debating b/w Mojo 2 + Poly or one of the new Sony DAPS being released next week (the successors to the WM1A / WM1Z).


----------



## Another Audiophile

TheEldestBoy said:


> I'm debating b/w Mojo 2 + Poly or one of the new Sony DAPS being released next week (the successors to the WM1A / WM1Z).


I think the rumors is that will be android dap which is a no go for me. I own the WM1A and is a great dap. The best I’ve owned so far.


----------



## Ballszilla

First impressions after listening to a few songs using Sennheiser Momentum 2 is that the Mojo 2 is definitely an improvement to my ears. Much more clarity, feels musical and almost relaxed to my ears, less warm for sure but I'm good with the trade off. Will see what the DSP can do over the weekend, I'm impressed, Mojo 1 will be going up for sale...among those considering a Poly now as well


----------



## mwhals

TheEldestBoy said:


> I'm debating b/w Mojo 2 + Poly or one of the new Sony DAPS being released next week (the successors to the WM1A / WM1Z).


I expect new Sony Daps as the flagships will be a much higher costs than Mojo 2 and Poly.


----------



## SoundJedi

Anyone thinks Mojo2 has a bit of treble bump around the 5-6k area? I will try to identify it more precisely later but too tired right now. 

Also, you don't need to see it but here's the Mojo2 in diapers while waiting for a case 😁.


----------



## vlach

SoundJedi said:


> Anyone thinks Mojo2 has a bit of treble bump around the 5-6k area? I will try to identify it more precisely later but too tired right now.
> 
> Also, you don't need to see it but here's the Mojo2 in diapers while waiting for a case 😁.


What's that little device with the green leds, an external amp?


----------



## hakunamakaka

TheEldestBoy said:


> I'm debating b/w Mojo 2 + Poly or one of the new Sony DAPS being released next week (the successors to the WM1A / WM1Z).



I have experience only with mid tier daps like Fiio M11 pro/ Shanling m6 pro and first mojo release beat them with more holographic presentation and better timbre. The only downside is that mojo was unusable  as a portable solution with phone. My wallet still finds hard time to justify poly price...maybe chinese will release some cheap alternative for it..and even if not I might just get mojo 2 and use it as a portable station, especially when I'm traveling somewhere. It is amazing with laptop and I rarely use DAP anyways..


----------



## Whitigir

SoundJedi said:


> Anyone thinks Mojo2 has a bit of treble bump around the 5-6k area? I will try to identify it more precisely later but too tired right now.
> 
> Also, you don't need to see it but here's the Mojo2 in diapers while waiting for a case 😁.


Oh nice blanket, warmed up device sound better ?


----------



## TheEldestBoy

mwhals said:


> I expect new Sony Daps as the flagships will be a much higher costs than Mojo 2 and Poly.


The WM1Z successor will be more expensive than the Mojo 2 + Poly combo.

The WM1A successor will _potentially_ be cheaper than the Mojo 2 + Poly combo.


----------



## SoundJedi

Whitigir said:


> Oh nice blanket, warmed up device sound better ?



Sounds quite bright to me actually! 

The little dongle amp added some warmth however, nice portable audio chain, even if a bit cumbersome 😁.


----------



## SoundJedi (Feb 3, 2022)

vlach said:


> What's that little device with the green leds, an external amp?



That my friend is UAMP, a now defunct amp (no DAC) from Australia. I got it on Kickstarter in 2016 and it is a nice little amp. Battery powered and even has EQ! It was my first audio source upgrade ever. Way ahead of its time.


----------



## elira

SoundJedi said:


> Sounds quite bright to me actually!
> 
> The little dongle amp added some warmth however, nice portable audio chain, even if a bit cumbersome 😁.


Did you try using the EQ to adjust the sound to your preferences?


----------



## SoundJedi

elira said:


> Did you try using the EQ to adjust the sound to your preferences?



I did try quickly. The EQ is def a nice new feature. I don't think the 3khz band is what I am hearing though.


----------



## Progisus

ubs28 said:


> As a music producer who works with alot of EQ's, I do hear it. Fine if you do not hear it, but that doesn't mean others don't.


I like to think music producers can hear all freqs or we are in trouble. Thanks for confirming.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Ballszilla said:


> First impressions after listening to a few songs using Sennheiser Momentum 2 is that the Mojo 2 is definitely an improvement to my ears. Much more clarity, feels musical and almost relaxed to my ears, less warm for sure but I'm good with the trade off. Will see what the DSP can do over the weekend, I'm impressed, Mojo 1 will be going up for sale...among those considering a Poly now as well


Aren’t the momentum 2 wireless?


----------



## bwardrop

Would any of you that have a Mojo 2 and a PS5 test it and see if it works? I know the chances are slim as the Mojo 1 did not work. I’d just like to know for sure. Half of my headphone use is gaming so it’s important to me. It would be much appreciated.


----------



## vo_obgyn (Feb 3, 2022)

It would be good to have a consensus for which Mojo 2 DSP settings might be the best settings (eg. best frequency response) for the more popular headphones out there. I have the Senn HD 800 S, Focal Clear, and Audeze LCD-X cans. Perhaps in time, and with some experimentation, some good Mojo 2 DSP settings for these cans will be identified. I am already seeing some posts here with some suggestions for Mojo 2 DSP settings in different use cases, and this is nice.


----------



## mainguy (Feb 3, 2022)

TheEldestBoy said:


> I'm debating b/w Mojo 2 + Poly or one of the new Sony DAPS being released next week (the successors to the WM1A / WM1Z).


Yup its a tough one. The wm1a and mojo were toe to toe imo, maybe a slight edge to Mojo (thats if you have wm1z firmware on your wm1a, once I did that I sold my mojo 1 for the wm1a/z). Vanilla, to my ears, the WM1a was no match for a Mojo. 
It also depends who's house sound you prefer, they are very different. Sony DAPs have the benefit of huge battery life, Mojo is more versatile though


----------



## kwilkins

vo_obgyn said:


> It would be good to have a consensus for which Mojo 2 DSP settings might be the best settings (eg. best frequency response) for the more popular headphones out there. I have the Senn HD 800 S, Focal Clear, and Audeze LCD-X cans. Perhaps in time, and with some experimentation, some good Mojo 2 DSP settings for these cans will be identified. I am already seeing some posts here with some suggestions for Mojo 2 DSP settings in different use cases, and this is nice.


What you are asking for is going to be "The Hook" that sells many many Mojo 2's. 

I suspect in the near future there will be all kinds of DSP settings being shared for many headphones and IEM's.  We will see posts claiming one specific DSP setup for headphone XYZ transforms it into something far beyond what it is.  Soon there will be posts claiming certain Mojo 2 DSP settings for headphone ABC make it sound better than their $15,000 desktop system.

My comments aren't to suggest the Mojo 2's DSP functionality isn't terrific, it probably is.  However, I do think Rob Watts is going to be laughing all the way to bank due to this coming phenomena.


----------



## vlach

SoundJedi said:


> That my friend is UAMP, a now defunct amp (no DAC) from Australia. I got it on Kickstarter in 2016 and it is a nice little amp. Battery powered and even has EQ! It was my first audio source upgrade ever. Way ahead of its time.


Interesting little amp, but isn't it better to keep the signal path as pure as possible and just attenuate the output level with the M2?


----------



## SoundJedi

vlach said:


> Interesting little amp, but isn't it better to keep the signal path as pure as possible and just attenuate the output level with the M2?



I was just playing around really as I hadn't used that thing in 2 years. I found the result quite interesting, in a good way.


----------



## Epiteto

vlach said:


> if it is possible to operate the M2 with the battery removed.


someone should test this 🙏.. The "real" desktop mode is very useful because it can allow you to keep the new battery for years


----------



## jwbrent

Epiteto said:


> someone should test this 🙏.. The "real" desktop mode is very useful because it can allow you to keep the new battery for years



I’m wondering since once the battery is fully charged in desktop mode, the Mojo 2 stops charging it in order not to overcharge, it’s removed from even trickle charge. Whether the battery is in the case or outside, it seems Rob designed the Mojo 2 to not have any of the battery issues of the OG.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

x RELIC x said:


> @ChordElectronics you should have made an ‘official‘ thread for the Mojo2 with more info in the first page, rather than this thread with 100+ pages of speculation.


 Also recommend moving into portable source gear sub forum.


----------



## Mediahound

jwbrent said:


> I’m wondering since once the battery is fully charged in desktop mode, the Mojo 2 stops charging it in order not to overcharge, it’s removed from even trickle charge. Whether the battery is in the case or outside, it seems Rob designed the Mojo 2 to not have any of the battery issues of the OG.


FWIW, the Hugo 2 has the 'desktop mode' and people still complain about battery issues after a while after leaving it constantly plugged in all the time.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

Olliver said:


> It´s interesting how different the Mojo 2 sound apears to different people, from colder and less musicaly than the Hugo 2, to lovelier and more musical.
> So i´m curios how it compares to mojo 1, when i receive it.
> I have ordered it on Monday, from the german distributor, it should be in stock.



All depending on personal taste and headphones used. For me I loved a lot about the Mojo but it added too much mid bass thickness to the sound where as that is not the case for Hugo2 so it's more musical in a way for me because of the effortless transparent presentation. Mojo 2 is a lot closer to this.


----------



## vlach (Feb 3, 2022)

AnalogEuphoria said:


> All depending on personal taste and headphones used. For me I loved a lot about the Mojo but it added too much mid bass thickness to the sound where as that is not the case for Hugo2 so it's more musical in a way for me because of the effortless transparent presentation. Mojo 2 is a lot closer to this.


Would it be fair to describe the M2 as _leaner_ sounding than the OG Mojo as a result of the mid bass reduction and increased transparency?


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

vlach said:


> Would it be fair to describe the M2 as _leaner_ sounding than the OG Mojo as a result of the mid bass reduction and increased transparency?



Absolutely, the mid bass bloom was the only problem I had with Mojo, it didn't work well with a lot of my iems.


----------



## vo_obgyn (Feb 3, 2022)

kwilkins said:


> What you are asking for is going to be "The Hook" that sells many many Mojo 2's.
> 
> I suspect in the near future there will be all kinds of DSP settings being shared for many headphones and IEM's.  We will see posts claiming one specific DSP setup for headphone XYZ transforms it into something far beyond what it is.  Soon there will be posts claiming certain Mojo 2 DSP settings for headphone ABC make it sound better than their $15,000 desktop system.
> 
> My comments aren't to suggest the Mojo 2's DSP functionality isn't terrific, it probably is.  However, I do think Rob Watts is going to be laughing all the way to bank due to this coming phenomena.


Thanks for the reply. I believe that you are correct.

Personally, I like the Audeze DSP presets in Roon for my LCD-X phones the best, but not everyone who uses Roon prefers these presets for their Audeze cans. Many use other methods to EQ their Audeze headphones and prefer those methods over the built-in Roon DSP presets.

I'm not sure that Roon's DSP preset section is a huge selling point for Roon, but maybe it is. I know that Roon has been interested in making a DSP preset section in Roon for other headphone companies besides Audeze, but Audeze is the only one so far who has allowed Roon to make DSP presets for their headphones.

From what I have read, Roon has approached other companies besides Audeze for permission to add DSP presets to the Roon software, but companies have given Roon pushback partly because they did not want their cans tuned differently than how they were designed to sound in the stock form.

I used to be a no EQ kind of person, but I am slowly opening up to the idea of DSP. It seems to me that DSP has become increasingly more sophisticated and can potentially sound really good. At least, that has been my experience lately.


----------



## JezR

bwardrop said:


> Would any of you that have a Mojo 2 and a PS5 test it and see if it works? I know the chances are slim as the Mojo 1 did not work. I’d just like to know for sure. Half of my headphone use is gaming so it’s important to me. It would be much appreciated.


Hi, there is no digital output from the PS5 via USB, only HDMI, I thought I could plug my ifi hip dac into PS5 but it's a no go. It's only via TV optical that you can output to the Mojo 1/2 to hear PS5.


----------



## rwelles

bwardrop said:


> Would any of you that have a Mojo 2 and a PS5 test it and see if it works? I know the chances are slim as the Mojo 1 did not work. I’d just like to know for sure. Half of my headphone use is gaming so it’s important to me. It would be much appreciated.





JezR said:


> Hi, there is no digital output from the PS5 via USB, only HDMI, I thought I could plug my ifi hip dac into PS5 but it's a no go. It's only via TV optical that you can output to the Mojo 1/2 to hear PS5.


I don't have a PS5, but if it has an HDMI output, wouldn't something like this work via optical?


----------



## miketlse

JezR said:


> Hi, there is no digital output from the PS5 via USB, only HDMI, I thought I could plug my ifi hip dac into PS5 but it's a no go. It's only via TV optical that you can output to the Mojo 1/2 to hear PS5.


Search the Chord threads for HDMI Splitter and you will find a few suggestions for similar boxes. They should solve the issue.


----------



## bwardrop

JezR said:


> Hi, there is no digital output from the PS5 via USB, only HDMI, I thought I could plug my ifi hip dac into PS5 but it's a no go. It's only via TV optical that you can output to the Mojo 1/2 to hear PS5.


There is via UAC 1. Several dacs support it. I use a Schiit Fulla E that does.  The original Mojo did not. I was just hoping the Mojo 2 would work without a HDMI splitter.


----------



## PANURUS (Feb 4, 2022)

It seems I listen to the first Mojo2 outside UK.
My first impression is : like the MOJO1, the 2 outputs of Mojo2 give not the same sound.
And the difference depends of the  headphones’s impedance and the output level.
I prefer the output in front of the LED. It is more dynamic so the details are more audible.
So for comparaison Mojo1 versus Mojo2 be carefull with your comments relatif to the output you used.
Edit : My Mojo2 cames from Digithome in Belgium. two M2 still wait in the shop.


----------



## Rob Watts (Feb 4, 2022)

mikecheck95 said:


> In case anyone was following my earlier _tirade_ about the EQ filters… Rob Watts has confirmed on another thread that the filters are, in fact, much more reasonable and well thought-out than they appear in Chord’s literature. He has actually shared the graphs with the EQ plots at the various settings. I think this is above and beyond and I’m impressed by the transparency. Luckily, in this case, it will help them sell more units. I couldn’t think of a better EQ implementation given 4 bands to suit a wide variety of headphones.
> 
> Post in thread 'Watts Up...?'
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-16797744



Thank-you. I spent a lot of time worrying about the settings - I didn't want something that would create an artificial, overblown sound, but would meaningfully compensate for transducer deficiencies. So I am very pleased that at least someone thinks i got it right.



Another Audiophile said:


> I am not convinced on that yet. I left it off and connected overnight with the magenta light up. In the morning the mojo was slightly warm to the touch which indicates that something is going on even on desktop mode and when the mojo is off. Would like to know what



So the internal charger circuit is still on (but not charging), and that means the FPGA is active too (albeit in low power mode), as this provides the intelligence for the charger. Also, it will top up the battery every 11 days by applying a trickle charge cycle, to replenish the batteries internal discharge. So running it for months in desktop mode will ensure the battery is ready to go fully charged. Note also that the full charge voltage is at the long term safe voltage level, not the maximum possible.

Additionally Mojo 2 will still function via the charger port if the battery fails - even if it shorts internally. When off and charging into a short, the menu button will flash red indicating a battery fault. Turning it on, it will still function from the charger, as the shorted battery is disconnected. 



kwilkins said:


> What you are asking for is going to be "The Hook" that sells many many Mojo 2's.
> 
> I suspect in the near future there will be all kinds of DSP settings being shared for many headphones and IEM's.  We will see posts claiming one specific DSP setup for headphone XYZ transforms it into something far beyond what it is.  Soon there will be posts claiming certain Mojo 2 DSP settings for headphone ABC make it sound better than their $15,000 desktop system.
> 
> My comments aren't to suggest the Mojo 2's DSP functionality isn't terrific, it probably is.  However, I do think Rob Watts is going to be laughing all the way to bank due to this coming phenomena.



Commercial success is always welcome, but this wasn't my primary motivation. What was important to me was being able to give Mojo 2 the warmth or bloom that Mojo had, but without sacrificing transparency, as at this price level transducers can sound rough, so being able to tame them I felt was essential. Then there was the intellectual challenge of designing a DSP core that was perfectly transparent, and would fit into Mojo 2's FPGA. I had a lot of fun doing that.

Indeed, I was worried that audiophiles wouldn't get the DSP features and see it as a gimmick, so I am delighted that it seems to be going down well.


----------



## PANURUS

About the EQ filters.
For me it will be easy to adjust the settings but it will be difficult to be sure that the result is better that the neutral position. 
If i realise correction on M2 because i have old ears, maybe later, i dislike a little the Hugo2 or the HMS Dave.


----------



## Epiteto

jwbrent said:


> I’m wondering since once the battery is fully charged in desktop mode, the Mojo 2 stops charging it in order not to overcharge, it’s removed from even trickle charge. Whether the battery is in the case or outside, it seems Rob designed the Mojo 2 to not have any of the battery issues of the OG.


the ideal maintenance of the battery occurs when it is around 70% of charge;
keeping it perpetually at 100% or with short charging cycles from 90 to 100% consumes it anyway.
Obviously I say this with great humility, not knowing the new mojo and not wanting to substitute my thoughts for that of the designer


----------



## ChrisGB

Epiteto said:


> the ideal maintenance of the battery occurs when it is around 70% of charge;
> keeping it perpetually at 100% or with short charging cycles from 90 to 100% consumes it anyway.
> Obviously I say this with great humility, not knowing the new mojo and not wanting to substitute my thoughts for that of the designer


Read post 1981?


----------



## Another Audiophile

PANURUS said:


> It seems I listen to the first Mojo2 outside UK.
> My first impression is : like the MOJO1, the 2 outputs of Mojo2 give not the same sound.
> And the difference depends of the  headphones’s impedance and the output level.
> I prefer the output in front of the LED. It is more dynamic so the details are more audible.
> ...


I really struggle to get your stream. Are you suggesting that the two headphone outputs are somehow different?


----------



## SRKRAM (Feb 4, 2022)

Rob Watts said:


> Thank-you. I spent a lot of time worrying about the settings - I didn't want something that would create an artificial, overblown sound, but would meaningfully compensate for transducer deficiencies. So I am very pleased that at least someone thinks i got it right.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've been listening to the mojo 2 for a couple of days now. First impressions were, perhaps, a little jarring as it is different to the mojo OG in the ways you describe, but after a while I recognised that much of the original mojo character was still there, so that's good.

I think the EQ functions could be a little mis-understood. It obviously isn't like a full parametric EQ which you can spend ages tinkering with and then finding you prefer just turning it off (at least that's what I do sometimes). I could imagine that because there are only 4 bands, people might feel as if they have to use all of them. I've found that on the headphones which I like to EQ (2021 LCD-X)  just a bit of bass boost works best. I find it best to leave the treble filters alone, although for other people and other headphones it will be different.


----------



## Olliver

@Rob Watts, on Mojo 2, is there some kind of noise filter for the USB audio input?
On the Mojo 1 an external USB filter, made a big difference in SQ
and it would be nice not needing it any more.
Thank you and best regards


----------



## Epiteto

ChrisGB said:


> Read post 1981?


sorry no..my fault..I had the message prepared before the reply ..


----------



## Uebelkraehe (Feb 4, 2022)

SRKRAM said:


> I've found that on the headphones which I like to EQ (2021 LCD-X)  just a bit of bass boost works best. I find it best to leave the treble filters alone, although for other people and other headphones it will be different.


How are you driving a headphone like this with the Mojo 2? I'm pretty much blown away by the sound quality - my Moondroop S8 never did sound this good - but the lack of power seems to be a real disadvantage. I couldn't even drive the Quad ERA-1 to their full potential and they certainly aren't demanding in this regard.


----------



## gazzington

Uebelkraehe said:


> How are you driving a headphone like this with the Mojo 2? I'm pretty much blown away by the sound quality - my Moondroop S8 never did sound this good - but the lack of power seems to be a real disadvantage. I couldn't even drive the Quad ERA-1 to their full potential and they certainly aren't demanding in this regard.


LCD - X is a very easy to drive headphone


----------



## SRKRAM

Uebelkraehe said:


> How are you driving a headphone like this with the Mojo 2? I'm pretty much blown away by the sound quality - my Moondroop S8 never did sound this good - but the lack of power seems to be a real disadvantage. I couldn't even drive the Quad ERA-1 to their full potential and they certainly aren't demanding in this regard.


I've owned the Quad ERA-1s and they are much more difficult to drive than the LCD-Xs. The LCD-Xs are very easy to drive.
The Mojo and Mojo 2 are plenty powerful enough for all but the most inefficient headphones.


----------



## Uebelkraehe (Feb 4, 2022)

SRKRAM said:


> I've owned the Quad ERA-1s and they are much more difficult to drive than the LCD-Xs. The LCD-Xs are very easy to drive.
> The Mojo and Mojo 2 are plenty powerful enough for all but the most inefficient headphones.


You are right, looked it up and the LCD-X are indeed even less demanding. Your other statement imo is nevertheless very much overstating the capabilities of the Mojo 2 as far as power is concerned. It will only satisfactorily drive very sensitive headphones.

_Edit: Damn, messed up the settings. It does indeed seem to drive 'all but the most inefficient headphones'. Sorry for that. _


----------



## PANURUS (Feb 4, 2022)

Another Audiophile said:


> I really struggle to get your stream. Are you suggesting that the two headphone outputs are somehow different?


If you search on the Mojo 1 thread, you will find that some users have found a difference.
And i think that Rob Watts spoke a little about that.
That why, my first test with the Mojo2 was to listen to this difference.
When i write my post, i had a smile for you.
I was a metrologist and I known the importance of the method to construct a test before showing result.
With humour, i want to say that some owners of Dave spend thousands of euros in alimentation for the same kind of difference.
A well known DAC designer speaks about a little thing at the top of the cake.
My second test will be Poly Mojo2 versus 2go2yu Mojo2 with optical or usb.


----------



## TheDuke990

PANURUS said:


> It seems I listen to the first Mojo2 outside UK.



I received mine yesterday too. It is a nice little dac+amp but soundwise it is not that special compared to my good old geek out 1000. The differences are nearly zero and for me it is not worth to spent 600€. Maybe my ears are not good enough to hear the improvements .


----------



## Uebelkraehe

TheDuke990 said:


> I received mine yesterday too. It is a nice little dac+amp but soundwise it is not that special compared to my good old geek out 1000. The differences are nearly zero and for me it is not worth to spent 600€. Maybe my ears are not good enough to hear the improvements .


To me, the Mojo 2 so far clearly seems to the best sounding device i have heard in the price range. The detail and clarity are excellent, especially considering that there doesn't seem to be the typical trade-off in regards to musicality.


----------



## PANURUS

TheDuke990 said:


> I received mine yesterday too. It is a nice little dac+amp but soundwise it is not that special compared to my good old geek out 1000. The differences are nearly zero and for me it is not worth to spent 600€. Maybe my ears are not good enough to hear the improvements .


I'm happy to have paid the 600 euros and I hope that Rob Watts will be able to drink a beer of the royalties that he will have.


----------



## 211276

Looking through the online manual I cant see a reference to a line level mode, unlike the Mojo where it is activated by pressing the two volume buttons simultaneosly.  I have three questions:-
1. Is this an omission in the manual?
2. Is the Mojo 2 not designed to be used through an amplifier and speakers?
3. If it can, what is the output voltage, or is this controlled by the volume buttons?
Thanksn


----------



## Epiteto

Can the advanced equalization of Mojo system also be used with amplifiers and speaker systems?


----------



## keithmarsh

Just received my Mojo and (had) been enjoying it this morning. However 3 times in the space on an hour I've been hit with ear piercing white noise!!! Have to restart the Mojo 2 to stop it. Anyone else having this issue? It's happened twice connected to my iPad Pro and once connected to my Mac.


----------



## Baten

keithmarsh said:


> Just received my Mojo and (had) been enjoying it this morning. However 3 times in the space on an hour I've been hit with ear piercing white noise!!! Have to restart the Mojo 2 to stop it. Anyone else having this issue? It's happened twice connected to my iPad Pro and once connected to my Mac.


:s that sounds troublesome


----------



## surfgeorge

211276 said:


> Looking through the online manual I cant see a reference to a line level mode, unlike the Mojo where it is activated by pressing the two volume buttons simultaneosly.  I have three questions:-
> 1. Is this an omission in the manual?
> 2. Is the Mojo 2 not designed to be used through an amplifier and speakers?
> 3. If it can, what is the output voltage, or is this controlled by the volume buttons?
> Thanksn


Check the presentation Rob Watts shared about the Mojo 2, there he states that Line Out preset was dropped and explains why.
Short version: Mojo 2 is even better suited to run as a system DAC, and like with the original Mojo, yes, the volume buttons control the output voltage.


----------



## hakunamakaka

TheDuke990 said:


> I received mine yesterday too. It is a nice little dac+amp but soundwise it is not that special compared to my good old geek out 1000. The differences are nearly zero and for me it is not worth to spent 600€. Maybe my ears are not good enough to hear the improvements .



What sort of headphones did you use to test mojo 2 ? Once you dive into dac/amp area changes becomes subtle compared against differences between various headphones, but these subtle changes can make a huge difference on certain headphones. I could easily tell OG mojo apart from my desktop equipment or a dap player using Utopias, but with budget IEM I felt a bit lost


----------



## SRKRAM (Feb 4, 2022)

Czykierek said:


> Great, so it's possible to disconnect the battery. I must admit that I have not come across this connector before. All you have to do is lever the plug on the front.



Here's how the connector latches (assuming that this is what the mojo 2 uses):


----------



## Epiteto

SRKRAM said:


> Here's how the connector latches (assuming that this is what the mojo 2 uses):


the difference between a video and reality can be painful


----------



## Ballszilla

Another Audiophile said:


> Aren’t the momentum 2 wireless?


You can use them with a wire as well. Most use it for when the bluetooth charge runs out but I prefer to use them wired


----------



## soundblast75

TheDuke990 said:


> I received mine yesterday too. It is a nice little dac+amp but soundwise it is not that special compared to my good old geek out 1000. The differences are nearly zero and for me it is not worth to spent 600€. Maybe my ears are not good enough to hear the improvements .


I just remember 6,7 years ago with Mojo OG wondering what exactly did i pay for, contributed zero soundwise, im definitely not being negative, genuinely want to hear what others are praising so much, I don't hear it.. let's see this time, with some bass shelf maybe..


----------



## Tristy (Feb 4, 2022)

soundblast75 said:


> I just remember 6,7 years ago with Mojo OG wondering what exactly did i pay for, contributed zero soundwise, im definitely not being negative, genuinely want to hear what others are praising so much, I don't hear it.. let's see this time, with some bass shelf maybe..



Kinda sounds like you’re being negative 🙄 especially after your “audiofools” comment and your 5 totl dongles.


----------



## soundblast75

Tristy said:


> Kinda sounds like you’re being negative 🙄 especially after your “audiofools” comment.


Well, i think it's fair to say it as i hear it, especially that i have so much gear, i did hear H2 and there was difference soundwise, not my thing, prefer dap with C9, Mojo was a blank space in the chain for me


----------



## Alan Billington (Feb 4, 2022)

soundblast75 said:


> I just remember 6,7 years ago with Mojo OG wondering what exactly did i pay for, contributed zero soundwise, im definitely not being negative, genuinely want to hear what others are praising so much, I don't hear it.. let's see this time, with some bass shelf maybe..


How interesting. I find the difference night and day. The original was “closed in” and flat 2D sounding. New one paints a complete soundstage. Luckily that was the factor I missed most in OG. I’d suggest your headphones are not up to the job which will therefore save you $600!


----------



## soundblast75

Alan Billington said:


> How interesting. I find the difference night and day. The original was closed on and flat 2D sounding. New one paints a complete soundstage. Luckily that was the factor I missed most in OG. I’d suggest your headphones are not up to the job which will therefore save you $600!


Sorry, wasn't comparing old and new as I haven't heard it yet, was saying OG didn't make any difference to my chain back then


----------



## Another Audiophile

PANURUS said:


> If you search on the Mojo 1 thread, you will find that some users have found a difference.
> And i think that Rob Watts spoke a little about that.
> That why, my first test with the Mojo2 was to listen to this difference.
> When i write my post, i had a smile for you.
> ...


I have both mojo and i don't hear any difference in sound at all between the 2 jacks in either M1 or M2. The only difference i hear is between the two mojo


----------



## piglet

I have been following this thread with interest. I have had an iFi Audio xDSD Gryphon for nearly three weeks now. I didn't know that Chord were going to release this new Mojo until I read about it at the thread on the Gryphon actually. So, I know that if I like the idea of the Mojo 2 then I can still return my Gryphon, I have up to 30 days before I am fully committed to it.

I suspect I am going to keep the xDSD Gryphon although there is a great deal I like about the Mojo 2. I really like what I am reading about the inclusion of the DSP in particular the cross-feed. I am a big fan of cross-feed for headphone DAC/Amps. I love xSpace on the Gryphon and in fact I use it 90% of the time.

I love the look of the new Mojo and I always loved the look of the old Mojo. The buttons on the Gryphon are probably a little bit better suited to me because I use a shoulder-bag always when I'm out doing things and the Gryphon has that big circular volume knob which is lit and so I can look down into the bag it is is so easy to see and locate. However this is a really small matter and I haven't ever tried out either the old Mojo or the new one.

The one big thing that is causing me to probably stay with the Gryphon is something that has surprised me by how useful it is and that is the bluetooth connectivity. This is just so useful when walking or getting the bus. The sound quality is noticeably diminished, but it is still really surprisingly good and enjoyable, leagues better than the bluetooth on my Audio-Technica ATH-M50XBT headphones. As I use an iPhone I'm using AAC of course.

So, when I'm out I also take the OTG cable and after doing various things for the day I love to sit maybe on a park bench or, if it is isn't too cold, at the promenade here in Brighton & Hove city or maybe a cafe and then I plug in the Gryphon and have really superb sound quality using my FiiO FH7 IEMs which are another recent purchase and for me are quite a revelation actually.

I have looked into the idea of using the Mojo 2 with the Poly. If my circumstances were different I think I would go that route, I'm thinking it would be great if I were working in a office or something perhaps and I would take the Mojo 2 and Poly with me each day and have my own ultra-cool sound system using the WiFi in the office. However that isn't my situation and I prefer the simplicity of just having the Gryphon with its bluetooth connection possibility for my iPhone.

So, all in all I think I will probably be sticking with my Gryphon but it is interesting to see how people are getting on with the really cool new Mojo 2.


----------



## headfry (Feb 4, 2022)

Alan Billington said:


> How interesting. I find the difference night and day. The original was “closed in” and flat 2D sounding. New one paints a complete soundstage. Luckily that was the factor I missed most in OG. I’d suggest your headphones are not up to the job which will therefore save you $600!


I'm


soundblast75 said:


> I just remember 6,7 years ago with Mojo OG wondering what exactly did i pay for, contributed zero soundwise, im definitely not being negative, genuinely want to hear what others are praising so much, I don't hear it.. let's see this time, with some bass shelf maybe..



I'm curious what cable and associated equipment used to not have been blown away by the sound quality of Mojo OG...my M2 comes (hopefully) next week!


----------



## JezR

bwardrop said:


> There is via UAC 1. Several dacs support it. I use a Schiit Fulla E that does.  The original Mojo did not. I was just hoping the Mojo 2 would work without a HDMI splitter.


I did a search the other day specifically about the PS5 USB output to the ifi hipdac and people said it won't work so I didn't bother trying it for myself.

I have a day off work tomorrow and am curious now, I will try all three DACs, ifi hipdac, Mojo 1 and 2 and I'll update you tomorrow okay.

Regarding that HDMI audio extractor that rwelles linked to, dosn't that just do the same as your tv, pass through the digital to optical, assuming your tv has optical out or am I missing something, if it does just the same thing it would just be an extra box/cable in the way and maybe not HDMI 2.1 compliant if you want the best out of the console to the tv.


----------



## rwelles

Rob Watts said:


> Then there was the intellectual challenge of designing a DSP core that was perfectly transparent, and would fit into Mojo 2's FPGA. I had a lot of fun doing that.


Ya gotta love this man!!


----------



## soundblast75

headfry said:


> I'm
> 
> 
> I'm curious what cable and associated equipment used to not have been blown away by the sound quality of Mojo OG...my M2 comes (hopefully) next week!


No.matter, hundreds of money worth😌


----------



## 211276

surfgeorge said:


> Check the presentation Rob Watts shared about the Mojo 2, there he states that Line Out preset was dropped and explains why.
> Short version: Mojo 2 is even better suited to run as a system DAC, and like with the original Mojo, yes, the volume buttons control the output voltage.


This is good news, but I am a bit confused.  With the Mojo the line mode output is set at 3v which is not ideal for my pre amp.  With the Mojo 2 would I be able to lower it to something more suitable?


----------



## headmanPL

211276 said:


> Looking through the online manual I cant see a reference to a line level mode, unlike the Mojo where it is activated by pressing the two volume buttons simultaneosly.  I have three questions:-
> 1. Is this an omission in the manual?
> 2. Is the Mojo 2 not designed to be used through an amplifier and speakers?
> 3. If it can, what is the output voltage, or is this controlled by the volume buttons?
> Thanksn


Those features have been dropped in Mojo 2. They were never quite right for the amps I used, so I'd always adjust manually. My desktop speaker (Monitor Audio) was a good benchmark for a distortion free level. Mojo 2 LED's are pretty close to Mojo's (for this setup)


Either way, it was no bother getting the right level with Mojo 2.


----------



## x RELIC x

211276 said:


> This is good news, but I am a bit confused.  With the Mojo the line mode output is set at 3v which is not ideal for my pre amp.  With the Mojo 2 would I be able to lower it to something more suitable?


Line mode on the Mojo has always been simply a shortcut to a volume preset, nothing more. You always had the ability to lower the volume 4 clicks from ‘line mode’ to output around 1.9V with the Mojo1. No hardware was ever bypassed in line mode with the Mojo1 and the same goes for Mojo2.

Again, for all the thread readers, all of Rob’s designs are VERY different from other DAC/amp combos so you shouldn’t worry about double amping as his output is more akin to other DAC’s line-out.


----------



## MarkParity

211276 said:


> This is good news, but I am a bit confused.  With the Mojo the line mode output is set at 3v which is not ideal for my pre amp.  With the Mojo 2 would I be able to lower it to something more suitable?


With Mojo1 many people had that issue, just lower the volume a few clicks as required.

With Mojo2 as there is no pre-set line-out volume option simply set the Mojo2's output voltage level to suit your amplifiers input requirement and to get the required output within the range of its gain control.

That is all there is too it, neither Mojo needs an output stage amp bypass mode in "line out" mode as they don't have a headphone amplifier stage in the traditional sense.


----------



## TheEldestBoy (Feb 4, 2022)

@Rob Watts

Your interview on the Darko podcast was very enlightening (and should be required listening  for any of the headfiers who want some insight into the creator’s intentions and decision making process for the Mojo 2).

https://darko.audio/2022/02/podcast-rob-watts-on-the-chord-mojo-2/

You mentioned that crossfeed is something you really enjoy when listening to headphones.

Can one of  the many headfiers who are smarter than I am on the subject please provide a quick summary of what crossfeed is and the benefits?

Does it mess with the stereo mix of a piece of music?


----------



## vlach

211276 said:


> This is good news, but I am a bit confused.  With the Mojo the line mode output is set at 3v which is not ideal for my pre amp.  With the Mojo 2 would I be able to lower it to something more suitable?


With the OG Mojo you can adjust the volume down by 4 clicks from the 3V line level to land at approx 1.9V which is closer to the industry standard of 2V. 
The same can be done with the M2, you can adjust the output level to whatever you want.


----------



## x RELIC x

TheEldestBoy said:


> @Rob Watts
> 
> Your interview on the Darko podcast was very enlightening (and should be required listening  for any of the headfiers who want some insight into the creator’s intentions and decision making process for the Mojo 2).
> 
> ...


Here is a search for @Rob Watts posts regarding crossfeed:

https://www.head-fi.org/search/8418169/?q=Crossfeed&c[users]=Rob+Watts&o=relevance


----------



## TheEldestBoy

x RELIC x said:


> Here is a search for @Rob Watts posts regarding crossfeed:
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/search/8418169/?q=Crossfeed&c[users]=Rob+Watts&o=relevance


Got it - thanks.


----------



## jarnopp

TheEldestBoy said:


> @Rob Watts
> 
> Your interview on the Darko podcast was very enlightening (and should be required listening  for any of the headfiers who want some insight into the creator’s intentions and decision making process for the Mojo 2).
> 
> ...


Here’s a good place to start, from the designer:
https://www.head-fi.org/search/8418192/?q=Cross-feed&c[users]=Rob+Watts&o=relevance


----------



## vlach

Another reason the preset line out was dropped on the M2 is to protect your ears and headphones because the OG Mojo would remember that setting when powered off and on again. It was possible to forget that the output was previously set to 3V when turning it back on again.


----------



## jarnopp

x RELIC x said:


> Here is a search for @Rob Watts posts regarding crossfeed:
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/search/8418169/?q=Crossfeed&c[users]=Rob+Watts&o=relevance


We’re getting different posts, too. Rob uses both “crossfeed” and “cross-feed” in describing.


----------



## DavidW

TheEldestBoy said:


> @Rob Watts
> 
> Your interview on the Darko podcast was very enlightening (and should be required listening  for any of the headfiers who want some insight into the creator’s intentions and decision making process for the Mojo 2).
> 
> ...


I listened to it twice, and am beginning to understand some of what was discussed. It is a steep learning curve…


----------



## Voxata

TheEldestBoy said:


> The WM1Z successor will be more expensive than the Mojo 2 + Poly combo.
> 
> The WM1A successor will _potentially_ be cheaper than the Mojo 2 + Poly combo.



Hard to step above the WM1 series.


----------



## gavinfabl

Some interesting posts from everyone. I’m heavy into my testing of the Chord Mojo 2 whilst comparing it to the Gryphon and Xduoo XD05 Bal. I’m planning to publish my review & comparison at 3pm UK time on Sunday. I’ll answer every question afterwards.


----------



## cpaulik

Is there any way to dim or turn off the glowing balls?


----------



## gavinfabl

cpaulik said:


> Is there any way to dim or turn off the glowing balls?


Yes. Press menu button once. Press vol down to dim. Press volume down again to increase brightness.


----------



## Wilderbeast

I solved my cable issues by… not having any. I had Poly up & running in about two minutes - it works perfectly. 

Enjoying everything about Mojo 2 so far. I think the step up from Mojo is enormous.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Took the mojo 2 and poly to work and had so so so much fun during my commute. Job done @Rob Watts . Thank you 🙏


----------



## CarlosBryant

I heard that mojo 2 is built on a slightly simplified Hugo 2 FPGA matrix - is this true? is there another new fpga inside?


----------



## theveterans

CarlosBryant said:


> I heard that mojo 2 is built on a slightly simplified Hugo 2 FPGA matrix - is this true? is there another new fpga inside?



Nope. Same FPGA Xilinx Artix-7 as Mojo 1.


----------



## CarlosBryant

theveterans said:


> Nope. Same FPGA Xilinx Artix-7 as Mojo 1.


seems it have other firmware and a new button + equalizer
I wonder how it is compared to sound with Mojo 1


----------



## flyte3333

keithmarsh said:


> Just received my Mojo and (had) been enjoying it this morning. However 3 times in the space on an hour I've been hit with ear piercing white noise!!! Have to restart the Mojo 2 to stop it. Anyone else having this issue? It's happened twice connected to my iPad Pro and once connected to my Mac.


Ah this was a classic thing with Mojo 1

@Rob Watts is Mojo 2 using same USB interface as Mojo 1?

And seperate question - does Mojo 2 have same USB filtering as Hugo 2?

And has the 2G mobile interference buzzing thing been solved with Mojo 2?


----------



## Alan Billington

Wilderbeast said:


> I solved my cable issues by… not having any. I had Poly up & running in about two minutes - it works perfectly.
> 
> Enjoying everything about Mojo 2 so far. I think the step up from Mojo is enormous.


Absolutely!! Let’s get some love back into this thread for the Mojo2Poly!!! I’m blown away by the difference to OG. We now have separation and depth. And smiles!!!! So you’ve got the Hugo2go. Any thoughts on this? Redundant or do you have uses still?


----------



## WorksUnit

Early doors for me.
I think it is a step up on the OG...and that was my go to for years.
Beyond the EQ and the Crosstalk there is something else going on too.


----------



## Alan Billington

I’ve not listened to the Arctic Monkeys for years thinking their audio quality wasn’t up to much. This is a revelation. I think this Mojo2 is like RW says a combination of transients and depth. Absolutely what I was missing from OG. In fact, the amount of old stuff which sounds amazing is just ridiculous.  I did not feel compelled to go through my back catalogue on M1. Isn’t that the greatest compliment to M2?


----------



## piglet (Feb 4, 2022)

TheEldestBoy said:


> You mentioned that crossfeed is something you really enjoy when listening to headphones.
> 
> Can one of  the many headfiers who are smarter than I am on the subject please provide a quick summary of what crossfeed is and the benefits?
> 
> Does it mess with the stereo mix of a piece of music?


Well I am absolutely not smarter than you!

I have used headphones for a lot of years but my experience is still really limited compared to the majority of people here because I don't change my headphones very often.

With cross-feed a little of the right channel is added to the left and a little of the left channel is added to the right. The various forms of cross-feed that you see differ by various parameters such has how much to add to each channel, whether to do this more in some frequencies and less in others (I think) and other stuff which to be honest I'm not very clued up on. The biggest difference I know is that sometimes cross-feed is done in the analogue circuitry, such as in my iFi Audio xDSD Gryphon or with digital signal processing such as with the Mojo 2. I don't know if there is a best way.

I love cross-feed and I use it 90% of the time. It goes a long way to making headphones a more pleasurable listening experience for me. When you listen to loudspeakers you are hearing some of the right channel with your left ear and vice versa. Headphones without cross-feed separate the channels completely and although sometimes this is not a very serious problem at other times it can be very problematic. 1960s music is frequently mixed with some instruments completely in one of the two channels. With some modern mixes producers often put small details entirely in one of the two channels. With a normal pair of speakers there are no problems with this but with headphones there is, for me, a big problem. Something entirely in one channel is not only completely to the left or right but also can be at my side, as if it isn't part of the music at all but just this weird noise stuck right beside my ear.

So I think manufacturers of headphone DAC/amps really should include cross-feed and I'm delighted to see this in Mojo 2.


----------



## Alan Billington (Feb 4, 2022)

piglet said:


> Well I am absolutely not smarter than you!
> 
> I have used headphones for a lot of years but my experience is still really limited compared to the majority of people here because I don't change my headphones very often.
> 
> ...


The easiest way to think of it is without cross feed the dispersion is 180degrees. Level 1 cross feed is about 160 degrees. Up to the full setting which feels about 90degrees which is what a speaker set up in front of you would give. Awesome. Although I’m still switching it off to aid comparisons to previous


----------



## WorksUnit

This reminds me of Pioneer DEH-80PRs. Wonderful DSP for the price.


----------



## Rob Watts

Olliver said:


> @Rob Watts, on Mojo 2, is there some kind of noise filter for the USB audio input?
> On the Mojo 1 an external USB filter, made a big difference in SQ
> and it would be nice not needing it any more.
> Thank you and best regards



Sure - there are ferrites in the USB ground to suppress RF noise from entering Mojo 2. As to whether external filters will help depends upon your usage. If it's a mobile source, then I can't see it making any difference. But it _may_ make a difference if yours source is mains powered and Mojo 2 is connected to a mains powered amp; again it all depends upon how noisy the source is. Best bet in that instance is to use optical.



TheEldestBoy said:


> @Rob Watts
> 
> Your interview on the Darko podcast was very enlightening (and should be required listening  for any of the headfiers who want some insight into the creator’s intentions and decision making process for the Mojo 2).
> 
> ...



Imagine you are listening to loudspeakers, with the left loudspeaker at -30 degrees to centre, and the right + 30 degrees to centre. Imagine that the sound only comes from the right speaker. Your right ear will hear the direct sound; but your left ear will also hear the right speaker too - but with some important differences. Firstly, the distance from your left ear to the speaker is longer than the right ear - this will create a delay. Also, your left ear is not hearing the direct sound from the right speaker - your skull is in the way. That's fine for low frequencies, as these bend around the head - but for high frequencies the sound is absorbed by your skull.

Cross-feed works by feeding some of the right signal into the left, so that an extreme right signal now appears at 30 degrees not 90 degrees, as you can pan across the soundstage by using volume. But cross-feed does not rely on simple volume; it also delays the cross-feed from right to left signal, so that the left ear is tricked into thinking the source is actually at 30 degrees, with a longer path length for the left ear compared to the right ear. Also, the frequency response of the cross-feed signal from the right to the left is filtered, so that the effect of the filtering by your skull is also taken into account.

I used algorithms from the 1980s where the implementations were achieved with analogue filters. But the downside to analogue is that it is not transparent; but then conventional DSP is not transparent either. The benefit that Mojo 2 has is that this certainly can be done transparently with my UHD DSP core.      



flyte3333 said:


> Ah this was a classic thing with Mojo 1
> 
> @Rob Watts is Mojo 2 using same USB interface as Mojo 1?
> 
> ...



Yes it's the same USB filters and interface as Hugo 2.

Chord's tests with 2G buzz indicated that it was much lower than before at the same level as Hugo 2. Note this is something that can't be eliminated as some pick-up is via the IEM directly - short an IEM with it connected to nothing and it can pick up GSM buzz noise directly. Thankfully this issue is disappearing as 2G is rarely used now.



Alan Billington said:


> I’ve not listened to the Arctic Monkeys for years thinking their audio quality wasn’t up to much. This is a revelation. I think this Mojo2 is like RW says a combination of transients and depth. Absolutely what I was missing from OG. In fact, the amount of old stuff which sounds amazing is just ridiculous.  I did not feel compelled to go through my back catalogue on M1. Isn’t that the greatest compliment to M2?



Many times I have written off not so good recordings (but good musically) only to find that with a big improvement in the performance of my system the bad recordings are not so bad after all... I tend to think that there is a certain level of audio performance to trick the brain into accepting the music as being real; as your system truly improves, more recordings end up in the real category, so you can simply enjoy them.


----------



## Another Audiophile (Feb 5, 2022)

Ok, another observation to share. As I said earlier the star of the show is of course sound quality but the UHD DSP as well. This DSP is remarkable in its ability to add what you want without taking away anything. From the other hand the crossfeed is very very subtle in change when, for example, is compared to the crossfeed from my RME AADI 2 DAC fs .


----------



## muski

waveSounds said:


> Might have to look into expediting my Mojo 2 purchase... +18db 20Hz boost for my TH900


Be careful not to shake any fillings loose!


----------



## Another Audiophile

anybody knows what the "Lock control" in the menu does? What is the purpose?


----------



## gavinfabl

Another Audiophile said:


> anybody knows what the "Lock control" in the menu does? What is the purpose?


Lock the balls against accidental presses whilst in your pocket.


----------



## Blanka79

Hello,
are there any comparisons between the Mojo 2 and a DAP like the Lotoo PAW 6000? Soundwise


----------



## Billyak

Have any mojo 2 owners pairs them with some CA Andromeda? I am wondering if there is still a noticeable hiss when directly plugged in.


----------



## NYanakiev

Mojo 2 sound quality is excellent and much better versus what I recall from the OG. My new Poly seems to be on a firmware lower than 3.0 so now I need to wait for a replacement. Super annoying….


----------



## gryffe

I have had the Mojo 2 since Tuesday and am loving it. Wondering if I should now splash out on a Poly to partner it. The one thing that is putting me off is I have a feeling that I have read that Poly can be pretty complicated to set up. Do I have the wrong impression, are there any big supporters of the Mojo/Poly combo (appreciate there might not be many who have Mojo 2/Poly yet). Does the Mojo 2 have any advantages over Mojo as regards partnering with the Poly? As regards performance, I know everybody's wifi set up is individual to them, but is the Poly generally stable - I seem to remember horror stories regarding the 2GO, certainly in the early days at least.
Thanks in advance.


----------



## soundblast75

NYanakiev said:


> Mojo 2 sound quality is excellent and much better versus what I recall from the OG. My new Poly seems to be on a firmware lower than 3.0 so now I need to wait for a replacement. Super annoying….


Can't upgrade?


----------



## keithmarsh

I got the ear piercing white noise again after only 10 seconds listening this morning. Has anybody else experienced this issue at all? I’m trying to gauge whether it’s a faulty unit I have or an issue with Mojo2 in general. I was using Mac with Roon. I have had this issue now with both Micro USB and USB-C connections and with both iPad and Mac.


----------



## msq123

soundblast75 said:


> Can't upgrade?


Someone mentioned earlier that upgrade can be done only with Mojo OG which is bummer if you have Poly on old firmware but don’t have access to Mojo 1


----------



## alchemical

msq123 said:


> Someone mentioned earlier that upgrade can be done only with Mojo OG which is bummer if you have Poly on old firmware but don’t have access to Mojo 1


Really? I’m pretty stunned if that’s the case.


----------



## soundblast75 (Feb 5, 2022)

Yeah Poly should be offered at a much lower price to anyone buying M2 as it's such an outdated product


----------



## JezR

bwardrop said:


> Would any of you that have a Mojo 2 and a PS5 test it and see if it works? I know the chances are slim as the Mojo 1 did not work. I’d just like to know for sure. Half of my headphone use is gaming so it’s important to me. It would be much appreciated.


I just checked, nothing from Micro USB or USB C on Mojo 2, so a HDMI break out box is needed if your tv/monitor doesn't have optical out.

Turtle Beach are saying the same thing here, https://tinyurl.com/mu7fuwkd


----------



## mainguy

soundblast75 said:


> Yeah Poly should be offered at a much lower price to anyone buying M2 as it's such an outdated product


whoever got that is the luckiest person alive


----------



## hakunamakaka (Feb 5, 2022)

soundblast75 said:


> Yeah Poly should be offered at a much lower price to anyone buying M2 as it's such an outdated product





Omg.... Is it not some sort of trickery ? I totally agree that poly should go for way lower price for what it does. That would lift sales of mojo 2 as well


----------



## alchemical

alchemical said:


> Really? I’m pretty stunned if that’s the case.


Is anyone else able to comment on this? Surely a new adopter to the Mojo 2 isn’t left hung out to dry if they can’t purchase a  firmware 3.0 ready Poly?


----------



## captblaze

alchemical said:


> Is anyone else able to comment on this? Surely a new adopter to the Mojo 2 isn’t left hung out to dry if they can’t purchase a  firmware 3.0 ready Poly?


Perhaps all with the OG Mojo can assist fellow head-fiers in their close proximity with a Poly firmware upgrade?


----------



## msq123

alchemical said:


> Is anyone else able to comment on this? Surely a new adopter to the Mojo 2 isn’t left hung out to dry if they can’t purchase a  firmware 3.0 ready Poly?


Apparently there was an email from Chord to all retailers that any poly sold should be updated to v3 but some slipped through the net and are being returned for a replacement with latest version. Surely inconvenient but will be taken care of.

Assume people who already have poly but no Mojo should be able to get the update done at their local retailer when getting Mojo 2.


----------



## Wilderbeast

Alan Billington said:


> Absolutely!! Let’s get some love back into this thread for the Mojo2Poly!!! I’m blown away by the difference to OG. We now have separation and depth. And smiles!!!! So you’ve got the Hugo2go. Any thoughts on this? Redundant or do you have uses still?


I think the Hugo2go will probably go. Technically, it's probably 'better' - the sound is crystal clear and 'cleaner'. But these days I prefer a sound that gives me a hug and makes me feel good; Mojo 2 certainly does this. To continue this awful analogy, the original Mojo smothered me with a pillow over my face.


----------



## Tristy

So I managed to get a little listening demo of the Mojo 2 today courtesy of the kind folks at Richer Sounds. I was going in with the hope of it being fairly close in SQ to the Astell & Kern SE200 so that I could do away with the player and use the Mojo 2 for portable listening. Unfortunately, I don't think that the Mojo 2 is quite on the level of the SE200 (no surprise there given the price difference) but it is a hell of a lot of sound quality for its £450 price tag. A substantial step up from the Mojo 1 from memory. If I were to put a number on it, I would say that the Mojo 2 is around 80% of the sound quality of the SE200's AKM output. I noticed layering is quite a bit better on the SE200, bass was tighter and more defined and also the mids are smoother yet more detailed. The Mojo 2's vocals and mids sounded very etched and clean, nowhere near as warm as the Mojo 1 in its base form. The DSP on the Mojo 2 is very good, honesty I was thinking about buying one just for its versatility in this regard. The adjustments are quite wide band but very effective and indeed doesn't degrade the SQ. Overall, I think I was being a bit optimistic thinking that it would measure up to the SQ of the SE200 but it definitely punches well above its price point, very impressive stuff and I can't see anything under £1000 coming close to this level of SQ.


----------



## soundblast75

Tristy said:


> So I managed to get a little listening demo of the Mojo 2 today courtesy of the kind folks at Richer Sounds. I was going in with the hope of it being fairly close in SQ to the Astell & Kern SE200 so that I could do away with the player and use the Mojo 2 for portable listening. Unfortunately, I don't think that the Mojo 2 is quite on the level of the SE200 (no surprise there given the price difference) but it is a hell of a lot of sound quality for its £450 price tag. A substantial step up from the Mojo 1 from memory. If I were to put a number on it, I would say that the Mojo 2 is around 80% of the sound quality of the SE200's AKM output. I noticed layering is quite a bit better on the SE200, bass was tighter and more defined and also the mids are smoother yet more detailed. The Mojo 2's vocals and mids sounded very etched and clean, nowhere near as warm as the Mojo 1 in its base form. The DSP on the Mojo 2 is very good, honesty I was thinking about buying one just for its versatility in this regard. The adjustments are quite wide band but very effective and indeed doesn't degrade the SQ. Overall, I think I was being a bit optimistic thinking that it would measure up to the SQ of the SE200 but it definitely punches well above its price point, very impressive stuff and I can't see anything under £1000 coming close to this level of SQ.


Thanks for your impressions, im going to Richer next week when back


----------



## Tristy (Feb 5, 2022)

soundblast75 said:


> Thanks for your impressions, im going to Richer next week when back


No problem, absolutely love that place and the guys that work there! Very helpful, sat me down in a quiet room and left me to my devices and even brought me a coffee. Always a pleasure and wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone when it comes to audio / visual purchases.


----------



## soundblast75

Tristy said:


> No problem, absolutely love that place and the guys that work there! Very helpful, sat me down in a quiet room and left me to my devices and even brought me a coffee. Always a pleasure and wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone when it comes to audio / visual purchases.


In London?


----------



## anjaudiofile

TheEldestBoy said:


> 👉 NOTE: Mojo 2 was released on January 31, 2022.
> 👉 To jump to the release moment in this thread go to page 95.
> 👉 Link to page 95 here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-2-thread.885405/page-95
> 
> ...


Do we really think this justifies such a jump in price?


----------



## Tristy

anjaudiofile said:


> Do we really think this justifies such a jump in price?


Have you heard it?


----------



## anjaudiofile

Tristy said:


> Have you heard it?


No, I haven't. I was just curious what people thought. I feel like the OG mojo is still somewhat of a benchmark.


----------



## rocketron

Yes the price is justified.
Great up date on the OG Mojo.

OG Mojo is still a fantastic dac/amp.


----------



## anjaudiofile

rocketron said:


> Yes the price is justified.
> Great up date on the OG Mojo.
> 
> OG Mojo is still a fantastic dac/amp.


Awesome, thanks for the reply. Chord seems to be one to always justify their prices. I definitely want to try one eventually.


----------



## lwells (Feb 5, 2022)

anjaudiofile said:


> No, I haven't. I was just curious what people thought. I feel like the OG mojo is still somewhat of a benchmark.



Well I received mine yesterday and can share my experience.

My mojo 1 became a desktop setup. I use it with a pair of Emotiva 4S Airmotiv’s.  There’s some sort of magic there between those two. Perhaps it’s the Heil tweeters. My mojo 1 is fed from an Allo DigiOne signature via Roon.

I noticed a difference in soundstage depth immediately. Then I recognized more control in lower freqeuncies; keep in mind that the Airmotiv 4s is not a big speaker and I have them in a medium sized room. Next I noticed an increased ability to place where instruments are. This became obvious listening to songs I’m familiar with from the Vitamin String Quartet. They have some great NIN covers.

I am thinking that I have an ‘earlier’ mojo 1. When the battery is full, I have coil whine. Because of this and the fact that I use it mostly as a desktop device in my living room, I am constantly getting up and unplugging it. I can hear that sucker across the room. I can hear it from a room over! The mojo 2 solves this problem for me. I was thinking I would have to invest in a Qutest to have an ‘appropriate’ desktop Chord solution. I’m not quite in a financial situation to do that. I still have a year left on my PhD.

So is it worth it from the mojo 1? I love my mojo 1. I even brought it to the 2018 High End Münich convention to have Mr @Rob Watts sign. But the M2 addresses all of my issues and is a noticeable improvement with my setup. I’m just not quite sure what to do with my M1 now. I can never sell it.


----------



## MarkParity

Just off to collect mine, back soon.


----------



## Jawed

keithmarsh said:


> I got the ear piercing white noise again after only 10 seconds listening this morning. Has anybody else experienced this issue at all? I’m trying to gauge whether it’s a faulty unit I have or an issue with Mojo2 in general. I was using Mac with Roon. I have had this issue now with both Micro USB and USB-C connections and with both iPad and Mac.


Get a warranty replacement. If you act now you will perhaps get a replacement from stock, instead of perhaps having to wait for a couple of weeks for a replacement.


----------



## ardbeg1975 (Feb 5, 2022)

msq123 said:


> Apparently there was an email from Chord to all retailers that any poly sold should be updated to v3 but some slipped through the net and are being returned for a replacement with latest version. Surely inconvenient but will be taken care of.
> 
> Assume people who already have poly but no Mojo should be able to get the update done at their local retailer when getting Mojo 2.


Well, I live in Chicago but bought Poly earlier this week via retailer in NYC. Mojo 2 hasn’t arrived yet but I have a sinking suspicion my new Poly may have the older firmware. Anyone in Chicago with a Mogo 1 willing to meet up for a drink on me in exchange for a potential firmware upgrade?


----------



## drummguy26

For people that already have Mojo 2, has anyone heard the ifi Gryphon and can do a comparison between the two? I currently have the Gryphon and am intrigued by the Mojo 2. Not sure if I should sell the Gryphon so I can buy it. Thanks!


----------



## anjaudiofile

lwells said:


> Well I received mine yesterday and can share my experience.
> 
> My mojo 1 became a desktop setup. I use it with a pair of Emotiva 4S Airmotiv’s.  There’s some sort of magic there between those two. Perhaps it’s the Heil tweeters. My mojo 1 is fed from an Allo DigiOne signature via Roon.
> 
> ...


Awesome thanks for your input. And also, despite the Mojo 2 being superior, sounds like that Mojo 1 isn't going anywhere.


----------



## Alan Billington

gryffe said:


> I have had the Mojo 2 since Tuesday and am loving it. Wondering if I should now splash out on a Poly to partner it. The one thing that is putting me off is I have a feeling that I have read that Poly can be pretty complicated to set up. Do I have the wrong impression, are there any big supporters of the Mojo/Poly combo (appreciate there might not be many who have Mojo 2/Poly yet). Does the Mojo 2 have any advantages over Mojo as regards partnering with the Poly? As regards performance, I know everybody's wifi set up is individual to them, but is the Poly generally stable - I seem to remember horror stories regarding the 2GO, certainly in the early days at least.
> Thanks in advance.


Simple to set up (mine was 5 mins). Many users had issues  with earlier versions of the Gofigure app. Many others had route / IP address issues. For me it’s been effortless inc using poly as a wifi hotspot when out and about. I think firmware and app updates have resolved most issues. 👍


----------



## msq123

drummguy26 said:


> For people that already have Mojo 2, has anyone heard the ifi Gryphon and can do a comparison between the two? I currently have the Gryphon and am intrigued by the Mojo 2. Not sure if I should sell the Gryphon so I can buy it. Thanks!




Due tomorrow


----------



## drummguy26

msq123 said:


> Due tomorrow



Awesome! Thanks!


----------



## someyoungguy

ardbeg1975 said:


> Well, I live in Chicago but bought Poly earlier this week via retailer in NYC. Mojo 2 hasn’t arrived yet but I have a sinking suspicion my new Poly may have the older firmware. Anyone in Chicago with a Mogo 1 willing to meet up for a drink on me in exchange for a potential firmware upgrade?


Surely this idea about needing an M1 to update the firmware on Poly can’t actually be correct? I really struggle to think of any technical reason how that would even work. I mean Poly needs connection to a Mojo (either one) in order to power up, so that you can then to do an update, but I would imagine that’s it - the update is then done via GoFigure and WiFi.

It’d be great if someone from Chord could confirm or deny this.


----------



## MarkParity

drummguy26 said:


> For people that already have Mojo 2, has anyone heard the ifi Gryphon and can do a comparison between the two? I currently have the Gryphon and am intrigued by the Mojo 2. Not sure if I should sell the Gryphon so I can buy it. Thanks!


I have both as of 10 minutes ago, can't have too many DACs. I'm not good at comparisons but I will have a go at it at some point when the Mojo 2 new toy syndrome has passed. I like how it sounds out of the box with my Night Owl though.

Mojo 2 #12466 reporting for duty.




Edit: I just lost the left channel it kind of crackled out, right channel only for now, not good. Perhaps it will come back with a power cycle.


----------



## MarkParity (Feb 5, 2022)

Yes a power cycle recovered the left channel, monitoring the situation for now.

Edit: Gone in 30 seconds, I should try other sources but this one is looking DOA.

Edit2: Tried it plugged direct to my PC, over USB C and Micro USB same, left channel fades out with digital noise in a few seconds. So mine is DOA so will have to go back. I may just get a refund and stick with my Gryphon.


----------



## MarkParity

Here I am again. I'm glad I didn't try Mojo 2 with my Sennheiser ie900.

After I tried it with the Night Owl I tested it with my iBasso IT01s and now the left driver is dead no matter what I plug the IT01s into, the left IEM got hot too.

I don't know what to say. I hope it hasn't damaged my Night Owl as well.


----------



## drummguy26

MarkParity said:


> Here I am again. I'm glad I didn't try Mojo 2 with my Sennheiser ie900.
> 
> After I tried it with the Night Owl I tested it with my iBasso IT01s and now the left driver is dead no matter what I plug the IT01s into, the left IEM got hot too.
> 
> I don't know what to say. I hope it hasn't damaged my Night Owl as well.


Ahhh…. That is not good at all. Maybe contact Chord and ask for reimbursement for your dead gear. They should be able to do something for you.


----------



## MarkParity

drummguy26 said:


> Ahhh…. That is not good at all. Maybe contact Chord and ask for reimbursement for your dead gear. They should be able to do something for you.


I'm not so bothered about the IT01s and luckily the Night Owl appears to be OK. I won't be plugging anything else into the Mojo 2 though. I will return it to my dealer when they open again on Tuesday.

Hopefully Chord can investigate the problem a let us know what happened to it.


----------



## keithmarsh (Feb 5, 2022)

MarkParity said:


> I'm not so bothered about the IT01s and luckily the Night Owl appears to be OK. I won't be plugging anything else into the Mojo 2 though. I will return it to my dealer when they open again on Tuesday.
> 
> Hopefully Chord can investigate the problem a let us know what happened to it.


Similar problems with mine too. I either get everything going robotic sounding or loud white noise. Power cycling solves it but these issues are happening frequently.


----------



## MarkParity

keithmarsh said:


> Similar problems with mine too. I either get everything going robotic sounding or loud white noise. Power cycling solves it but these issues are happening frequently.


Has your one damaged the connected IEM though? I think mine has a shorted output stage for whatever reason and is sending full power DC straight to the output.

Mine must be faulty but I do worry that Rob's output stage improvement, removing the capacitors, have allowed this to happen.


----------



## keithmarsh

MarkParity said:


> Has your one damaged the connected IEM though? I think mine has a shorted output stage for whatever reason and is sending full power DC straight to the output.
> 
> Mine must be faulty but I do worry that Rob's output stage improvement, removing the capacitors, have allowed this to happen.


Mine seems to be more a software issue. Yours seems to be hardware. That sucks dude!


----------



## MarkParity

keithmarsh said:


> Mine seems to be more a software issue. Yours seems to be hardware. That sucks dude!


It does 100%. I think I may take the IT01s with the Mojo back to the dealer as well, Chord can do what they want with it, its no use to me anymore I suspect if they do open it they will find a melted voice coil.

I really do hope that I'm the only one unlucky to have this issue and that nobody else's Mojo 2 does this to their $3000 IEM, this is a bit like the Gryphon volume jump issue all over again.


----------



## ChrisGB

This is a worrying trend. I was interested in both the Mojo 2 and the Gryphon. Both seem to be not without issues!


----------



## keithmarsh

ChrisGB said:


> This is a worrying trend. I was interested in both the Mojo 2 and the Gryphon. Both seem to be not without issues!


The Gryphon problems have been fixed with firmware updates (for my unit anyway). What concerns me is I don’t think the Mojo 2 is updatable. Someone correct me if I’m wrong…


----------



## iDesign

MarkParity said:


> Here I am again. I'm glad I didn't try Mojo 2 with my Sennheiser ie900.
> 
> After I tried it with the Night Owl I tested it with my iBasso IT01s and now the left driver is dead no matter what I plug the IT01s into, the left IEM got hot too.
> 
> I don't know what to say. I hope it hasn't damaged my Night Owl as well.


That’s terribly unfortunate. Interestingly I have the exact same issue with my DAVE and Blu Mk II via USB and worry about my left Focal Utopia driver failing when it happens.


----------



## MarkParity

keithmarsh said:


> The Gryphon problems have been fixed with firmware updates (for my unit anyway). What concerns me is I don’t think the Mojo 2 is updatable. Someone correct me if I’m wrong…


AFAIK no its not updateable. But lets not jump to conclusions too early, with my luck lately I may be the only one who has major issues with Mojo 2 and @keithmarsh's one may also be faulty albeit with a slightly different fault.


----------



## ChrisGB

keithmarsh said:


> The Gryphon problems have been fixed with firmware updates (for my unit anyway). What concerns me is I don’t think the Mojo 2 is updatable. Someone correct me if I’m wrong…


I was looking at the Gryphon with a view to using the 4.4mm output, but it looks like there _may_ be an issue with the connector tolerances. The Mojo 2 gives me a potential 600mw single ended, so in the right area power wise. First manufacturer batch issues perhaps? Quality engineering used to be my main job (just a consultant now) so I understand how difficult it is to make stuff!

I have to say, currently, looking at various reviews and the general operating principles, I'm going to try out the Mojo 2. I'm hoping it'll make a decent upgrade from my Shanling M6. It's going to mostly be driving Quad ERA-1.


----------



## drummguy26

ChrisGB said:


> I was looking at the Gryphon with a view to using the 4.4mm output, but it looks like there _may_ be an issue with the connector tolerances. The Mojo 2 gives me a potential 600mw single ended, so in the right area power wise. First manufacturer batch issues perhaps? Quality engineering used to be my main job (just a consultant now) so I understand how difficult it is to make stuff!
> 
> I have to say, currently, looking at various reviews and the general operating principles, I'm going to try out the Mojo 2. I'm hoping it'll make a decent upgrade from my Shanling M6. It's going to mostly be driving Quad ERA-1.


I have the gryphon and haven’t had a single issue with it. It sounds superb. I’m just curious to know how it stacks up against the mojo 2.


----------



## ChrisGB

drummguy26 said:


> I have the gryphon and haven’t had a single issue with it. It sounds superb. I’m just curious to know how it stacks up against the mojo 2.


Are you using it with the 4.4mm Pentaconn output? If so, how's the fit?


----------



## drummguy26

ChrisGB said:


> Are you using it with the 4.4mm Pentaconn output? If so, how's the fit?


Yep. Using the 4.4 Pentaconn. Fit is fine. I’ve had no issues whatsoever with it. It clicks in as you’d expect and is quite solid.


----------



## ChrisGB

drummguy26 said:


> Yep. Using the 4.4 Pentaconn. Fit is fine. I’ve had no issues whatsoever with it. It clicks in as you’d expect and is quite solid.


Good to know!


----------



## 529128 (Feb 5, 2022)

A short report on the first couple of days with the Mojo 2.

I have owned the Mojo 1 three times and was in love with it. The Mojo 2 is however an update that is worthy of both the price and the hype. Definitely substantially more depth, increased dynamics and a much more defined/refined low-end. I am not a strong believer in audible differences between DACs, fx I hear no significant difference between Schiit's Modi 3+ and the Bifrost 2, but I reckon Watts' secret sauce makes a difference in this case. The cross-feed is a game changer for me... Don't know how much benefit I will get out of the new EQ, however. I prefer the default tuning of my cans. I have tried the little wonder with Hifiman Sundara, Sennheiser HD600, Beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X and Grado SR80e.
I bought a cheap MFI USB C - Lightning cable from a vendor here in Denmark. It does not work. So I will probably try Apple's own. I find the CCK-adapter a bit flimsy, fragile and annoying tbh.


----------



## TheEldestBoy

henrikgadegaard said:


> A short report on the first couple of days with the Mojo 2.
> 
> I have owned the Mojo 1 three times and was in love with it. The Mojo 2 is however an update that is worthy of both the price and the hype. Definitely substantially more depth, increased dynamics and a much more defined/refined low-end. I am not a strong believer in audible differences between DACs, fx I hear no significant difference between Schiit's Modi 3+ and the Bifrost 2, but I reckon Watts' secret sauce makes a difference in this case. The cross-feed is a game changer for me... Don't know how much benefit I will get out of the new EQ, however. I prefer the default tuning of my cans. I have tried the little wonder with Hifiman Sundara, Sennheiser HD600, Beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X and Grado SR80e.
> I bought a cheap MFI USB C - Lightning cable from a vendor here in Denmark. It does not work. So I will probably try Apple's own. I find the CCK-adapter a bit flimsy, fragile and annoying tbh.



Will this one work?
It’s made by Apple.


----------



## DCBOY

I hated the mushy control buttons on the Mojo.  Seems they are using them yet again....


----------



## iDesign (Feb 5, 2022)

TheEldestBoy said:


> Will this one work?
> It’s made by Apple.


No. You'll need the Lightning to USB Camera Adapter which isn't available in USB-C. Fiio's LT-LT1 may work but in my experience cables like these eventually cease to work or cause other issues depending on the iOS version. The last Fiio cable I had became extremely hot to the point of melting the plastic around the Lightning cable.


----------



## chesebert

TheEldestBoy said:


> Will this one work?
> It’s made by Apple.


Liklely not.





DCBOY said:


> I hated the mushy control buttons on the Mojo.  Seems they are using them yet again....


They made it worse - it's 4 buttons now.





TheEldestBoy said:


> Will this one work?
> It’s made by Apple.


You are better off with Poly so you don't have to participate in the dongle life.


----------



## TheEldestBoy

chesebert said:


> Liklely not.
> They made it worse - it's 4 buttons now.
> You are better off with Poly so you don't have to participate in the dongle life.


Yes, I might get the Poly to avoid cables/dongles. It’s a big additional cost though


----------



## chesebert

TheEldestBoy said:


> Yes, I might get the Poly to avoid cables/dongles. It’s a big additional cost though


I think there are used ones for like 2-300.


----------



## TheEldestBoy

chesebert said:


> I think there are used ones for like 2-300.



In Canada these are the prices (new):
Mojo 2 = $875 (+ 13% taxes)
Poly = $895 (+13% taxes)
—
$2,000 for both devices, incl taxes.


----------



## piglet

ChrisGB said:


> Are you using it with the 4.4mm Pentaconn output? If so, how's the fit?


I use the iFi xDSD Gryphon with my Sennheiser HD 800 S headphones and for that I use the stock Sennheiser cable with the 4.4mm Pentaconn connector.

The plug goes in and out just fine but it is, if you like, very secure with no movement. I've read about some problems people have had with this socket.

I don't use the HD 800 S headphones when I'm out and about with the Gryphon in my shoulder bag of course. Then I use my recently acquired (and rather superb) FiiO FH7 IEMs. With these I use the stock single ended 3.5 mm cable and I think I will just stick with that as it sounds excellent and after what I've read I'd rather not put a lot of stress on the Pentaconn socket.


----------



## TheEldestBoy

How is the Poly for playing music off of the SD card? 

Does it work well, is it a good experience?

Is the sound quality better this way, compared to attaching a transport via cable or streaming from a phone?


----------



## DavidW (Feb 5, 2022)

dup reply...


----------



## DavidW

I can speak for the Poly with the SD card on the Mojo OG only (Mojo 2 will hopefully be in the U.S. in the next week or so). My Poly use is ~80% with the SD card. I use the Poly as a streamer for the remaining ~20% for Roon (at home) and Plexamp (out and about where I seek music not on my SD card). I think the SD card playback is solid. Further, outside of the early days, Poly as a whole has been relatively stable and very enjoyable. Big takeaway with the SD card- no  dropouts due to intermittent cell service.


----------



## TheEldestBoy

And what app do you use to access/control the music on the SD card?


----------



## TheEldestBoy

DavidW said:


> I can speak for the Poly with the SD card on the Mojo OG only (Mojo 2 will hopefully be in the U.S. in the next week or so). My Poly use is ~80% with the SD card. I use the Poly as a streamer for the remaining ~20% for Roon (at home) and Plexamp (out and about where I seek music not on my SD card). I think the SD card playback is solid. Further, outside of the early days, Poly as a whole has been relatively stable and very enjoyable. Big takeaway with the SD card- no  dropouts due to intermittent cell service.



And what app do you use to access/control the music on the SD card?


----------



## DavidW

TheEldestBoy said:


> And what app do you use to access/control the music on the SD card?


I have been using Rigelian (iOS) for the last two years. I have used a variety of apps prior to that- Mconnect, Glider, 8player, and others.


----------



## ecapsretliab

Quick question.  What is the minimum amperage to achieve full charge and sustain Desktop Mode?

Just wondering if the unused 5V 1A output on my LPS could find a purpose.


----------



## TheEldestBoy

DavidW said:


> I have been using Rigelian (iOS) for the last two years. I have used a variety of apps prior to that- Mconnect, Glider, 8player, and others.


I checked out Rigelian just now; looks good 👍


----------



## kumar402

iDesign said:


> No. You'll need the Lightning to USB Camera Adapter which isn't available in USB-C. Fiio's LT-LT1 may work but in my experience cables like these eventually cease to work or cause other issues depending on the iOS version. The last Fiio cable I had became extremely hot to the point of melting the plastic around the Lightning cable.


If the cable has Made for iPhone chip then it will work and I guess you might be driving those dongles that draw current from iPhone to work for the cable to get hot. Since Mojo has its own battery so it might not get hot like it gets with dongle


----------



## iDesign (Feb 5, 2022)

kumar402 said:


> If the cable has Made for iPhone chip then it will work and I guess you might be driving those dongles that draw current from iPhone to work for the cable to get hot. Since Mojo has its own battery so it might not get hot like it gets with dongle


Its Apple’s attempts over the years via software updates to prevent non-MFI certified cables from working. It’s a game of cat and mouse and Apple’s Lightning to USB Camera adapter has always worked with the Mojo. However, I find the adapter untidy— the only thing more unwieldy is the Poly.


----------



## mwhals

Still waiting on a Gryphon and Mojo 2 comparison as I have neither and would pick one.


----------



## kumar402

iDesign said:


> Its Apple’s attempts over the years via software updates to prevent non-MFI certified cables from working. It’s a game of cat and mouse and Apple’s Lightning to USB Camera adapter has always worked with the Mojo. However, I find the adapter untidy— the only thing more unwieldy is the Poly.


I agree and only thing I hate about using Mojo with phone is that CCK cable


----------



## MarkParity

mwhals said:


> Still waiting on a Gryphon and Mojo 2 comparison as I have neither and would pick one.


Sadly I won't be able to supply one now. I've decided to stick with the Gryphon after my one and only Mojo 2 damaged my left IT01s as mentioned above.


----------



## gavinfabl

drummguy26 said:


> Awesome! Thanks!





mwhals said:


> Still waiting on a Gryphon and Mojo 2 comparison as I have neither and would pick one.


3pm today. UK time. My video will be going live.


----------



## gonzalo05

MarkParity said:


> Sadly I won't be able to supply one now. I've decided to stick with the Gryphon after my one and only Mojo 2 damaged my left IT01s as mentioned above.


Is Chord going to take care of you?


----------



## chesebert (Feb 6, 2022)

Here is a generic review you all can use - feel free to substitute [Mojo] with any dac or amp of your choice:

The [Mojo] seems to be a very well balanced [dac] in every aspect of its sonic presentation. By this I mean its frequency presentation seems to be equally consistent throughout the entire spectrum from the very low bass all the way throughout the upper treble. This consistency gives the [dac] a very smooth, even and natural tonal balance. This well balanced tonal character gives the amp a smooth, almost liquid sense, a somewhat silky feel. Never is there a hint of artificial or electronic reproduction taking place. When I say silkiness and smoothness I do not mean to infer a lack of detail or leading edge blurriness but quite the contrary, there is plenty of inner detail and resolution.

There is also an overall warmth to this [dac] but not too much, not overly present or in any way intrusive. This warmth does not seem to be a manifestation of any undue or excess mid bass emphasis, its just there in the presentation in a beneficial way rather than detracting and does not obscure the the dac detail or compromise definition. Personally I find this warmth pleasant, inviting and gratifying. [if you are aiming for clarity, change accordingly.]

The [dac] has the ability to unravel a complex sonic landscape with ease and confidence. Musical lines and rhythms are kept straight and coherent. Nothing is sonically tripping over itself or obscuring the detail of another instrument. Even in the most complex passages you can distinctly hear every instrument in detail. This is the consequence of the [dac]'s ability to resolve and present the smallest amounts of inner detail and micro dynamics. Instruments are clearly defined and focused and separated across the soundstage. Bass extension is deep and controlled with excellent definition, impact and tonality. Treble is extended and smooth without any sense of edginess or harshness. The slight overall warmth to the [dac] gives the midrange the seduction needed to draw you into the music and get you involved. Listening to the [dac] I never once thought I was listening to a digital file. It is not an in your face kind of [dac]. It seems so well balanced in so many regards that it doesn't need to have any particular overbearing characteristics to give it its overall magic. It simply does its job in every area with confidence and respect and disappears from the sonic equation in an effortless way.

.
.
.
Reviews without critical comparisons with similarly priced and TOTL gear (>$10k) are utterly useless.


----------



## MarkParity

gonzalo05 said:


> Is Chord going to take care of you?


My dealer will I'm 100% sure of that, I will return it for a refund next week when they open, its just a 10 minute drive up the road.


----------



## MarkParity

chesebert said:


> Here is a generic review you all can use - feel free to substitute [Mojo] with any dac or amp of your choice:
> 
> The [Mojo] seems to be a very well balanced [dac] in every aspect of its sonic presentation. By this I mean its frequency presentation seems to be equally consistent throughout the entire spectrum from the very low bass all the way throughout the upper treble. This consistency gives the [dac] a very smooth, even and natural tonal balance. This well balanced tonal character gives the amp a smooth, almost liquid sense, a somewhat silky feel. Never is there a hint of artificial or electronic reproduction taking place. When I say silkiness and smoothness I do not mean to infer a lack of detail or leading edge blurriness but quite the contrary, there is plenty of inner detail and resolution.
> 
> ...


Having now read this, I think you are "having a laugh" is it meant to be a bit of a p**s take?

I have now "unwatched" this thread, not because of this post BTW, its just because I have nothing else to add to the Mojo 2 discussion since I will never own one I don't want to influence anyone else's purchase decisions any further.


----------



## someyoungguy

chesebert said:


> Here is a generic review you all can use - feel free to substitute [Mojo] with any dac or amp of your choice:
> 
> The [Mojo] seems to be a very well balanced [dac] in every aspect of its sonic presentation. By this I mean its frequency presentation seems to be equally consistent throughout the entire spectrum from the very low bass all the way throughout the upper treble. This consistency gives the [dac] a very smooth, even and natural tonal balance. This well balanced tonal character gives the amp a smooth, almost liquid sense, a somewhat silky feel. Never is there a hint of artificial or electronic reproduction taking place. When I say silkiness and smoothness I do not mean to infer a lack of detail or leading edge blurriness but quite the contrary, there is plenty of inner detail and resolution.
> 
> ...


Ha haa, so true. I feel like I’m reading reviews these days that go on about a ‘neutral’ and ‘natural’ sound, which is perfectly balanced and uncolored, and then I have no idea how it sounds any different to the hundreds of other products with the same description 😝


----------



## Lyssky

I suppose he meant that some reviews use an unnecessary amount of grandiloquent language while saying nothing.


----------



## kumar402 (Feb 6, 2022)

chesebert said:


> Here is a generic review you all can use - feel free to substitute [Mojo] with any dac or amp of your choice:
> 
> The [Mojo] seems to be a very well balanced [dac] in every aspect of its sonic presentation. By this I mean its frequency presentation seems to be equally consistent throughout the entire spectrum from the very low bass all the way throughout the upper treble. This consistency gives the [dac] a very smooth, even and natural tonal balance. This well balanced tonal character gives the amp a smooth, almost liquid sense, a somewhat silky feel. Never is there a hint of artificial or electronic reproduction taking place. When I say silkiness and smoothness I do not mean to infer a lack of detail or leading edge blurriness but quite the contrary, there is plenty of inner detail and resolution.
> 
> ...


You forgot to add cons-
1. The [Dac] gets warm


----------



## adamjohari

Weird question, how do you charge the Chord Mojo 2? Power brick from Apple? Connect to a PC USB port? How?


----------



## GreenBow (Feb 6, 2022)

Has anyone tried the Mojo 2 in the Mojo case? Have noticed it's not too different. While some folk are cheesed-off at having to shell out for another case for i.e. Poly/Mojo 2 case.

I think Mojo 2 would fit mojo case and show all buttons bar one volume button. However if one were prepared to carefully 'mod' the case, I think it would work fine. ... Though probs best to sell old case and buy new one.

I for one would prefer a case like the style of the Chord official cases from Mojo generation. (The sort of leather-backed rubber ones, with a clean finish.) Am not so hot over the Mojo 2 red stiched ones.


----------



## Currawong

adamjohari said:


> Weird question, how do you charge the Chord Mojo 2? Power brick from Apple? Connect to a PC USB port? How?


According to Rob Watts, it will charge from anything that will output .5A (500mA), but fastest if you have a 2A capable charger (eg: An old iPad charger).


----------



## mainguy

Has anyone tried the Mojo 2 with the focal clear? I tried the mojo 1 with it and it wasn't the best synergy...Curious


----------



## Lyssky

And Im curious too but about the LCD-XC pairing. Likewise the original Mojo didn’t do well with the LCD-XC.


----------



## gavinfabl

My Chord Mojo 2 is live, versus the Gryphon & Xduoo XD05 BAL. The Xduoo has upgraded op amps, a pair of Burson V5i-D. Happy to answer any questions .


----------



## alekc

While waiting for my Mojo 2 to arrive (should be hear already but apparently there has been some problems with customs unfortunately or so I've been told) I wonder if anyone of new Mojo 2 owners could share their thoughts and opinion on pairing with:

Focal Clear MG or Focal Clear MG Professional
any IEMs, I'm thinking about Fiio FH9 but this is just an idea and I am open for suggestions
Thank you in advance.


----------



## shizzin

gavinfabl said:


> My Chord Mojo 2 is live, versus the Gryphon & Xduoo XD05 BAL. The Xduoo has upgraded op amps, a pair of Burson V5i-D. Happy to answer any questions .



quite the praise


----------



## theveterans

someyoungguy said:


> Ha haa, so true. I feel like I’m reading reviews these days that go on about a ‘neutral’ and ‘natural’ sound, which is perfectly balanced and uncolored, and then I have no idea how it sounds any different to the hundreds of other products with the same description 😝



Sound descriptions rarely describe how a DAC truly sounds especially when there are tons of them since none of them truly pick a common reference sound across reviewers. You physically have to hear them to know how Mojo 2 compares relative to other DACs and their descriptions about Mojo 2 will vary depending on which system the reviewers chose as reference.


----------



## piglet

gavinfabl said:


> My Chord Mojo 2 is live, versus the Gryphon & Xduoo XD05 BAL. The Xduoo has upgraded op amps, a pair of Burson V5i-D. Happy to answer any questions .



Well that was extremely useful for me and a really good review. I didn't know the Xduoo XD05 BAL existed actually.

I have an iFi xDSD Gryphon which I bought three weeks ago. If I decide I want a Chord Mojo 2 then I can return this Gryphon within the 30 day period. However I think I will stick with the Gryphon because… …I love having the bluetooth. Actually I didn't think I was going to use the bluetooth much with the Gryphon, but I've found it to be so useful. It is surprising how good it is, although it isn't as good as using the OTG cable.

Your review is excellent except I have one small complaint which is that I hate car analogies. I don't know how a Ferrari differs from another supercar. Thank you for the great review!


----------



## mainguy (Feb 6, 2022)

piglet said:


> Your review is excellent except I have one small complaint which is that I hate car analogies. I don't know how a Ferrari differs from another supercar. Thank you for the great review!


I imagine the people who do get the hypercar analogies would just buy both the gryphon & mojo and not fret lol


----------



## Wilderbeast

chesebert said:


> Here is a generic review you all can use - feel free to substitute [Mojo] with any dac or amp of your choice:
> 
> The [Mojo] seems to be a very well balanced [dac] in every aspect of its sonic presentation. By this I mean its frequency presentation seems to be equally consistent throughout the entire spectrum from the very low bass all the way throughout the upper treble. This consistency gives the [dac] a very smooth, even and natural tonal balance. This well balanced tonal character gives the amp a smooth, almost liquid sense, a somewhat silky feel. Never is there a hint of artificial or electronic reproduction taking place. When I say silkiness and smoothness I do not mean to infer a lack of detail or leading edge blurriness but quite the contrary, there is plenty of inner detail and resolution.
> 
> ...


This made me chuckle. I've noticed the prominent audio review sites don't seem to give bad reviews, and more often than not they were given the equipment. It's a bit like politics and journalism here in the UK - they started out with good intentions but have basically merged into the same industry.

Back on topic: I've been listening to Mojo 2 with my headphones (Senn HD650) this weekend. It drives them easily and sounds very good indeed.


----------



## shizzin

https://www.mtmtaudio.com/products/...rd-mojo-amplifier?_pos=1&_sid=67d794c42&_ss=r
would we say that this fits the mojo 2 as well?


----------



## Alan Billington

Great review. Glad there’s two of us who weren’t expecting Mojo2 to be this good 👌


gavinfabl said:


> My Chord Mojo 2 is live, versus the Gryphon & Xduoo XD05 BAL. The Xduoo has upgraded op amps, a pair of Burson V5i-D. Happy to answer any questions .


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

mainguy said:


> Has anyone tried the Mojo 2 with the focal clear? I tried the mojo 1 with it and it wasn't the best synergy...Curious


Cayin RU6 has great synergy with the Focal Clear.   The Clears can sound veiled unless the source has a very good treble response.  RU6 does it.


----------



## piglet

mainguy said:


> I imagine the people who do get the hypercar analogies would just buy both the gryphon & mojo and not fret lol


 As long as they don't use them while driving the hypercars.


----------



## ecapsretliab

Currawong said:


> According to Rob Watts, it will charge from anything that will output .5A (500mA), but fastest if you have a 2A capable charger (eg: An old iPad charger).


Hi Currawong, would you happen to know the minimum amperage to charge and then sustain desktop mode?


----------



## HiFiHawaii808 (Feb 6, 2022)

henrikgadegaard said:


> A short report on the first couple of days with the Mojo 2.
> 
> I have owned the Mojo 1 three times and was in love with it. The Mojo 2 is however an update that is worthy of both the price and the hype. Definitely substantially more depth, increased dynamics and a much more defined/refined low-end. I am not a strong believer in audible differences between DACs, fx I hear no significant difference between Schiit's Modi 3+ and the Bifrost 2, but I reckon Watts' secret sauce makes a difference in this case. The cross-feed is a game changer for me... Don't know how much benefit I will get out of the new EQ, however. I prefer the default tuning of my cans. I have tried the little wonder with Hifiman Sundara, Sennheiser HD600, Beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X and Grado SR80e.
> I bought a cheap MFI USB C - Lightning cable from a vendor here in Denmark. It does not work. So I will probably try Apple's own. I find the CCK-adapter a bit flimsy, fragile and annoying tbh.


Your impressions are helpful to me since I own the Mojo OG.   How is the treble of the Mojo 2 vs. OG?    Is the Mojo 2 more neutrally tuned than the OG as has been claimed?

I am heading to New York for Can Jam and hope to hear it there.  I am really trying to understand where Mojo 2 fits in the portable landscape.     Is it better than or equal to my Hiby RS6?   How does it sound relative to Hugo 2?    In reading the impressions so far, I am not getting a good sense of it.    How does it really compare to the Gryphon?  The video review recently posted was not sufficient to give me a feel for the differences.   The car metaphor didn't do it for me.


----------



## TheEldestBoy (Feb 6, 2022)

Using the same music file in each of the following scenarios, which should theoretically result in the best sound?
👉 playing from an SD card in the Poly
👉 playing from iPhone (wired)
👉 playing from an android device (wired)
👉 streaming from iPhone to Poly (via airplay)
👉 streaming from an android device to Poly (lossless bluetooth)


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

TheEldestBoy said:


> Using the same music file in each of the following scenarios, which should theoretically result in the best sound?
> 👉 playing from an SD card in the Poly
> 👉 playing from iPhone (wired)
> 👉 playing from an android device (wired)
> ...


None of the above.    The best sound is streaming over wifi directly to the Poly   No airplay and no Bluetooth.

I've never tried SD card from the Poly because I didn't think I would be able to get it to work.   That could have the best sound depending on the quality of the music on the SD card.


----------



## TheEldestBoy

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> None of the above.    The best sound is streaming over wifi directly to the Poly   No airplay and no Bluetooth.
> 
> I've never tried SD card from the Poly because I didn't think I would be able to get it to work.   That could have the best sound depending on the quality of the music on the SD card.



Isn’t AirPlay essentially streaming over WiFi?


----------



## someyoungguy

TheEldestBoy said:


> Using the same music file in each of the following scenarios, which should theoretically result in the best sound?
> 👉 playing from an SD card in the Poly
> 👉 playing from iPhone (wired)
> 👉 playing from an android device (wired)
> ...


From my experience with MojoPoly I found that Poly changes the sound - or at least, did in my set up.

When I added Poly and used Audirvana (on PC) with playback via network/Wifi to Poly, there was an increase in separation and soundstage. More defined instruments with more space in between each. The baseline Mojo sound has those kind of thick mids, where instruments sound distinct but can be a bit tightly packed at times, while Poly/Wifi playback increased the sense of space between notes.

With Poly via SD card, the increase in resolution and space is enhanced again; probably a bigger step up even. There's much more micro-detail, and again more space between notes. On the one hand, I could see how people would find microSD card playback 'the best' - more resolution and better soundstage. But for me, it was almost like that enhanced space and resolution could tend towards sounding highly refined, but missing a bit of that typical Mojo sound. It's more neutral and precise perhaps, but I would end up going for Poly/Wifi most often as a nice in-between that captured the best of both worlds.


----------



## ardbeg1975

TheEldestBoy said:


> Isn’t AirPlay essentially streaming over WiFi?


Subset — Airplay is limited to 24/44.1 while upnp client over Wifi should allow higher sample rate streaming.


----------



## TheEldestBoy

someyoungguy said:


> From my experience with MojoPoly I found that Poly changes the sound - or at least, did in my set up.
> 
> When I added Poly and used Audirvana (on PC) with playback via network/Wifi to Poly, there was an increase in separation and soundstage. More defined instruments with more space in between each. The baseline Mojo sound has those kind of thick mids, where instruments sound distinct but can be a bit tightly packed at times, while Poly/Wifi playback increased the sense of space between notes.
> 
> With Poly via SD card, the increase in resolution and space is enhanced again; probably a bigger step up even. There's much more micro-detail, and again more space between notes. On the one hand, I could see how people would find microSD card playback 'the best' - more resolution and better soundstage. But for me, it was almost like that enhanced space and resolution could tend towards sounding highly refined, but missing a bit of that typical Mojo sound. It's more neutral and precise perhaps, but I would end up going for Poly/Wifi most often as a nice in-between that captured the best of both worlds.


Interesting. I wonder if SD card is the best way to go, and then use the DSP to “warm up” the sound of needed.


----------



## TheEldestBoy

ardbeg1975 said:


> Subset — Airplay is limited to 24/44.1 while upnp client over Wifi should allow higher sample rate streaming.


Got it - thanks.


----------



## chesebert

TheEldestBoy said:


> Using the same music file in each of the following scenarios, which should theoretically result in the best sound?
> 👉 playing from an SD card in the Poly
> 👉 playing from iPhone (wired)
> 👉 playing from an android device (wired)
> ...


SD card in Poly played directly in gofigure sounded the best to me - this is on an iPhone. Difference is not huge and can be heard as a slight improvement in inner detail on the higher register notes.


----------



## ubs28

So does the Mojo 2 still hiss with IEM's?


----------



## alekc

ubs28 said:


> So does the Mojo 2 still hiss with IEM's?


Don't know about M2 since I am still waiting for mine but M1 never produced any hiss with Fiio FH5.


----------



## Currawong

ecapsretliab said:


> Hi Currawong, would you happen to know the minimum amperage to charge and then sustain desktop mode?


Check the Watts Up thread and ask there if it hasn't already been mentioned.


----------



## CFandango

gavinfabl said:


> My Chord Mojo 2 is live, versus the Gryphon & Xduoo XD05 BAL. The Xduoo has upgraded op amps, a pair of Burson V5i-D. Happy to answer any questions .



Hi Gavin, a great video as ever. 

I have an old IFI XDSD which I have been using with the Dan Clarke Noire. Do you know if there is a noticeable jump in sound quality from the old XDSD to either Gryphon or Mojo?

Also do you think it is safe to assume that both the Mojo and Gryphon will have enough power to get the best out of the Dan Clarke Noires?

Big thanks for any info. Your opinion is greatly appreciated.


----------



## Rebel Chris

My Mojo 2 arrived: love the sound. It's beautiful with the colored indicators.


----------



## pjw241142

Thanks for all the information above and gavinfabl's review . I've just decided to order one from Richer Sounds (they're out of stock online but there are units in some of their stores if you ring them up). 

I get the musicality point which was always the strong point of the Original Mojo. 

I will be interested in the comparisons to the Hugo2/2go and how close Mojo2/Poly gets to that using Roon


----------



## Tristy

pjw241142 said:


> Thanks for all the information above and gavinfabl's review . I've just decided to order one from Richer Sounds (they're out of stock online but there are units in some of their stores if you ring them up).
> 
> I get the musicality point which was always the strong point of the Original Mojo.
> 
> I will be interested in the comparisons to the Hugo2/2go and how close Mojo2/Poly gets to that using Roon


Mojo 2 isn't getting too close to Hugo 2 in terms of sound quality from my short demo with it (wired).... Definitely more portable though.


----------



## kumar402

someyoungguy said:


> From my experience with MojoPoly I found that Poly changes the sound - or at least, did in my set up.
> 
> When I added Poly and used Audirvana (on PC) with playback via network/Wifi to Poly, there was an increase in separation and soundstage. More defined instruments with more space in between each. The baseline Mojo sound has those kind of thick mids, where instruments sound distinct but can be a bit tightly packed at times, while Poly/Wifi playback increased the sense of space between notes.
> 
> With Poly via SD card, the increase in resolution and space is enhanced again; probably a bigger step up even. There's much more micro-detail, and again more space between notes. On the one hand, I could see how people would find microSD card playback 'the best' - more resolution and better soundstage. But for me, it was almost like that enhanced space and resolution could tend towards sounding highly refined, but missing a bit of that typical Mojo sound. It's more neutral and precise perhaps, but I would end up going for Poly/Wifi most often as a nice in-between that captured the best of both worlds.


Well what you experienced was a SQ of a better quality streamer.
In general good streamer with better clock can really transfer great quality of digital out via Spdif and reduce jitter, ground loop etc that we experience out of poor source


----------



## gavinfabl

CFandango said:


> Hi Gavin, a great video as ever.
> 
> I have an old IFI XDSD which I have been using with the Dan Clarke Noire. Do you know if there is a noticeable jump in sound quality from the old XDSD to either Gryphon or Mojo?
> 
> ...


Thanks for your feedback, appreciated. I would say the quality is better on both. I powered my Sennheiser HD 600 and HiFiman Arya (Stealth Magnets) just fine. I've not used the Dan Clarke Noire so maybe someone else can comment.


----------



## rocketron

Have been comparing the M2 - TT2 today.
Very impressed how the M2 holds up.
I connected the TT2 coax and the M2 optical from the same streamer.
Then a passive preamp to a power amp.
The M2 is like a baby TT2.
Please note the word baby.
The M2 has less of every thing as you would expect.
Factor in the price difference and M2 will make you smile .

Some of the cables I use to connect the M2 - iPhone and iPad.
All work perfectly.


----------



## kumar402

Any comment on the staging of Mojo 2 as compared to Mojo1


----------



## rocketron

The staging is a little wider on Mojo 2 has more height and depth.
Instruments have better placement.
More air and less congested.
I no longer own a Mojo 1 so please take this from audio memory and a pinch of salt.
I think the Mojo2 is smack bang in the middle of the Mojo 1 and Hugo2.
Others will have there own view.

Impressive little thing.


----------



## kumar402

rocketron said:


> The staging is a little wider on Mojo 2 has more height and depth.
> Instruments have better placement.
> More air and less congested.
> I no longer own a Mojo 1 so please take this from audio memory and a pinch of salt.
> ...


MOJO 1 has good depth but it lacked in height and width as compared to depth so good to know those are better with Mojo 2


----------



## syazwaned

Can anyone compare Mojo to to Zen Dac v2 sound quality wise?


----------



## ClicketEKlack

Anyone compared M2 to their TOTL DAP’s? I have a Shanling M8, which is wonderful with Utopias. Wondering if the M2 is a better portable solution for travel or more of a side grade.


----------



## mainguy

ClicketEKlack said:


> Anyone compared M2 to their TOTL DAP’s? I have a Shanling M8, which is wonderful with Utopias. Wondering if the M2 is a better portable solution for travel or more of a side grade.


I've compared the mojo 1 to AK Kann, WM1a & AK380. Mojo is better, imo, so I imagine Mojo 2 is as well. i doubt the Shanling will rival it or even come close.


----------



## kumar402 (Feb 7, 2022)

Shanling M8 is a powerful DAP and it's always better to carry one device then a phone and a brick or other device attached to it. 
Unless someone hear them side by side let's not make generic statement that Sanling can't rival it. Shanling has long pedigree in DAP and are known for musical DAP


----------



## kumar402 (Feb 7, 2022)

ClicketEKlack said:


> Anyone compared M2 to their TOTL DAP’s? I have a Shanling M8, which is wonderful with Utopias. Wondering if the M2 is a better portable solution for travel or more of a side grade.


What do you feel is missing in M8 that you want to get out of Mojo 2. See if anyone can vouch for those things out of Mojo 2 otherwise you will end up getting generic statements.
As far as portability goes...M8 is big but so will be your phone+ cable +Mojo or Mojo +Poly. So it's more of a side grade as far as portability goes.


----------



## chesebert

Mojo 1 + poly is perfectly serviceable as a portable dac and streamer that I feel nothing was needed for this price bracket. For those without one, yes pick up the mojo 2. But for those with mojo1 it’s not going to be worth it to upgrade for sound quality alone.


----------



## ClicketEKlack

kumar402 said:


> What do you feel is missing in M8 that you want to get out of Mojo 2. See if anyone can vouch for those things out of Mojo 2 otherwise you will end up getting generic statements.
> As far as portability goes...M8 is big but so will be your phone+ cable +Mojo or Mojo +Poly. So it's more of a side grade as far as portability goes.


An excellent question, and you make good points. The M8 doesn't have any inherent weaknesses, sound-wise, that I notice -- it's really, really good. It's a bit of a brick, though, and I work on the road a lot, so I thought M2 might be a better form factor even with one extra cord and an adapter. The Poly is a non-starter, as it makes the whole thing bigger than an M8, and I'd connect it to my iPad or MacBook via USB-C anyway. As dongles and Mojos improve, DAPs make less and less sense, but I'll probably run the M8 into the ground and then buy the Mojo 4 or RU18 or whatever SOTA device is released then.


----------



## Scorpio1957

Hi take on the Mojo 2.


----------



## billymisfits

ClicketEKlack said:


> Anyone compared M2 to their TOTL DAP’s? I have a Shanling M8, which is wonderful with Utopias. Wondering if the M2 is a better portable solution for travel or more of a side grade.


i haven't heard the M2 yet but from my experience most "good" portable amp/dacs pretty much sound the same.  i have a kann alpha and dragonfly cobalt and in terms of sound quality I can't tell the difference with any of my headphones. there's a good reason most reviewers will never blind test audio equipment.


----------



## gc335

Scorpio1957 said:


> Hi take on the Mojo 2.



Great video! Thanks.  Just curious, since the M2 doesn't have a "line-out" mode like the M1, what volume setting were you using for the Bifrost 2 comparison?


----------



## weexisttocease

ClicketEKlack said:


> An excellent question, and you make good points. The M8 doesn't have any inherent weaknesses, sound-wise, that I notice -- it's really, really good. It's a bit of a brick, though, and I work on the road a lot, so I thought M2 might be a better form factor even with one extra cord and an adapter. The Poly is a non-starter, as it makes the whole thing bigger than an M8, and I'd connect it to my iPad or MacBook via USB-C anyway. As dongles and Mojos improve, DAPs make less and less sense, but I'll probably run the M8 into the ground and then buy the Mojo 4 or RU18 or whatever SOTA device is released then.


I'm not sure the Mojo+Poly is bigger than the M8.

M8 - 138x80x20mm | 342g
Mojo+Poly - 132x62x22mm | 271g


----------



## chesebert

To put things in perspective, no DAP or portable dac/amp is good, great or excellent in their absolute sense. Some portable devices are good enough for portable use and are good entry points to hifi. You get a taste of good sound on the road, which is pretty great TBH. 

So have fun with DAP/portable dac comparisons but know that there is a long long long way to go between even the best portable and something like dCS Rossini or EMM Labs DA2 or MSB Select.


----------



## Lyssky

Scorpio1957 said:


> Hi take on the Mojo 2.



He said if Mojo is 8/10 then Mojo2 is 9/10. Can people who own them both comment if this statement is accurate or not?


----------



## Whitigir

Lyssky said:


> He said if Mojo is 8/10 then Mojo2 is 9/10. Can people who own them both comment if this statement is accurate or not?


Technically it should be accurate.  Otherwise, why would it be called 2 (as in successor) and or Why would chord bothered to produce it ?


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Scorpio1957 said:


> Hi take on the Mojo 2.



I like Lachlan, so I am watching this video.    He sometimes comes up with impressions that go against the conventional wisdom and I appreciate that since I can listen for myself to see if I agree or disagree.


----------



## Alan Billington

Lyssky said:


> He said if Mojo is 8/10 then Mojo2 is 9/10. Can people who own them both comment if this statement is accurate or not?


I’d agree. Noticeably better for me on many counts (dynamics, neutrality, separation, depth) plus the lossless EQ makes it compatible with any headphone trait


----------



## WorksUnit

Lyssky said:


> He said if Mojo is 8/10 then Mojo2 is 9/10. Can people who own them both comment if this statement is accurate or not?



Marginal improvements on staging, seperation.. feels a smidge less forced.


----------



## chesebert

Lyssky said:


> He said if Mojo is 8/10 then Mojo2 is 9/10. Can people who own them both comment if this statement is accurate or not?


How can anyone verify one arbitrary number from another?


----------



## chesebert

Whitigir said:


> Technically it should be accurate.  Otherwise, why would it be called 2 (as in successor) and or Why would chord bothered to produce it ?


It’s called marketing and to find a way to stop supporting the prior version. People like shiny new things to buy, just human nature.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

chesebert said:


> How can anyone verify one arbitrary number from another?


Not the absolute number, but the percent improvement is meaningful.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Whitigir said:


> Technically it should be accurate.  Otherwise, why would it be called 2 (as in successor) and or Why would chord bothered to produce it ?


Sometimes the v2 is worse than the v1.  Clear OG to Clear MG comes to mind.


----------



## chesebert (Feb 7, 2022)

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Not the absolute number, but the percent improvement is meaningful.


What does that even mean? What does 1% represent? 10% represent?

If I say M2 is 5.89% better than M1 does that mean anything to anyone?

Stop attributing objective standards to a subjective hobby.


----------



## captblaze

chesebert said:


> What does that even mean? What does 1% represent? 10% represent?
> 
> If I say M2 is 5.89% better than M1 does that mean anything to anyone?
> 
> Stop attributing objective standards to a subjective hobby.


A reviewers style and ability are as variable as the perception of sound.


----------



## alota

Usually the big differencies in the forum and review are, in the reality, much more small.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

chesebert said:


> What does that even mean? What does 1% represent? 10% represent?
> 
> If I say M2 is 5.89% better than M1 does that mean anything to anyone?
> 
> Stop attributing objective standards to a subjective hobby.


9/8 is 1.125 so that represents a 12.5% improvement.   That gave me a lot of insight since I own the Mojo OG.

If I listened to you, I would never find any review meaningful because everything is subjective.  So, your advice is useless.    What is useful is A/B testing from a reference sound to a different sound.   If you have a common reference point, like actually owning a Mojo OG, then the comparison in relation to it is meaningful.   It tells me where the Mojo 2 fits on the source landscape.   I know it's probably comparable to my midfi DAPs and that it probably pairs well with my C9 and the Hugo 2 is probably still better.    So, just because you don't find reviews useful, it doesn't mean other people don't either.   In addition, he also compared the Mojo 2 to the Bifrost 2 which I also own.   Since I prefer the Bifrost 2 over the Hugo 2 for a standalone DAC because it has a warmer sound, that also confirms that I am hearing it similarly to him.   

Stop telling me I can't use subjective impressions in a meaningful way just because you can't.

After watching Lachlan's review, which I thought was excellent and better than anything I've seen or read thus far, I want to buy it.    It has about a 10% improvement in sound and it has an EQ function and Crossfeed feature that I am likely to use.    I would prefer 12 filter parametric EQ, but this 4 band EQ has center frequencies that I would actually use.  I can add a bass shelf for bass light headphones @125hz and tone down the upper mids at 3k hz.   I already have experience with crossfeed on the TT2, so I know I like that feature.    Since the Hugo 2 pairs nicely with the Cayin C9, the Mojo 2 should as well and offer slight EQ.   Backward compatibility with the Poly is good since I own one.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

alota said:


> Usually the big differencies in the forum and review are, in the reality, much more small.


That's mostly due to the fact that people are not describing products in relationship to each other on a perceptual map.  Once you do that, by forcing people to rank all of the products they know.  You can get a sense for what that person values by triangulating on what they like vs what you've heard and what you like.

For instance, when a person says that is the best IEM they have ever heard, follow up by asking them for their top 10.   It will give you an idea of what they have actually heard and the list will reveal a lot about what sound properties they value.  Once you know that, you can put sound impressions in proper context for making your own buy/sell decision.


----------



## NYanakiev

What is this thread doing in portable headphone amps?! Especially when the OG Mojo and most DAPs are in Portable Source Gear????


----------



## chesebert (Feb 7, 2022)

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> 9/8 is 1.125 so that represents a 12.5% improvement.   That gave me a lot of insight since I own the Mojo OG.
> 
> If I listened to you, I would never find any review meaningful because everything is subjective.  So, your advice is useless.    What is useful is A/B testing from a reference sound to a different sound.   If you have a common reference point, like actually owning a Mojo OG, then the comparison in relation to it is meaningful.   It tells me where the Mojo 2 fits on the source landscape.   I know it's probably comparable to my midfi DAPs and that it probably pairs well with my C9 and the Hugo 2 is probably still better.    So, just because you don't find reviews useful, it doesn't mean other people don't either.   In addition, he also compared the Mojo 2 to the Bifrost 2 which I also own.   Since I prefer the Bifrost 2 over the Hugo 2 for a standalone DAC because it has a warmer sound, that also confirms that I am hearing it similarly to him.
> 
> ...


Perhaps that 12.5% is making Mojo 2 to sound 12.5% more like Hugo 2, which you apparently didn’t like.

Anyway that “review” is like one big ad from Chord - full of fluff and utterly useless. I would read the spec sheet


----------



## ChrisGB

Hopefully easy question: My Mojo 2 should be with me tomorrow.I intend to use it with a few devices including laptop (W10) and desktop (W11) PCs. Are there any drivers to download and install to use the Mojo 2? Cannot see anything mentioned in the user manual.


----------



## chesebert

ChrisGB said:


> Hopefully easy question: My Mojo 2 should be with me tomorrow.I intend to use it with a few devices including laptop (W10) and desktop (W11) PCs. Are there any drivers to download and install to use the Mojo 2? Cannot see anything mentioned in the user manual.


I would use optical from PC if sound quality matters. Mojo and all Chord portables do not have galvanic isolation on the usb input. This means ground noise from PC will get into the dac and degrade sound quality.


----------



## ChrisGB (Feb 7, 2022)

Optical is not an option for either windows device unfortunately. I was looking into ways to solve the noise issue, but wondered if there is any need for driver downloads?

I've got a DAP for streaming and playback of stored high res files, but it'll be handy to use with laptop too.


----------



## alekc

ChrisGB said:


> Optical is not an option for either windows device unfortunately. I was looking into ways to solve the noise issue, but wondered if there is any need for driver downloads?
> 
> I've got a DAP for streaming and playback of stored high res files, but it'll be handy to use with laptop too.


@ChrisGB  If you stick with Windows OS you need a driver that is available on Chords web page: https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/mojo-2 
No need for drivers under Mac OS X and Linux systems.


----------



## WorksUnit

^ I Had Mojo 1 drivers and no download needed to get going^.
One thing I just noticed was some stutter listening via USB, then some white noise. This was desktop mode, and just general fast cycling crossfeed and EQ options.


----------



## chesebert (Feb 7, 2022)

WorksUnit said:


> ^ I Had Mojo 1 drivers and no download needed to get going^.
> One thing I just noticed was some stutter listening via USB, then some white noise. This was desktop mode, and just general fast cycling crossfeed and EQ options.


You need the windows driver for ASIO if that’s important to you. I may be wrong but I think you also need the driver to access higher sampling rates.


----------



## alekc

Scorpio1957 said:


> Hi take on the Mojo 2.



Fortunately my Mojo 2 should be arriving within next 24 hours and I will be able to make up my own opinion. Truly looking forward since I think Mojo brought me a enormous joy and brings it still up to this day.  

I've took a peek at few sections of this review, and honestly I'm glad I did not wasted 40 minutes of my life for watching it full. Instead I've invested my time into cleaning up and updating my test playlist for Mojo 2.

Except typical marketing bs from a "reviewer" who wants to get another stuff for review quickly there is no real value in it for me. Chord web page does better job informing you about Mojo 2 IMHO and you can read it within minutes. Why on earth comparing Mojo 2 to Bifrost anyway? It's like screaming: I've ran out of dacs, send some more expensive ones ASAP.


----------



## alekc

chesebert said:


> You need the windows driver for ASIO if that’s important to you. I may be wrong but I think you also need the driver to access higher sampling rates.


I think the point was that Mojo 2 runs on Mojo 1 drivers - the same drivers are used for other Chords dacs including M Scaler I belive so no need to install dedicated driver for Mojo 2 if you have Chord drivers already installed under Windows.


----------



## WorksUnit

alekc has it right.
Have used the ASIO in other applications.


----------



## ChrisGB

alekc said:


> @ChrisGB  If you stick with Windows OS you need a driver that is available on Chords web page: https://chordelectronics.co.uk/product/mojo-2
> No need for drivers under Mac OS X and Linux systems.


Many thanks! That's the page I saw the other day that promoted the question. I must have looked past it😁


----------



## someyoungguy

msq123 said:


> Someone mentioned earlier that upgrade can be done only with Mojo OG which is bummer if you have Poly on old firmware but don’t have access to Mojo 1


So I emailed Chord to ask directly about this, and their support confirmed that Mojo2 will only work with v3 firmware and Poly will need to be connected to a Mojo 1 to update to v3. 

Seems a bit strange, I guess it might have to do with the different power configuration of the Mojo2 vs 1; maybe Poly can't power on properly with Mojo2 unless it's already running v3 firmware.


----------



## someyoungguy

alekc said:


> Fortunately my Mojo 2 should be arriving within next 24 hours and I will be able to make up my own opinion. Truly looking forward since I think Mojo brought me a enormous joy and brings it still up to this day.
> 
> I've took a peek at few sections of this review, and honestly I'm glad I did not wasted 40 minutes of my life for watching it full. Instead I've invested my time into cleaning up and updating my test playlist for Mojo 2.
> 
> Except typical marketing bs from a "reviewer" who wants to get another stuff for review quickly there is no real value in it for me. Chord web page does better job informing you about Mojo 2 IMHO and you can read it within minutes. Why on earth comparing Mojo 2 to Bifrost anyway? It's like screaming: I've ran out of dacs, send some more expensive ones ASAP.


He explains quite a bit why he's comparing it to Bifrost2, mainly to do with the fact that Mojo2 now has the desktop power mode and many users were using Mojo1 in a desktop set-up anyway - so he's asking if you're using it in a desktop scenario, how does Mojo2 compare with a dedicated desktop DAC of a similar price.


----------



## Serre Dent

Just ordered one ! EQ (and crossfeed) are really great changes on the first one (that I have)
Looking forward to try it on headphone and speakers

Just wondering
On basic old digital EQ (winamp?), I remember it was way better not to amplify frequencies but diminish them : I mean to have +2db in bass you would decrease by 2db everything but bass on EQ and raise volume on speaker by 2 db. Applying +Xdb on the "digital EQ" was making sound horribly distorted.
I wonder what was that great technology of digital filtering and amplifying...

I guess it is not the same technology here ^^


----------



## chesebert

Just another digital EQ. same rules apply: cut on digital and boost on analog EQ.


----------



## mainguy

someyoungguy said:


> So I emailed Chord to ask directly about this, and their support confirmed that Mojo2 will only work with v3 firmware and Poly will need to be connected to a Mojo 1 to update to v3.
> 
> Seems a bit strange, I guess it might have to do with the different power configuration of the Mojo2 vs 1; maybe Poly can't power on properly with Mojo2 unless it's already running v3 firmware.



Oh god this is hilarious. I thought we made it through the hell on earth that was Poly, but turns out we just dropped down to another layer.

That is insanely inconvenient.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

alekc said:


> Fortunately my Mojo 2 should be arriving within next 24 hours and I will be able to make up my own opinion. Truly looking forward since I think Mojo brought me a enormous joy and brings it still up to this day.
> 
> I've took a peek at few sections of this review, and honestly I'm glad I did not wasted 40 minutes of my life for watching it full. Instead I've invested my time into cleaning up and updating my test playlist for Mojo 2.
> 
> Except typical marketing bs from a "reviewer" who wants to get another stuff for review quickly there is no real value in it for me. Chord web page does better job informing you about Mojo 2 IMHO and you can read it within minutes. Why on earth comparing Mojo 2 to Bifrost anyway? It's like screaming: I've ran out of dacs, send some more expensive ones ASAP.



I haven't watched the video but I know he quite likes the bifrost.


----------



## someyoungguy

mainguy said:


> Oh god this is hilarious. I thought we made it through the hell on earth that was Poly, but turns out we just dropped down to another layer.
> 
> That is insanely inconvenient.


Yeah I was thinking of picking up a Poly 2nd hand, but I don't have the Mojo1, so could end up with a dud Poly if the person I buy it from hasn't actually updated to firmware v3. I guess a Chord dealer in town could help if I take the Poly in, but the inconvenience of that would be compounded by the fact I live in China and my Chinese isn't great (yet), so trying to explain what I wanted to do would be extra fun


----------



## HiFiHawaii808 (Feb 7, 2022)

alekc said:


> Fortunately my Mojo 2 should be arriving within next 24 hours and I will be able to make up my own opinion. Truly looking forward since I think Mojo brought me a enormous joy and brings it still up to this day.
> 
> I've took a peek at few sections of this review, and honestly I'm glad I did not wasted 40 minutes of my life for watching it full. Instead I've invested my time into cleaning up and updating my test playlist for Mojo 2.
> 
> Except typical marketing bs from a "reviewer" who wants to get another stuff for review quickly there is no real value in it for me. Chord web page does better job informing you about Mojo 2 IMHO and you can read it within minutes. Why on earth comparing Mojo 2 to Bifrost anyway? It's like screaming: I've ran out of dacs, send some more expensive ones ASAP.


I disagree.   The first 19 minutes was not useful, but from lossless EQ to the end, I found it very informative.  It is far better than any other review I saw in this thread, plus others I actually looked for.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

someyoungguy said:


> He explains quite a bit why he's comparing it to Bifrost2, mainly to do with the fact that Mojo2 now has the desktop power mode and many users were using Mojo1 in a desktop set-up anyway - so he's asking if you're using it in a desktop scenario, how does Mojo2 compare with a dedicated desktop DAC of a similar price.


It's amazing that a person can in the same post say he didn't watch it and then comment on its content as if he did.


----------



## someyoungguy

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> It's amazing that a person can in the same post say he didn't watch it and then comment on its content as if he did.


Must be confusing me with someone else, I did watch it.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

someyoungguy said:


> Must be confusing me with someone else, I did watch it.


It was the person in your post that you quoted.  alekc.


----------



## someyoungguy

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> It was the person in your post that you quoted.  alekc.


Ahh, I get your comment now


----------



## kumar402

It was a decent review. He compared it with Mojo 1 and BF2 for desktop mode. Ya he could have compared it with more portable devices but I guess he didn’t have many to begin with and great that he didn’t make any blanket statement like this is the best I have heard etc.


----------



## chesebert

It may just be me but I am very annoyed with these YouTubers. Everything sounds good to them and it feels like they have untrained hearing and have no experience with TOTL stuff.


----------



## syazwaned

chesebert said:


> It may just be me but I am very annoyed with these YouTubers. Everything sounds good to them and it feels like they have untrained hearing and have no experience with TOTL stuff.



Either don't listen to them or make your own review


----------



## chesebert

syazwaned said:


> Either don't listen to them or make your own review


I don’t. I only listen to Steve and this British guy for entertainment value.  Before Tyll retired I did watch his videos for his reviews and enjoyed his interactions with Bob Katz.


----------



## alekc

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> It's amazing that a person can in the same post say he didn't watch it and then comment on its content as if he did.


Dear @HiFiHawaii808 go back to my post and reread it please. I have never said I haven't watched a bit of it. I only have said I have not watch full 40+ minutes of the review. This is a fundamental difference. Using your logic one could say it is amazing that person who says almost half of review is not useful (19 minutes out of 40+) still rates it as far better review than any other already available. As a side note I do value your opinion and I kind of agree: there could be others even worst reviews, but it does not tell anything about the quality of this particular one. This one is the longest I've found on YT so far, but than again I might be wrong. Does it mean it is worthwhile? It wasn't for me, it was for you so good for you mate  

I don't have a problem if you do not agree with my opinion, I do not have to agree with yours as well, but let's do it in civilized way without using such manipulations please. Thank you in advance.

Now coming back to Mojo 2... I still have a few hours of waiting before receiving it. I plan to compare it with Mojo 1 (just like in the review we are talking about) and with Hugo TT2 (with and without M Scaler) and later connect it to the M Scaler (when right cable arrives). I also plan to first pair it with AQ NightOwls and NightHawks since both have tremendous synergy with Mojo 1. Would you agree with me on that? I would also compare it with Hugo 2 if I had one, but I dislike Hugo 2 sound signature hence I went with TT2 instead as steup from Mojo. Considering all the opinions in a sound signature change of Mojo 2 I'm excited and a bit worried at the same time I may not like it, since it seems to be closer to H2 than Mojo OG. The difference is I am not a pro reviewer and I do not back it up with any business model contrary to the author of the mentioned review. 

As far as BiFrost is concerned let me explain my point of view: I have no opinion about it since I have never heard it and this is one of the points why I find such comparison rather weak. Schiit gear is not easily accessible for audition in EU hence I am not interested in it and probably are so other Mojo users living outside of US. Have you ever heard BiFrost next to both Mojos yourself I wonder? I'd love to hear your opinion. 

Secondly BiFrost is not the only amp in the similar price range that has power desktop mode. Now back to waiting for Mojo 2 mode


----------



## alekc

someyoungguy said:


> Ahh, I get your comment now


@someyoungguy but I don't  Find my explanation here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ge-95-of-thread.885405/page-149#post-16805535


----------



## alekc

someyoungguy said:


> So I emailed Chord to ask directly about this, and their support confirmed that Mojo2 will only work with v3 firmware and Poly will need to be connected to a Mojo 1 to update to v3.
> 
> Seems a bit strange, I guess it might have to do with the different power configuration of the Mojo2 vs 1; maybe Poly can't power on properly with Mojo2 unless it's already running v3 firmware.


@someyoungguy thank you Sir for bringing it to my attention! I've decided to go with Poly thinking naively that it will finally work correctly and now I understand why dealer tried to persuade me to install upgrade before shipping it with Mojo 2 to me. Luckily I have Mojo 1 still in operational state, but I feel sorry for new Mojo 2 and Poly owners who are without one and living far from any Chord dealer with Mojo 1.


----------



## Rebel Chris

Where did you guys buy the cable to connect the mojo2 to the mscaler?

When tidal connect is available I will try poly. Untill thenthe mojo will be used with  USB C and a phone.


----------



## alekc

Rebel Chris said:


> Where did you guys buy the cable to connect the mojo2 to the mscaler?
> 
> When tidal connect is available I will try poly. Untill thenthe mojo will be used with  USB C and a phone.


@Rebel Chris I have been told Forza Audio could be potential source. Didn't have time to write to them yet but it could take time since if I understand correctly they produce cables only on request.


----------



## alekc

Ah is there a better way to start a day with such a morning package at your desk? Apparently Chord has been aware of firmware upgrade issue and I've got v3 installed - or at least so the sticker on the Poly box says. 6 hours of charging before I can check


----------



## Another Audiophile

My short take on mojo2
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZtXI3rMu-9/?utm_medium=copy_link


----------



## chesebert

Another Audiophile said:


> My short take on mojo2
> https://www.instagram.com/p/CZtXI3rMu-9/?utm_medium=copy_link


What's your reference dac? 

also just copy your listening note here.


----------



## Another Audiophile

chesebert said:


> What's your reference dac?
> 
> also just copy your listening note here.


My reference is the RME ADI 2 DAC fs.


----------



## Olliver (Feb 8, 2022)

ChrisGB said:


> Optical is not an option for either windows device unfortunately. I was looking into ways to solve the noise issue, but wondered if there is any need for driver downloads?
> 
> I've got a DAP for streaming and playback of stored high res files, but it'll be handy to use with laptop too.


USB noise filters like ifi iDefender or audioquest jitter bug do help a lot.
The effect with the iDefender is more depth and three dimensionality in the sound.
It seems to be less noisy, but also a bit darker with less energy.
Without filter the sound stage is more 2D and has more listening fatigue.
I compared it several times with and without the filter on mojo 1 and mojo 2, the difference is the same.
And if someone asks, if you use two filters on one usb cable, it loses resolution and clarity.


----------



## weexisttocease

alekc said:


> Ah is there a better way to start a day with such a morning package at your desk? Apparently Chord has been aware of firmware upgrade issue and I've got v3 installed - or at least so the sticker on the Poly box says. 6 hours of charging before I can check


Waiting for further impressions, especially if Poly comes with V3 firmware pre installed.


----------



## pjw241142

Rebel Chris said:


> Where did you guys buy the cable to connect the mojo2 to the mscaler?
> 
> When tidal connect is available I will try poly. Untill thenthe mojo will be used with  USB C and a phone.


Hi Rebel Chris. Are you using an iphone? If so I assume you use an Apple CCK and then what cable between the CCK and the USB-C?


----------



## ChrisGB (Feb 8, 2022)

@Olliver Many thanks for the tip! I'll be mostly using it with the DAP initially, but with laptop / tablet quite a bit too. Assuming I like the way it sounds of course! It's just turned up and I've got to go out to work!


----------



## Jawed

Olliver said:


> And if someone asks, if you use two filters on one usb cable, it loses resolution and clarity.


Listen for longer, it's merely more refined and probably sounds like there is more bass or is warmer.

Noise problems add exaggerating effects that create a false sense of detail and clarity.

An easy test for this is a song with lyrics that are hard to understand. A DAC that's sounding more refined will make it easier to understand the lyrics.

Listen for a week to find out what happens


----------



## NYanakiev

Are everyone's Mojo 2 and Poly a totally different colour?


----------



## gryffe

NYanakiev said:


> Are everyone's Mojo 2 and Poly a totally different colour?


Hopefully not. I've ordered my Poly and will report back when arrives - on back order (presumably because demand increased since launch of Mojo 2 last week)


----------



## Another Audiophile

NYanakiev said:


> Are everyone's Mojo 2 and Poly a totally different colour?


yes, at least mine it is different


----------



## NYanakiev

Good to know it is not just me. Luckily, it is a device carried around in a case. 

I would have sent my 2Go back if it was as different to Hugo 2 as Mojo 2 is to Poly.


----------



## ubs28

I read somewhere that the Mojo 2 uses the same chip/processor as the Mojo 1. Is that true?


----------



## gryffe (Feb 8, 2022)

Just looked at old pics of Mojo and Poly and they are identical in colour. So unless they have modified the colour of the new batch of Poly's (with 3.0) to be the same different shade of black as the Mojo 2 looks like everybody will be in the same boat. Not a great look from Chord if this is the case.

From the Chord website there is this pic - looks like M2 and Poly both same shade?


----------



## NYanakiev

gryffe said:


> Just looked at old pics of Mojo and Poly and they are identical in colour. So unless they have modified the colour of the new batch of Poly's (with 3.0) to be the same different shade of black as the Mojo 2 looks like everybody will be in the same boat. Not a great look from Chord if this is the case.


Not at all. I unboxed Poly and my instinctive reaction was to put it back in the box.


----------



## Rob Watts

Serre Dent said:


> Just ordered one ! EQ (and crossfeed) are really great changes on the first one (that I have)
> Looking forward to try it on headphone and speakers
> 
> Just wondering
> ...



No it's not the same - I am not limited by transmitting to the DAC as you can't go above 0DBFS. With the UHD DSP I have built in 3 overload bits, so you can indeed go over 0DBFS. No setting will induce clipping within the UHD DSP. But - the last stage is the volume control, and you need to remember that adding a boost in the DSP means that you may have to reduce the volume to ensure no clipping at the output. So with no boost, Mojo 2 can clip when the volume is set to white. If you were to boost 20Hz by say +3dB, and the bass shelf by +3dB then the total boost at 20Hz is now +6 dB. That would mean that 20Hz _could_ clip with volume set to violet or higher and not white now; that said, I have never run the volume anyway near violet!


----------



## gryffe

If you go to 45secs in to the video you can see from the side view that Poly is definitely a lighter shade of black than M2.


----------



## Baten

gryffe said:


> Just looked at old pics of Mojo and Poly and they are identical in colour. So unless they have modified the colour of the new batch of Poly's (with 3.0) to be the same different shade of black as the Mojo 2 looks like everybody will be in the same boat. Not a great look from Chord if this is the case.
> 
> From the Chord website there is this pic - looks like M2 and Poly both same shade?


Soo.... this image = false marketing..?


----------



## weexisttocease

NYanakiev said:


> Are everyone's Mojo 2 and Poly a totally different colour?


It's that and old version or a new Poly? Last generation had the same colours.


----------



## weexisttocease

alekc said:


> Ah is there a better way to start a day with such a morning package at your desk? Apparently Chord has been aware of firmware upgrade issue and I've got v3 installed - or at least so the sticker on the Poly box says. 6 hours of charging before I can check


Also if possible confirm if the Mojo and Poly have the same colours.


----------



## NYanakiev

weexisttocease said:


> It's that and old version or a new Poly? Last generation had the same colours.


Both are brand new.


----------



## miketlse

alekc said:


> @someyoungguy thank you Sir for bringing it to my attention! I've decided to go with Poly thinking naively that it will finally work correctly and now I understand why dealer tried to persuade me to install upgrade before shipping it with Mojo 2 to me. Luckily I have Mojo 1 still in operational state, but I feel sorry for new Mojo 2 and Poly owners who are without one and living far from any Chord dealer with Mojo 1.


Yes inconvénient for some owners.
Maybe one workaround would be for impacted owners, to post something like ´if you live near xxxxx and would be happy to meet up for a beer, while i use your Mojo to up date my Poly, please send a PM'.


----------



## GreenBow

chesebert said:


> I would use optical from PC if sound quality matters. Mojo and all Chord portables do not have galvanic isolation on the usb input. This means ground noise from PC will get into the dac and degrade sound quality.



Those are different types of noise. Ground noise travels via ground rails. PC noise that gets into the DAC travels via USB data rails.

Most Chord DACs have usb data rail noise filtering.


----------



## THANOSTITAN

Greetings Butties

I was wondering how does the Mojo 2 Holds UP against something like a Fiio M17 ?

Regards


----------



## chesebert

GreenBow said:


> Those are different types of noise. Ground noise travels via ground rails. PC noise that gets into the DAC travels via USB data rails.
> 
> Most Chord DACs have usb data rail noise filtering.


makes no sense. if your USB square wave has degraded to a lopsided saw tooth no amount of "data rail noise filtering" will be able to recover the lost data. The goal of galvanic isolation is not to fix the waveform but to stop noise from getting into the dac. 

Do whatever sounds good to you.


----------



## hakunamakaka

Olliver said:


> USB noise filters like ifi iDefender or audioquest jitter bug do help a lot.
> The effect with the iDefender is more depth and three dimensionality in the sound.
> It seems to be less noisy, but also a bit darker with less energy.
> Without filter the sound stage is more 2D and has more listening fatigue.
> ...



I believe that many complains of bad synergy or "meh sound" is related to noisy sources attached mojo. To me it was the first portable dac/amp that came close to my desktop rig


----------



## headmanPL

weexisttocease said:


> Also if possible confirm if the Mojo and Poly have the same colours.


I have an original Poly. Hadn't noticed it was a slightly different shade to Mojo 2. Held to sunlight it has more of a blueish tint to Mojo 2. Other than that, it's a negligible difference.


----------



## NYanakiev

THANOSTITAN said:


> Greetings Butties
> 
> I was wondering how does the Mojo 2 Holds UP against something like a Fiio M17 ?
> 
> Regards


lol

In a nutshell, these are two totally different products with one being primarily for desktop use and 6X the size of the other.


----------



## Another Audiophile

NYanakiev said:


> lol
> 
> In a nutshell, these are two totally different products with one being primarily for desktop use and 6X the size of the other.


Still from my experice even the OG Mojo was my favourite between the 2. The M17 has power if that's what you are after.


----------



## u2u2 (Feb 8, 2022)

NYanakiev said:


> Are everyone's Mojo 2 and Poly a totally different colour?


That is the same mismatch on my MOJO original... I assume it will be the same when MOJO 2 arrives. Certainly not ideal but mine will be going into a case if I can find one. Poly was so easy to fire up and update I can live with this cosmetic issue. The sound is intoxicating... and the freedom of less wires  with no sacrifice in SQ.


----------



## gc335 (Feb 8, 2022)

THANOSTITAN said:


> Greetings Butties
> 
> I was wondering how does the Mojo 2 Holds UP against something like a Fiio M17 ?
> 
> Regards


I preordered the Mojo 2.  I A/B the OG Mojo against the M17 and the M17 beat the Mojo in all aspects except that Mojo had a more analog sound.  The clarity was better on the M17 as well as sound stage height and width.   The m17 had more of the digital edge.  I'm hoping the Mojo 2 has the strengths of the M17 with the more natural sound of the Mojo.  From what I read, that seems to be the case.  Super excited.

Edit: I want to add that I still REALLY like the Mojo 1.  It's just different from the M17.


----------



## headmanPL

alekc said:


> Dear @HiFiHawaii808 go back to my post and reread it please. I have never said I haven't watched a bit of it. I only have said I have not watch full 40+ minutes of the review. This is a fundamental difference. Using your logic one could say it is amazing that person who says almost half of review is not useful (19 minutes out of 40+) still rates it as far better review than any other already available. As a side note I do value your opinion and I kind of agree: there could be others even worst reviews, but it does not tell anything about the quality of this particular one. This one is the longest I've found on YT so far, but than again I might be wrong. Does it mean it is worthwhile? It wasn't for me, it was for you so good for you mate
> 
> I don't have a problem if you do not agree with my opinion, I do not have to agree with yours as well, but let's do it in civilized way without using such manipulations please. Thank you in advance.
> 
> ...


I'm also not a fan of H2's sound. I don't have TT2, but that is an amazing DAC. To my ears, Mojo 2 sounds different enough to H2 that I love it, and would take it over H2 on sound alone. To me it takes takes the best sound attributes of Mojo 1 & H2 to be different, and for my preference, better than both. It'll be interesting to here your thoughts, especially Mojo 2 with M Scaler


----------



## alekc

So for all those interested souls wondering about connecting Poly with Mojo 2, the v3 sticker on my Poly box said truth: v3 firmware has been installed before shipping the item to me:


----------



## NYanakiev

headmanPL said:


> I'm also not a fan of H2's sound. I don't have TT2, but that is an amazing DAC. To my ears, Mojo 2 sounds different enough to H2 that I love it, and would take it over H2 on sound alone. To me it takes takes the best sound attributes of Mojo 1 & H2 to be different, and for my preference, better than both. It'll be interesting to here your thoughts, especially Mojo 2 with M Scaler


I own a Mscaler but not sure I will be going through the trouble of disconnecting it from DAVE to plug it into Mojo 2. Curious to hear what people think, however.


----------



## DavidW

For U.S. pending customers, I see that Moon Audio has the Mojo 2 in stock. Any other U.S. dealers reporting the same?


----------



## jarnopp

DavidW said:


> For U.S. pending customers, I see that Moon Audio has the Mojo 2 in stock. Any other U.S. dealers reporting the same?


Is that for real? I preordered on 1/31 and haven’t received any shipping notice.


----------



## DavidW

jarnopp said:


> Is that for real? I preordered on 1/31 and haven’t received any shipping notice.


I'm just going by their website. I preordered from Bloom Audio in NJ who still shows it as pending. I pinged Bloom Audio yesterday and they said it is still back ordered.


----------



## Slim1970

jarnopp said:


> Is that for real? I preordered on 1/31 and haven’t received any shipping notice.


So did I. I preordered one as soon as I saw it on Moon Audio’s website. I hope my “awaiting fulfillment” status changes soon because they are showing some stock.


----------



## VancityDreaming

Another Audiophile said:


> My short take on mojo2
> https://www.instagram.com/p/CZtXI3rMu-9/?utm_medium=copy_link


Is the mojo 2 a worthwhile purchase, if I own a WM1A already? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!


----------



## chesebert

VancityDreaming said:


> Is the mojo 2 a worthwhile purchase, if I own a WM1A already? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!


Is portable your end game?


----------



## rocketron

VancityDreaming said:


> Is the mojo 2 a worthwhile purchase, if I own a WM1A already? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!


Or why don’t you wait and see what Sony release this week?


----------



## VancityDreaming

chesebert said:


> Is portable your end game?


Yes.


rocketron said:


> Or why don’t you wait and see what Sony release this week?


I can ask my question and also wait for Sony on the 8th. They're not mutually exclusive🤷‍♂️


----------



## chesebert

VancityDreaming said:


> Yes.
> 
> I can ask my question and also wait for Sony on the 8th. They're not mutually exclusive🤷‍♂️


Mojo has an agreeable sound with aspects of hi end dac quality. I think given the size, layout and power constraints you are probably not going to get much better - I don’t consider Hugo 2 to be a direct upgrade. Unless you tell me Sony also has an FPGA dac implementation I am guessing mojo will be better.


----------



## rocketron

The Mojo 2 will have a more open sound than your Sony.
It also has far more power and more inputs.
You will lose LDAC and a long battery life.
Try the Mojo2 with you Sony?


----------



## chesebert

I think we will be stuck in this quality band until the high end shops come up with  something unique - like a new way to develop the sound model that fits your unique situation or to use machine learning to revert back to recording session or other computational hifi.  

tbh the high end sounds bloody good years ago. I guess the difference would be instead of simply “seeing” the singer and their moving lips you can now “touch” their face…perhaps in the future we can touch them all over.  I don’t know I am just grabbing for words here. 

I think without a break through we are at a point that the continued improvements in sound will shift from computational power back to good old analog circuit design and careful clock and signal management and noise management. The analog stuff can get really expensive really fast.


----------



## chesebert

.


----------



## NYanakiev

Just got home after work- got Mojo 2 and Poly set up as a Roon endpoint in minutes. 

Sounding just excellent with my Focal Utopias.


----------



## Another Audiophile

VancityDreaming said:


> Is the mojo 2 a worthwhile purchase, if I own a WM1A already? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!


I have both and is a difficult one. The mojo is more transparent and dynamic with way more power. Will depend on your headphones and IEMs. If you are happy with the power supplied then you are good. From the other hand you get the versatility with the mojo since you are using your mobile. Adding the poly and then you have more power, transparency and dynamics with streaming and everything the mobile brings into the discussion. But if you are happy with sony’s power and you want just a mobile device for your own files then maybe is better to stick with. Finally the mojo is a waaaaay better Dac as a desktop device and the Sony simply is not at all. Hope that’s helpful


----------



## Olliver

Jawed said:


> Listen for longer, it's merely more refined and probably sounds like there is more bass or is warmer.
> 
> Noise problems add exaggerating effects that create a false sense of detail and clarity.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the reply, it´s an interesting idea to try it longer and if my perception will change.
I know from mains noise filters, that it can be to much and make the music liveless, but here there are more technical explanations for this effect,
than on an usb connection.


----------



## mainguy (Feb 8, 2022)

VancityDreaming said:


> Is the mojo 2 a worthwhile purchase, if I own a WM1A already? Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!


Have you added Mr Walkman's firmware to the WM1a? If you do its basically a WM1az.

I've owned the Mojo/Poly combo & WM1a simultaneously. I think the Mojopoly had a slight technical edge (but not the mojo alone) while i preferred the signature of the WM1az.

Honestly, it's so damned close in terms of SQ, if you don't need the Mojo power...The wm1a battery and features, with bluetooth, make it a no brainer. Unless you love the chord sound signature.

Bear in mind the WM1a retailed at £1100, which is a good chunk more than the mojo/poly combo, so its not hugely surprising it matches the mojo in sound.


----------



## Olliver (Feb 8, 2022)

GreenBow said:


> Those are different types of noise. Ground noise travels via ground rails. PC noise that gets into the DAC travels via USB data rails.
> 
> Most Chord DACs have usb data rail noise filtering.


I asked Rob Watts for this and he answered: "Sure - there are ferrites in the USB ground to suppress RF noise from entering Mojo 2."


----------



## u2u2

Long shot question here that I have not spotted an answer to.
Does the Mojo 2/Poly combination fit in the premium Chord case from the 1st generation Mojo/Poly and if so do the buttons function within reason?
Looking for a stop gap solution as we await newer cases and I wear out Mojo 1


----------



## TheEldestBoy (Feb 8, 2022)

I will be listening primarily with my HD 600s, HD 6XX’s, HE 4XX’s. And I plan on getting some Audeze LCD 2C’s as well.

I’m not an IEM guy.

For my use case scenario, do you guys think I will really hear all the benefits that the mojo 2 has to offer, above some thing like a Sony Dap?

In other words, do you need highly resolving IEM‘s to hear the benefits; will they be lost on me since I’m listening with over the ear open back headphones?


----------



## chesebert

u2u2 said:


> Long shot question here that I have not spotted an answer to.
> Does the Mojo 2/Poly combination fit in the premium Chord case from the 1st generation Mojo/Poly and if so do the buttons function within reason?
> Looking for a stop gap solution as we await newer cases and I wear out Mojo 1


obviously not, given the new ball.


----------



## emgeebee

u2u2 said:


> Long shot question here that I have not spotted an answer to.
> Does the Mojo 2/Poly combination fit in the premium Chord case from the 1st generation Mojo/Poly and if so do the buttons function within reason?
> Looking for a stop gap solution as we await newer cases and I wear out Mojo 1


I dont have the chord case, but my case is perfectly adequate


----------



## Lyssky

chesebert said:


> How can anyone verify one arbitrary number from another?


My intention was not to derive objective conclusions out of this subjective comparison. People seem to be enjoying the difference in SQ between the mojo and mojo2 as almost all of the owners unfalteringly pointed out. So I just thought if 8/10 and 9/10 comments really symbolize that much of a difference which people were enthusiastic about. I know it’s just a number but the guy only raised it by one point which is not much. At least not as much as the hype (which I don’t say is baseless) going on here.


----------



## SRKRAM

Olliver said:


> I asked Rob Watts for this and he answered: "Sure - there are ferrites in the USB ground to suppress RF noise from entering Mojo 2."





Rob Watts said:


> Sure - there are ferrites in the USB ground to suppress RF noise from entering Mojo 2. As to whether external filters will help depends upon your usage. If it's a mobile source, then I can't see it making any difference. But it _may_ make a difference if yours source is mains powered and Mojo 2 is connected to a mains powered amp; again it all depends upon how noisy the source is. Best bet in that instance is to use optical.


It's useful to see the whole message from Rob, quoted above.


----------



## flvtch

rocketron said:


> Or why don’t you wait and see what Sony release this week?


Are there any 'rumours' for Sony's upcoming presentation/release? I'm in the market for either a mojo2poly or mojo2/stack (android transport); trying to weigh up options.


----------



## TheEldestBoy

flvtch said:


> Are there any 'rumours' for Sony's upcoming presentation/release? I'm in the market for either a mojo2poly or mojo2/stack (android transport); trying to weigh up options.


Well… we should have all the details in less than 4 hours.


----------



## Another Audiophile

u2u2 said:


> Long shot question here that I have not spotted an answer to.
> Does the Mojo 2/Poly combination fit in the premium Chord case from the 1st generation Mojo/Poly and if so do the buttons function within reason?
> Looking for a stop gap solution as we await newer cases and I wear out Mojo 1


The hard case doesn’t fit


----------



## flvtch

TheEldestBoy said:


> Well… we should have all the details in less than 4 hours.



Oo very exciting!


----------



## flvtch

Has anyone heard the Mojo2 (or Mojo2/poly) against the iBasso DX300Max?


----------



## NYanakiev

NYanakiev said:


> Just got home after work- got Mojo 2 and Poly set up as a Roon endpoint in minutes.
> 
> Sounding just excellent with my Focal Utopias.


My listening session was, sadly, totally ruined by Poly's unreliable wifi with two different routers.

I will be staying away from Chord streamers until they finally start supporting 5GHz networks.

I have the same issue with my Astell&Kern SP2000- perfectly fine on 5Ghz and intermittent dropouts on 2.4. 

I have no use for Mojo 2 without Poly but am glad to at least have heard how good it is.


----------



## alekc

NYanakiev said:


> My listening session was, sadly, totally ruined by Poly's unreliable wifi with two different routers.
> 
> I will be staying away from Chord streamers until they finally start supporting 5GHz networks.
> 
> ...


Sorry to hear that. After 1 hour of trying to make Poly play the way and tracks I would like I reconnected Mojo 2 to my Lumin U1 Mini again via usb (optical is next on the to do list) and I enjoy my listening session. Poly can be so frustrating, I can't image how people could live with it before 3.x firmware. 

Coming back to my first Mojo 2 impression: I would say our relationship is quite complex and definitively different than with original Mojo.


----------



## Mr X

Picked up an Mojo2 today after saying I wouldn’t (that didn’t last long) found a couple of places that has Poly in stock (sold mine ages ago) but explaining why I needed confirmation that the Polys were being sold with V3 software, 3 separate dealers couldn’t confirm software version. One guys didn’t have a clue what I was talking about so had to explain and that was a painful conversation. 

One was in hand (Richer Sounds) but the box didn’t have a V3 sticker. 

Still looking.


----------



## flvtch

Mr X said:


> Picked up an Mojo2 today after saying I wouldn’t (that didn’t last long) found a couple of places that has Poly in stock (sold mine ages ago) but explaining why I needed confirmation that the Polys were being sold with V3 software, 3 separate dealers couldn’t confirm software version. One guys didn’t have a clue what I was talking about so had to explain and that was a painful conversation.
> 
> One was in hand (Richer Sounds) but the box didn’t have a V3 sticker.
> 
> Still looking.


Peter Tyson told me this re Poly firmware:

"Hi James,
Thank you for your email
Yes, all Poly’s we have are recent & on the new FW
Kind regards,"


----------



## VancityDreaming

Another Audiophile said:


> I have both and is a difficult one. The mojo is more transparent and dynamic with way more power. Will depend on your headphones and IEMs. If you are happy with the power supplied then you are good. From the other hand you get the versatility with the mojo since you are using your mobile. Adding the poly and then you have more power, transparency and dynamics with streaming and everything the mobile brings into the discussion. But if you are happy with sony’s power and you want just a mobile device for your own files then maybe is better to stick with. Finally the mojo is a waaaaay better Dac as a desktop device and the Sony simply is not at all. Hope that’s helpful


Thank you! I run the ier-z1r, so power would be appreciated. I might use mojo 2 as desktop set up, keeps it clean and tidy, and stick to wm1a as portable then.


----------



## chesebert

Lyssky said:


> My intention was not to derive objective conclusions out of this subjective comparison. People seem to be enjoying the difference in SQ between the mojo and mojo2 as almost all of the owners unfalteringly pointed out. So I just thought if 8/10 and 9/10 comments really symbolize that much of a difference which people were enthusiastic about. I know it’s just a number but the guy only raised it by one point which is not much. At least not as much as the hype (which I don’t say is baseless) going on here.


I can also say if MSB select is 10/10 mojo 2 is like 4/10 and Mojo 1 is like 3.95/10.


----------



## Gww1

flvtch said:


> Peter Tyson told me this re Poly firmware:
> 
> "Hi James,
> Thank you for your email
> ...


I ordered a poly from Peter Tyson to go with my mojo 2 and can confirm it has the 'v3 fw mojo 2' compatible stickers on the box.
Also I've seen a couple of comments about colour matching, mine seems to match the mojo 2 very well so maybe the newest batch of Polys are slightly different finish - or I've just been lucky.


----------



## flvtch

Gww1 said:


> I ordered a poly from Peter Tyson to go with my mojo 2 and can confirm it has the 'v3 fw mojo 2' compatible stickers on the box.
> Also I've seen a couple of comments about colour matching, mine seems to match the mojo 2 very well so maybe the newest batch of Polys are slightly different finish - or I've just been lucky.


That’s good to know re FW and colour. How are you finding the Mojo2poly?


----------



## Gww1

flvtch said:


> That’s good to know re FW and colour. How are you finding the Mojo2poly?


It's exceeded my expectations to be honest, I've had a mojo and poly in the past and never really had issues with my use case - poly on android phone's hotspot and playing from SD card or qobuz/tidal using mconnect, but in the end moved into DAPs.
I'm doing the same use case again this time and it's been faultless, gapless actually is gapless now too which is nice 
I use a Hugo 2 mostly and was planning to get a 2go but held out for the mojo 2 release as that plus a poly is slightly cheaper and much more portable. I went for the mojo 2 as soon as I saw it had crossfeed as I use that feature a lot on the Hugo 2 with older recording - early Dylan, Grateful dead etc...
Anyway, I'm really enjoying it - I would say it's a tad warmer than the Hugo 2 and not quite as spacious but not by much and isn't that far off in terms of overall quality - excellent sound on the go.


----------



## u2u2

chesebert said:


> obviously not, given the new ball.


Well given the balls on both do not protrude above the housing, the case is leather (some flexibility?), open ended, the balls appear to cover the about the same width in the case, and the mojo models measurements are close in size  there seems to be a possibility it could fit and function "within reason". You know, as a short term measure while waiting for the proper case. I was seeking a helpful answer but thank you non the less. If your answer is based on experience with the product you could post that. Just trying to protect my investment when out and involved in physical activity


----------



## Alan Billington

u2u2 said:


> Long shot question here that I have not spotted an answer to.
> Does the Mojo 2/Poly combination fit in the premium Chord case from the 1st generation Mojo/Poly and if so do the buttons function within reason?
> Looking for a stop gap solution as we await newer cases and I wear out Mojo 1


Mine does. Including the new ball. Nor perfect but I can access all and will NOT be buying new case


----------



## u2u2

Another Audiophile said:


> The hard case doesn’t fit


Thank you.


----------



## Mr X (Feb 8, 2022)

flvtch said:


> Peter Tyson told me this re Poly firmware:
> 
> "Hi James,
> Thank you for your email
> ...


Wish I had spoken to your guy!

It was Peter Tyson that actually told me that “the early version of Poly had wifi issues for some people but all latest versions should be fine and they have no way of knowing” What!!!!

Nintronics said they would get someone to call me from sales…no one called back all day and I’ve spent a small fortune with them in the past. Won’t be anymore.

It was Richer Sounds local store who were really helpful on the phone, they will call Chord in the morning and order directly from them so it should be V3 but will ask Chord to verify and will only charge me once they give me an eta  that is acceptable to me.


----------



## u2u2

Alan Billington said:


> Mine does. Including the new ball. Nor perfect but I can access all and will NOT be buying new case


Outstanding! Thank you. With that I will purchase a case.


----------



## Alan Billington

u2u2 said:


> Outstanding! Thank you. With that I will purchase a case.


Enjoy! 👍


----------



## chesebert

Alan Billington said:


> Mine does. Including the new ball. Nor perfect but I can access all and will NOT be buying new case


That's actually very helpful. Thank you.


----------



## evhvis

The mojo 2 is definitely a step up from the old mojo. The major differences are in transparency, transients and frequency extremes. Separation between voices, instruments etc. is significantly better on the mojo 2 while transients are cleaner and better defined. Bass has better definition and reaches lower and treble seems a tiny bit higher in volume and cleaner, but at the cost of some warmth. The original mojo feels a bit overly smooth/warm and a bit congested in A-B comparison.

The differences depends quite a bit on the headphones used though. With some headphones the differences were minor, but with most they were significant and with a few headphones the gap between them was surprisingly large. There weren't any instances where I preferred the original mojo though. Upgrading will be worth it for quite a lot of people, but it depends on the headphones one plans to use with it and if one needs better sound than original mojo can provide. If I had neither of the mojos then I would buy a new mojo 2 rather than a used original mojo but the original mojo is still a good unit.

Overall I am very happy with the upgrade from mojo to mojo 2.


----------



## Julius Decimus

alekc said:


> Now coming back to Mojo 2...


Hello.

You are the same person from the Fiio Q5s thread, right ? 

Do you still have the Fiio Q5s and if yes could compare it quickly to the new Mojo ? I am not expecting the Fiio to be better, just is it big difference in sound quality ?


----------



## alekc (Feb 8, 2022)

Julius Decimus said:


> Hello.
> 
> You are the same person from the Fiio Q5s thread, right ?
> 
> Do you still have the Fiio Q5s and if yes could compare it quickly to the new Mojo ? I am not expecting the Fiio to be better, just is it big difference in sound quality ?


@Julius Decimus indeed I am and I still have Fiio Q5s - kept it as reference AKM based dac + THX  amp pocket size combo. I will be happy to share my findings as soon I will do all the listening with Mojo 1 vs 2. I'm still not ready to tell you how Mojo 2 sounds. Lucky those who after quick listening session made up their minds. For me this is far more complex.

EDIT: one thing I can repeat from Q5s thread is that comparing to Mojo 1 Q5s sounds dry and bit lifeless... due to different sound signature in case of Mojo 2 this is getting a bit more complex IMHO. Keep in mind that I loved Mojo sound signature so much that I skipped Hugo 2 and Qutest and got TT2 as an upgrade. H2 and Qutest were too bright for me.


----------



## someyoungguy

u2u2 said:


> Long shot question here that I have not spotted an answer to.
> Does the Mojo 2/Poly combination fit in the premium Chord case from the 1st generation Mojo/Poly and if so do the buttons function within reason?
> Looking for a stop gap solution as we await newer cases and I wear out Mojo 1


These guys show it at around 3:45 in this video:


----------



## CasualListener000

racebit said:


> I would be very happy with Mojo2 = Mojo + PentaConn (for double output power) + Dual channel Coax input (for mscaler)
> That should be very simple to do. But I guess they will increase tap number, they always do with every new dac.
> 
> I just hope they keep the Mojo simple) and cheap, without all the garbage that infests the other chord dacs (except Qtest): bluetooth, remote, useless output connectors and buttons.


Chord's circuit topology doesn't benefit from balanced output at all, there's no need to add that.


----------



## captblaze

Don't know how long this will stay up, or if they will honor the price, but Music Direct is listing M2 for $579 on backorder. you can put in cart and check out

https://www.musicdirect.com/dac/Chord-Electronics-Mojo-2-DAC-Headphone-Amplifier


----------



## Rob Watts (Feb 9, 2022)

NYanakiev said:


> lol
> 
> In a nutshell, these are two totally different products with one being primarily for desktop use and 6X the size of the other.



Please don't listen with your eyes or your wallet...



chesebert said:


> I can also say if MSB select is 10/10 mojo 2 is like 4/10 and Mojo 1 is like 3.95/10.



By listening with your eyes or your wallet?...


----------



## syazwaned

Can anyone compare centrance hifi m8 v2 with mojo 2?


----------



## keithmarsh

My Mojo 2 and Poly is a good colour match. Not sure which version of Poly I have as Chord replaced it so many times (it’s also my 2nd Mojo 2 because of issues with the first - hopefully all is good with this one) 🤣


----------



## Another Audiophile

keithmarsh said:


> My Mojo 2 and Poly is a good colour match. Not sure which version of Poly I have as Chord replaced it so many times (it’s also my 2nd Mojo 2 because of issues with the first - hopefully all is good with this one) 🤣


Is the case any good? The old hard case was great and didn't allow any movement. Is this case sturdy of bends? I am afraid that this case will not prevent the poly mojo unit from bending.


----------



## headmanPL

u2u2 said:


> Well given the balls on both do not protrude above the housing, the case is leather (some flexibility?), open ended, the balls appear to cover the about the same width in the case, and the mojo models measurements are close in size  there seems to be a possibility it could fit and function "within reason". You know, as a short term measure while waiting for the proper case. I was seeking a helpful answer but thank you non the less. If your answer is based on experience with the product you could post that. Just trying to protect my investment when out and involved in physical activity


I still have the Chord official Mojo/Poly leather case. I just put Mojo 2 in there, and it doesn't fit. The inside is sculpted to fit around original Mojo orbs, to hold Mojo in place. That prevents the case from closing. I didn't push too hard as I didn't want to compress the Mojo 2 orbs and potentially damage them.


----------



## keithmarsh

Another Audiophile said:


> Is the case any good? The old hard case was great and didn't allow any movement. Is this case sturdy of bends? I am afraid that this case will not prevent the poly mojo unit from bending.


I had the same concerns as I loved the Van Nuys case but the new case is actually nicer!!! Buttery leather, very tight and good square shape (straight sides and good corners)!


----------



## headmanPL

Lyssky said:


> My intention was not to derive objective conclusions out of this subjective comparison. People seem to be enjoying the difference in SQ between the mojo and mojo2 as almost all of the owners unfalteringly pointed out. So I just thought if 8/10 and 9/10 comments really symbolize that much of a difference which people were enthusiastic about. I know it’s just a number but the guy only raised it by one point which is not much. At least not as much as the hype (which I don’t say is baseless) going on here.


I was very satisfied with Mojo 1, but bought Mojo 2 for £450 thinking I could return it if I wasn't happy. Taking that value into account, and the fact I am keeping the Mojo 2 and it has replaced my Mojo 1, does that objectively make Mojo 2 £450 better than Mojo 1?


----------



## Lyssky

headmanPL said:


> I was very satisfied with Mojo 1, but bought Mojo 2 for £450 thinking I could return it if I wasn't happy. Taking that value into account, and the fact I am keeping the Mojo 2 and it has replaced my Mojo 1, does that objectively make Mojo 2 £450 better than Mojo 1?


😂 Subjectively of course. Even the added value of £450 can be subjective 😅


----------



## Pcppps

I have heard thay the poly is difficult to use, should I get a shanling m0 etc instead?


----------



## Another Audiophile

Pcppps said:


> I have heard thay the poly is difficult to use, should I get a shanling m0 etc instead?


to be fair after the latest update the poly works as intended with no issues anymore


----------



## miketlse

I have two Mojos. One is reserved for use at home (including Poly), and the other reserved for use at the office (playing music from the SD card in a shanling M1). 
Both use cases work ok, but they are much simpler than the use cases of other owners.


----------



## keithmarsh

I no longer have my Mojo 1. Can some one who has both let me know if the headphone sockets are the same distance apart on the M1 and M2? Thanks in advance.


----------



## Another Audiophile

keithmarsh said:


> I no longer have my Mojo 1. Can some one who has both let me know if the headphone sockets are the same distance apart on the M1 and M2? Thanks in advance.


looking at them. Are identical.


----------



## keithmarsh

Another Audiophile said:


> looking at them. Are identical.


Thank you so much. I might finally get round to ordering this: https://www.mtmtaudio.com/products/...rd-mojo-amplifier?_pos=1&_sid=67d794c42&_ss=r

Heard some good things about it. Hopefully it’ll fit!


----------



## soundblast75

Looking at the new Sonys don’t make me feel bad for ordering the Mojo2, lets see


----------



## surfgeorge

keithmarsh said:


> Thank you so much. I might finally get round to ordering this: https://www.mtmtaudio.com/products/...rd-mojo-amplifier?_pos=1&_sid=67d794c42&_ss=r
> 
> Heard some good things about it. Hopefully it’ll fit!


FWIW - this looks like a simple adapter from 3,5mm to 4,4 connector, but does not actually deliver a balanced or amplified signal. The 2 outputs on the Mojo and Mojo 2 are just that - 2 sockets connected to the same output stage.

You can buy a technically similar solution for small money at Aliexpress:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...1;30.12;-1;-1@salePrice;EUR;search-mainSearch


----------



## keithmarsh

surfgeorge said:


> FWIW - this looks like a simple adapter from 3,5mm to 4,4 connector, but does not actually deliver a balanced or amplified signal. The 2 outputs on the Mojo and Mojo 2 are just that - 2 sockets connected to the same output stage.
> 
> You can buy a technically similar solution for small money at Aliexpress:
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001351607605.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.2488f1685bsRHb&algo_pvid=c04baab9-d449-4e10-a3f7-b6b666f239b3&algo_exp_id=c04baab9-d449-4e10-a3f7-b6b666f239b3-8&pdp_ext_f={"sku_id":"12000015786637604"}&pdp_pi=-1;30.12;-1;-1@salePrice;EUR;search-mainSearch



Thanks. I have a lot of 4.4 to 3.5 adapters but I just like the way the PW audio one looks. It’s also far less lightly to damage the sockets when in your pocket. Some of those 4.4 adapters are pretty big and can apply a lot of strain on the sockets.


----------



## flvtch

soundblast75 said:


> Looking at the new Sonys don’t make me feel bad for ordering the Mojo2, lets see


Agree 100% - had they put a slightly better SoC in the newly announced Sony's then I might have been more inclined to give them serious consideration. Love it or hate it, I am a streamer so the snappier the UI the better the overall experience. Think i'll go Mojo2poly instead streaming from my iPhone.


----------



## mainguy (Feb 9, 2022)

flvtch said:


> Agree 100% - had they put a slightly better SoC in the newly announced Sony's then I might have been more inclined to give them serious consideration. Love it or hate it, I am a streamer so the snappier the UI the better the overall experience. Think i'll go Mojo2poly instead streaming from my iPhone.


I have a strong feeling these might top the Mojo 2 in sound. The WM1Z did. Plus you get 40 hours vs 8 hours battery life...It'll be snappy as can be, I'll take all the advantages and an unnoticable 50ms delay on selecting a song anyday.

I did really enjoy the Mojo 1 Poly combo. But when I got a WM1a and popped mr walkman's firmware on it the mojo/poly was on ebay in no time. Sony's UI, the controls, the battery, it was so effortless. And it sounded just as good. As the Mojo 2 is still somewhat archaic with micro USB and the ageing poly i have a feeling the new WM1A will pull away even further.


----------



## iDesign (Feb 9, 2022)

The


mainguy said:


> I have a strong feeling these might top the Mojo 2 in sound. The WM1Z did. Plus you get 40 hours vs 8 hours battery life...It'll be snappy as can be, I'll take all the advantages and an unnoticable 50ms delay on selecting a song anyday.


I agree. Though it is important to consider the Sony NW-WM1ZM2 and Mojo 2 are in completely different product classes and it is difficult to objectively compare them. That said, the NW-WM1ZM2 has very compelling features, specifications, design, and precision construction. A tiny firm like Chord could never match Sony given their enormous resources. However, Chord desprately needs to hire a skilled industrial designer as many aspects of the Mojo 2 and its manufacturing tolerances/design could be vastly improved. I can’t forgive the lazy and embarrassing packaging design of the Mojo 2 which further reveals a company that needs to hire a lead designer.


----------



## Another Audiophile

mainguy said:


> I have a strong feeling these might top the Mojo 2 in sound. The WM1Z did. Plus you get 40 hours vs 8 hours battery life...It'll be snappy as can be, I'll take all the advantages and an unnoticable 50ms delay on selecting a song anyday.
> 
> I did really enjoy the Mojo 1 Poly combo. But when I got a WM1a and popped mr walkman's firmware on it the mojo/poly was on ebay in no time. Sony's UI, the controls, the battery, it was so effortless. And it sounded just as good. As the Mojo 2 is still somewhat archaic with micro USB and the ageing poly i have a feeling the new WM1A will pull away even further.


What's your take on the firmware from Mr Walkman. I love my WM1A and its more of curiosity than non been satisfied.


----------



## Another Audiophile

iDesign said:


> The
> 
> I agree. Though it is important to consider the Sony NW-WM1ZM2 and Mojo 2 are in completely different product classes and it is difficult to objectively compare them. That said, the NW-WM1ZM2 has very compelling features, specifications, design, and precision construction. A tiny firm like Chord could never match Sony given their enormous resources. However, Chord desprately needs to hire a skilled industrial designer as many aspects of the Mojo 2 and its manufacturing tolerances/design could be vastly improved. I can’t forgive the lazy and embarrassing packaging design of the Mojo 2 which further reveals a company that needs to hire a lead designer.


What's wrong with the industrial design and packaging? I found it very good if not excellent. It might not be to everybody's taste but that doesn't make it poor. What's your experience with it?


----------



## soundblast75

Well, if I’m to go by past experience,
I will enjoy Mojo shortly, sell it and get the Walkman 😅😜


----------



## flvtch

mainguy said:


> I have a strong feeling these might top the Mojo 2 in sound. The WM1Z did. Plus you get 40 hours vs 8 hours battery life...It'll be snappy as can be, I'll take all the advantages and an unnoticable 50ms delay on selecting a song anyday.


The distinction between Sony DAPs and Chord’s Mojo/Poly combo shouldn’t be understated; they’re vastly different and hard to compare. And as pointed out, I agree that both the old W1MZ and old W1MA sound better than Mojo 2 so it’s easy to see that the newer models will outperform too.

For my use case I want an additional device which will pair with my iPhone/computer (whether wired or wireless) and not have to sacrifice UI performance; my phone is snappy so having to deal with slower UI on a DAP is something that bugs me (petty I know). For that reason, I’ve had a DAP with a SD 660 and sold a DAP. 

I understand that Sony chose the specific SoC from a audio performance perspective, newer, faster SoCs provided worse audio performance; I get that and respect that but, for my use case, I don’t want to be meandering sluggish UI in 3 years time on a new Sony DAP when I’ve got a TOTL phone in my pocket. Unfortunately, I’ve made a rod for my own back by having the latest and greatest phone!


----------



## alekc

So today for my Mojo 2 evaluation I've been playing with cross feed function. So far the blue and later green settings are my favorite, especially with IEMs. When briefly comparing blue cross feed with XFD3 from TT2 I would say that Mojo 2 is less subtle in sound change between minium and maximum settings than his bigger brother. My first impression was also that sound lost a bit of dynamics but I am not so sure about it any more. I wonder what others think about it.

Oh, and apparantly I've got luck since my Mojo 2 and Poly are in the same color


----------



## flvtch

soundblast75 said:


> Well, if I’m to go by past experience,
> I will enjoy Mojo shortly, sell it and get the Walkman 😅😜


Yeah, I change my mind all the time! 2 years time you’ll see me wanting a 2nd device for my music rather than a streamlined package like Phone + Mojo/Poly. I’m a simple stupid creature, I know that.


----------



## chesebert

iDesign said:


> The
> 
> I agree. Though it is important to consider the Sony NW-WM1ZM2 and Mojo 2 are in completely different product classes and it is difficult to objectively compare them. That said, the NW-WM1ZM2 has very compelling features, specifications, design, and precision construction. A tiny firm like Chord could never match Sony given their enormous resources. However, Chord desprately needs to hire a skilled industrial designer as many aspects of the Mojo 2 and its manufacturing tolerances/design could be vastly improved. I can’t forgive the lazy and embarrassing packaging design of the Mojo 2 which further reveals a company that needs to hire a lead designer.


Grado Labs: hold my beer........ and let me bust out that pizza box.


----------



## soundblast75

flvtch said:


> Yeah, I change my mind all the time! 2 years time you’ll see me wanting a 2nd device for my music rather than a streamlined package like Phone + Mojo/Poly. I’m a simple stupid creature, I know that.


Hah not the only one, loss of money is part of this hobby, I’ve accepted I won’t decide now which one, will get both and sell one basically new, now, this is stupid😂


----------



## chesebert (Feb 9, 2022)

Rob Watts said:


> Please don't listen with your eyes or your wallet...
> 
> 
> 
> By listening with your eyes or your wallet?...


No need to be cheeky. I am sitting here with mojo1 + poly and Emm Labs Dac2x + Headamp GSX and if I am being really honest, if Dac2x + GSX were 10/10, mojo1+poly is like 4/10. So I am actually being very generous with MSB Select and Mojo 1 comparison.

mojo 1 + poly was a game changer for the intended market and I am very happy with mine for their intended use case. You don't need to sell me on anything.

Also, thank you for turning your hobby into something that benefited the audiophile community.


----------



## flvtch

soundblast75 said:


> Hah not the only one, loss of money is part of this hobby, I’ve accepted I won’t decide now which one, will get both and sell one basically new, now, this is stupid😂


I see a lot of sense in this…


----------



## mainguy (Feb 9, 2022)

Another Audiophile said:


> What's your take on the firmware from Mr Walkman. I love my WM1A and its more of curiosity than non been satisfied.


It's very good. It adds that lush magic to the sound which made me go, time to put the Mojo on ebay 

That said, I totally get what flvtch is saying. They're very different devices; i think if your only use case is walking out and about, walkman. But if you want a DAC to insert in a desktop home system too, with speakers, something very versatile, you can't beat a mojo-poly setup.


----------



## soundblast75

flvtch said:


> I see a lot of sense in this…


Although on a second thought im definitely not paying £1400 or similar for the Sony, If the Mojo gets sweet and powerful sound I’ll be fine with the new toy syndrome for a bit


----------



## iDesign (Feb 9, 2022)

chesebert said:


> Grado Labs: hold my beer........ and let me bust out that pizza box.


And even Grado Labs hired the design firm High Tide NYC in 2019 to help with their graphic and packaging designs. It’s unfortunate because Rob Watts’ tech is outstanding yet it seems the rest of Chord invests a different level of effort and attention to detail.


----------



## chesebert

iDesign said:


> And even Grado Labs hired the design firm High Tide NYC in 2019 to help with their graphic design and packaging.


damn.. they have gone soft. I miss the edgy Joe days.


----------



## Another Audiophile

mainguy said:


> It's very good. It adds that lush magic to the sound which made me go, time to put the Mojo on ebay
> 
> That said, I totally get what flvtch is saying. They're very different devices; i think if your only use case is walking out and about, walkman. But if you want a DAC to insert in a desktop home system too, with speakers, something very versatile, you can't beat a mojo-poly setup.


Thanks mate. I have both and use them both equally but also differently. For example I use the poly mojo a lot in my hi fi and also in the car. sometime I take it to work. The Sony is my companion for portable audio playing my own files when I am out, on holidays etc. I tried the sony in my main system just out of curiosity and it was a total failure. So I think both devices have merits and use case.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Here is a question for the Mojo2. If connected to the poly and in constant charge is the desktop mode going to be enabled and as such charge only the poly when the mojo is full?


----------



## virgopunk (Feb 9, 2022)

Hopefully have my M2 soon. Paired with my tempotec v1 as transport. I love the OG Mojo so any improvement on that will great.


----------



## Another Audiophile (Feb 10, 2022)

My short take posted on my Instagram account.

Today we take a closer look to the newly released Chord Mojo 2 which is a portable digital to analog converter and headphone amplifier by @ChordElectronics  and @Rob Watts creation as the designer. This is the replacement of the original Mojo that defined an era in portable audio and is the single handed device that regenerated the whole portable audio developments. When the original mojo came out it was a revelation. But how the Mojo 2 compares? The mojo 2 is a sibling rather a cousin. Is more dynamic, transparent and coherent compared to the original. Nevertheless, the star of the show is the 4 bands EQ function that the new mojo offers. As a result I was able to tune the new mojo closer to the sound signature offered by the original which is slightly warmer sounding. With 3db  at 20 Hz and 2db at 120Hz I was able to match the sound signature with more dynamics and higher level of transparency. Music just sounds right and for example closer to what an acoustic guitar will sound in real life. The new mojo offers also cross feed which is helpful with some type of recordings and certain headphones. The whole point of the new mojo is the versatility offered and how you can tune the sound to your liking with EQ that is lossless and transparent. Mojo 1 is one device while the Mojo 2 can be many many different kind of sounding devices. From my view the Mojo 2 is once again the benchmark in portable audio and with the poly streamer is simply my favorite portable device today together maybe with the Sony WM-1A. Usability is where the mojo 2 loses some points because it’s not the most intuitive and user friendly device. Many colors, combinations and actions that will probably need the manual to get used to it and if you are color blind then forget about it. Once you’ve learned the way it is fine but till then you will need the manual for reference.
.


----------



## Pcppps

Just wondering.  Will poly enables control of eq from smartphone later.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Pcppps said:


> Just wondering.  Will poly enables control of eq from smartphone later.


I was thinking the same. This and Spotify connect would be my two must have updates


----------



## flvtch

Another Audiophile said:


> I was thinking the same. This and Spotify connect would be my two must have updates


This has piqued my interest. Are you not able to listen to Spotify (on the app on your phone) using Spotify Connect with the Mojo2Poly?


----------



## lwells (Feb 10, 2022)

ubs28 said:


> So does the Mojo 2 still hiss with IEM's?



Not with mine. Alclair RMS and Alclair Studio 4. But these didn't hiss with my mojo 1 either. 




kumar402 said:


> Any comment on the staging of Mojo 2 as compared to Mojo1



For me, deeper and with slightly better separation. Not much taller or wider. At least this is what I perceived with my IEMs and my Emotiva Airmotiv 4s.


----------



## pjw241142

I'm not a big reviewer or good at A vs B comparisons. 

However, I am rocking out to Radiohead's Moon Shaped Pool album which is sonically complex/testing using the Mojo 2 / Poly Combination (with Roon) combined with a set of Massdrop HD6XXs and an old Stefan Audio Art unbalanced cable. I think that one reviewer said the Mojo is addictive is spot on. There's seems to be (and I know it's all subjective) good separation / depth but also it's very musical (I think someone said "analogue"). So time for a bit of Pink Floyd DSOTM and In Rainbows and who knows what else 

I like the Crossfeed max'd option which is easy to set up. I'll try some "noise shaping" in a while but enjoy a bit more listening in the interim ............ to who knows what ....


----------



## fooey

I have a FIIO M11 which I intended to sell and either purchase a Mojo 2 or IBasso DX240/300.
I own both IBasso IT04 and IMR Semper IEMS and at some point plan to get a TOTL IEM (IERZ1 or U12t).
Sound quality wise, which one would be best? Right now I think the M11 is the bottleneck...

Thanks for all replies.


----------



## soundblast75

Picking mine up from Richer Sounds tomorrow ✌️


----------



## deafLovesMusic

fooey said:


> I have a FIIO M11 which I intended to sell and either purchase a Mojo 2 or IBasso DX240/300.
> I own both IBasso IT04 and IMR Semper IEMS and at some point plan to get a TOTL IEM (IERZ1 or U12t).
> Sound quality wise, which one would be best? Right now I think the M11 is the bottleneck...
> 
> Thanks for all replies.


I tested the iBasso DX240 and I have the Mojo 2 for four days now and for me the Mojo 2 sounds better than the iBasso DX240:  The Mojo 2 has more volume, no harshness, enough details, great soundstage, and instrument separation. There is a lot of room and space. It is the perfect mix between being analytic and just sounding great. 
My current setup: Samsung Galaxy A52 + Tidal Master + Mojo 2 + Austrian Audio Hi-X65. 

Don't get me wrong: The iBasso DX240 is a great DAP. It needs more time to get used to it. It is noticeably clear, analytic, and detailed.


----------



## virgopunk

So my M2 arrived today from Audio Sanctuary (ordered yesterday, superb service!). I've been an M1 users for a couple of years now. I use it portable, paired with a Tempotec V1 as digital transport and as a desktop DAC with USB out from my PC and JRiver Media Centre. I switch between my Campfire Cascades and Westone Um Pro 50s or ocassionally my Audeze Mobius in HD mode.

After a few hours of listening to some DSF tracks (Bowie, Kraftwerk, The Police, Spirit) I'm very, very impressed. Noticably more depth than the M1. Slightly less warm to my ears but that's not a bad thing. The Cascades are absolutely superb with this DAC, picking up virtually every detail.

Controls are very easy to master. The crossfeed is nice (I have it on minimum). Haven't mucked around much with the EQ but it works as expected. Overall, I have zero buyers remorse.

Also made this quick reference:
----------------------------------
Menu once (blue) + '-' = Brightness

*Menu once:*
Blue     = brightness ('-') + crossfeed (use '+' to move thru crossfeed - Red/Min, Green/Mid, Blue/Max)

*Menu twice (EQ):*
Light will travel from off to white (9 stages up and down)
Red     =     Bass 20Hz
Yellow    =     Bass 125Hz shelf
Green    =     Treble 3Khz shelf
L.Blue     =     Treble 20Khz
Purple    =     Lock control

*RESTORE SETTINGS* (from DSP or Crossfeed):
Press '+' & '-' simultaneously

*Dimensions:* 83 mm x 62 mm x 22.9 mm


----------



## paulgc

Another Audiophile said:


> I was thinking the same. This and Spotify connect would be my two must have updates


And Tidal Connect


----------



## CasualListener000

Just receive my Mojo 2. I am surprised that the headphone output is more competent than Hugo 2.


----------



## mainguy

CasualListener000 said:


> Just receive my Mojo 2. I am surprised that the headphone output is more competent than Hugo 2.


It's probably surprising because it's incorrect, the creator of the device has said Hugo 2 is superior...


----------



## rwelles

As I look at the Mojo2/Poly case, it appears that the units just slip in from on end. Is there anything to keep them from slipping back out if held the wrong way?


----------



## Bleach-Free

rwelles said:


> As I look at the Mojo2/Poly case, it appears that the units just slip in from on end. Is there anything to keep them from slipping back out if held the wrong way?


The cases are quite snug and most likely won't ever have this issue.


----------



## iDesign (Feb 10, 2022)

rwelles said:


> As I look at the Mojo2/Poly case, it appears that the units just slip in from on end. Is there anything to keep them from slipping back out if held the wrong way?


Hopefully Dignis will release a better case soon. Chord’s Mojo hard cases were much nicer than the current offerings. The sloppy red stitching and grainy leather makes it look like an ancient case for a 1990s Nokia mobile phone.


----------



## lwells

iDesign said:


> The sloppy red stitching and grainy leather makes it look like an ancient case for a 1990s Nokia mobile phone.


And now I want to play “Snake” on my mojo. This sentence doesn’t sound right…


----------



## emilsoft

I wonder how I can get the actual Q values of the eq - it would be nice to recreate some curves on the computer for a more accurate idea on how to tailor the eq for specific headphones


----------



## rocketron

emilsoft said:


> I wonder how I can get the actual Q values of the eq - it would be nice to recreate some curves on the computer for a more accurate idea on how to tailor the eq for specific headphones


Or you could just use your ears and be happy?


----------



## Bleach-Free

emilsoft said:


> I wonder how I can get the actual Q values of the eq - it would be nice to recreate some curves on the computer for a more accurate idea on how to tailor the eq for specific headphones


This post might help a bit.


----------



## DJW50

I've ordered a Mojo 2 that I hope will turn up tomorrow. I've been using the original Mojo and use it more than the Focal Arche I have. I listen to Amazon HD music stored on a newish iPad listening with Focal Stellia's using Moon Audio Black Dragon cable.

Is there much of a market for my Mojo 1 ?


----------



## soundblast75

deafLovesMusic said:


> I tested the iBasso DX240 and I have the Mojo 2 for four days now and for me the Mojo 2 sounds better than the iBasso DX240:  The Mojo 2 has more volume, no harshness, enough details, great soundstage, and instrument separation. There is a lot of room and space. It is the perfect mix between being analytic and just sounding great.
> My current setup: Samsung Galaxy A52 + Tidal Master + Mojo 2 + Austrian Audio Hi-X65.
> 
> Don't get me wrong: The iBasso DX240 is a great DAP. It needs more time to get used to it. It is noticeably clear, analytic, and detailed.


I will be able to compare soon too, i find dx240 a little harsh, but perhaps that's not the word


----------



## emilsoft (Feb 10, 2022)

I'm comparing Hiby RS6 (R2R) with the Mojo 2. The RS6 comes out on top with a  wider and more open, organic sound.. the Mojo 2 is brighter on top,  it has better transients and punch, it's more explosive and with tighter and punchier bass.. but the RS6 still comes out on top as it sounds more pleasant and open, more real... anyway it's probably an irrelevant comparison as one is much more expensive R2R DAP.. what will be more interesting is the current top dog R2R dongle Cayin RU6 vs Mojo 2 comparison.

I will say though I love the EQ - it's such a massive benefit to have one and I keep begging (you can see my posts trolling manufacturers to include it), I'm surprised it's so rare - only RME ADI 2, Qudelix put focus on it and it's nice to see a boutique manufacturer like Chord taking it seriously. Earphone/headpones never have an ideal frequency response, so doing a little tweak here and there is a must for me... I'm hoping others will now take notice, like Cayin (with their RU6 dongle)


----------



## utdeep

I compared the Cayin N6ii with R01 to the Cayin RU6 and it didn't matter that they were both R2R from the same company.  The R01 was just many tiers above.  I did think the Chord Mojo was a small tier below the R01 so I am curious about the Mojo 2.  Looking forward to seeing how the Mojo 2 compares to the R01.


----------



## emilsoft

utdeep said:


> I compared the Cayin N6ii with R01 to the Cayin RU6 and it didn't matter that they were both R2R from the same company.  The R01 was just many tiers above.  I did think the Chord Mojo was a small tier below the R01 so I am curious about the Mojo 2.  Looking forward to seeing how the Mojo 2 compares to the R01.



RU6 has the problem that it relies on unclean usb signal and power (from computer/phone) - I run it out of an ifi iusb micro 3 both for clean power and signal, and it's not too  far behind a Hiby RS6! and in some instances depending on my mood I prefer it as it's more gentle with lovely mids which pulsate like gentle waves.. the RS6 can at times sound too wide and articulate, demanding too much attention (when I want to relax) - I think the Mojo 2 is similar in a way as it's even more demanding of attention with its  punchy transients and slightly forward nature (eq comes in handy to tone down the excitement a little).


----------



## utdeep

I think this case will actually work well for the Mojo 2 despite being designed for the Mojo 1:



Decided to place an order now in case it becomes difficult to get anything from Ukraine soon.


----------



## pneumonia

Thoroughly enjoying the Mojo 2, quite a big improvement over it's predecessor.

Time to listen to all my favs.


----------



## chesebert

utdeep said:


> I think this case will actually work well for the Mojo 2 despite being designed for the Mojo 1:
> 
> 
> Decided to place an order now in case it becomes difficult to get anything from Ukraine soon.


Don’t think this works for mojo+poly.


----------



## chesebert (Feb 10, 2022)

pneumonia said:


> Thoroughly enjoying the Mojo 2, quite a big improvement over it's predecessor.
> 
> Time to listen to all my favs.


Please list your associated equipment, musical taste and your reference dac.

Also how long have you had mojo 1?

These blanket statements are why we go from one FOTM to the next.


----------



## gryffe

My Poly came today - clearly stickered with 3.0, and a sticker saying can be used with Mojo 2. As for the colour, it is exactly the same shade of black as Mojo 2, so not sure how that explains the poster with a Poly with a different shade of black. Weird.


----------



## pneumonia

chesebert said:


> Please list your associated equipment, musical taste and your reference dac.
> 
> Also how long have you had mojo 1?
> 
> These blanket statements are why we go from one FOTM to the next.



Was just a general post, only received it today. Paired with the IE 800 S & listen to any genre really but mostly Pop, Post-Punk & Jazz.

Owned the original for over a hear until I moved to the Hugo 2.

First impressions are that it sounds far more engaging and lively, wasn't a huge fan of the warm sound on the original. Imaging is fantastic, vocals are clear, and sound is fairly neutral.

Will need more time to sit with it but first impressions are positive.


----------



## SoundJedi

Those who want a simple way to add BT to Mojo/Mojo2 can look here:



Thanks to Mike for this tip!


----------



## u2u2

gryffe said:


> My Poly came today - clearly stickered with 3.0, and a sticker saying can be used with Mojo 2. As for the colour, it is exactly the same shade of black as Mojo 2, so not sure how that explains the poster with a Poly with a different shade of black. Weird.


Abyss in their Top of the Line videos speaks to colour variations and why they do it the way Abyss does… and they don’t do black. In their case they machine the product and after investing in all the materials, labour etc had sent them out for anodizing. The anodizer screws up and you scrap the parts or the customer gets guess what? Can’t speak to Chord but I have seen and been on the receiving end with other “quality” anodized products. Good that the recent ones are properly finished and you did well. Here is my Poly which the dealer received from Chord, as new stock, last November.


----------



## gryffe

u2u2 said:


> Abyss in their Top of the Line videos speaks to colour variations and why they do it the way Abyss does… and they don’t do black. In their case they machine the product and after investing in all the materials, labour etc had sent them out for anodizing. The anodizer screws up and you scrap the parts or the customer gets guess what? Can’t speak to Chord but I have seen and been on the receiving end with other “quality” anodized products. Good that the recent ones are properly finished and you did well. Here is my Poly which the dealer received from Chord, as new stock, last November.


That's shockingly poor.


----------



## WorksUnit

Few more days on it, with the odd return to the OG.
I am starting to appreciate a conservative use of the crossfeed with certain headphones now and then...and if that has negative effects then on to a quick EQ...
And a point about that, there is no extra step in the form of an app, I find the menu surprisingly intuitive. Dead easy. just get on with the music.

Going to be very happy with this when travelling light compared to OG.


----------



## Alan Billington

WorksUnit said:


> Few more days on it, with the odd return to the OG.
> I am starting to appreciate a conservative use of the crossfeed with certain headphones now and then...and if that has negative effects then on to a quick EQ...
> And a point about that, there is no extra step in the form of an app, I find the menu surprisingly intuitive. Dead easy. just get on with the music.
> 
> Going to be very happy with this when travelling light compared to OG.


Yep the EQ is super easy to use and now intuitive.
The other interesting thing to note is how the 20khz and 20hz adjusters are unlike any others I’ve ever come across. In fact the shelf EQs are too in a different way. The 20/20 adjusters are only adjusting the weak points of many systems …. High end air and sub bass. How refreshing to be able to use just those. And they’re all I’m adjusting. Yes shelf filters create overall warmth / Mojo 1 comparable sound … but I’m loving the 20/20!


----------



## WorksUnit

Alan Billington said:


> Yep the EQ is super easy to use and now intuitive.
> The other interesting thing to note is how the 20khz and 20hz adjusters are unlike any others I’ve ever come across. In fact the shelf EQs are too in a different way. The 20/20 adjusters are only adjusting the weak points of many systems …. High end air and sub bass. How refreshing to be able to use just those. And they’re all I’m adjusting. Yes shelf filters create overall warmth / Mojo 1 comparable sound … but I’m loving the 20/20!


Much prefer it to a loudness button like ZenDac2.
E1DA Power dac and HPtoy was my previous, and that is still interesting, but for just getting on with it...prefer Mojo2.


----------



## ChrisGB

pneumonia said:


> Was just a general post, only received it today. Paired with the IE 800 S & listen to any genre really but mostly Pop, Post-Punk & Jazz.
> 
> Owned the original for over a hear until I moved to the Hugo 2.
> 
> ...


Would really appreciate your comparison of Mojo 2 vs Hugo 2.


----------



## Serre Dent

Loving the mojo 2. (optical / audioquest nighthawk carbon : low distortion pleasure )
Better depth, less bloom in bass. With flat EQ already better and worth a try.
I just love the sound : precise but super smooth

The big change is the EQ that will help you so subtly correct your headphone imbalance. While keeping a pure sound. 
Everybody is always discussing the FreqResponse of a DAC. Here, just tune it to your taste : great job, great idea.


----------



## wwyjoe (Feb 10, 2022)

I've caved in, bought the M2.

Compared to M1, my brief initial impression is the M2 out of the box sounded a bit thinner, but still very good.

Using the EQ changed all that. I've added gain to the Bass and Midbass EQ, and now all sounds good and even better than M1. Other than bass, I'm impressed how other frequencies, to my ears, remain pure and unaffected (unlike other DAPs or DACs which produces more 'artificial' sound when using their DSP).

I'm a very happy camper. My only gripe is ad hoc connection issues when on the go and using my phone as wifi hotspot.


----------



## chesebert

So 1.5 steps forward and 1 step back?


----------



## someyoungguy

iDesign said:


> Hopefully Dignis will release a better case soon. Chord’s Mojo hard cases were much nicer than the current offerings. The sloppy red stitching and grainy leather makes it look like an ancient case for a 1990s Nokia mobile phone.


That hard case was good for protection, but I found it a PITA to get open again if you wanted to use Mojo via USB input (as I often did). I've also seen photos around of cases where the little plastic tab on the closing clip had broke, so people would have to wrap bands around the case to keep it closed. If they could make the case easier to open & close with a sturdier clasp or different locking mechanism it would be great.


----------



## Pier Paolo

I would ask to who has already tried to publicize the precise eq settings to make the sound similar to M1


----------



## wwyjoe

Pier Paolo said:


> I would ask to who has already tried to publicize the precise eq settings to make the sound similar to M1


I'm quite a bass head. Added +5db to lower bass, and mid-bass. 

No change to lower treble and high treble (i. E. 0db 'flat'). 

With these settings, the bass quantity and quality surpasses M1.


----------



## Epiteto

wwyjoe said:


> Added *+5db *to lower bass, and mid-bass.


 the sound should be very "thin" with default eq..


----------



## vlach (Feb 11, 2022)

wwyjoe said:


> I'm quite a bass head. Added +5db to lower bass, and mid-bass.
> 
> No change to lower treble and high treble (i. E. 0db 'flat').
> 
> With these settings, the bass quantity and quality surpasses M1.


How does that answer Pier Paolo's question? He is asking about the eq settings to make the sound similar to M1.


----------



## wwyjoe

Epiteto said:


> the sound should be very "thin" with default eq..


I think if I were to boost by +1 to +2db, the bass is about the same as M1. 

Like i said, i'm quite a bass head, so boosted to +5db. But this is my personal preference


----------



## Pier Paolo

+1/+2 both bass and sub bass?
today I should receive de M2 and I will try


----------



## alchemical

Another Audiophile said:


> Nevertheless, the star of the show is the 4 bands EQ function that the new mojo offers. As a result I was able to tune the new mojo closer to the sound signature offered by the original which is slightly warmer sounding. With 3db  at 20 Hz and 2db at 120Hz I was able to match the sound signature with more dynamics and higher level of transparency.


I followed the above from @Another Audiophile and from my recollection of the Mojo OG signature this gets my Mojo 2 pretty much there, but better.


----------



## GreenBow (Feb 11, 2022)

wwyjoe said:


> I've caved in, bought the M2.
> 
> Compared to M1, my brief initial impression is the M2 out of the box sounded a bit thinner, but still very good.
> 
> ...



My two-cents on your post, *and to all upgraders to Mojo 2.*

I would suggest leave the EQ off for a week or two. That's unless you are outright wanting to recreate the Mojo (1) tonality of course. Or compensating for brighter headphones.

Anyway most press reviews of the Mojo 2 suggest it has better bass, and overall meatier sound than the Mojo.



I say this because I always found Chord upgrades to sound bright at first until I adjusted.

When I initally went from a Meridian Explorer to Chord Mojo it took about ten to fourteen days to adjust. After that I heard and located the bass as full, the tonal balance right, and everything in place. The Mojo was right and the Meridian Explorer was wrong. (The ME was right in a cheaper way I suppose.)

Before that, I found the Mojo sounded hollow and metallic, or thin as you describe the Mojo 2. Although initally I did notice it had more detail. Then within a few days I noticed it was smoother because it was clearer. (As opposed to the Meridian Explorer sounding smoother because it had more bass and mid-bass bloom. In other words, artificial warmth.)

When I bought the Hugo 2, it took a whole month to fully adjust. Life also felt too short not to listen constantly to the Hugo 2, so that was cool. At first listening to the Hugo 2 was like splinters of mostly, yellow, orange, and red light, were being fired. The new level of detail was blinding and bright; hence why it took a whole month. After that month though, bass on the Hugo 2 easily outclassed the Mojo. 

Same when I got TT2. It took about two weeks. *As with every upgrade, I could hear the improvements intially but I could not process it all as a whole.*

Then when I started driving speakers directly with TT2, meaning no amplifier, I needed at least a week to adjust. More like three weeks to fully settle with it.


As I say, initially each upgrade sounded thinner and brighter. *After adjustment, the better DAC simply sounded better.*


My last advice is, to hear your new DAC at its best as soon as possible, listen to some new music. Then you're not comparing the old and new DAC, on tracks that you know by heart.


----------



## chesebert (Feb 11, 2022)

wwyjoe said:


> I'm quite a bass head. Added +5db to lower bass, and mid-bass.
> 
> No change to lower treble and high treble (i. E. 0db 'flat').
> 
> With these settings, the bass quantity and quality surpasses M1.


You are probably clipping the signal given almost all modern recordings are compressed.

Every 3dB boost also increases power requirements by 2x - your mojo likely is clipping because it can’t deliver that much power at low freq.


----------



## pneumonia (Feb 11, 2022)

ChrisGB said:


> Would really appreciate your comparison of Mojo 2 vs Hugo 2.



The H2 is more revealing, able to retrieve more detail and the crossfeed feature seems to be more prominent than on the M2 from what I can tell.

However, M2 is more of a fun listen for me, works really well with IEM's and the compact size is a plus.


----------



## mnp75

As a UX designer, upfront I was pretty sure that the menu system with color-coded lights was a usability disaster but was willing to let that slip by as I didn't see myself using the EQ much. 

Color me surprised: having now used the Mojo 2 for just couple of days, I actually find the menu in practice absolutely fine and have even been testing the EQ & crossfeed functions quite a lot. Sure, there's a bit of learning curve and it's not as fast as doing similar things from a smartphone app, but the buttons and the color coding gets the job done surprisingly well after a brief orientation period. (Granted, if you're color blind this is not a device for you…)

Also never been a fan of the design esthetics of Chord in general, but Mojo actually looks kinda cool to me – somehow reminesces guitar effect boxes in its minor quirkiness, those I've always found fascinating looking. And gotta appreciate the feeling of craftmanship, feels solid and durable (maybe apart from the weirdly attached USB-C connection that has a different material to it from anything else in the body).


----------



## alchemical

mnp75 said:


> As a UX designer, upfront I was pretty sure that the menu system with color-coded lights was a usability disaster but was willing to let that slip by as I didn't see myself using the EQ much.
> 
> Color me surprised: having now used the Mojo 2 for just couple of days, I actually find the menu in practice absolutely fine and have even been testing the EQ & crossfeed functions quite a lot. Sure, there's a bit of learning curve and it's not as fast as doing similar things from a smartphone app, but the buttons and the color coding gets the job done surprisingly well after a brief orientation period. (Granted, if you're color blind this is not a device for you…)
> 
> Also never been a fan of the design esthetics of Chord in general, but Mojo actually looks kinda cool to me – somehow reminesces guitar effect boxes in its minor quirkiness, those I've always found fascinating looking. And gotta appreciate the feeling of craftmanship, feels solid and durable (maybe apart from the weirdly attached USB-C connection that has a different material to it from anything else in the body).


Completely agree. I’d had myself convinced I was going to need to keep ducking back into the manual, but after that surprisingly brief orientation it felt very easy and natural fine-tuning across the different settings and EQ as required.


----------



## cpaulik

mnp75 said:


> As a UX designer, upfront I was pretty sure that the menu system with color-coded lights was a usability disaster but was willing to let that slip by as I didn't see myself using the EQ much.
> 
> Color me surprised: having now used the Mojo 2 for just couple of days, I actually find the menu in practice absolutely fine and have even been testing the EQ & crossfeed functions quite a lot. Sure, there's a bit of learning curve and it's not as fast as doing similar things from a smartphone app, but the buttons and the color coding gets the job done surprisingly well after a brief orientation period. (Granted, if you're color blind this is not a device for you…)
> 
> Also never been a fan of the design esthetics of Chord in general, but Mojo actually looks kinda cool to me – somehow reminesces guitar effect boxes in its minor quirkiness, those I've always found fascinating looking. And gotta appreciate the feeling of craftmanship, feels solid and durable (maybe apart from the weirdly attached USB-C connection that has a different material to it from anything else in the body).


Completely agree on the menu system. I would even go further and say that I prefer it to any smartphone or touch interface. I can use the M2 while not even looking at it just by counting how often I've pressed.

I would even argue that the colors don't matter too much because you can tell if you are in the menu or not just by looking which balls are lit up.


----------



## mnp75

cpaulik said:


> Completely agree on the menu system. I would even go further and say that I prefer it to any smartphone or touch interface. I can use the M2 while not even looking at it just by counting how often I've pressed.
> 
> I would even argue that the colors don't matter too much because you can tell if you are in the menu or not just by looking which balls are lit up.


Good point, tactile controls always have that benefit that you can use them "blindfolded" as long as you remember the patterns needed for the operation (and have the patience to count the steps)


----------



## lwells

GreenBow said:


> My last advice is, to hear your new DAC at its best as soon as possible, listen to some new music. Then you're not comparing the old and new DAC, on tracks that you know by heart.



This is a great point. Thank you.


----------



## kumar402 (Feb 11, 2022)

chesebert said:


> You are probably clipping the signal given almost all modern recordings are compressed.
> 
> Every 3dB boost also increases power requirements by 2x - your mojo likely is clipping because it can’t deliver that much lower at low freq.


Ya I always felt if we have to use EQ in Mojo and use shelf like >3db then have to reduce gain from software, isn’t it ? Defeating the purpose of lossless EQ.


----------



## Baten

Pier Paolo said:


> I would ask to who has already tried to publicize the precise eq settings to make the sound similar to M1





vlach said:


> How does that answer Pier Paolo's question? He is asking about the eq settings to make the sound similar to M1.


In theory there really should not be such a change in frequency response between M1 and M2 that you could EQ one to the other. That would be shocking. A DAC should still output flat....


----------



## lwells (Feb 11, 2022)

Baten said:


> In theory there really should not be such a change in frequency response between M1 and M2 that you could EQ one to the other. That would be shocking. A DAC should still output flat....



In theory....

But plenty of people have noticed that they do not sound the same in practice. I especially hear the difference in electric guitars. The M2 presents them more thin and cold.


----------



## Kentajalli

kumar402 said:


> Ya I always felt if we have to use EQ in Mojo and use shelf like >3db then have to reduce gain from software, isn’t it ? Defeating the purpose of lossless EQ.


I am sure Mr. Watts has thought of that, he is very thorough


----------



## chesebert (Feb 11, 2022)

GreenBow said:


> My two-cents on your post, *and to all upgraders to Mojo 2.*
> 
> I would suggest leave the EQ off for a week or two. That's unless you are outright wanting to recreate the Mojo (1) tonality of course. Or compensating for brighter headphones.
> 
> ...


That’s not how “upgrade” works my friend. When was the last time you gone to see your neighborhood orchestra and you said to yourself the sound is too real I can’t process all that realism?

As a general rule, if you are “upgrading” and that upgrade forces you to listen to one or another kind of music or makes you feel like you need to avoid certain kind of music or recording (I don’t mean one or two specific badly mastered recordings), you are doing it wrong.


----------



## chesebert

Kentajalli said:


> I am sure Mr. Watts has thought of that, he is very thorough


Mr Watts cannot bend the laws of physics. I am sorry that’s just how the world works.


----------



## Kentajalli

chesebert said:


> Mr Watts cannot bend the laws of physics. I am sorry that’s just how the world works.


"there is an intermix formula !" 😊


----------



## jarnopp

Kentajalli said:


> I am sure Mr. Watts has thought of that, he is very thorough


Refer to this Watts post: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ge-95-of-thread.885405/page-150#post-16805793


----------



## chesebert (Feb 11, 2022)

jarnopp said:


> Refer to this Watts post: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ge-95-of-thread.885405/page-150#post-16805793


He didn’t say what load he used to measure clipping and at what frequency. Lower frequency requires more power.

He also didn’t address the issue most recordings are compressed and normalized around 0db and any boost can clip the signal.


----------



## Lyssky

There is the technical side and there is the brain side.
The brain recognizes patterns and turns things into habits. Technicality aside, getting used to a type of sound is also a habit like feeling cold at 15 degrees celsius during the transition from summer to autumn but sweating at the same temperature as the spring begins after winter. This happens due to the body’s getting used to the previous season.
Of course a more capable equipment will reveal itself, this is another thing; but as far as the taste goes, habit is a strong factor affecting it. So much so that, there may be cases where it will even deny logic.


----------



## Kentajalli (Feb 11, 2022)

chesebert said:


> He didn’t say what load he used to measure clipping and at what frequency. Lower frequency requires more power.
> 
> He also didn’t address the issue most recordings are compressed and normalized around 0db and any boost can clip the signal.


or perhaps you didn't get it.
By implementing 3 bits overload ability, it means you can boost standard 0db to +18 db output before digital clipping.
Since volume control comes afterwards, if you set the volume at -10db, then you have extra 10db overload headroom, same as setting a -10db preamp at software.
Bottom line, the digital section will not overload, but its higher output into the analog stage may cause it to reach its max output sooner.
The load is irrelevant as that is after the analog stage. At any rate portable devices clip when they run out of voltage supply .
I told you he was thorough !
he did think of that "intermix formula " just as Mr. Spock stated.


----------



## GreenBow (Feb 12, 2022)

GreenBow said:


> My two-cents on your post, *and to all upgraders to Mojo 2.*
> 
> I would suggest leave the EQ off for a week or two. That's unless you are outright wanting to recreate the Mojo (1) tonality of course. Or compensating for brighter headphones.
> 
> ...






chesebert said:


> That’s not how “upgrade” works my friend. When was the last time you gone to see your neighborhood orchestra and you said to yourself the sound is too real I can’t process all that realism?
> 
> As a general rule, if you are “upgrading” and that upgrade forces you to listen to one or another kind of music or makes you feel like you need to avoid certain kind of music or recording (I don’t mean one or two specific badly mastered recordings), you are doing it wrong.



Some people claim they do not have an adjustment phase. However I don't understand why.



What I said is what I experienced so don't call me a liar, and friend. Many other people report the same as me.

It's also what Rob Watts refers to 'brain burn-in'.

If you want to dispute me any more please go ahead. I will not be replying.

(Going to a live e.g classical concert is different. Your hearing a presentation you never heard before. Hence why at the very end of my post which you ridiculed, I said listen to new music. Additionally live instruments and especially classical instruments are detail powerhouses.)


----------



## chesebert

Kentajalli said:


> Since volume control comes afterwards, if you set the volume at -10db, then you have extra 10db overload headroom, same as setting a -10db preamp at software.
> Bottom line, the digital section will not overload, but its higher output into the analog stage may cause it to reach its max output sooner.
> The load is irrelevant as that is after the analog stage. At any rate portable devices clip when they run out of voltage supply .
> I told you he was thorough !
> he did think of that "intermix formula " just as Mr. Spock stated.


I suppose people will report back when they start experimenting EQ with different cans and music. Clipping at the analog stage is very bad and can potentially damage your headphone.


----------



## chesebert (Feb 11, 2022)

GreenBow said:


> Some people claim they do not have an adjustment phase. However I don't understand why.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


No one said you are lying. If something is a real upgrade you will know it instantly at first listen (this is not related to burn in) - humans have very sensitive hearing and we know when something sounds right or wrong instinctively.

You shouldn’t force yourself to “burn in your brain” And for the love of this hobby don’t let your gear dictate what music you should and should not listen to.


----------



## rocketron

I have used the Mojo2 for over a week with several different iems and headphones.
I hear no clipping using the Eq function.
The Mojo 2 is a cleaner wider more detailed take on the OG Mojo.
I don’t find it at over detailed or bright.


----------



## keithmarsh

On my 2nd (replacement) Mojo 2 and got the same ear piercing white noise twice in the space of 10 minutes. I just tried my iPad Pro and got it again after 20 minutes or so. Seems my original unit wasn't defective and there's obviously something going on when Mojo 2 is connected to some Apple devices. I haven't tired my iPhone yet.


----------



## akso

keithmarsh said:


> On my 2nd (replacement) Mojo 2 and got the same ear piercing white noise twice in the space of 10 minutes. I just tried my iPad Pro and got it again after 20 minutes or so. Seems my original unit wasn't defective and there's obviously something going on when Mojo 2 is connected to some Apple devices. I haven't tired my iPhone yet.


I’ve seen that happening with a bad USB cable losing connection for a fraction of time with my iPhone.


----------



## keithmarsh

akso said:


> I’ve seen that happening with a bad USB cable losing connection for a fraction of time with my iPhone.


It's happened with Micro USB connection, and USB-C connection (with 2 different good quality cables). No cables were moving/touched when this has been happening either. I'll do some more testing though 👍🏻


----------



## Kentajalli

chesebert said:


> I suppose people will report back when they start experimenting EQ with different cans and music. Clipping at the analog stage is very bad and can potentially damage your headphone.


push any analog Hifi amplifier and it clips - you can't change the laws of physics!
Unless it has some sort of AGC, which is sacrilege in Hifi.


----------



## deafLovesMusic

These are my first impressions of the Mojo 2 after four days:

*Settings / Hardware*

Settings: No changes, just as it sounds out of the box
My experiences with EQs in general are not the best, I will test the EQ and crossfeed settings of the Mojo 2 later
Headphones: Austrian Audio Hi-X65
Smartphone: Samsung Galaxy A52

*Music (Source: Tidal Master)*

Smooth sound
No boosted bass
No harshness
Detailed
Even studio recordings get a live touch
Particularly good instrument separation
Noticeable presence of the musicians, much more than without the Mojo 2
Great soundstage
I needed nearly no time to get used to the sound of the Mojo 2. This is different to my experiences with other DACs or DAPs I tested (Violectric Chronos, iBasso DX240, Astell & Kern SR25 and a few more). The overall sound improvement is much more obvious with the Mojo 2.


*Voices (Podcasts, radio)*

Sound natural
Incredibly good recognition and understanding

*Usability*
I prefer the haptic feedback of the balls/buttons to on-screen typing and gestures. The usability is much easier, much more intuitive, and more straightforward than expected.


----------



## cpaulik

keithmarsh said:


> On my 2nd (replacement) Mojo 2 and got the same ear piercing white noise twice in the space of 10 minutes. I just tried my iPad Pro and got it again after 20 minutes or so. Seems my original unit wasn't defective and there's obviously something going on when Mojo 2 is connected to some Apple devices. I haven't tired my iPhone yet.


FWIW - I’m using it with my Ipad pro 11 inch without issues so far


----------



## lwells

cpaulik said:


> FWIW - I’m using it with my Ipad pro 11 inch without issues so far


I am as well. No trouble with iPad Pro 11 or M1 Pro MacBook.


----------



## jarnopp

Shipping notice from Moon Audio!  Will report later next week on comparisons with OG Mojo.


----------



## Olliver

keithmarsh said:


> On my 2nd (replacement) Mojo 2 and got the same ear piercing white noise twice in the space of 10 minutes. I just tried my iPad Pro and got it again after 20 minutes or so. Seems my original unit wasn't defective and there's obviously something going on when Mojo 2 is connected to some Apple devices. I haven't tired my iPhone yet.


I have listened several hours to mojo 2, with ipad pro and never had any noises coming out, that didn´t belong to the music.
There might be something wrong, since you hear this noise, but i don´t think it has something to do with the ipad mojo combination in general.


----------



## iDesign (Feb 11, 2022)

keithmarsh said:


> On my 2nd (replacement) Mojo 2 and got the same ear piercing white noise twice in the space of 10 minutes. I just tried my iPad Pro and got it again after 20 minutes or so. Seems my original unit wasn't defective and there's obviously something going on when Mojo 2 is connected to some Apple devices. I haven't tired my iPhone yet.


As I mentioned, I have been experiencing the exact same issue with recent versions of MacOS and iPadOS with my DAVE+Blu Mk2. The issue is likely not specific to the Mojo 2 and the problem is most likely on the Apple side (though it could be in the way Chord devices interface with Apple USB signals). My USB woes aren't limited to noise in the left driver and the signal can become significantly or so very subtly distorted that I have  to restart all of the devices. There are discussions on other audio forums about USB problems with Apple devices and its more prevalent on the latest software builds and M1 powered devices.


----------



## Olliver

iDesign said:


> As I mentioned, I have been experiencing the exact same issue with recent versions of MacOS and iPadOS with my DAVE+Blu Mk2. The issue is likely not specific to the Mojo 2 and the problem is most likely is on the Apple side (though it could be in the way Chord devices interface with Apple USB signals). The USB woes aren't limited to noise in the left driver and the signal can become significantly or very subtly distorted that I have had to restart all of the devices. There are discussions on other audio forums about USB woes with Apple devices and its more prevalent on the latest software builds and M1 powered devices.


Interesting, since i have an M1 ipad actually. I use it for qobuz mojo 1 & mojo 2 streaming, but tried youtube and downloaded videos and flac music as well.
I hope i don´t get the troubles you described.


----------



## keithmarsh

Olliver said:


> I have listened several hours to mojo 2, with ipad pro and never had any noises coming out, that didn´t belong to the music.
> There might be something wrong, since you hear this noise, but i don´t think it has something to do with the ipad mojo combination in general.


The trouble is there’s so many variables play. It could be to do with a certain bitrate on apple devices, or bitrate + Roon + iPad… then you have iOS versions, different iPad versions etc


----------



## Rebel Chris

I had also white noise: it was the USB C connect from my phone. The dirt inside causes the cable to not settle properly. When moving my phone or mojo the white noise appears. 

After cleaning the phones USB C everything was fine. Problem solved.


----------



## Olliver

keithmarsh said:


> The trouble is there’s so many variables play. It could be to do with a certain bitrate on apple devices, or bitrate + Roon + iPad… then you have iOS versions, different iPad versions etc


Seems hard to find the exact conditions where the problem appears, i didn´t use other streaming services than qobuz for example.


----------



## Olliver

Rebel Chris said:


> I had also white noise: it was the USB C connect from my phone. The dirt inside causes the cable to not settle properly. When moving my phone or mojo the white noise appears.
> 
> After cleaning the phones USB C everything was fine. Problem solved.


yes,


----------



## emilsoft (Feb 11, 2022)

Campfire Andromeda seems to have a very good synergy with the Mojo 2. The Andro likes impedance around 1> 1.5ohm - the Mojo 2 has it close to 0 - but because of it's perky and bright nature, plus with a little mid bass eq offset it balances out the Andro really nicely - in general there's something about Mojo's forward detailed and clean sound that enhances the Andro's qualities, but thanks to the low impedance it is cocooned in nice warmish way.

Also I can't hear any noise at all, the amplification is very clean.


----------



## someyoungguy

keithmarsh said:


> It's happened with Micro USB connection, and USB-C connection (with 2 different good quality cables). No cables were moving/touched when this has been happening either. I'll do some more testing though 👍🏻


That reminds me I had something similar with M1 when I was experimenting with upsampling in Audirvana. Seems that Mojo really doesn’t like it and would go into a heavily-distorted/white noise after 5-10 minutes, and I’d have to turn it off and on to get it back to normal. Sounds from your description like you have something similar going on.


----------



## iDesign (Feb 11, 2022)

Its not solely an M1 issue. It happens with my max spec 16" MacBook Pro 2.4 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9 and 12.9" iPad Pro (5th generation) with the M1. It may be more prevalent/discussed online in M1 devices but I'm not convinced there is a correlation. Its more likely the latest releases of MacOS/iOS, USB-C, or the way Chord DACs interface with Apple devices with USB-C (I have never had this issue with Lightning). Ultimately there are better options than Apple and ditching them might be the sure fix.


----------



## paulgc

My totally awesome western Canadian dealer is getting a shipment next week. Fingers crossed I have mine a week today! I know I have one allocate.


----------



## headfry

iDesign said:


> Its not solely an M1 issue. It happens with my max spec 16" MacBook Pro 2.4 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9 and 12.9" iPad Pro (5th generation) with the M1. It may be more prevalent/discussed online in M1 devices but I'm not convinced there is a correlation. Its more likely the latest releases of MacOS/iOS, USB-C, or the way Chord DACs interface with Apple devices with USB-C (I have never had this issue with Lightning). Ultimately there are better options than Apple and ditching them might be the sure fix.


...I have the Mojo OG working fine on M1 Mac with 12.1 using Apple USB-C/USB-A adapter/AQ Jitterbug to micro-USB cable without issue. When I get Mojo 2 and use the same connection will it also likely work fine....the info posted thus far indicates that it should (that it's not unique to the newer Mojo 2 but happens on the Qutest and Dave as well). ....Also I notice that there's 12.2.1 available...should I hold off for now?

My understanding is that if I'm not getting this issue with Mojo OG and use the same cable connection to M2 that it should also work w/out the issue, (but possibly might happen using USB-C). Now I'm a bit concerned but hopeful, OG should be arriving within days!


----------



## iDesign (Feb 11, 2022)

headfry said:


> ...I have the Mojo OG working fine on M1 Mac with 12.1 using Apple USB-C/USB-A adapter/AQ Jitterbug to micro-USB cable without issue. When I get Mojo 2 and use the same connection will it also likely work fine....the info posted thus far indicates that it should (that it's not unique to the newer Mojo 2 but happens on the Qutest and Dave as well). ....Also I notice that there's 12.2.1 available...should I hold off for now?
> 
> My understanding is that if I'm not getting this issue with Mojo OG and use the same cable connection to M2 that it should also work w/out the issue, (but possibly might happen using USB-C). Now I'm a bit concerned but hopeful, OG should be arriving within days!


Very interesting. I forgot the Qutest even existed and given that its happening across all Chord DACs I need't say more. And _no_, upgrading won't make a difference-- I'm experiencing it with the latest MacOS _developer_ beta (different than the _public_ beta) and its no better. One of the many reasons I wish Chord would slow their product releases and seriously look into supporting firmware updates when things like this arise. That said USB audio is complex, its moving fast and some DACs aren't disposable like an HP printer-- because even those support firmware updates. I'd happily pay to send in my Chord DACs for a flash to fix bugs and whatever new ideas Rob Watts dreams up.


----------



## gowthe

paulgc said:


> My totally awesome western Canadian dealer is getting a shipment next week. Fingers crossed I have mine a week today! I know I have one allocate.



Would you mind telling me who this is? I'm in BC and would like to demo it. Thanks.


----------



## VancityDreaming

gowthe said:


> Would you mind telling me who this is? I'm in BC and would like to demo it. Thanks.


I contacted hifi center in Vancouver, and they said they wont have demo units in store. 😤


----------



## gowthe

VancityDreaming said:


> I contacted hifi center in Vancouver, and they said they wont have demo units in store. 😤



LOL.. I called them yesterday and they said the same.


----------



## ubs28

I guess you guys can try it with the Poly and see if it fixes your noise issues?


----------



## ChrisGB

The white noise issue isn't exclusive to Mac use, I've experienced it with a Windows laptop. I thought it was driver related as the number of occurrences related to the driver settings. Also had the issue playing DSD256 track from DAP, but not with any other file format or sampling frequency / bit depth, only DSD256.


----------



## Rob Watts

Baten said:


> In theory there really should not be such a change in frequency response between M1 and M2 that you could EQ one to the other. That would be shocking. A DAC should still output flat....



The measured frequency response of Mojo and Mojo 2 (with EQ and cross-feed off) are identical. The issue here is perceived frequency response and that is something very different. Very small distortions/aberrations/errors can dramatically change your subjective impressions. Remember, what you hear is not the output from your ears but the result of your brain processing the sound to create the audible illusion. Errors that interfere with this process can dramatically change the perceived tonal balance.

Mojo's warmth compared to Mojo 2 is down to reduced LF distortion and aberrations from dielectric absorption in the coupling capacitors that have been removed from Mojo 2 by using my digital DC servo.  Result - tighter more accurate bass, but the tonal balance is leaner - you can get the same tonal impression of Mojo by boosting the bass shelf by a few dB's on Mojo 2.


----------



## Mr X (Feb 12, 2022)

*Thoughts after a few days from a reluctant buyer *

I was fond of my OG Mojo and Poly but sold both a whole ago when I moved to Hugo2Go set up as no need to be portable anymore and wanted even better sound.

Had absolutely NO intention or need of buying but after reading reviews got intrigued.

So got one a few days and and soooo impressed with it, I'm not sure my Hugo set up is going to get any love for a while.

The ability to change the EQ without any degradation to sound is amazing. It's like tuning your particular headphones in. To me it's a game changer.

When I first watched the video the menu and all the colours seemed really confusing but trust me you just get it in seconds.

My only real regret was selling my Poly as I went out yesterday and bought one. Great service again from Richer Sounds who got a V3 direct from Chord for me within 48 hours and colour wise I’ve been lucky it’s a good match.

Now I want to get back to IEMs for on the go so open to recommendations (previously used Shure 846's but sold those too)

Really pair well with Oppo PM1
Have not got around to testing with B&W P9


----------



## ChrisGB

Mr X said:


> *Thoughts after a few days from a reluctant buyer *
> 
> I was fond of my OG Mojo and Poly but sold both ago when I moved to Hugo2Go set up as no need to be portable and wanted even better sound.
> 
> ...


This post confuses me somewhat. I've not long had the Mojo 2 and good though it is, I feel I'm losing quite a bit of subtle detail (I'll post my impressions separately) so I'm seriously considering a Hugo 2. I like detail!


----------



## Mr X

ChrisGB said:


> This post confuses me somewhat. I've not long had the Mojo 2 and good though it is, I feel I'm losing quite a bit of subtle detail (I'll post my impressions separately) so I'm seriously considering a Hugo 2. I like detail!



I need more time with it but after about 2 weeks I’m going to swap back to the Hugo2Go to see what I’ve been missing. 

But right now the fine tuning feels like it’s helping me to extract more detail in the way My ears like it so I like the ability to do that. 

Could be pseudo right now but time and swapping back should tell.


----------



## 546687 (Feb 12, 2022)

I'm going on lockdown for six months, so I will not stick around.

But when I had white noise issues with Chord products, it was due to encoding issues.

So maybe try re-encoding from .flac to .wav, compressed flac to no compression flac.  Try Redbook only.  Some Hires are finicky.  But anytime I experienced White Noise it was an encoding issue on my side, not the hardware.  And a good percentage was Hires.  I don't recall ever having an encoding problem with Redbook.  DSD was particularly troublesome too.  In the end, I stuck with Redbook only and gave up troubleshooting the issue.

=================

Also, please post here if anyone successfully uses a USB-C optical or Thunderbolt optical for the Mojo2.   I have a place I can get a short 6-inch USB-C optical cable.

I exclusively only use sources with a real-time kernel and optical cabling.  I refuse bland operating systems not dedicated to SQ and sub-par playback software along with refusing to use cooper wiring.

Redbook sounds amazing on optical cabling, so it's a deal breaker if optical cabling is not in the chain.

So I'll search here in 6 months if anyone has had success with USB optical cables with the USB-C Mojo2 Data Jack.

I'm currently using a USB optical cable with Hugo2, but that's micro-USB.  USB-C should be more rugged on the road.

My portable source in 6 months should be a Steam Deck as I can run a real-time low latency kernel (needs CPU power) and runs DDR5 (SQ benefits + load whole OS in RAM):





USB-C port on top.  Planning on slapping the Mojo2 on the back with velcro.  I can dual boot into my Summit-Fi Audiophile OS when needed.  Watch videos, play games with Mojo2 Audio Output the other half of time.  USB-C optical will be right-angle on top.


----------



## Baten

Rob Watts said:


> The measured frequency response of Mojo and Mojo 2 (with EQ and cross-feed off) are identical. The issue here is perceived frequency response and that is something very different. Very small distortions/aberrations/errors can dramatically change your subjective impressions. Remember, what you hear is not the output from your ears but the result of your brain processing the sound to create the audible illusion. Errors that interfere with this process can dramatically change the perceived tonal balance.
> 
> Mojo's warmth compared to Mojo 2 is down to reduced LF distortion and aberrations from dielectric absorption in the coupling capacitors that have been removed from Mojo 2 by using my digital DC servo.  Result - tighter more accurate bass, but the tonal balance is leaner - you can get the same tonal impression of Mojo by boosting the bass shelf by a few dB's on Mojo 2.


Thanks for (trying to) explain it to me as best as you could Rob. I've never experienced such pronounced difference (few dBs) but only much more subtle, so maybe I'm deaf to these intricacies.


----------



## masterpfa

GreenBow said:


> Has anyone tried the Mojo 2 in the Mojo case? Have noticed it's not too different. While some folk are cheesed-off at having to shell out for another case for i.e. Poly/Mojo 2 case.
> 
> I think Mojo 2 would fit mojo case and show all buttons bar one volume button. However if one were prepared to carefully 'mod' the case, I think it would work fine. ... Though probs best to sell old case and buy new one.
> 
> I for one would prefer a case like the style of the Chord official cases from Mojo generation. (The sort of leather-backed rubber ones, with a clean finish.) Am not so hot over the Mojo 2 red stiched ones.


100% agree, I much prefer the mojo poly case I have with the leather covered plastic (rubber) I am not a fan of the red stiched version currently available.


----------



## masterpfa (Feb 12, 2022)

gavinfabl said:


> My Chord Mojo 2 is live, versus the Gryphon & Xduoo XD05 BAL. The Xduoo has upgraded op amps, a pair of Burson V5i-D. Happy to answer any questions .



Thanks for the video, I was unaware of the other 2 DACS, especially as I have been away from Head Fi for some time, I only found out about the announcement of the upcoming Chord device 24hrs beforehand. I jumped in straight away and I am currently enjoying my Mojo2/Poly combo 😎.

PS Great video regarding the Pixel 6 Pro 🤣


----------



## masterpfa (Feb 12, 2022)

Sim City said:


> "Redbook sounds amazing on optical cabling, so it's a deal breaker if optical cabling is not in the chain."


I have read the rest of your original post which is very interesting especially your set up, but I  💯 agree with this comment above

Currently my CD player is packed away but my best experience with equipment I own was
Marantz CD-63 connected via Tos-link to my Mojo listening via Sennheiser HD800
🥰🥰🥰


----------



## masterpfa

TheEldestBoy said:


> Using the same music file in each of the following scenarios, which should theoretically result in the best sound?
> 👉 playing from an SD card in the Poly
> 👉 playing from iPhone (wired)
> 👉 playing from an android device (wired)
> ...


I prefer playing from SD on Poly personally (less connections in the chain)

As I have the Poly the only other streaming I do is from Qobuz or Tidal using Mconnect or BubbleUPnP


----------



## ubs28 (Feb 12, 2022)

Btw, why is everyone their Mojo 1 sounding "warm"? My Mojo 1 (with the Poly) sounds harsh.


----------



## masterpfa

TheEldestBoy said:


> Interesting. I wonder if SD card is the best way to go, and then use the DSP to “warm up” the sound of needed.


This is what I  doing depending on my mood, the Genre and or headphones I am using at the time


----------



## Baten

ubs28 said:


> Btw, why is everyone their Mojo 1 sounding "warm"? My Mojo 1 (with the Poly) sounds harsh.


Guess they don't hear it that way (obviously)


----------



## masterpfa

mainguy said:


> I've compared the mojo 1 to AK Kann, WM1a & AK380. Mojo is better, imo, so I imagine Mojo 2 is as well. i doubt the Shanling will rival it or even come close.


Reminds me of the time I got to compare in a listening room my Mojo/Astell&Kern AK100 combo against (at the time) top Austell&Kern Daps. This was around 2016 (pre Poly)

Using the same SD card and a short playlist I was left to my own to try all and sundry

Astell&Kern 
AK100 II
AK120 II
AK240

My conclusion was for what I had paid my combo for my needs matched what the later model AK players had to offer

 I have since been able to try the latter AK models
Ak320
AK380
KHANN

All I can say is I am still happy with my choice especially now with the Poly in tow with the new Mojo 2


----------



## ubs28

Baten said:


> Guess they don't hear it that way (obviously)



Is my Mojo 1 broken perhaps if mine sounds harsh? (as I never heard anyone talking about it).


----------



## Baten

ubs28 said:


> Is my Mojo 1 broken perhaps if mine sounds harsh? (as I never heard anyone talking about it).


Could be bad synergy with one of your earphone headphone. But if consistent? Yeah, maybe..


----------



## Another Audiophile

ubs28 said:


> Btw, why is everyone their Mojo 1 sounding "warm"? My Mojo 1 (with the Poly) sounds harsh.


What headphones/iem  are you using?


----------



## 529128

Listening to Plant/Krauss on my Grado SR80X  via Qobuz on my Mojo 2 connected to my iPhone XR. It sounds amazing. The Mojo 2 is a fabulous companion to the Grado.


----------



## lwells

ubs28 said:


> Is my Mojo 1 broken perhaps if mine sounds harsh? (as I never heard anyone talking about it).


I’ve never heard anybody describe a mojo as harsh.


----------



## kopeli

Has anyone tried it yet with the ZMF VC, can it drive them OK?


----------



## galileaux

kopeli said:


> Has anyone tried it yet with the ZMF VC, can it drive them OK?


I have a M2 coming from Moon Audio (hopefully next week) - will try it with my VC and report back!


----------



## Chop-Top

Should I splurge for the M2?  I'm totally satisfied with the M1 in my current setup and don't see using the M2 EQ.


----------



## lwells

Chop-Top said:


> Should I splurge for the M2?  I'm totally satisfied with the M1 in my current setup and don't see using the M2 EQ.


Totally satisfied?  Why change anything?    Enjoy your music.


----------



## JoeOomph

In my opinion one is better off with a pure dap. I speak from experience having used mojo+poly for years.

It's not even about battery life, heat development, music quality. The problem lies in the usability.  And it just doesn't do justice to the pricetag.


----------



## jarnopp

Chop-Top said:


> Should I splurge for the M2?  I'm totally satisfied with the M1 in my current setup and don't see using the M2 EQ.


I love my Mojo. It seems to get better every week, even after 6 years.  I’m really enjoying it with Aeon Noires which seem like an ideal pairing. That being said, Mojo2 is coming. But, you might get more out of a headphone upgrade.


----------



## gc335

Has anyone tried the Mojo 2 with the DCA Stealth?


----------



## vlach

masterpfa said:


> Reminds me of the time I got to compare in a listening room my Mojo/Astell&Kern AK100 combo against (at the time) top Austell&Kern Daps. This was around 2016 (pre Poly)
> 
> Using the same SD card and a short playlist I was left to my own to try all and sundry
> 
> ...


I use the AK120 ll as transport (via optical) with the M1. This sounds better than straight out of the AK120 ll.


----------



## alota

@vlach how combination with vega?


----------



## vlach (Feb 12, 2022)

alota said:


> @vlach how combination with vega?


Thick and chunky sound, lots of body to instruments, yet clean, detailed and smooth. The bass is very powerful, yet textured, clear and concise.


----------



## calbu (Feb 13, 2022)

ubs28 said:


> Btw, why is everyone their Mojo 1 sounding "warm"? My Mojo 1 (with the Poly) sounds harsh.



I would guess that you have an RFI problem especially if you're using USB. I have the same problem without extensive shielding and RF clip-on ferrites,

Edit: saw that you're using the Poly. Even then I woulld suspect RFI. I have noticed RFI entering even through the headphone jack.


----------



## shizzin

vlach said:


> I use the AK120 ll as transport (via optical) with the M1. This sounds better than straight out of the AK120 ll.


man this looks great. all you need now is a m2 + a much nicer angled optical like moonaudio or the stuff.


----------



## timtunes

I've just got mine newly delivered Mojo 2 out of the box - and it rattles? is that normal??


----------



## rocketron

timtunes said:


> I've just got mine newly delivered Mojo 2 out of the box - and it rattles? is that normal??


It’s only the balls rattling in there sockets.


----------



## timtunes

Thanks - its really quite strange!


----------



## Gww1

timtunes said:


> Thanks - its really quite strange!


OG mojo and Hugo 2 are the same


----------



## syazwaned

Dear @Rob Watts 

 How does  lossless EQ in Mojo 2 differs from Qudelix 5K parametric EQ and Schiit Loki Mini in term of sound degradation wise?


----------



## miketlse

timtunes said:


> Thanks - its really quite strange!


Most owners don't shake their dacs around whilst listening to music, so in practice it's not a problem.


----------



## wwyjoe

M2 owners, much appreciated if you post your EQ dsp settngs


----------



## lwells

wwyjoe said:


> M2 owners, much appreciated if you post your EQ dsp settngs


20 Hz +2
125Hz +1


----------



## Kentajalli

timtunes said:


> Thanks - its really quite strange!


Its actually cute, like a match-box!
Could double up as a shaker to add some presence to music.


----------



## jinx20001

Hi guys, been using the mojo 2 now best part of a week along with 64 audio u12t in ears, sony IER M9 in ears and beyerdynamic dt1990pro headphones. very impressed with it indeed however i can only compare it to ifi zen dac v2 and soundblaster gc7 amp/dac's.... i find the mojo 2 to be very clean and clear, slightly less warmth than the zen dac v2 but with the EQ you can really shape the sound to your liking, what really impresses me is the quality of the soundstage and imaging with the mojo 2, its far and away wider and more precise with imaging than the other 2. I mainly use the dac's on a desktop pc with id say an equal split between music and gaming and it really does a great job with both but most surprising of all would be the gaming performance where the imaging plays a more crucial role.

read through a few comments and seen some concerns and just to let you know my balls rattle too


----------



## vlach

shizzin said:


> man this looks great. all you need now is a m2 + a much nicer angled optical like moonaudio or the stuff.


The right angle optical from Moonaudio has no flexibility whatsoever and costs a fortune. The one i have is the one i want. 😊


----------



## jinx20001

keithmarsh said:


> On my 2nd (replacement) Mojo 2 and got the same ear piercing white noise twice in the space of 10 minutes. I just tried my iPad Pro and got it again after 20 minutes or so. Seems my original unit wasn't defective and there's obviously something going on when Mojo 2 is connected to some Apple devices. I haven't tired my iPhone yet.



hey just want to let you know this happened with my unit aswell, its only happened once in the space of a week or so of owning it, precisely as you describe it, loud white noise and the only way to stop it is to restart the mojo 2.

heres the thing though, its certainly not an apple issue because i use a windows PC... nothing scraggy either its an extremely high end pc. i can pinpoint what set it off for me though and it was the second i opened up my emails from the hotmail email app... i cant get it to repeat though, so it seems certain applications are the cause of the issue and i have no idea if there is a fix, im not sure if there is an inherent issue with the hardware design causing it but im going to shoot an email over to chord and see what they say, i would urge others to do the same so they understand the issue is widespread with the product and hopefully they can isolate the issue and resolve it with a software update hopefully.


----------



## shizzin

vlach said:


> The right angle optical from Moonaudio has no flexibility whatsoever and costs a fortune. The one i have is the one i want. 😊


I believe there was some canadian brand that had the angled ones at a very normal price, I just can't quite seem to remember it. I have the same optical and would like a proper angled.


----------



## msq123

One of the most comprehensive review of Mojo 2. Great section discussing headphone synergies which is something not seen in any other review.


----------



## mainguy

msq123 said:


> One of the most comprehensive review of Mojo 2. Great section discussing headphone synergies which is something not seen in any other review.



Agree. Wish more reviewers would mention synergy as it was a big deal with the OG mojo too. Not dissing other YT reviews ive seen on the Mojo 2, but for me this is the first proper review. It actually mentions desktop DACs and some viable comparisons. Spoiler, he likes this more than the Qutest.


----------



## flvtch

Purchased the Mojo2Poly combo. Impressions to follow.


----------



## vlach

shizzin said:


> I believe there was some canadian brand that had the angled ones at a very normal price, I just can't quite seem to remember it. I have the same optical and would like a proper angled.


I know the one you're referring to but again it has no flexibility. I like having the ability to move things around while all the cables remain connected. The way I'm set up i never have to disconnect anything from the Mojo which prevents the sockets from losening.


----------



## drummguy26

msq123 said:


> One of the most comprehensive review of Mojo 2. Great section discussing headphone synergies which is something not seen in any other review.



Yep. Just watched it all the way through. Very comprehensive and informative! Also very interesting about the warm up period for the Mojo 2. Takes 35 mins or so to reach full potential? I had no idea… I guess my question is that will it require the 35 min warm up time every time you power it off for awhile and then power it back on again? Or is just a one time thing? Was the original mojo like this?


----------



## jinx20001

drummguy26 said:


> Yep. Just watched it all the way through. Very comprehensive and informative! Also very interesting about the warm up period for the Mojo 2. Takes 35 mins or so to reach full potential? I had no idea… I guess my question is that will it require the 35 min warm up time every time you power it off for awhile and then power it back on again? Or is just a one time thing? Was the original mojo like this?



that's really the only part of the review that confused me, ive not noticed any change to the sound with warm up honestly but what i have noticed is a curious step up in sound quality at higher volume... which is kind of counter to what you would think should happen since higher volume = more distortion etc. but there is a point in the volume range where i find the sound i believe noticeably improves and its at a fairly earsplitting level ( dark blue in the high gain to be specific )... my main use in ears in particular which are audio 64 u12t just come alive here on another level, the bass becomes a little fuller and it just sings...  i dont know if its just taking advantage of what the u12t can do that i have not noticed before but to my ear theres certainly a specific point it just comes together and i notice that change. whats more strange is i find the u12t basically unusable in the low gain/low volume section, its just too quiet for me and i have to venture far into the high gain to get the most from it, the u12t are not particularly demanding at around 12ohm and 108db sensitivity so it does make me question how people manage with just using low gain. or maybe i am far deafer than i thought, that's possible. never noticed a step up in quality from warm up though.


----------



## vlach (Feb 13, 2022)

drummguy26 said:


> Yep. Just watched it all the way through. Very comprehensive and informative! Also very interesting about the warm up period for the Mojo 2. Takes 35 mins or so to reach full potential? I had no idea… I guess my question is that will it require the 35 min warm up time every time you power it off for awhile and then power it back on again? Or is just a one time thing? Was the original mojo like this?


My theory is that at 4:00am, it is the brain that takes 35 min to gradually and properly open up the hearing.
I know from personal experience that my hearing is much clearer later in the day as opposed to first thing in the morning, let alone at 4:00am!
It's not the Mojo that changes over a period of 35 minutes. I don't buy it.


----------



## mainguy

vlach said:


> My theory is that at 4:00am, it is the brain that take 35 min to gradually and properly open up the hearing.
> I know from personal experience that my hearing is much clearer later in the day as opposed to first thing in the morning, let alone at 4:00am!
> It's not the Mojo that changes over a period of 35 minutes. I don't buy it.


Guess the best way to settle this would be to get two mojo 2s, warm one up, and do a blind test


----------



## drummguy26

jinx20001 said:


> that's really the only part of the review that confused me, ive not noticed any change to the sound with warm up honestly but what i have noticed is a curious step up in sound quality at higher volume... which is kind of counter to what you would think should happen since higher volume = more distortion etc. but there is a point in the volume range where i find the sound i believe noticeably improves and its at a fairly earsplitting level ( dark blue in the high gain to be specific )... my main use in ears in particular which are audio 64 u12t just come alive here on another level, the bass becomes a little fuller and it just sings...  i dont know if its just taking advantage of what the u12t can do that i have not noticed before but to my ear theres certainly a specific point it just comes together and i notice that change. whats more strange is i find the u12t basically unusable in the low gain/low volume section, its just too quiet for me and i have to venture far into the high gain to get the most from it, the u12t are not particularly demanding at around 12ohm and 108db sensitivity so it does make me question how people manage with just using low gain. or maybe i am far deafer than i thought, that's possible. never noticed a step up in quality from warm up though.





vlach said:


> My theory is that at 4:00am, it is the brain that take 35 min to gradually and properly open up the hearing.
> I know from personal experience that my hearing is much clearer later in the day as opposed to first thing in the morning, let alone at 4:00am!
> It's not the Mojo that changes over a period of 35 minutes. I don't buy it.


Yea I was a little confused about that too. He even went as far to say that it was like a relay switch going off when you hear a distinct difference in sound. This makes me feel like he’s implying it’s something going on internally that’s directly related to thermals but it just doesn’t sound quite right to me…. I’ll have to play around with it once I get it next week. Sounds fishy. lol.


----------



## rocketron

Regarding the 35 minutes warm up??

I don’t care as it sounds bloody good before that.

My advice just enjoy the music.


----------



## msq123

rocketron said:


> Regarding the 35 minutes warm up??
> 
> I don’t care as it sounds bloody good before that.
> 
> My advice just enjoy the music.


I agree, this is a bit subjective and we have different perception of sound. I don’t notice it but then I have no golden ears.
I think important is that we enjoy music and if you don’t notice any change then you don’t need to worry. Bottom line of the review is that it’s a great DAC for its price and I think most owners here will agree.


----------



## jlbrach

35 minute warm up?...silly nonsense


----------



## mainguy (Feb 13, 2022)

jlbrach said:


> 35 minute warm up?...silly nonsense


From a circuit perspective the resistance of the components will alter in temperature, and the engineers will always design equipment with this in mind. As resistance can vary somewhat this could be noticeable, but without knowing the innards of the Mojo it's hard to tell and we'd have to have the engineers themselves tell us. A fairly typical change in resistance for 30C is 10% or so.

Dismissing the youtubers comment offhand suggests a lack of understanding of how circuits work. It's entirely possible from a scientific perspective, but whether those changes are audible is hard to tell. Here's a good discussion. 

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...be-warmed-up-for-a-while-fact-or-fiction.156/


----------



## ChrisGB

mainguy said:


> From a circuit perspective the resistance of the components will alter in temperature, and the engineers will always design equipment with this in mind. As resistance can vary somewhat this could be noticeable, but without knowing the innards of the Mojo it's hard to tell and we'd have to have the engineers themselves tell us. A fairly typical change in resistance for 30C is 10% or so.


Depends on the type of resistor.


----------



## odusseus

jinx20001 said:


> hey just want to let you know this happened with my unit aswell, its only happened once in the space of a week or so of owning it, precisely as you describe it, loud white noise and the only way to stop it is to restart the mojo 2.
> 
> heres the thing though, its certainly not an apple issue because i use a windows PC... nothing scraggy either its an extremely high end pc. i can pinpoint what set it off for me though and it was the second i opened up my emails from the hotmail email app... i cant get it to repeat though, so it seems certain applications are the cause of the issue and i have no idea if there is a fix, im not sure if there is an inherent issue with the hardware design causing it but im going to shoot an email over to chord and see what they say, i would urge others to do the same so they understand the issue is widespread with the product and hopefully they can isolate the issue and resolve it with a software update hopefully.


Hello,

I have been using Mojo 2 for about ten days now and the white noise happened to me two times while listening to local files with Roon and a third time while watching a movie with VLC.
I have noticed that if you stop the song or movie and skip back a few seconds and then restart the song/movie the white noise goes away, without restarting the mojo 2. I’m using a Mac mini with M1 processor by the way. Hope it helps.

I have no idea if it is caused by some apps, I think I had at least Safari open in the background.
I will report it soon to Chord giving them as many details as possible.
Except this nuisance I’m very happy with my mojo 2.


----------



## jinx20001

odusseus said:


> Hello,
> 
> I have been using Mojo 2 for about ten days now and the white noise happened to me two times while listening to local files with Roon and a third time while watching a movie with VLC.
> I have noticed that if you stop the song or movie and skip back a few seconds and then restart the song/movie the white noise goes away, without restarting the mojo 2. I’m using a Mac mini with M1 processor by the way. Hope it helps.
> ...



yeh i agree im very happy with it besides this issue. the white noise stops when i stop playing audio, so if i pause music or whatever but continues when i press play again so i just have to restart it, never tried skipping back a few seconds ill give that a try if it happens again. cheers.


----------



## ubs28

Anyone had the white noise issue in combination with the Poly? 

If not, maybe the Chord drivers for MAC and Windows needs to be updated is what I am guessing.


----------



## jinx20001

ubs28 said:


> Anyone had the white noise issue in combination with the Poly?
> 
> If not, maybe the Chord drivers for MAC and Windows needs to be updated is what I am guessing.



no poly here, i would assume its just an update needed, fingers crossed its not a hardware issue.


----------



## Mr X

ubs28 said:


> Anyone had the white noise issue in combination with the Poly?
> 
> If not, maybe the Chord drivers for MAC and Windows needs to be updated is what I am guessing.



Have a Poly and no white noise issues with some extensive use now. 

All fine with iPhone , IPad and MacBook Pro.


----------



## rocketron

Has any one else tried to get a fixed line out from Mojo2.
In the above video I’m sure he said turn the unit on and hold down the volume buttons until the balls show blue.

I can’t seem to get that too happen.
My unit just returns to the same volume set before switch off.
I seem to remember that this feature had been removed from Mojo2??


----------



## Alan Billington

One interesting other point in that recent video (the one about 35 min warm up) is he mentions how he thinks the sound character changes with crossfeed. This certainly isn’t my experience and I don’t understand it to change the character at all. So two very strange observations from this chap. Great video otherwise tho!


----------



## galileaux

rocketron said:


> Has any one else tried to get a fixed line out from Mojo2.
> In the above video I’m sure he said turn the unit on and hold down the volume buttons until the balls show blue.
> 
> I can’t seem to get that too happen.
> ...


If I remember correctly, Rob Watts said on the Darko podcast that fixed line out was not implemented on the Mojo 2.


----------



## the1andonly

iDesign said:


> On the topic of cases, I quite prefer this version of the Mojo case over current Mojo 2 case. The contrasting red stitching, leather grain, and *sloppy construction* on the Mojo 2 case looks terrible. Hopefully, Dignis will remedy that.


leather earpads on $500+ headphones would like a word with you sir


----------



## ChrisGB

So, having recently acquired a pair of Quad ERA-1 headphones, I find that the original AKM4495 based Shanling M6 DAP that I have is, for most listening, really good with the Quads, beautifully resolving, never harsh or fatiguing, but always very detailed, the music just flows through the setup and takes over. However, a couple of niggles have become apparent. The first is battery capacity. The M6 will generally only provide around 3.5 - 4.5 hours of streaming / SD card music listening pleasure before a recharge is needed. Secondly, the headphones need a bit more driving when the music gets lairy. The Shanling seems a little too polite for some tunes!

Bright idea, the Mojo 2 seems to perfectly fit my use case (stream from PC / Laptop / Shanling M6 or even the Oneplus 9 pro at a pinch). Lossless EQ sounds perfect for adding the last 2dB of heft to the bottom end of the Quads.

I’ve been using the Mojo 2 since last Tuesday and here are my impressions. A nicely packaged and presented bundle, the unit itself feels nicely hewn from a block of ally and the finish is excellent. The control interface balls are simple enough to learn and, for me, preferable to an LCD screen and menu system. Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain is the simple key for adjustments. Nice touch! Brightness level is well considered, but the lower brightness still doubles as a decent night light. Micro USB? I know it is rated for 1A charging, but fast charge 3 phones were using it with 3A chargers years ago. Still have a Nexus 6 in the household using it daily.

The sonic tweaking available feels very well considered and highly useful. My guesstimate was that the Quads needed the 20Hz region boosted by 2dB and the result was perfect. Playing around with the settings, I think it would be possible to get a subtle and effective EQ for most headphones. Crossfeed is brilliant, especially for some older recordings or stuff that is heavily panned. Take Five and A Meeting By The River benefited hugely from it, with no apparent downsides.

Connectivity was simple with phone and DAP, with stored files and streaming (Amazon HD) working perfectly, with the exception of playing a DSD256 file, which stuttered and went into white noise. It was a test file, I don’t usually bother with DSD, so not an issue for me. Connection to the laptop and workstation were unusable. Serious noise problems and intermittent drops into white noise, so that is out.

So, to the sound then. I suspect I’m not going to be popular here! Having read the eulogising posts and looked at numerous online reviews, I was expecting more. Particularly, I was expecting substantial across the board improvements over the Shanling M6. Charged, played until battery hit 20% and charged again, it was time for the initial listen. Something of a recent favourite of mine, Jon Hassell’s Listening to Pictures album, has complex textures and lots of spatial trickery in the production. Initially, it felt dull and flat. Stuff was all there, or thereabouts, but the space was missing, the textures and vibrancy reduced, the magic gone.

What followed was an extensive listening session leading to the realization that although the Mojo 2 is a very good DAC, a huge improvement on my workstation output stage for example (with Asus Crystal Sound 3 no less!) it only surpasses the Shanling M6 in driving power and perhaps is a little better rhythmically with some music. In general, resolution across the frequency spectrum seems to be lower, the sound somehow thicker and the portrayal of subtle tonal and dynamic shifts compressed. Textures are less vibrant, bass seems heftier, but with reduced detail. It could simply be a lack of synergy with the Quad ERA-1 I guess? I don’t have any other decent headphones to try. Experimenting with EQ could not retrieve the missing magic.

I suspect I am going to have to reach deeper into my pocket. The descriptions I have read of the Hugo 2 sound, look to be heading in the right direction for my tastes. On the plus side, I knew the Shanling M6 was good. When I was auditioning the ERA-1 I tried them on a much more expensive front end to see how they scaled. Hooked up to a Naim / Accuphase setup, there was not much difference from the little DAP! Perhaps the ERA-1 looks a little too closely? I’m worried that a Hugo 2 sized hole is about to appear in my bank account.

Listening notes / deranged ramblings below:

All files .flac 16 bit 44.1KHz unless otherwise stated. Impressions are how the Mojo 2 sounds with the M6 as the control standard.

John McLaughlin, My goals beyond, Peace 1: Opening, as intro builds, brushed cymbals and sitar less texture and less audible. Guitar slightly thicker sounding, violins a little more body but less texture.

Vishwar Mohan Bhatt / Ry Cooder, A meeting by the river: Subtle differences. I get the sense that the Mojo is slightly brushing over the tonal contrasts and subtle pitch and amplitude variations in the worked strings. Crossfeed is brilliant here.

David Sylvian, Secrets of the beehive, When Poets dream of angels: Opening, less air and more fullness in guitars. Voice has more body, less texture. Voice and strings, both give impression of reduced modulation.

The Orb, No sounds are out of bounds, The end of the end: Sounds in lower mids with amplitude modulation seem somewhat compressed, like the sounds occupy a smaller dynamic range within the mix. Details on voice reverberations less apparent. Less texture, space and air around the top end. More punchy and pacey.

Wolfbane: Intro, bass more emphatically present, but thicker with less detail. Less texture size, height and shape to synthesized vocal crescendo.

Other blue worlds: less texture on top of bass on intro gives darker sound creating narrower space.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Stagger Lee: Clear improvement in pace and timing. Ramshackle intro beautifully conveyed, epic when it all comes together with the vocal. Livens up the Quad ERA-1 nicely. Captures the visceral nature and drive of the track, very, very big improvement.

Cardiacs, On land and in the sea, The duck and Roger the horse: Smaller stage, obviously bigger macrodynamics, more pace and drive to the rhythm. Comparative loss of texture in sax that lives in top right hand side of the mix. Some congestion through mids.

Eberhard Weber, Sand 24 bit 192KHz: Very very close. Slightly less vibrant, similar texture, atmosphere, snappier sense of timing?

Nursrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mustt Mustt, Fault lines: Opening panned / modulated guitar strum reduced sense of modulation. Voice very similar. Less expansive stage. Lowest bass notes more emphatically presented.

Future sound of London, Lifeforms, Ill flower: Upper mid metallic texture in cascade rendered nearer to white noise. Detail / texture reduced. Texture can't be EQ'd in. Throughout the album, FSOL’s sculpted lower frequency events seem to have reduced spatial and amplitude information resulting in loss of shape and shape changes.

Björk, Vespertine, Undo: Richer bass, slightly more body to voice, reduced detail in mid high atmospherics. Bell sustain audible for less time in busy mix. Multitracked voice less separated.

Pagan Poetry: when things get really busy, separation / resolution of multiple sounds partially blend into one to a greater extent.

Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis (The new queens hall orchestra / Barry Wordsworth): Bowing on higher strings less rendered. More weight in lower strings. Imaging / placement as rest of orchestra comes in similar. Position of each section slightly less well defined?

Listening to Pictures Jon Hassell, Dreaming: Less texture in bass, reduced metallic character in upper mid synth sound. Trumpet through effects not as spacious. Loses atmosphere substantially.

Radiohead, A moon shaped pool, Burn the witch (24 bit 44.1KHz): Less separation of plucked / bowed strings. Much better rythmic cohesion throughout song.

Ok Computer, Subterranean Homesick Alien (24 bit 96KHz): Closer than 44.1KHz material, still some loss of texture and reduced portrayal of dynamic shading.


----------



## Voxata

ChrisGB said:


> So, to the sound then. I suspect I’m not going to be popular here! Having read the eulogising posts and looked at numerous online reviews, I was expecting more. Particularly, I was expecting substantial across the board improvements over the Shanling M6. Charged, played until battery hit 20% and charged again, it was time for the initial listen. Something of a recent favourite of mine, Jon Hassell’s Listening to Pictures album, has complex textures and lots of spatial trickery in the production. Initially, it felt dull and flat. Stuff was all there, or thereabouts, but the space was missing, the textures and vibrancy reduced, the magic gone.



Incredibly detailed review, nice to see a great DAP compared to the Mojo 2.


----------



## x RELIC x

rocketron said:


> Has any one else tried to get a fixed line out from Mojo2.
> In the above video I’m sure he said turn the unit on and hold down the volume buttons until the balls show blue.
> 
> I can’t seem to get that too happen.
> ...


There is no volume preset for fixed line out ‘mode’ with Mojo2 (which is all the Mojo1 really had anyway, a volume shortcut).


----------



## lwells

odusseus said:


> Hello,
> 
> I have been using Mojo 2 for about ten days now and the white noise happened to me two times while listening to local files with Roon and a third time while watching a movie with VLC.
> I have noticed that if you stop the song or movie and skip back a few seconds and then restart the song/movie the white noise goes away, without restarting the mojo 2. I’m using a Mac mini with M1 processor by the way. Hope it helps.
> ...


I’m also using an m1 Mac (16” with m1 pro) with Roon. I haven’t seen this issue yet.


----------



## iDesign (Feb 13, 2022)

odusseus said:


> Hello,
> 
> I have been using Mojo 2 for about ten days now and the white noise happened to me two times while listening to local files with Roon and a third time while watching a movie with VLC.
> I have noticed that if you stop the song or movie and skip back a few seconds and then restart the song/movie the white noise goes away, without restarting the mojo 2. I’m using a Mac mini with M1 processor by the way. Hope it helps.
> ...


I appreciate you posting this and pointing out it randomly happens during playback and not always when first connecting the devices. Interestingly, it does not happen when changing between tracks with different sample rates. There is almost certainly an issue with the way Chord DACs interface with Apple devices equipped with USB-C and the latest versions of MacOS and iPadOS. I haven’t seen or experienced this issue with iOS and that’s likely because those devices all use the Lightning port. I haven’t identified what it is that triggers these dropouts but everyone who has reported the problem thus far described the exact same behavior.

The best hope is that Apple will fix the issue through a software update— there’s nothing Chord can or will do since they don’t support simple firmware updates to their DACs.


----------



## headfry

ChrisGB said:


> So, having recently acquired a pair of Quad ERA-1 headphones, I find that the original AKM4495 based Shanling M6 DAP that I have is, for most listening, really good with the Quads, beautifully resolving, never harsh or fatiguing, but always very detailed, the music just flows through the setup and takes over. However, a couple of niggles have become apparent. The first is battery capacity. The M6 will generally only provide around 3.5 - 4.5 hours of streaming / SD card music listening pleasure before a recharge is needed. Secondly, the headphones need a bit more driving when the music gets lairy. The Shanling seems a little too polite for some tunes!
> 
> Bright idea, the Mojo 2 seems to perfectly fit my use case (stream from PC / Laptop / Shanling M6 or even the Oneplus 9 pro at a pinch). Lossless EQ sounds perfect for adding the last 2dB of heft to the bottom end of the Quads.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the very impressive detailed review/comparison! May I ask what cable(s) you're using to connect Mojo 2?


----------



## ChrisGB

headfry said:


> Thanks for the very impressive detailed review/comparison! May I ask what cable(s) you're using to connect Mojo 2?


For the laptop / phone  / M6 / PC, I've tried two different USB C cables and for the PC, two different USB A to USB micro cables. I've also used the M6 in USB DAC mode from the laptop via the same USB C-C cable where it sounds much the same as it does providing it's own digital input, so I am happy that the cables are not a significant factor. The cables are generic, nothing special.

I don't think there is anything wrong with the Mojo 2, it is excellent, but the M6 is punching so far above it's price point in so many ways. The Shanling Windows USB driver is not without issues mind you, but I never had the dropout into white noise with it.


----------



## kumar402 (Feb 14, 2022)

ubs28 said:


> Btw, why is everyone their Mojo 1 sounding "warm"? My Mojo 1 (with the Poly) sounds harsh.


Warm can sound harsh. Warmth comes from mid bass boost and harshness comes from sparkly treble and higher frequency. Warm doesn’t mean smooth and dark. Mojo 1 is warm but has enough energy in treble that if paired with bright IEM it may sound harsh.


----------



## kumar402

Chop-Top said:


> Should I splurge for the M2?  I'm totally satisfied with the M1 in my current setup and don't see using the M2 EQ.


No. Don’t try to change or fix something that ain’t broken just for the sake of it. After getting M2 you may just end up using bass shelf to sound it like M1


----------



## adamjohari

How do I use the Chord Mojo to connect to my amp? Can I use the 3.5mm to RCA adapter? I saw the Audioquest Hard Mini. This should work right? And what Voltage output should I be using? Thanks in advance.


----------



## Rob Watts

syazwaned said:


> Dear @Rob Watts
> 
> How does  lossless EQ in Mojo 2 differs from Qudelix 5K parametric EQ and Schiit Loki Mini in term of sound degradation wise?



I can't comment upon individual products, but I can comment upon the technical side of implementations.

64 bit DSP is, in my opinion, inadequate to transparently do EQ. The issue here is with small signals, and with noise floor modulation. With noise floor modulation, floating point implementations create noise floor modulation, and at a level that is audible; this adds an artificial brightness and hardness to the sound.

The issue with small signals is more involved - if the amplitude of small signals changes with respect to large signals (it will be smaller than it should) this will degrade the perception of depth. Moreover, if the phase shift of the small signal is different to large signals this too is audible. Based on lots of listening tests, I have conclude that for small signals to be perfectly reproduced then it must be able to reproduce a -301 dB signal with amplitude accuracy of +/-0.001dB and phase accuracy of +/-0.001 degrees. If it doesn't do that, then it will affect the sound quality and will not be transparent. To do this you need to do 3 things - use a lot more bits than 64 (104 bits in Mojo 2), and use fixed point processing, and use noise shaping on all internal nodes of the DSP at 705/768k or greater. None of the current EQ DSP's do any of these essential things - excepting of course Mojo 2.

For analogue implementations of EQ, you need lots of resistors, capacitors, inductors, contacts, potentiometers, amplifiers and all of these things on their own seriously damages transparency. That's why audiophiles since the 1970's have eschewed using EQ and tone controls.        



mainguy said:


> From a circuit perspective the resistance of the components will alter in temperature, and the engineers will always design equipment with this in mind. As resistance can vary somewhat this could be noticeable, but without knowing the innards of the Mojo it's hard to tell and we'd have to have the engineers themselves tell us. A fairly typical change in resistance for 30C is 10% or so.
> 
> Dismissing the youtubers comment offhand suggests a lack of understanding of how circuits work. It's entirely possible from a scientific perspective, but whether those changes are audible is hard to tell. Here's a good discussion.
> 
> https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...be-warmed-up-for-a-while-fact-or-fiction.156/



You are wrong by 1000 times. The critical resistors in Mojo 2 are rated at 10 ppm. That is a 0.01% change in resistance going from 20 deg C to 30 deg C. Moreover, that change would have zero affect upon Mojo's measured and listening performance.

For sure conventional DACs do need warm up time, for a number of complex reasons, and you can see it in the measurements. All the measurements do not change in any detectable manner upon turn on with Mojo 2. 

My DACs do not have any significant warm up time, nor do they have a break-in period - any changes to SQ is your brain adjusting to the new sound. As someone posted on the Dave thread recently a 5 year old Dave sounds the same as a new Dave. I achieve this by solving a large number of individual issues, solutions to which gets applied on every DAC I design.


----------



## kumar402

adamjohari said:


> How do I use the Chord Mojo to connect to my amp? Can I use the 3.5mm to RCA adapter? I saw the Audioquest Hard Mini. This should work right? And what Voltage output should I be using? Thanks in advance.


Yes, that will work. Make sure you put Mojo in 2v out using the chart.


----------



## Amberlamps

So, whats the consensus, does mojo 2 walk all over the original mojo ?

I’m really interested in buying one, but only if it kicks mojo’s ass majorly, so whats the verdict ?


----------



## Another Audiophile

Amberlamps said:


> So, whats the consensus, does mojo 2 walk all over the original mojo ?
> 
> I’m really interested in buying one, but only if it kicks mojo’s ass majorly, so whats the verdict ?


My verdict is simple. Mojo 2 is more dynamic, better controlled bass and higher transparency. Also mojo 1 is one sounding unit while the Mojo 2 can be any sounding unit you want it to be.


----------



## jinx20001 (Feb 14, 2022)

Rob Watts said:


> I can't comment upon individual products, but I can comment upon the technical side of implementations.
> 
> 64 bit DSP is, in my opinion, inadequate to transparently do EQ. The issue here is with small signals, and with noise floor modulation. With noise floor modulation, floating point implementations create noise floor modulation, and at a level that is audible; this adds an artificial brightness and hardness to the sound.
> 
> ...



Great reply and response, good to see you are active on these forums and willing to engage even though it likely takes valuable time so thanks for that.

Would you have any input on the white noise issue many members are having with the mojo 2?

It has only happened to me once In the week or so I've owned it but it was pretty extreme and loud and could only be solved with a switch off and on of the mojo 2. It does not seem to matter what other hardware people are using, I use a PC, some use apple devices, many varying headsets and earphones but many of us have encountered the same issue, something seems to trigger the mojo 2 and cause only white noise output, for me I was listening to music on my pc with the mojo 2 in desktop mode ( maybe this is where the problem occurs, not seen any reports of it happening in mobile mode ), I simply opened up my emails while listening to music and that seemed to be the trigger, the white noise would stop when i paused the audio but continue when unpaused, as I say the solution was a restart of mojo.

Seems to be quite a big issue with the mojo 2 unit itself I'm hoping can be a driver fix.

Thanks for any reply and I'm sure I speak for everyone here when I say we appreciate your responses and we love the products.

Best regards.


----------



## Kentajalli (Feb 14, 2022)

mainguy said:


> From a circuit perspective the resistance of the components will alter in temperature, and the engineers will always design equipment with this in mind. As resistance can vary somewhat this could be noticeable, but without knowing the innards of the Mojo it's hard to tell and we'd have to have the engineers themselves tell us. A fairly typical change in resistance for 30C is 10% or so.
> 
> Dismissing the youtubers comment offhand suggests a lack of understanding of how circuits work. It's entirely possible from a scientific perspective, but whether those changes are audible is hard to tell. Here's a good discussion.
> 
> https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...be-warmed-up-for-a-while-fact-or-fiction.156/


@Rob Watts has already answered this, this is just a follow up.
In my draw of components I do indeed have some devices (resistors in particular) rated at 50 ppm - that is 50 part per million for one degree C. So they are widely available, and designers can design circuits that even this low value shouldn't matter, by balancing the topology, say, if one resistor goes down, another would compensate.
I am not familiar with Mojo2 circuit, but Mr. Watts has been proven to be thorough, if I can think of it, he had a solution for it ten years ago.
Consider this, many DACs employed ever more precise clocks, even +1K $ outboard ones, temperature compensated, super clean supplies, expensive cabling to achieve low jitter values - Mr. Watts designs (years ago) irradicated jitter practically.
A simple temperature variation compensation is childs play to the man.


----------



## evhvis

Amberlamps said:


> So, whats the consensus, does mojo 2 walk all over the original mojo ?
> 
> I’m really interested in buying one, but only if it kicks mojo’s ass majorly, so whats the verdict ?


Depends on the headphones from my testing. The better the headphones the larger the gap is. Headphones with lots of distortion in the bass area don't seem benefit as much from the upgrades. E.g. the HD650 didn't benefit that much (minor improvement), but the Denon AH-D7200 and Focal Elear with Elex pads sounded significantly better on the Mojo 2. Those headphones were the outer edges, but several others were somewhere inbetween in improvement. You basically have to try both in A-B with the headphones/IEMs you plan to use to know if it is a large upgrade or not.

Mojo 2 seems to be more resistant to noise over USB. The difference were larger when running from an iphone instead of optical.


----------



## evhvis

Does anyone know the latency from input to output on the mojo 2 on optical and USB?


----------



## headfry (Feb 14, 2022)

ChrisGB said:


> For the laptop / phone  / M6 / PC, I've tried two different USB C cables and for the PC, two different USB A to USB micro cables. I've also used the M6 in USB DAC mode from the laptop via the same USB C-C cable where it sounds much the same as it does providing it's own digital input, so I am happy that the cables are not a significant factor. The cables are generic, nothing special.
> 
> I don't think there is anything wrong with the Mojo 2, it is excellent, but the M6 is punching so far above it's price point in so many ways. The Shanling Windows USB driver is not without issues mind you, but I never had the dropout into white noise with it.


Thanks for your prompt reply. Maybe the synergy with your DAP and headphones is especially good and perhaps (I'm speculating here) that using a variety of other headphones would have shown more sound/musical advantage w/M2 with some of them.

Then again, I initially used Mojo OG with the supplied generic cable for a while but it wasn't until I bought a used Curious Hugo Link micro USB,
together with AQ Jitterbug that the sound blossomed to the really special musical performance that I continue to enjoy each day. I don't have the M2 yet and
haven't heard the USB-C connection to compare with my micro USB setup but it sounds like you've covered the bases!


----------



## ChrisGB (Feb 14, 2022)

headfry said:


> Thanks for your prompt response. Maybe the synergy with your DAP and headphones is especially good and perhaps (I'm speculating here) that using a variety of other headphones would have shown more sound/musical advantage with the M2 with some of them.


Yes, very much so, hence why I qualified my comments with the limited headphones choice used for reviewing. I think as well, a big factor is how good the M6 is. Connected to the main system it really impresses too. It's a deeply impressive thing for it's price and then some. Still feeling upgradeitis though. There is also the subjective preference at play too. I like a very clean sound and am quite sensitive to differences in equipment. Here though, differences were quite noticable. I used a could of test tones to get the volumes similar, but even after turning the M6 to a noticably lower volume, it still gave a performance that I preferred. On some songs though, the Mojo 2 was clearly superior to the M6.


----------



## gryffe

Still trying to get to grips with Poly while using with Mojo 2, so please forgive the ignorance. I like to listen to podcasts etc on Youtube while out on a walk, is this possible with Poly either using Bluetooth or Hotspot, not having much luck so far. Same with the BBC Sounds app. Another thing I noticed while using Hotspot I get a security warning on my phone about unauthorised people etc who might be able to use my details. Should I be worried ?


----------



## TheEldestBoy

Any word on whether or not a Poly 2 will be coming?


----------



## alota

TheEldestBoy said:


> Any word on whether or not a Poly 2 will be coming?


Really? Lol


----------



## TheEldestBoy

Does anyone know if the white noise issue is present when using the poly? Is it only there with wired use?


----------



## Pier Paolo

It would be nice if RW clarified this "white noise" issue........


----------



## lwells

Pier Paolo said:


> It would be nice if RW clarified this "white noise" issue........


It doesn’t sound like the cause is known. I’m sure that if the cause were known, Chord would address it.


----------



## ubs28

gryffe said:


> Still trying to get to grips with Poly while using with Mojo 2, so please forgive the ignorance. I like to listen to podcasts etc on Youtube while out on a walk, is this possible with Poly either using Bluetooth or Hotspot, not having much luck so far. Same with the BBC Sounds app. Another thing I noticed while using Hotspot I get a security warning on my phone about unauthorised people etc who might be able to use my details. Should I be worried ?



Just use Airplay for stuff like this.


----------



## ubs28 (Feb 14, 2022)

TheEldestBoy said:


> Does anyone know if the white noise issue is present when using the poly? Is it only there with wired use?


I would be very surprised if it also has the same problem with the Poly, as both devices are made by the same company.

I am guessing Chord has no proper M1 / Apple Silicon native driver yet and Rosetta 2 is causing the problems. So Chord has to update it. However I could be totally wrong.

I actually have some issues with one of my  audio interfaces in combination with my 16” M1 Max MacBook Pro, due to the drivers still being “beta”.


----------



## gryffe

ubs28 said:


> Just use Airplay for stuff like this.


Hi, thanks for your suggestion, but still no success. I put Poly in Airplane mode via Go Figure, and in case needed connected Poly to Bluetooth on phone. The volume from Youtube was coming from the phone speaker, I assume I need to cast it to available devices ? If so Poly is not among the four devices listed. With the BBC Sounds app on the phone there doesn't appear to be any method for casting or connecting to Poly.


----------



## mainguy (Feb 14, 2022)

Rob Watts said:


> You are wrong by 1000 times. The critical resistors in Mojo 2 are rated at 10 ppm. That is a 0.01% change in resistance going from 20 deg C to 30 deg C. Moreover, that change would have zero affect upon Mojo's measured and listening performance.
> 
> For sure conventional DACs do need warm up time, for a number of complex reasons, and you can see it in the measurements. All the measurements do not change in any detectable manner upon turn on with Mojo 2.
> 
> My DACs do not have any significant warm up time, nor do they have a break-in period - any changes to SQ is your brain adjusting to the new sound. As someone posted on the Dave thread recently a 5 year old Dave sounds the same as a new Dave. I achieve this by solving a large number of individual issues, solutions to which gets applied on every DAC I design.



Good to have this clarified, thanks! For the record i wasn’t saying the Mojo did change with temperature, or not, only that theoretically it is possible depending on the resistors used, And of course its totally possible to design devices to almost completely eliminate temperature dependence at 10-40C. It was more a statement about, hey, none of us know how this thing is built, so until the engineer tells us maybe we should just pipe down and see.

Thanks for your products btw, im new to chord but the hugo is blowing my mind


----------



## jinx20001

ubs28 said:


> I would be very surprised if it also has the same problem with the Poly, as both devices are made by the same company.
> 
> I am guessing Chord has no proper M1 / Apple Silicon native driver yet and Rosetta 2 is causing the problems. So Chord has to update it. However I could be totally wrong.
> 
> I actually have some issues with one of my  audio interfaces in combination with my 16” M1 Max MacBook Pro, due to the drivers still being “beta”.



Its certainly not an apple only issue since I've had it happen on my Windows pc (5900x, 3080ti).

What's a worry for me is it does appear to be inherently a hardware issue with the mojo 2, luckily it happens so rarely I don't think it's going to be a major worry long term.

Thing is when it happens it's quite loud and possibly damaging to the ear or headset so i feel it should be taken seriously judging by how many reports there are now.

Hopefully @Rob Watts can put a few minds at rest and confirm it's at least a known issue and something being investigated.


----------



## someyoungguy

TheEldestBoy said:


> Does anyone know if the white noise issue is present when using the poly? Is it only there with wired use?


When I had it with Mojo1 it only occurred  with wired USB use, I don’t recall it ever happening with Poly. Also, I had it with my Windows laptop and Audirvana, so it isn’t just an Apple issue. As long as I didn’t use upsampling on Audirvana it was okay though.


----------



## Alan Billington

gryffe said:


> Hi, thanks for your suggestion, but still no success. I put Poly in Airplane mode via Go Figure, and in case needed connected Poly to Bluetooth on phone. The volume from Youtube was coming from the phone speaker, I assume I need to cast it to available devices ? If so Poly is not among the four devices listed. With the BBC Sounds app on the phone there doesn't appear to be any method for casting or connecting to Poly.


Hiya. Set poly to hotspot mode. This will make it appear as a wifi source in your wifi list. Select it. From your app you should then be able to choose it as an available device


----------



## gryffe

Alan Billington said:


> Hiya. Set poly to hotspot mode. This will make it appear as a wifi source in your wifi list. Select it. From your app you should then be able to choose it as an available device


Hi thanks, yes I can do this with the likes of Roon, but my issue is with Apps such as Youtube. I guess it needs somebody who has a Poly to confirm they have had success using it with Youtube, maybe Youtube is incomptaible?


----------



## masterpfa

vlach said:


> I use the AK120 ll as transport (via optical) with the M1. This sounds better than straight out of the AK120 ll.


Very nice combination with th AK120 II





 My weapon of choice AK100 before the Poly 

I might just try this again after quite a while. Using the Poly meant this could take a back seat, now I re-unite the two as my Poly is now mated to a Mojo 2


----------



## masterpfa

wwyjoe said:


> M2 owners, much appreciated if you post your EQ dsp settngs


My changes  depending my mood and Genre of music.
Classical especially Cello and/or Old School Reggae bothe the same as below

20Hz + 2db
125Hz + 4db
3Khz + 2 db
20Khz + 2db

Otherwise flat. (Also depends on headphones used)


----------



## Another Audiophile

masterpfa said:


> My changes  depending my mood and Genre of music.
> Classical especially Cello and/or Old School Reggae bothe the same as below
> 
> 20Hz + 2db
> ...


Why don’t you just boost 125hz by 2db?


----------



## odusseus

someyoungguy said:


> When I had it with Mojo1 it only occurred  with wired USB use, I don’t recall it ever happening with Poly. Also, I had it with my Windows laptop and Audirvana, so it isn’t just an Apple issue. As long as I didn’t use upsampling on Audirvana it was okay though.


Dear fellows,
About the white noise issue I’ve just got a response from Chord support that I pasted below:

“ This is a loss of sync caused by two different sample rates being sent to Mojo2 at once. If you are using music playback software that does not have an exclusive mode, system sounds should be switched to off. This is not specific to Mojo2 and is a repeatable phenomenon both on other Chord Electronics DACs and other devices we've tested over the years.”

I think it is very likely what happened; I have now changed some audio settings to ensure only one source of sound goes through the Mojo, excluding for instance system sounds. Let’s try.

Best


----------



## ClicketEKlack

ChrisGB said:


> For the laptop / phone  / M6 / PC, I've tried two different USB C cables and for the PC, two different USB A to USB micro cables. I've also used the M6 in USB DAC mode from the laptop via the same USB C-C cable where it sounds much the same as it does providing it's own digital input, so I am happy that the cables are not a significant factor. The cables are generic, nothing special.
> 
> I don't think there is anything wrong with the Mojo 2, it is excellent, but the M6 is punching so far above it's price point in so many ways. The Shanling Windows USB driver is not without issues mind you, but I never had the dropout into white noise with it.



This is great to hear, as I can stick to my M8 with no FOMO.


----------



## jinx20001

masterpfa said:


> My changes  depending my mood and Genre of music.
> Classical especially Cello and/or Old School Reggae bothe the same as below
> 
> 20Hz + 2db
> ...



thats quite an interesting EQ, what headphones are you using for this, i am finding i need to boost the bass with whichever headphones i use because when flat the mojo 2 seems to lack a little in low end power, its the only dac ive used where ill insert m20 apex modules into my u12t in ears just to get back to where im at flat on anything else, but thats not to say the quality of the bass is less, its very clean and deep just lacking in a little low end grunt.

if my understanding of the EQ is right you are +6db at 20hz with this EQ right because when you adjust the 125hz shelf its effective all the way down to 20hz aswell as mild boost above 125hz to 3khz... thats right i believe? correct me if im wrong, still trying to find the ''just right'' settings myself but as you say different headphones will like a different setup, kinda wish it had some profile setup for this reason.


----------



## iDesign

odusseus said:


> Dear fellows,
> About the white noise issue I’ve just got a response from Chord support that I pasted below:
> 
> “ This is a loss of sync caused by two different sample rates being sent to Mojo2 at once. If you are using music playback software that does not have an exclusive mode, system sounds should be switched to off. This is not specific to Mojo2 and is a repeatable phenomenon both on other Chord Electronics DACs and other devices we've tested over the years.”
> ...


That’s not the issue. It absolutely occurs with Roon in Exclusive Mode.


----------



## Alan Billington

gryffe said:


> Hi thanks, yes I can do this with the likes of Roon, but my issue is with Apps such as Youtube. I guess it needs somebody who has a Poly to confirm they have had success using it with Youtube, maybe Youtube is incomptaible?


I’ve got a poly and use you tube with it. I’ve just noticed I enable playback on say Spotify or Apple music. It’s then enabled. Switch to you tube. Carries on connected and just press play on that app. Enjoy


----------



## gryffe

Alan Billington said:


> I’ve got a poly and use you tube with it. I’ve just noticed I enable playback on say Spotify or Apple music. It’s then enabled. Switch to you tube. Carries on connected and just press play on that app. Enjoy


Thanks for suggestion. Still not working for me. Are you using Airplane or Hotspot, and do you have Apple or Android phone - I have android. 
I tried both Airplane and Hotspot, fired up Spotify and Apple music on my phone and neither can detect the Poly. 
Actually I am wondering about what I previously said about Roon as well, as Roon doesnt work without wifi, so must have imagined I got Roon to play back in Hotspot?


----------



## jlbrach

masterpfa said:


> Very nice combination with th AK120 II
> 
> 
> My weapon of choice AK100 before the Poly
> ...


the old ak 100 and 120 are fantastic for use as a transport because they have 2 micro sd ports....I use it as well and love it


----------



## masterpfa

Another Audiophile said:


> Why don’t you just boost 125hz by 2db?


YMMV next you'll be telling me I should be listening to Rock invested 🤣

This is what I settled on after trying nearly a few combinations


----------



## masterpfa

jinx20001 said:


> thats quite an interesting EQ, what headphones are you using for this, i am finding i need to boost the bass with whichever headphones i use because when flat the mojo 2 seems to lack a little in low end power, its the only dac ive used where ill insert m20 apex modules into my u12t in ears just to get back to where im at flat on anything else, but thats not to say the quality of the bass is less, its very clean and deep just lacking in a little low end grunt.
> 
> if my understanding of the EQ is right you are +6db at 20hz with this EQ right because when you adjust the 125hz shelf its effective all the way down to 20hz aswell as mild boost above 125hz to 3khz... thats right i believe? correct me if im wrong, still trying to find the ''just right'' settings myself but as you say different headphones will like a different setup, kinda wish it had some profile setup for this reason.


Currently my headphones are Koss Porta & Meze 99.

Koss for casual use and Meze for relaxed use

Who knows regarding the dB levels I find boosting by a couple of dbs across the board helps give me the sound I'm looking for especially when tying to pick out bass from some tracks


----------



## Billyak

Isn't boosting every frequency just increasing volume?


----------



## lwells

odusseus said:


> Dear fellows,
> About the white noise issue I’ve just got a response from Chord support that I pasted below:
> 
> “ This is a loss of sync caused by two different sample rates being sent to Mojo2 at once. If you are using music playback software that does not have an exclusive mode, system sounds should be switched to off. This is not specific to Mojo2 and is a repeatable phenomenon both on other Chord Electronics DACs and other devices we've tested over the years.”
> ...


This is explains why I haven’t had an issue. My m2 is fed from an Allo DigiOne signature via Roon.


----------



## rwelles

Just got my shipping notice from TTVYJ!!


----------



## keithmarsh

iDesign said:


> That’s not the issue. It absolutely occurs with Roon in Exclusive Mode.


Same here! Happens all the time with Roon in exclusive mode for me too. Luckily I don’t get the issue when used with the Poly otherwise the M2 would be pretty useless to me.


----------



## Alan Billington

gryffe said:


> Thanks for suggestion. Still not working for me. Are you using Airplane or Hotspot, and do you have Apple or Android phone - I have android.
> I tried both Airplane and Hotspot, fired up Spotify and Apple music on my phone and neither can detect the Poly.
> Actually I am wondering about what I previously said about Roon as well, as Roon doesnt work without wifi, so must have imagined I got Roon to play back in Hotspot?


I’m on Apple but I’d imagine the concept will be the same. No. Never Bluetooth. Mojo 2 doesn’t have Bluetooth for playback (only to connect to phone). I think airplane mode is completely wrong. Hope someone else can help. Do make sure you put poly in hotspot mode. Oh you’ll need hybrid hotspot too so you can still access data thru poly


----------



## Saturday

okay, what I want to know, is _still_ with no inputs on the same side as the outputs, how does one put this in their pocket with their iphone as transport? Like if the USBC was on the same side as the outputs, you could put the whole stack in your pocket upside down without bending cables and everything coming out the top. But with the cables coming out opposite sides, what solution is there to make this really portable?


----------



## jinx20001

Billyak said:


> Isn't boosting every frequency just increasing volume?



no thats not really how it works with the mojo, when you adjust the EQ you shape the sound, so all of the other frequencies around the one you adjust get a milder adjustment too, you would think that if you just adjust every option up 1db for example that the sound profile would be the same as stock but louder but its not it actually changes the sound signature due to the way it works.

if you adjusted every EQ option up 1 it would create a massive V shape to the signature i believe.


----------



## odusseus

keithmarsh said:


> Same here! Happens all the time with Roon in exclusive mode for me too. Luckily I don’t get the issue when used with the Poly otherwise the M2 would be pretty useless to me.


Could it be an issue with Roon? They haven't updated the available output devices to show Mojo 2.


----------



## ChrisGB

ClicketEKlack said:


> This is great to hear, as I can stick to my M8 with no FOMO.


I've never heard the M8, but given the M6's capabilities, I'd imagine it's spectacular.


----------



## keithmarsh

odusseus said:


> Could it be an issue with Roon? They haven't updated the available output devices to show Mojo 2.


Could be - I’ll see if the problem persists with another app!


----------



## vo_obgyn (Feb 14, 2022)

Any Mojo 2 DSP setting recommendations for the LCD-X, I’m wondering? I use Roon and am wondering if I should continue to use the Roon DSP preset for the LCD-X or use the Mojo 2 DSP function instead. I’m not sure if there is an advantage of using one over the other.


----------



## iDesign

keithmarsh said:


> Could be - I’ll see if the problem persists with another app!


Its not limited to Roon and as others have posted it occurs with other Chord DACs.


----------



## gryffe

Alan Billington said:


> I’m on Apple but I’d imagine the concept will be the same. No. Never Bluetooth. Mojo 2 doesn’t have Bluetooth for playback (only to connect to phone). I think airplane mode is completely wrong. Hope someone else can help. Do make sure you put poly in hotspot mode. Oh you’ll need hybrid hotspot too so you can still access data thru poly


Yes Poly is in hotspot mode. What is hybrid hotspot? Is that the phones hotspot, if so have switched that on as well.


----------



## PreeminentPeace

Now to read through 172 pages to see if this is a worthy upgrade from my original


----------



## ChrisGB

PreeminentPeace said:


> Now to read through 172 pages to see if this is a worthy upgrade from my original


I'd start at around P175😁


----------



## PreeminentPeace

ChrisGB said:


> I'd start at around P175😁


LoL your right I will wait a couple days and start on P175 🤣


----------



## adamjohari

Saturday said:


> okay, what I want to know, is _still_ with no inputs on the same side as the outputs, how does one put this in their pocket with their iphone as transport? Like if the USBC was on the same side as the outputs, you could put the whole stack in your pocket upside down without bending cables and everything coming out the top. But with the cables coming out opposite sides, what solution is there to make this really portable?


Look at post #2552 in page 171


----------



## Saturday

adamjohari said:


> Look at post #2552 in page 171


Not terrible but that looks like optical and doesn’t look like an iPhone. Is that just shrink wrap? I’m looking for a lightning to microusb/c solution. Ideally it would be right angle or even “u” connectors.


----------



## DecentLevi

Apologies if this is already been posted, just jumping in. This is the best review I've read about the Mojo 2 so far, I especially like his personal way of describing the sound, and some of the features he mentioned same quite interesting like the 3 imaging modes. Check it out:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/headphone-reviews/chord-mojo-2-review/


----------



## Alan Billington

Saturday said:


> Not terrible but that looks like optical and doesn’t look like an iPhone. Is that just shrink wrap? I’m looking for a lightning to microusb/c solution. Ideally it would be right angle or even “u” connectors.






I have previously used these (before switching to poly). It takes the audio signal as most do not. Then you just need usbc to micro. If you’re in England I’ve an unopened one kicking about


----------



## x RELIC x

DecentLevi said:


> Apologies if this is already been posted, just jumping in. This is the best review I've read about the Mojo 2 so far, I especially like his personal way of describing the sound, and some of the features he mentioned same quite interesting like the 3 imaging modes. Check it out:
> https://www.digitaltrends.com/headphone-reviews/chord-mojo-2-review/


Nice review.

The comment that the iFi I DSD doesn’t have enough power for the Focal Stella is, of course, rubbish. Very misleading to say so as it just perpetuates the myths and confusion between good design and power used. That and marking ‘no MQA‘ as a con are the two things that i would strongly disagree with.


----------



## chesebert (Feb 15, 2022)

DecentLevi said:


> Apologies if this is already been posted, just jumping in. This is the best review I've read about the Mojo 2 so far, I especially like his personal way of describing the sound, and some of the features he mentioned same quite interesting like the 3 imaging modes. Check it out:
> https://www.digitaltrends.com/headphone-reviews/chord-mojo-2-review/


Another company ad disguised as "review" - hard pass.
"One person was genuinely moved to tears, underlining the power of the Mojo 2"  - what kind of garbage review is this?


----------



## DecentLevi (Feb 15, 2022)

chesebert said:


> Another company ad disguised as "review" - hard pass.
> "One person was genuinely moved to tears, underlining the power of the Mojo 2"  - what kind of garbage review is this?


He also states that he is not an audiophile. Some reviewers only have emotional adjectives to explain the visceral feeling they get from sound, which is a favorite style of mine, as long as it's also evened out with some sort of technical point of reference. Makes it better than the traditional cold, encyclopedic detailed scientific review style. I for one want to try anything that's said to move someone to tears.


----------



## Peter Hyatt

DecentLevi said:


> He also states that he is not an audiophile. Some reviewers only have emotional adjectives to explain the visceral feeling they get from sound, which is a favorite style of mine, as long as it's also evened out with some sort of technical point of reference. Makes it better than the traditional cold, encyclopedic detailed scientific review style. I for one want to try anything that's said to move someone to tears.




It's not a paid shill review.  Look at the criticism to praise balance.  He offers enough reasons that may talk some out of buying it while addressing the music with emotional weight that may inspire others to purchase.


----------



## mainguy

chesebert said:


> Another company ad disguised as "review" - hard pass.
> "One person was genuinely moved to tears, underlining the power of the Mojo 2"  - what kind of garbage review is this?


Oh sure, its the DAC, not the artist causing an emotional experience. Maybe live artists should start popping a mojo before the speakers in the stage chain so people have an emotional response


----------



## PhantomNyan

chesebert said:


> Another company ad disguised as "review" - hard pass.
> "One person was genuinely moved to tears, underlining the power of the Mojo 2"  - what kind of garbage review is this?


I mean the mojo is great and all (I love my mojo 1) but anyone who says that its the dac  thats the most important is quite a big liar... the recording itself (the artist, the song and their equipment and mastering) is what matters most, only then does the listeners system come in play lol


----------



## gazzington

Ordered one  first model is what got me in to the hobby


----------



## rocketron

Saturday said:


> Not terrible but that looks like optical and doesn’t look like an iPhone. Is that just shrink wrap? I’m looking for a lightning to microusb/c solution. Ideally it would be right angle or even “u” connectors.


The ddHifi adapter and cables all work perfectly.
Also Hidiz lightning to usbc adapter.
Fiio usbc to usbc cable.

I just Velcro the Mojo 2 on a spare iPhone case.


----------



## alekc

DecentLevi said:


> Apologies if this is already been posted, just jumping in. This is the best review I've read about the Mojo 2 so far, I especially like his personal way of describing the sound, and some of the features he mentioned same quite interesting like the 3 imaging modes. Check it out:
> https://www.digitaltrends.com/headphone-reviews/chord-mojo-2-review/


@DecentLevi thank you for posting it. I find it odd, since at least for me the DSP/EQ settings looked like complex to handle when I've first read about it but now using it daily I must say it is so easy. You definitively need a manual on first try, but than it becomes so natural. 

Another thing that I completely disagree and disregard any review is when reviewer points out lack of *MQA *as a con. I could understand it if the review would be posted on MQA supporting site or on Tidal blog for example - for such parties from income perspective it is a drawback indeed, but not for potentials user, especially one who understand a bit about Chord design.

Last but not least I find it odd, to compare with ifi idsd nano, where the clear competitor to original Mojo has been ifi micro idsd black label and now it would be probably Signature, Diablo and Gryphon.


----------



## Rob Watts

jinx20001 said:


> Its certainly not an apple only issue since I've had it happen on my Windows pc (5900x, 3080ti).
> 
> What's a worry for me is it does appear to be inherently a hardware issue with the mojo 2, luckily it happens so rarely I don't think it's going to be a major worry long term.
> 
> ...



I didn't write the USB firmware, so I can't give a firm opinion on this. But I contacted Chord last night, and they responded that so far only two reports have been sent to Chord support and so far it suggests that it is a USB sync issue. At the start of sending a track, the source and Mojo 2 communicate to establish sync and set the sample rate. If sync is lost, such as when you break the USB connection, then you can get the noise, which will continue until a re-sync occurs, such as stopping the track and re-starting.

Chord suggests also that the source be set to exclusive mode, as this has fixed source issues.

The only times I have heard this has been when losing USB connection by pulling out the cable and reattaching.  Or when you shut down the DAC but keep the source running. Upon restart the source does not re-sync correctly. I always close any source app before shutting down the DAC. It's never happened to me whilst playing a track.

Note that all of the Chord DACs have identical USB firmware and USB decoder.

If you are getting it after having checked the USB cables (use a type 2 certified cable), the USB connections, and confirmed it is in exclusive mode, then I suggest that you email Chord support.


----------



## msq123

rocketron said:


> The ddHifi adapter and cables all work perfectly.
> Also Hidiz lightning to usbc adapter.
> Fiio usbc to usbc cable.
> 
> I just Velcro the Mojo 2 on a spare iPhone case.


I am trying to make it MagSafe compatible by getting a MagSafe “ring” and stick it on mojo. Even if your iPhone is pre MagSafe you can get a MagSafe case to make this work.
I am still waiting for it to arrive and test if the magnet will hold the weight of Mojo reliably.


----------



## PhantomNyan

Rob Watts said:


> I didn't write the USB firmware, so I can't give a firm opinion on this. But I contacted Chord last night, and they responded that so far only two reports have been sent to Chord support and so far it suggests that it is a USB sync issue. At the start of sending a track, the source and Mojo 2 communicate to establish sync and set the sample rate. If sync is lost, such as when you break the USB connection, then you can get the noise, which will continue until a re-sync occurs, such as stopping the track and re-starting.
> 
> Chord suggests also that the source be set to exclusive mode, as this has fixed source issues.
> 
> ...


Would you by chance happen to know if it is safe to keep the OG Mojo to just sit hooked on to a laptop (few days and nights in a row) with both charging and data ports connected if the battery is removed (my one died and now my mojo is a desktop amp)

Or am I risking frying my headphones and burning my home down?


----------



## keithmarsh

Rob Watts said:


> I didn't write the USB firmware, so I can't give a firm opinion on this. But I contacted Chord last night, and they responded that so far only two reports have been sent to Chord support and so far it suggests that it is a USB sync issue. At the start of sending a track, the source and Mojo 2 communicate to establish sync and set the sample rate. If sync is lost, such as when you break the USB connection, then you can get the noise, which will continue until a re-sync occurs, such as stopping the track and re-starting.
> 
> Chord suggests also that the source be set to exclusive mode, as this has fixed source issues.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the feedback. To your last point - the issue does happen in exclusive mode, with different (good quality) cables and it also happens during playback when no cables have been touched / moved. 

As you suggest is would be great if everyone experiencing the issue to contact Chord so it may be investigated a little further.


----------



## flyte3333

keithmarsh said:


> As you suggest is would be great if everyone experiencing the issue to contact Chord so it may be investigated a little further.



This has been a classic feature since Mojo 1. Reported on this forum and others.

A bigger problem with higher sample rates in my past experience.

Unfortunately I think everyone that has reported it on forums over the years assumed Chord Tech Support read the forums and perhaps never reported it to Chord Support directly.


----------



## jinx20001

Rob Watts said:


> I didn't write the USB firmware, so I can't give a firm opinion on this. But I contacted Chord last night, and they responded that so far only two reports have been sent to Chord support and so far it suggests that it is a USB sync issue. At the start of sending a track, the source and Mojo 2 communicate to establish sync and set the sample rate. If sync is lost, such as when you break the USB connection, then you can get the noise, which will continue until a re-sync occurs, such as stopping the track and re-starting.
> 
> Chord suggests also that the source be set to exclusive mode, as this has fixed source issues.
> 
> ...



thank you for that information and again for taking the time to talk with us about it, i emailed chord and got the same response as another member here about the loss of sync with two different sample rates, ive only had the issue once and it was while listening to music but i was hopping between applications so it is entirely possible there were differing signals being sent at one point or another to trigger the white noise, stopping the audio/music only stopped the white noise however it did continue when i resumed the audio so the only solution was to turn the dac off and back on. there was no disturbance to the USB cable as it was being used as a desktop dac/amp at the time, very stable and still, i was using USB-C - USB connection to the PC motherboard for audio and i also had a USB connected to the power for charging/maintaining charge, that cable is capable of 2A minimum.

i have not had the issue since and have only had it happen once, if it happens again ill be happy to report back here and throw an email over to chord just for informational purposes, hopefully not causing a nuisance but to be helpful as im sure avoiding this ever happening is the goal.


----------



## jinx20001

flyte3333 said:


> This has been a classic feature since Mojo 1. Reported on this forum and others.
> 
> A bigger problem with higher sample rates in my past experience.
> 
> Unfortunately I think everyone that has reported it on forums over the years assumed Chord Tech Support read the forums and perhaps never reported it to Chord Support directly.



i would suggest you are probably right on this, Rob just said that chord have received only 2 reports of this issue with the mojo 2 and i know for sure i was one of them and thats after seeing what 5 or 6 reports on here at least over the last few days so it is likely people just restart the device and carry on without ever reporting the wider issue to chord... im sure chord probably dont want the headache and after having a successful launch its not what they want to hear but its important that they know and can provide fixes or suggestions as rob has done above, so so far customer service is doing just fine which is all we can ask.


----------



## jinx20001

Rob Watts said:


> I didn't write the USB firmware, so I can't give a firm opinion on this. But I contacted Chord last night, and they responded that so far only two reports have been sent to Chord support and so far it suggests that it is a USB sync issue. At the start of sending a track, the source and Mojo 2 communicate to establish sync and set the sample rate. If sync is lost, such as when you break the USB connection, then you can get the noise, which will continue until a re-sync occurs, such as stopping the track and re-starting.
> 
> Chord suggests also that the source be set to exclusive mode, as this has fixed source issues.
> 
> ...



one thing i will say that just came to mind is, when i plugged the mojo 2 into my pc it automatically installed drivers and appears as a chord device, after i had the white noise issue i decided to manually reinstall the driver for the device and now it appears as ''chord 44.1khz 768khz version 1.0.62'' since i did the manual driver install ive not had the issue at all.

is it possible that the driver installed automatically is not right and actually you should download the driver manually for installation from chord website as another way to avoid the issue?

cheers.


----------



## Kentajalli (Feb 15, 2022)

Rob Watts said:


> I didn't write the USB firmware, so I can't give a firm opinion on this. But I contacted Chord last night, and they responded that so far only two reports have been sent to Chord support and so far it suggests that it is a USB sync issue. At the start of sending a track, the source and Mojo 2 communicate to establish sync and set the sample rate. If sync is lost, such as when you break the USB connection, then you can get the noise, which will continue until a re-sync occurs, such as stopping the track and re-starting.
> 
> Chord suggests also that the source be set to exclusive mode, as this has fixed source issues.
> 
> ...


Unfortunately this is not new, it happens sometimes on Mojo Classic or Mojo one as well, but I have not experienced it on Hugo2 for some reason.
Bad cable, glitch on the track, disk with bad sectors can cause it, as well as glitches on OS, DAP software etc.
its just that the usb input on Chord DACs is sensitive to BS and not forgiving, I learnt to live with it.
if there are no  scenarios , it works fine, so there is always something!
but the same 'something' on a (say) Fiio, just makes it go silent, instead of a scary loud white noise!
Perhaps on future builds, you could make it default to silence in case of synch issues.


----------



## gc335

I'm excited for my Mojo 2!  Hopefully it ships today.   I'm looking for a newer Hugo 2 if anyone is ok parting with theirs.


----------



## Garpov

Another Audiophile said:


> Richer Sounds in the United Kingdom. Also my poly and mojo1 are with 6 years warranty and already replaced the batteries in both free of charge.


Thanks for the tip, just phoned Richer Sounds, they had one M2 in stock which is being delivered Thursday and they threw in the 6 year guarantee for free.


----------



## lwells (Feb 15, 2022)

PhantomNyan said:


> Would you by chance happen to know if it is safe to keep the OG Mojo to just sit hooked on to a laptop (few days and nights in a row) with both charging and data ports connected if the battery is removed (my one died and now my mojo is a desktop amp)
> 
> Or am I risking frying my headphones and burning my home down?


I’ve had this for years. My house is still there. Pretty sure you’re safe.


----------



## chesebert

DecentLevi said:


> He also states that he is not an audiophile. Some reviewers only have emotional adjectives to explain the visceral feeling they get from sound, which is a favorite style of mine, as long as it's also evened out with some sort of technical point of reference. Makes it better than the traditional cold, encyclopedic detailed scientific review style. I for one want to try anything that's said to move someone to tears.


I would be more critical if I were you. This was how audiophile grade brilliant pebbles got popular in the past - yes with all the emotionally charged “reviews”.

Even if we assume the intention of the publication was pure, that writer had no business reviewing audiophile product given his lack of listening and gear experience.


----------



## Rob Watts

PhantomNyan said:


> Would you by chance happen to know if it is safe to keep the OG Mojo to just sit hooked on to a laptop (few days and nights in a row) with both charging and data ports connected if the battery is removed (my one died and now my mojo is a desktop amp)
> 
> Or am I risking frying my headphones and burning my home down?



Although it wasn't designed to run without a battery, it will be fine. Certainly won't fry your headphones!



jinx20001 said:


> one thing i will say that just came to mind is, when i plugged the mojo 2 into my pc it automatically installed drivers and appears as a chord device, after i had the white noise issue i decided to manually reinstall the driver for the device and now it appears as ''chord 44.1khz 768khz version 1.0.62'' since i did the manual driver install ive not had the issue at all.
> 
> is it possible that the driver installed automatically is not right and actually you should download the driver manually for installation from chord website as another way to avoid the issue?
> 
> cheers.



So for Windows, install the driver from Chord's website. Otherwise Win 10/11 will use generic audio drivers, which will not be as ideal as Chord's. Also, you have the option of using ASIO too.


----------



## iDesign (Feb 15, 2022)

Rob Watts said:


> Note that all of the Chord DACs have identical USB firmware and USB decoder.


Thank you for confirming my suspicions that all Chord DACs do indeed share identical USB firmware and decoders. I have had the issue with my DAVE, Blu MkII, and Mojos for sometime now and noticed reports from owners of DACs across the entire Chord range. It appears to be much more common/frequent in Apple devices equipped with USC-C and running the latest versions of MacOS or iPadOS. The issue sometimes presents immediately after the devices are connected but mostly occurs in the middle of a track. It has absolutely nothing to do with changing sample rates. The loud white noise poses a risk not just to hearing (think in ear monitors) but can potentially destroy the left driver of an expensive/delicate speaker or headphone like the Focal Utopia which is already prone to driver failure. I would encourage Chord to find ways to resolve this problem as soon as possible as it’s not a small issue that can go uncorrected. As soon as someone experiences a costly driver repair or a reviewer writes about it, the issue will become a nightmare in Maidstone. Lastly, Chord’s support team needs to stop cutting and pasting the same standard response to owners about Exclusive Mode— its wrong, makes them look inept, and a lazy way to resolve the issue.


----------



## ChrisGB

I've experienced the white noise issue under the following circumstances:

Connected to laptop W10 via USB C streaming from Amazon Music HD. All notifications turned off. Chord USB driver installed. Frequency, between 15 seconds and a few minutes. Worse with high Sampling rate streams.

Corrected to workstation W11 via USB A to USB C cable and supplied USB A to USB micro. Same issues as laptop at similar frequency of occurrence.

Connected to Shanling M6 DAP (OS modified to remove Android audio resampling). via USB C to USB C cable Playing a DSD256 .DSF file from SD card. Drops out intermittently to begin with, then drops out permanently. All other file formats and streams play perfectly.

Lots of electrical noise on both PC connections, no discernable noise on DAP connection.


----------



## kumar402

Mojo is for portable use so can’t skip USB but for desktop use or desktop DAC,  it’s better to use a streamer or a DDC and avoid USB altogether.


----------



## chesebert

kumar402 said:


> Mojo is for portable use so can’t skip USB but for desktop use or desktop DAC,  it’s better to use a streamer or a DDC and avoid USB altogether.


What would you replace USB with? Spdif? AES? I2S? None of them has any data integrity checking protocol and spdif and AES mux clock with the signal and subject to jitter.


----------



## kumar402 (Feb 15, 2022)

DecentLevi said:


> Apologies if this is already been posted, just jumping in. This is the best review I've read about the Mojo 2 so far, I especially like his personal way of describing the sound, and some of the features he mentioned same quite interesting like the 3 imaging modes. Check it out:
> https://www.digitaltrends.com/headphone-reviews/chord-mojo-2-review/


Pros and Cons section give indication if an article is worth reading or not. I find it extremely lazy on part of reviewer to say some controls are cumbersome and MQA not supported as only cons. Even a layman can write these cons.


----------



## kumar402 (Feb 15, 2022)

chesebert said:


> What would you replace USB with? Spdif? AES? I2S? None of them has any data integrity checking protocol and spdif and AES mux clock with the signal and subject to jitter.


Yes, they are subject to jitter but most of the streamer use good quality clocks and so do the DAC. So this jitter results are not that bad as compared to issues we face with USB related to drivers etc.
As an old adage goes - Don’t Let “Perfect” Be the Enemy of “Good”.
So let’s not skip SPDIF just on the fear of jitter. All good DACS and Streamer provide very good result on that front.


----------



## chesebert

kumar402 said:


> Yes, they are subject to jitter but most of the streamer use good quality clocks and so do the DAC. So this jitter results are not that bad as compared to issues we face with USB related to drivers etc.
> As an old adage goes - Don’t Let “Perfect” Be the Enemy of “Good”.
> So let’s not skip SPDIF just on the fear of jitter. All good DACS and Streamer provide very good result on that front.


I was actually thinking those steamers outputting USB signals. I have never used a dedicated steamer with USB output so I am just going off based on educated guesses. There are dacs that don’t use PLL like Emm Labs, so if that is the case the interface induced clock jitter shouldn’t be an issue. I am generally very skeptical of aes and spdif cables and connectors on both ends that adhere to 75/110ohm impedance requirements.


----------



## jinx20001

iDesign said:


> Thank you for confirming my suspicions that all Chord DACs do indeed share identical USB firmware and decoders. I have had the issue with my DAVE, Blu MkII, and Mojos for sometime now and noticed reports from owners of DACs across the entire Chord range. It appears to be much more common/frequent in Apple devices equipped with USC-C and running the latest versions of MacOS or iPadOS. The issue sometimes presents immediately after the devices are connected but mostly occurs in the middle of a track. It has absolutely nothing to do with changing sample rates. The loud white noise poses a risk not just to hearing but can potentially destroy the left driver of an expensive/delicate speaker or headphone like the Focal Utopia which is already prone to driver failure. I would encourage Chord to find ways to resolve this problem as soon as possible as it’s not a small issue that can go uncorrected. As soon as someone experiences a costly driver repair or a reviewer experiences it, the issue will become a nightmare in Maidstone. Lastly, Chord’s support team needs to stop cutting and pasting the same standard response to owners about Exclusive Mode— its wrong, makes them look inept, and a lazy way to resolve the issue.



i dont really mind the cut and paste reply aslong as its correct, theres no reason to answer people individually if the answer they are going to give is the same because the question is the same, they do have other things to do afterall so yeh i dont mind that personally.

it is quite a serious issue though but not one im ready to hang chord for just yet since it can be a number of things that might cause it to happen and there is also a huge number of possible combinations of hardware and software that might be posing the problem, so with that said i think the right way to go about it is to work with them by giving as much information as possible and go from there.


----------



## iDesign (Feb 15, 2022)

I agree. But it would serve them better to cut and paste, “we are aware of the issue and are investigating it.“ Instead they’re dismissing their customers with an incorrect response as if they can make no faults of their own. That said, I appreciate Rob Watts for candidly responding.


----------



## lwells

kumar402 said:


> Mojo is for portable use so can’t skip USB but for desktop use or desktop DAC,  it’s better to use a streamer or a DDC and avoid USB altogether.


Can confirm. My mojos are brilliant with the Allo digione. I don’t have these issues.


----------



## alota

I had problems with my hugo tt connected to an android phone using uapp. I spent two days with the creator of uapp to resolve the issue


----------



## 529128

rocketron said:


> The ddHifi adapter and cables all work perfectly.
> Also Hidiz lightning to usbc adapter.
> Fiio usbc to usbc cable.
> 
> I just Velcro the Mojo 2 on a spare iPhone case.


Ok, I bought a cheap MFI Lightning to USB C cable but that didn’t work with the M2 and my iPhone XR. Will see if your suggestions are available in Europe/Denmark. Other options are of course welcome. Would be nice to ditch the CCK.


----------



## keithmarsh

iDesign said:


> I agree. But it would serve them better to cut and paste, “we are aware of the issue and are investigating it.“ Instead they’re dismissing their customers with an incorrect response as if they can make no faults of their own. That said, I appreciate Rob Watts for candidly responding.


It was the same when Poly first released. I was one of the first users to post on Head Fi about all the connection issues and the fact every time you turned it on it spend 27 minutes indexing the SD card etc. The initial response from Chord was something along the lines of ’Poly is perfect, you’re using it wrong’. Further to this the customers that had a very specific setup that experienced no issues started attacking the customers that were experiencing issues. People talking about actual problems they were experiencing were being treating like they were being vengeful when in fact they were just trying to get their devices to work as advertised. It was a painful process to get Chord to admit there were issues and it has only been recently (with the release of FW 3.0) that most people have a Poly that works as intended. I hope Chord have learnt from that experience and listen to customers rather than just deny any problems exist.


----------



## flvtch

flvtch said:


> Purchased the Mojo2Poly combo. Impressions to follow.


I’ve had the Mojo2Poly combo for the best part of 36 hours, after a 6-hour charge and 30-hour burn-in, I’ve set the device up. 

I’m still formulating my opinions on sound but what I can say is that setting up the Poly was a doddle. My main hesitancy surrounding picking up this combo was functionality getting in the way of the music. 

If there are any Apple users lurking, I would say: ‘come in, the water is lovely’. Airplay and Roon functionality across the board (iPad, iPhone, and new MacBook Pro) has been stellar in my opening afternoon. And I’m not the most technical with computers or very experienced with high-end audio in general.


----------



## soundblast75

Most impressed by M2 with both headphones and iems, i think Rob Watts has really achieved something special here!!


----------



## surfgeorge

henrikgadegaard said:


> Ok, I bought a cheap MFI Lightning to USB C cable but that didn’t work with the M2 and my iPhone XR. Will see if your suggestions are available in Europe/Denmark. Other options are of course welcome. Would be nice to ditch the CCK.


I have had generally good experiences with this cable:
http://www.meenova.com/st/p/lgtnmuc.html

I had the white noise issue with one long version of them, but it was exchanged and the new one worked well. After maybe 2 years they were worn and I bought a new pair of short and long cable which have been working for a year. Use them with iPhone XR, SE and 2016 iPad Pro


----------



## flvtch

soundblast75 said:


> Most impressed by M2 with both headphones and iems, i think Rob Watts has really achieved something special here!!


Yep, very happy with my CIEMs. A completely black background with my Spiral Ear SE5Us which used to have some interference with M1.


----------



## soundblast75

Some fancier shots via 13 Pro😇


----------



## WorksUnit

soundblast75 said:


> Most impressed by M2 with both headphones and iems, i think Rob Watts has really achieved something special here!!


Good stuff.
Anything in particular leaping out at you?


----------



## soundblast75

WorksUnit said:


> Good stuff.
> Anything in particular leaping out at you?


Juicy bass, sweet, slightly euphoric sound, a great balance between technical and fun


----------



## jarnopp

Mojo 2 has landed!  Topping off charge. I know others have struggled with the cons, like no MQA, but one con for me right now is that the balls don’t roll like OG Mojo’s


----------



## Spidermanxd

jarnopp said:


> Mojo 2 has landed!  Topping off charge. I know others have struggled with the cons, like no MQA, but one con for me right now is that the balls don’t roll like OG Mojo’s


Put some lube on it, will roll like butter


----------



## ChrisGB

Mojo 2 wasn't really resolving enough for me, auditioning the Hugo 2 currently. Sounds is sublime, but it also doesn't play nicely with my laptop. Noise and signal breakup, not falling into white noise though.

The sound though. It's going to be an expensive week!


----------



## iDesign

ChrisGB said:


> Mojo 2 wasn't really resolving enough for me, auditioning the Hugo 2 currently. Sounds is sublime, but it also doesn't play nicely with my laptop. Noise and signal breakup, not falling into white noise though.
> 
> The sound though. It's going to be an expensive week!


Interesting.


----------



## ChrisGB

iDesign said:


> Interesting.


I'm going to try the Hugo 2 on the workstation tomorrow. Feeding it with streams from the Shanling M6 it sounds utterly beguiling.


----------



## SemiAudiophile

Mojo 2 is a excellent match with IE300 and FD5 so far. 👍  Lovin' the crossfeed and DSP features. Crossfeed is underrated IMO and should be brought back to modern dac/amps.


----------



## lwells

ChrisGB said:


> Mojo 2 wasn't really resolving enough for me, auditioning the Hugo 2 currently. Sounds is sublime, but it also doesn't play nicely with my laptop. Noise and signal breakup, not falling into white noise though.
> 
> The sound though. It's going to be an expensive week!


I would hope the Chord lineup improves with price. Gives me something to look forward to as I save up for a TT2 and MScaler. In the mean time, I'm really enjoying both my OG mojo at work and my M2 in my living room with my 2 channel setup.


----------



## ChrisGB

lwells said:


> I would hope the Chord lineup improves with price. Gives me something to look forward to as I save up for a TT2 and MScaler. In the mean time, I'm really enjoying both my OG mojo at work and my M2 in my living room with my 2 channel setup.


Get saving! Hugo 2 is pricey, but also great value.


----------



## Another Audiophile

ChrisGB said:


> Get saving! Hugo 2 is pricey, but also great value.


Lets be honest. Is the H2 a great device? Yes. Is it a great value? Well, anything with batteries is not great value, good at best. Battery is the necessary evil.


----------



## lwells

Another Audiophile said:


> Lets be honest. Is the H2 a great device? Yes. Is it a great value? Well, anything with batteries is not great value, good at best. Battery is the necessary evil.



As a battery scientist, I feel this one in my gut. That hurt.


----------



## Kentajalli

Another Audiophile said:


> Lets be honest. Is the H2 a great device? Yes. Is it a great value? Well, anything with batteries is not great value, good at best. Battery is the necessary evil.


?? Why?


----------



## alekc

SemiAudiophile said:


> Mojo 2 is a excellent match with IE300 and FD5 so far. 👍  Lovin' the crossfeed and DSP features. Crossfeed is underrated IMO and should be brought back to modern dac/amps.


It also sounds great with Fiio FH5 as far as IEMs are concerned. Crossfeed really makes a difference IMHO in this case while I am still contemplating its application to full size cans.


----------



## ChrisGB

Another Audiophile said:


> Lets be honest. Is the H2 a great device? Yes. Is it a great value? Well, anything with batteries is not great value, good at best. Battery is the necessary evil.


Used over 5 years, probably 6/7 days a week. What else can you buy that would give so much pleasure for around a pound a day?


----------



## lwells

ChrisGB said:


> Used over 5 years, probably 6/7 days a week. What else can you buy that would give so much pleasure for around a pound a day?


It's the capital investment that stops people. We can't get daily financing terms. Otherwise I would have a Dave. I keep asking @Rob Watts  and he says 'no'.


----------



## ChrisGB

lwells said:


> It's the capital investment that stops people. We can't get daily financing terms. Otherwise I would have a Dave. I keep asking @Rob Watts  and he says 'no'.


I'm trying not to talk myself into a Dave.


----------



## lwells

ChrisGB said:


> I'm trying not to talk myself into a Dave.



You should be careful or you're going to get a dozen private messages from men named Dave.


----------



## Another Audiophile

lwells said:


> As a battery scientist, I feel this one in my gut. That hurt.


I am an engineer my self. Would you disagree?


----------



## Another Audiophile

Kentajalli said:


> ?? Why?


Because batteries in principle are compromised devises. They are big, heavy, with questionable long term stability & performance, deteriorate, are not sustainable, are expensive and at some point in time they will die and you will need to handle the waste. The only reason we are using batteries is because there is no alternative and wireless transmitted electricity based on Tesla's theory is not there yet.


----------



## ChrisGB

lwells said:


> You should be careful or you're going to get a dozen private messages from men named Dave.


Scary thought😳


----------



## lwells (Feb 16, 2022)

Another Audiophile said:


> I am an engineer my self. Would you disagree?
> 
> 
> Because batteries in principle are compromised devises. They are big, heavy, with questionable long term stability


Actually, I would strongly disagree. But this is a matter of perspective.

I would argue that the battery is an enabling device that doesn't get credit. Without lithium ion, you wouldn't have a cell phone or a laptop. Electrification of vehicles wouldn't even be a discussion. Most renewable energies wouldn't be economically feasible.

However, people are extremely myopic. If you mention 'battery' they will say "I have to charge my phone every damn night. What a horrible inconvenience this is for me." I challenge you to find somebody that pulls the thread far enough to say "My god. This device wouldn't even exist without this specific electrochemical storage technology. What a marvel!"

With respect to 'long term stability'; I can design and build you cells that will outlast you. The compromise comes from other decisions, not the technology.

But I'm taking this into the weeds. So I'll stop talking about batteries, @ChrisGB 's safety, and wanting to own a Dave.


----------



## soundblast75

Another Audiophile said:


> Because batteries in principle are compromised devises. They are big, heavy, with questionable long term stability & performance, deteriorate, are not sustainable, are expensive and at some point in time they will die and you will need to handle the waste. The only reason we are using batteries is because there is no alternative and wireless transmitted electricity based on Tesla's theory is not there yet.


Is this why people that spend 10k on a vynyl player would do anything to get it battery powered😉


----------



## Another Audiophile

lwells said:


> With respect to 'long term stability'; I can design and build you cells that will outlast you. The compromise comes from other decisions, not the technology.
> 
> But I'm taking this into the weeds. So I'll stop talking about batteries, @ChrisGB 's safety, and wanting to own a Dave.


Will outlast me but how much it will cost me. I am not saying that batteries bring no benefits. I am just saying is our only viable solution. Let me ask you something. If you had wirelessly transited electricity based on Tesla's theory, would you opt for batteries? The only reason we use batteries is because there is no other alternative for mobile devices. If batteries were great we would be powering our amplifiers also with batteries. Is an evil we have to live with. At least for now.


----------



## Lyssky

I can’t do it from abroad so I request help if there are any individuals who has both the Mojo2 and the LCD-XC. Could you share your views on this pairing both for amp power sufficiency and for sonic harmony?


----------



## Kentajalli

Another Audiophile said:


> Will outlast me but how much it will cost me. I am not saying that batteries bring no benefits. I am just saying is our only viable solution. Let me ask you something. If you had wirelessly transited electricity based on Tesla's theory, would you opt for batteries? The only reason we use batteries is because there is no other alternative for mobile devices. If batteries were great we would be powering our amplifiers also with batteries. Is an evil we have to live with. At least for now.


Rechargeable batteries I would call environmentally friendly!
If used properly , they last a good few years (My Braun shaver is 20 years old, and battery lasts 4/5 good shaves).
Don't know about theoretical wireless ideas, but in practice, they are the best there is. Necessary evil?! necessary , yes, evil? no.


----------



## Kentajalli (Feb 16, 2022)

Chord could have implemented full USB-C for both data and charging, and kept Poly backward compatibility with a simple passive adaptor such as this.
If ever a new Poly should be conjured up, it could also adopt USB-C and stay compatible.
Really, was it that hard? :






Mojo2+Poly wouldn't fit in existing Mojo cases anyways! new cases could be made a few milimeters longer.


----------



## cpaulik

Kentajalli said:


> Chord could have implemented full USB-C for both data and charging, and kept Poly backward compatibility with a simple passive adaptor such as this.
> If ever a new Poly should be conjured up, it could also adopt USB-C and stay compatible.
> Really, was it that hard? :
> 
> ...


I was thinking the exact same thing the other day.

Ordered a shanling m0 now to see how it works as a transport. Poly is just too much $$$ for my needs


----------



## jarnopp

Kentajalli said:


> Chord could have implemented full USB-C for both data and charging, and kept Poly backward compatibility with a simple passive adaptor such as this.
> If ever a new Poly should be conjured up, it could also adopt USB-C and stay compatible.
> Really, was it that hard? :
> 
> ...


The toslink and coax plugs on Poly won’t both fit into your adapter and fit into Mojo2.  The adapter would need to be quite a bit thicker, and necessitate a new case, but it could be done. Assuming now having 3 pieces would be stable. Maybe even add more battery into it!


----------



## Kentajalli (Feb 16, 2022)

jarnopp said:


> The toslink and coax plugs on Poly won’t both fit into your adapter and fit into Mojo2.  The adapter would need to be quite a bit thicker, and necessitate a new case, but it could be done. Assuming now having 3 pieces would be stable. Maybe even add more battery into it!


Come on!
It was just a crude suggestion, saying it could have been done.
If you are really nitpicking , look closely, the ends of Toslink and coax inserts are tapered in, they could go into the bottom part of the new insets, no?
OK not 8mm, make it 10mm.
Old Mojo+Poly cases would not fit new Mojo2 anyways.
Little hex locking screws on the adaptor could fix it to Poly firmly - Poly-Mojo is not all that stable, the case or a sleeve takes care of that.


----------



## jarnopp

Kentajalli said:


> Come on!
> It was just a crude suggestion, saying it could have been done.
> If you are really nitpicking , look closely, the ends of Toslink and coax inserts are tapered in, they could go into the bottom part of the new insets, no?
> OK not 8mm, make it 10mm.
> ...


@Kentajalli, I follow your suggestions seriously, in the spirit of improvement and experimentation.  Of course I take what you say as concrete, since you usually are!


----------



## lwells

Kentajalli said:


> Come on!
> It was just a crude suggestion, saying it could have been done.
> If you are really nitpicking , look closely, the ends of Toslink and coax inserts are tapered in, they could go into the bottom part of the new insets, no?
> OK not 8mm, make it 10mm.
> ...


Maybe Poly 2 will use USB-C and require an adapter to work with both mojos.

I‘m kidding of course. But that would have the same degree of elegance as Mojo 2 needing an adapter for Poly imho.


----------



## billymisfits

Kentajalli said:


> Chord could have implemented full USB-C for both data and charging, and kept Poly backward compatibility with a simple passive adaptor such as this.
> If ever a new Poly should be conjured up, it could also adopt USB-C and stay compatible.
> Really, was it that hard? :
> 
> ...


then they would have a make a new case to accommodate those additional millimeters from the adapter.  they should have just made a poly 2 for the mojo 2.


----------



## iDesign

billymisfits said:


> they should have just made a poly 2 for the mojo 2.


Correct.


----------



## gc335

My Mojo 2 has shipped!  I should have it tomorrow.  I added a Audeze LCD Classic Closed- back to go with it.  Should be a good combo.


----------



## x RELIC x

Lyssky said:


> I can’t do it from abroad so I request help if there are any individuals who has both the Mojo2 and the LCD-XC. Could you share your views on this pairing both for amp power sufficiency and for sonic harmony?


I don’t have the Mojo2, but I do own the Mojo1 and the Audeze LCD-XC, so I might be able to help a bit. The Mojo1 has more than enough power for the LCD-XC from both a Voltage and Current delivery perspective, that is undeniable. The Mojo2 would be quite capable based on the specs. 

The real question is, how do the two pair for one’s sonic preference? Luckily with the Mojo2 you can adjust the tone with the UHD equalizer to be what you want. I find the my LCD-XC to sound too energetic in the upper mids and low treble area compared to my other headphones, including the Utopia. If I had a Mojo2 I would likely lower the 3kHz, or raise the 125Hz by a few dB. Then again, you might feel the opposite so really it’s up to you. Either way, the quality of Rob Watt’s engineering approach can be appreciated while being able to tune the sound for your liking.


----------



## Lyssky

x RELIC x said:


> I don’t have the Mojo2, but I do own the Mojo1 and the Audeze LCD-XC, so I might be able to help a bit. The Mojo1 has more than enough power for the LCD-XC from both a Voltage and Current delivery perspective, that is undeniable. The Mojo2 would be quite capable based on the specs.
> 
> The real question is, how do the two pair for one’s sonic preference? Luckily with the Mojo2 you can adjust the tone with the UHD equalizer to be what you want. I find the my LCD-XC to sound too energetic in the upper mids and low treble area compared to my other headphones, including the Utopia. If I had a Mojo2 I would likely lower the 3kHz, or raise the 125Hz by a few dB. Then again, you might feel the opposite so really it’s up to you. Either way, the quality of Rob Watt’s engineering approach can be appreciated while being able to tune the sound for your liking.


Thanks, I am a bit hesitant since there are some comments on the net from some years ago which state that Mojo1 is not very harmonious with the LCD-XC.


----------



## jarnopp

x RELIC x said:


> I don’t have the Mojo2, but I do own the Mojo1 and the Audeze LCD-XC, so I might be able to help a bit. The Mojo1 has more than enough power for the LCD-XC from both a Voltage and Current delivery perspective, that is undeniable. The Mojo2 would be quite capable based on the specs.
> 
> The real question is, how do the two pair for one’s sonic preference? Luckily with the Mojo2 you can adjust the tone with the UHD equalizer to be what you want. I find the my LCD-XC to sound too energetic in the upper mids and low treble area compared to my other headphones, including the Utopia. If I had a Mojo2 I would likely lower the 3kHz, or raise the 125Hz by a few dB. Then again, you might feel the opposite so really it’s up to you. Either way, the quality of Rob Watt’s engineering approach can be appreciated while being able to tune the sound for your liking.


Relic, if you are using Mojo for any amount of time, you need to get Mojo 2 - it’s really good!


----------



## paulgc

Got a tracking number today. Hopefully a quick trip from Vancouver to Toronto. A new battery this week in my M1, and M2 on the way. Mobile Joy.


----------



## Kentajalli

jarnopp said:


> @Kentajalli, I follow your suggestions seriously, in the spirit of improvement and experimentation.  Of course I take what you say as concrete, since you usually are!


A smiley face can confirm that you are joking! 😊


----------



## jarnopp

Kentajalli said:


> A smiley face can confirm that you are joking! 😊


It can. I enjoy your posts. Now, back on topic!


----------



## gc335

I received my tracking number!!! The Mojo 2 should arrive tomorrow!


----------



## weexisttocease

My Mojo 2 + Poly has shipped today, so should get it tomorrow. The store was great to deal with and made a 15% discount.


----------



## x RELIC x

Lyssky said:


> Thanks, I am a bit hesitant since there are some comments on the net from some years ago which state that Mojo1 is not very harmonious with the LCD-XC.


I would be in the camp that would suggest the pairing isn’t very harmonious. With the tone control in Mojo2 to fix the LCD-XC’s tuning I may reconsider that position, is what I’m getting at.


----------



## x RELIC x

jarnopp said:


> Relic, if you are using Mojo for any amount of time, you need to get Mojo 2 - it’s really good!


I am considering it. Between the Hugo2 and the DAVE I’m not sure a Mojo2 would be necessary but, as I just posted, it would be an interesting option to compensate for different headphone’s tuning. I’m liking what I’ve been reading about the Mojo2, and I know Rob wouldn’t have released it if there was only a minor improvement to his ears.


----------



## jarnopp

x RELIC x said:


> I am considering it. Between the Hugo2 and the DAVE I’m not sure a Mojo2 would be necessary but, as I just posted, it would be an interesting option to compensate for different headphone’s tuning. I’m liking what I’ve been reading about the Mojo2, and I know Rob wouldn’t have released it if there was only a minor improvement to his ears.


Early impressions, but I was on the Hugo2 tour and preferred the Mojo tonality. Mojo 2 has the same OG Mojo tonality with more detail, from bass to treble, and better timing and resolution. Really stunning. Crossfeed is great. I haven’t explored the DSP much yet, but will when I try it with the Ether 2.


----------



## Lyssky

x RELIC x said:


> I would be in the camp that would suggest the pairing isn’t very harmonious. With the tone control in Mojo2 to fix the LCD-XC’s tuning I may reconsider that position, is what I’m getting at.


Yea, if it weren't for the DSP option, I would not think about it.


----------



## SemiAudiophile

alekc said:


> It also sounds great with Fiio FH5 as far as IEMs are concerned. Crossfeed really makes a difference IMHO in this case while I am still contemplating its application to full size cans.


Crossfeed is a revelation for IEMs. With headphones not so much, as they dont have the same issues with portraying depth. But still a useful feature depending on the recording.


----------



## alekc

Its been complex week with Mojo 1 and Mojo 2 side by side connected to Lumin U1 Mini. I've connected both to USB and optical. Honestly speaking I don't hear any difference between connection types on Mojo 2. After playing a bit with EQ Mojo 2 sounds almost like original one. The crossfeed is great feature but for IEMs so far. Both Mojos are great so still need some more time for analyzing what I am hearing. However if Mojo 2 would be missing EQ/DSP settings I think I would not upgrade, the default sound signature is more closer to Hugo 2/Qutest (from memory) and it is missing this magic bit Mojo 1 had when I listened to it for the very first time. Or maybe I've spend too much time with Mojo 1 and Hugo TT2? Who knows  After setting Mojo 2 to sound like original one, I really like it.


----------



## jarnopp

SemiAudiophile said:


> Crossfeed is a revelation for IEMs. With headphones not so much, as they dont have the same issues with portraying depth. But still a useful feature depending on the recording.


I find the crossfeed makes a positive difference with closed headphones (e.g., Aeon Noire). What’s the difference between closed backs and IEMs?  I use the max usually, from TT2 and Mojo 2, both closed and open cans.


----------



## jarnopp

alekc said:


> Its been complex week with Mojo 1 and Mojo 2 side by side connected to Lumin U1 Mini. I've connected both to USB and optical. Honestly speaking I don't hear any difference between connection types on Mojo 2. After playing a bit with EQ Mojo 2 sounds almost like original one. The crossfeed is great feature but for IEMs so far. Both Mojos are great so still need some more time for analyzing what I am hearing. However if Mojo 2 would be missing EQ/DSP settings I think I would not upgrade, the default sound signature is more closer to Hugo 2/Qutest (from memory) and it is missing this magic bit Mojo 1 had when I listened to it for the very first time. Or maybe I've spend too much time with Mojo 1 and Hugo TT2? Who knows  After setting Mojo 2 to sound like original one, I really like it.


This is interesting. What DSP settings are you using to compensate? I have found the tonality virtually identical (and I had been afraid I’d find Mojo 2 thin in comparison). But it is more detailed and resolving, and has more space between the instruments and sounds, but timbre is the same as OG Mojo, and not “thinner and brighter” as my crude recollection of H2.


----------



## SemiAudiophile

jarnopp said:


> I find the crossfeed makes a positive difference with closed headphones (e.g., Aeon Noire). What’s the difference between closed backs and IEMs?  I use the max usually, from TT2 and Mojo 2, both closed and open cans.


I think the same could be applied to closed back headphones too. I just forgot to mention it. I normally don't listen to closed backs at all. All open backs for me.


----------



## alekc

For those who are still wondering if Mojo 2 is a great pairing with AudioQuest NightOwls just like the original one the answer is: YES IT IS  Almost tubes sound sometimes


----------



## alekc

jarnopp said:


> I find the crossfeed makes a positive difference with closed headphones (e.g., Aeon Noire). What’s the difference between closed backs and IEMs?  I use the max usually, from TT2 and Mojo 2, both closed and open cans.


In case of Mojo 2 I use only max crossfeed, in case of TT2 I really have hard time to hear the difference both between filters and crossfeed settings regardless of used headphones.


----------



## Slim1970

x RELIC x said:


> I am considering it. Between the Hugo2 and the DAVE I’m not sure a Mojo2 would be necessary but, as I just posted, it would be an interesting option to compensate for different headphone’s tuning. I’m liking what I’ve been reading about the Mojo2, and I know Rob wouldn’t have released it if there was only a minor improvement to his ears.


After listening to the Mojo 2 I can't say I miss my Hugo 2 much at all. The added features and diminutive size are huge bonus to portability, sound.


----------



## Slim1970

Giving the Mojo 2 a go on its own and paired with the C9. It's outstanding on both fronts!


----------



## ChrisGB

Following this thread really does show how subjective people's listening impressions are. I keep reading people saying the Mojo 2 is leaner / brighter / more forward than the original. I've never got to hear the original Mojo, but I have spent a couple of days with a Hugo 2. Again, I've heard it described as forward / lean / bright compared to Mojo 2. To my ears, both Mojo 2 and Hugo 2 sound neutral. Bass, particularly on Mojo 2 seems thicker and this maybe makes it sound heavier? Bass on Hugo 2 is still very full IMO, but unlike the Mojo 2, there is much more information in there, giving it more agility. Same across the rest of the audio spectrum I guess, which is why someone coming to that detail level from somewhere more veiled could perceive it as bright. Funnily enough, with the Mojo 2, I felt my Quad ERA-1 needed +2db on the 20Hz trim. With Hugo 2, I really see no want for EQ as the bottom end is fuller, even though the FR of both DACs are the same.

The crossfeed and EQ on the Mojo 2 are brilliantly judged and allow remarkably sophisticated tuning with a super simple interface. Imagine a Hugo 3 with lossless EQ! That would be a stunner allowing for many 'phones to be bought into line.


----------



## Alan Billington

weexisttocease said:


> My Mojo 2 + Poly has shipped today, so should get it tomorrow. The store was great to deal with and made a 15% discount.


Really hope you enjoy M2 Poly as much as I am. I’m not lucky enough to have room for a desktop setup but I know what decent sounding equipment is. This is streets ahead of OG and perfect listening with a touch of DSP to make everything sound superb / especially back catalogue. It really is magnificent for portable £450 gear. Sadly, now I think this has given me a taste of what hi end audio sounds like and I feel like this is not lifting a veil off my music but me entering the second room


----------



## WorksUnit

SemiAudiophile said:


> Crossfeed is a revelation for IEMs. With headphones not so much, as they dont have the same issues with portraying depth. But still a useful feature depending on the recording.


It can suit certain IEMS and Headphones better than others IMHO. Fab with Heart Mirror and Quad Era-1 for me but less so on others.


----------



## ChrisGB

WorksUnit said:


> It can suit certain IEMS and Headphones better than others IMHO. Fab with Heart Mirror and Quad Era-1 for me but less so on others.


I found the use of crossfeed to be more related to the music choice than the headphone choice. Most modern recordings seemed to not benefit from it hugely, but particularly on older recordings where stuff is panned really hard left or right, it works so well. With that and EQ, you have so much room to tailor the sound. The Mojo 2 only wanted +2dB on the 20Hz ball for my tastes, but experiment with settings showed a huge potential for tuning.


----------



## Garpov

M2 arrived today, next day delivery from Richer Sounds (thank you guys). I was working this evening so I collected it from home on my lunch break and took it into work.

Myself and my colleague spent the evening auditioning the M2 with my Focal Clear OG and I'm delighted with it so far. I had an M1 for 5-6 years which I just sold to fund the M2, so I'm not able to give any side by side comparisons, but first impressions are a wider soundstage and improved detail.

My colleague's usual setup is a Meze 99 classic straight from his Samsung phone so I ended up getting him to listen to song after song because the look on his face was priceless. I put on Great Gig In The Sky and told him to shut his eyes and listen. When it had finished he looked like he'd had a religious experience.

Sitting at home now still listening to song after song, making me want to rediscover my music all over again. Don't regeret this purchase one bit.


----------



## x RELIC x

Slim1970 said:


> After listening to the Mojo 2 I can't say I miss my Hugo 2 much at all. The added features and diminutive size are huge bonus to portability, sound.


Agreed! Also, the Mojo’s form factor is much easier to attach a source to than the Hugo line given the differences in shape. Mostly it’s the Hugo2’s volume control and window on the top that makes it a challenge to keep a source conveniently attached.


----------



## jlbrach

hugo 2 has a remote which is very convenient


----------



## x RELIC x

jlbrach said:


> hugo 2 has a remote which is very convenient


It is, but to stack another device, if, say, wanting to move it around the house, the volume control and remote solution is not the first world issue I’m talking about. Plainly, the Mojo line has a better flat top for stacking and attaching devices. Not much else to be said.


----------



## jlbrach

no question the mojo is the more portable option


----------



## iPaintCode

One thing that can be very annoying is the inside of the plastic or glass window of the Hugo 2, it can be blinding if placed in a spot on your desk where the light hits your eyes, not fun.


----------



## 529128

iPaintCode said:


> One thing that can be very annoying is the inside of the plastic or glass window of the Hugo 2, it can be blinding if placed in a spot on your desk where the light hits your eyes, not fun.


Speaking of first-world problems...


----------



## Amberlamps

Is there a app on the app store to help with all the menu’s and different settings ?

Please somebody say that there is, as I won’t get my head around all of it’s settings without an app to tell me whats what. Colour balls will be of little use to me.


----------



## ChrisGB

Amberlamps said:


> Is there a app on the app store to help with all the menu’s and different settings ?
> 
> Please somebody say that there is, as I won’t get my head around all of it’s settings without an app to tell me whats what. Colour balls will be of little use to me.


Just download the manual and take it a step at a time. Within a few minutes, it becomes completely intuitive. Regarding the colours, it follows the rainbow, so lowest adjustment / volume is off, then red, then orange, then yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet and white. Remember: "Richard of York gave battle in vain"!


----------



## lwells

Amberlamps said:


> Is there a app on the app store to help with all the menu’s and different settings ?
> 
> Please somebody say that there is, as I won’t get my head around all of it’s settings without an app to tell me whats what. Colour balls will be of little use to me.


The included summarized sheet is more than enough. It's not too complicated.


----------



## linnyuk (Feb 17, 2022)

Is anyone having issues with the housing not being sealed correctly?  I contacted Chord direct about my original unit and they confirmed this was not normal and said to contact the supplier.  The replacement arrived today but it has the same issue. The serials of the old and new unit are very close so not sure if it’s a bad batch.  The screws are nice and tight.


----------



## cpaulik

linnyuk said:


> Is anyone having issues with the housing not being sealed correctly?  I contacted Chord direct about my original unit and they confirmed this was not normal and said to contact Richer Sounds.  The replacement arrived today but it has the same issue. The serials of the old and new unit are very close so not sure if it’s a bad batch.  The screws are nice and tight.


Same for me. Did not think it was an issue...


----------



## linnyuk

cpaulik said:


> Same for me. Did not think it was an issue...


Tbh I expected Chord to say it was normal, so I was surprised when they said to get it replaced.


----------



## lwells

linnyuk said:


> Is anyone having issues with the housing not being sealed correctly?  I contacted Chord direct about my original unit and they confirmed this was not normal and said to contact Richer Sounds.  The replacement arrived today but it has the same issue. The serials of the old and new unit are very close so not sure if it’s a bad batch.  The screws are nice and tight.


Odd. Some electricians tape on the inside would help, but you shouldn’t have to… 

Mine doesn’t look like this. Nice Kefs btw!


----------



## linnyuk (Feb 17, 2022)

lwells said:


> Odd. Some electricians tape on the inside would help, but you shouldn’t have to…
> 
> Mine doesn’t look like this. Nice Kefs btw!


Good to know there are units out there which don’t have the issue.  I’ve asked the supplier if they can speak with chord directly about it.

Thanks . The metas are great speakers.


----------



## SRKRAM

linnyuk said:


> Is anyone having issues with the housing not being sealed correctly?  I contacted Chord direct about my original unit and they confirmed this was not normal and said to contact Richer Sounds.  The replacement arrived today but it has the same issue. The serials of the old and new unit are very close so not sure if it’s a bad batch.  The screws are nice and tight.


Mine is also like this. My mojo OG is much better sealed.


----------



## utdeep

Doesn’t give me much confidence about the MicroUSB ports - the only part of my OG mojo that broke over the years.


----------



## linnyuk (Feb 17, 2022)

SRKRAM said:


> Mine is also like this. My mojo OG is much better sealed.


Thanks.  I didn’t have an OG mojo which is why I contacted chord to see if it was normal. It’s weird that it’s mainly that side as well.  My first unit was even worse as it had this issue all around but the screws were loose.


----------



## evhvis (Feb 17, 2022)

SRKRAM said:


> Mine is also like this. My mojo OG is much better sealed.


I can barely see the lights on mine as the gap is around 1/4 of the headphone input rings, basically almost no gap. You most likely have a bad batch or bad assembly.


----------



## kumar402

SRKRAM said:


> Mine is also like this. My mojo OG is much better sealed.


get a replacement Unit. Mojo OG never had such issue.


----------



## TheEldestBoy

Sony WM1A/Z

I’m wondering how the DSP on the mojo 2 compares to what is possible with DSP on the Sony daps?

I understand that it is done differently on the mojo, I guess I’m just wondering if you can do something similar on the Sony’s? Or are the Sony DSPs crappy like a lot of other players?


----------



## HeyWaj10

Any new Mojo2 owners with LCD-X?  Very curious whether the mid/upper-mid range EQ adjustments help with the notorious 4kHz dip in frequency response to improve the vocal and spatial cue aspects. Thanks!


----------



## fablestruck

Does anyone know how to purchase a good-quality USB cable for the Mojo?
I don't have the stock cable and I get differences in SQ with various USB cables I try.
Thanx


----------



## SRKRAM

TheEldestBoy said:


> Sony WM1A/Z
> 
> I’m wondering how the DSP on the mojo 2 compares to what is possible with DSP on the Sony daps?
> 
> I understand that it is done differently on the mojo, I guess I’m just wondering if you can do something similar on the Sony’s? Or are the Sony DSPs crappy like a lot of other players?


I've got an NW-ZX507 and find the EQ quite useful, and I don't find that it degrades audio quality noticeably. It's a graphic equaliser, so it isn't as flexible as a parametric equaliser, but sometimes I feel that the amount of flexibility that parametric EQs give you can also be their downfall, especially when you try to get too fancy and start using higher q values. The biggest issue with the 507 is that it resamples everything when you use streaming services, but that isn't an issue with the WM1A as it doesn't support sacrilegious things like streaming.


----------



## chesebert

fablestruck said:


> Does anyone know how to purchase a good-quality USB cable for the Mojo?
> I don't have the stock cable and I get differences in SQ with various USB cables I try.
> Thanx


It’s a portable dac just get something from Amazon. Better use optical or poly if sound quality is the main focus.


----------



## mnp75

fablestruck said:


> Does anyone know how to purchase a good-quality USB cable for the Mojo?
> I don't have the stock cable and I get differences in SQ with various USB cables I try.
> Thanx



Well you can certainly take the expensive audiophile route, but I ordered two of these – one for the desktop and one for on the go: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/gp/product/B07FMVF21R/ Waiting for the package to arrive early next week.

Not that many reviews, but all very positive and someone even mentioned getting those for their Mojo. And they seem really well made & shielded compared to the usual thin wires – and if you ask me, that's about the only thing that matters with digital cables. (I'm sure those who pay the extra for the audiophile USB-cables will soon come here to tell you otherwise 😉)


----------



## SRKRAM

HeyWaj10 said:


> Any new Mojo2 owners with LCD-X?  Very curious whether the mid/upper-mid range EQ adjustments help with the notorious 4kHz dip in frequency response to improve the vocal and spatial cue aspects. Thanks!


I have a mojo 2 and 2021 LCD-X. I haven't been able to address the 4K dip with the mojo's EQ adjustments. You can add one or two dB to the 3K shelf and then cut a couple of dB with the 20K peak filter, but that's the closest I have been able to get and I prefer to just leave it alone.


----------



## listen4joy

anyone tried the mojo2 with the hifiman sundara?


----------



## jinx20001

SRKRAM said:


> Mine is also like this. My mojo OG is much better sealed.





SRKRAM said:


> Mine is also like this. My mojo OG is much better sealed.



in your case it looks for sure like the gap is too large, heres mine for comparison, its a very slim gap, so much so i have to tilt it at a very specific angle to catch any light bleeding. id for sure ask for a replacement because although the mojo is ofcourse not water resistant in any way a gap like that will only make the risk even higher. some of the other pictures on here of others id say look normal though, im willing to bet everyone can hold their mojo 2 at a specific angle and catch some light bleed through that gap.


----------



## gryffe

kumar402 said:


> get a replacement Unit. Mojo OG never had such issue.


I just checked mine, and if I adjust the unit in my hand to various angles I can just about see a very thin blue light coming through the miniscule gap. In short I wouldn't know it existed unless I had seen the post of the faulty unit. Seems like the poster definitely has a faulty unit which needs replaced.


----------



## HeyWaj10

SRKRAM said:


> I have a mojo 2 and 2021 LCD-X. I haven't been able to address the 4K dip with the mojo's EQ adjustments. You can add one or two dB to the 3K shelf and then cut a couple of dB with the 20K peak filter, but that's the closest I have been able to get and I prefer to just leave it alone.


This is what I was a bit afraid of, as I have a 2020 LCD-X, with the more pronounced dip in 4kHz. I'm still going to give the Mojo2 a try to see if its strengths can override the inability to accurately EQ that dip, but that's a bit unfortunate to hear.


----------



## Lyssky (Feb 17, 2022)

SRKRAM said:


> I have a mojo 2 and 2021 LCD-X. I haven't been able to address the 4K dip with the mojo's EQ adjustments. You can add one or two dB to the 3K shelf and then cut a couple of dB with the 20K peak filter, but that's the closest I have been able to get and I prefer to just leave it alone.


Other than that how is the synergy and quality with the LCD-X? And what about the headroom, is it enough?


----------



## iPaintCode

henrikgadegaard said:


> Speaking of first-world problems...


Interesting. If you don't like my post, then move on instead of masking it with an old played-out saying from 2005 or say the quiet part out loud... ✌️


----------



## fablestruck

chesebert said:


> It’s a portable dac just get something from Amazon. Better use optical or poly if sound quality is the main focus.


The issue is that I did try different USB cables and noticed quite profound differences with some. I have one that sounds right to me. The problem is that I lost confidence if I am actually getting the best of the DAC. That's why I was asking for something that the community recommends as reliable.


----------



## jarnopp

fablestruck said:


> The issue is that I did try different USB cables and noticed quite profound differences with some. I have one that sounds right to me. The problem is that I lost confidence if I am actually getting the best of the DAC. That's why I was asking for something that the community recommends as reliable.


I second optical and just bought an inexpensive usb to optical converter mentioned earlier. But, if you are happy with USB or need higher sample rates, then go for the cable that sounds most like optical, I.e., “warmer”, “darker”, “smoother” and “less bright”.


----------



## Gww1

jarnopp said:


> I second optical and just bought an inexpensive usb to optical converter mentioned earlier. But, if you are happy with USB or need higher sample rates, then go for the cable that sounds most like optical, I.e., “warmer”, “darker”, “smoother” and “less bright”.


Sorry to hijack 
Which usb to optical converter did you get?


----------



## jarnopp

Gww1 said:


> Sorry to hijack
> Which usb to optical converter did you get?


This one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VSFBT82/

I plan to use with my MacBook if I am in an extended vacation ever, and transfer my Roon core to that laptop for the trip.


----------



## Randomrubble

linnyuk said:


> Thanks.  I didn’t have an OG mojo which is why I contacted chord to see if it was normal. It’s weird that it’s mainly that side as well.  My first unit was even worse as it had this issue all around but the screws were loose.


Mine is nothing like that, it’s tight and well fitted. No way should you accept a product like this.


----------



## linnyuk

Randomrubble said:


> Mine is nothing like that, it’s tight and well fitted. No way should you accept a product like this.


It’s getting sorted now.  Richer sounds have been amazing with this tbf and Chord as well to their credit.  Richer sounds have been in contact with the head of quality control at chord today and explained that this is the second one I’ve had like this.  

Apparently they are aware of small pockets of the issue but it doesn’t appear to be wide spread.  They are personally going into the factory to pick me one out to ensure it doesn’t have this issue, then send onto richer sounds to send to me.


----------



## paulgc

jinx20001 said:


> in your case it looks for sure like the gap is too large, heres mine for comparison, its a very slim gap, so much so i have to tilt it at a very specific angle to catch any light bleeding. id for sure ask for a replacement because although the mojo is ofcourse not water resistant in any way a gap like that will only make the risk even higher. some of the other pictures on here of others id say look normal though, im willing to bet everyone can hold their mojo 2 at a specific angle and catch some light bleed through that gap.



I did notice M2 has 6 screws while M1 had 8 screws. I wonder why the change and if a contributing  factor. Got mine today. very slight light leak. Wouldn't have noticed unless looking for it


----------



## paulgc

First hours with M2. Have not adjusted any DSP (yet). I use the first setting of cross feed on the H2 and will try the same. I really like the charging status indicator lights. I have seen some comments on the change in orb/ball sizing from the M1. Looking side by side... the M1 now looks a bit comical. The M2 a bit more mature design.

Just listening totoday's "Glantis Mix" on Roon through the Poly to my Campfire Atlas IEMs. Very happy!


----------



## joshnor713

paulgc said:


> I did notice M2 has 6 screws while M1 had 8 screws. I wonder why the change and if a contributing  factor. Got mine today. very slight light leak. Wouldn't have noticed unless looking for it


Wonder if it has to do with a screw(s) not all the way tightened, or if the edge is not as straight as it should be.


----------



## jarnopp (Feb 17, 2022)

paulgc said:


> First hours with M2. Have not adjusted any DSP (yet). I use the first setting of cross feed on the H2 and will try the same. I really like the charging status indicator lights. I have seen some comments on the change in orb/ball sizing from the M1. Looking side by side... the M1 now looks a bit comical. The M2 a bit more mature design.
> 
> Just listening totoday's "Glantis Mix" on Roon through the Poly to my Campfire Atlas IEMs. Very happy!


If it helps anyone, I created an Excel sheet to play around with and predict the DSP effects. Try it and feel free to make improvements to the factors I used, which I tried many best to estimate from Rob's PDFs (in the Watts Up thread).

https://mega.nz/file/SzgG0JJQ#WHIJKWvgsmMXA9JRKiA1uf_Ggq0UfaUEoRsmoXnnK_Q

Edit: added image of Excel tool
Edit2: I also changed the horizontal axis to start at 10 and show 00, 1000, etc. as this is more intuitive and you can better read the frequencies. 





PS: My Mojo 2 has 7 screws


----------



## paulgc

jarnopp said:


> If it helps anyone, I created an Excel sheet to play around with and predict the DSP effects. Try it and feel free to make improvements to the factors I used, which I tried many best to estimate from Rob's PDFs (in the Watts Up thread).
> 
> https://mega.nz/file/Cm4B3a5Z#j8fsCdT3d9VjS9Wj9mvDd-i91PPa3I6shJIrYzkbViI
> 
> PS: My Mojo 2 has 7 screws



well only 6 if your thumb is covering one! Whoops!


----------



## headfry

fablestruck said:


> Does anyone know how to purchase a good-quality USB cable for the Mojo?
> I don't have the stock cable and I get differences in SQ with various USB cables I try.
> Thanx


I bought the Curious Hugo Link used, and together with the AQ Jitterbug has been working wonders with MojOG,
light years ahead of the generic cable I was using and I love the sound.


----------



## cpaulik

> linnyuk said:
> 
> 
> > It’s getting sorted now.  Richer sounds have been amazing with this tbf and Chord as well to their credit.  Richer sounds have been in contact with the head of quality control at chord today and explained that this is the second one I’ve had like this.
> ...



I guess I‘ll need to contact them. I’ve got a pretty small gap in the chassis on the side of the 3.5 mm jacks. Basically I only see it at night looking straight at it


----------



## rwelles

Mine arrived a day early!! Will wonders never cease?? I'm charging it up now. Currently, the Menu button is white and the light below the charging port is pulsing blue. How does this change when it is fully charged? Are both lights out?  thx


----------



## jarnopp

rwelles said:


> Mine arrived a day early!! Will wonders never cease?? I'm charging it up now. Currently, the Menu button is white and the light below the charging port is pulsing blue. How does this change when it is fully charged? Are both lights out?  thx


The charge status light (small one under the USB port) will change to solid purple, which is “desktop mode” and removes the battery completely.


----------



## jarnopp

jarnopp said:


> If it helps anyone, I created an Excel sheet to play around with and predict the DSP effects. Try it and feel free to make improvements to the factors I used, which I tried many best to estimate from Rob's PDFs (in the Watts Up thread).
> 
> https://mega.nz/file/SzgG0JJQ#WHIJKWvgsmMXA9JRKiA1uf_Ggq0UfaUEoRsmoXnnK_Q
> 
> ...


So, this is helping with Mojo 2 DSP.  I LIKE THE DCA Ether2, but they can Sound a bit dark (and sweet) with the velour pads. Using the Crinacle measurements, I can see that I want to boost around 4kHz some.  Playing around with the calculator gets me this with +6 at 3k and -9 at 20k. Now Ether2 sounds more like most neutrally tuned HPs:


----------



## Yesthereisgasinthecar

Another Audiophile said:


> Will outlast me but how much it will cost me. I am not saying that batteries bring no benefits. I am just saying is our only viable solution. Let me ask you something. If you had wirelessly transited electricity based on Tesla's theory, would you opt for batteries? The only reason we use batteries is because there is no other alternative for mobile devices. If batteries were great we would be powering our amplifiers also with batteries. Is an evil we have to live with. At least for now.


Actually, according to Mr. Watts (per his interview with J. Darko), to get the most out of the Mojo it should be used in battery mode. The battery saving feature was a nod to full system users who used the Mojo with it constantly plugged in and hence continually trickle charging the battery and reducing its life. But is it not a perfect solution. So he might agree with your assertion of the primacy of batteries in amplifiers.


----------



## iPaintCode (Feb 18, 2022)

There was a very very small company that went by Red Wine Audio that made really interesting desktop stereo amps, DAC's and headphone DAC/amps that used an internal battery that was charged from the external power supply. If I recall, you could choose between AC or DC mode but this was back around 2011-2014, but the wood variants look really nice and I swear they also had an ifi like tube hybrid mode in some models. I think the designer/owner, Vinnie, changed the company name, and I'm not really sure where he went with the name change. I found out about the older products from a John Darko post about 10 years ago. I don't really follow home stereo but I've read about some use battery power in high-end products charged the same way the Red Wine Audio, products were. Lastly, I remember one audio shop near where I grew up swore by and only stocked the 9v battery-powered Grado amp over the ac version.

Back on topic, I received my Mojo 2 and Poly, and after fully charging I tested the Mojo 2 before setting up the Poly (*update*, setup it easy peasy after 5 minutes reading the PDF on Chords site) and compared it to my Mojo 1 and Hugo 2. The first headphone I tested was my ZMF Aeolus Ziricote and was pleasantly happy with the sound as I swear the stock turning does live up to Rob Watts's updated sound signature. Testing the Hugo 2 was a very odd comparison as the Mojo 2's new 4 band EQ settings hand me won over the Hugo 2. I would be happy with the Hugo 2 but really enjoyed this pairing, I wonder what Zach will say about pairing ZMF headphones paired with the Mojo 2. My Violetric v280 obviously has far more power but again the Mojo 2 gave the Aeolus an interesting change, mostly in the upper midrange to treble. More open and detailed however maybe it's psychoacoustics but will be pairing those 2 for the next month to get the full picture.

The second pairing was with my Campfire Andromeda Gold's and absolutely love this pairing so far. It lived up to its extra bass from the 2 additional bass BA's and still kept the bass articulate. I experienced similar attributes of the Mojo 2 updated tuning from the Aeolus with the Andromeda Golds. I will need many more hours to let my personal hype not skew what I'm really liking coming out of the Mojo 2. I reset the Ultra HD DPS EQ and didn't mess with the EQ settings as I wanted to really take my time with this pairing. So far this was my favorite IEM pairing as I felt my Solaris 2020 might need to take advantage of the DSP EQ. I didn’t count the Solaris 2020 test as it was less than 10 minutes.

I'm going to test my HD800s, Clear Mg Pro, and maybe one more headphone/IEM over the weekend. But my 11-12 hour first-day impressions were very positive, as I can usually tell pretty quickly if I'm going to keep a new purchase in my collection and the Mojo 2 and Poly are most defiantly staying, an extremely good first impression.


----------



## iDesign

iPaintCode said:


> There was a very very small company that went by Red Wine Audio that made really interesting desktop stereo amps, DAC's and headphone DAC/amps that used an internal battery that was charged from the external power supply. If I recall, you could choose between AC or DC mode but this was back around 2011-2014, but the wood variants look really nice and I swear they also had an ifi like tube hybrid mode in some models. I think the designer/owner, Vinnie, changed the company name, and I'm not really sure where he went with the name change. I found out about the older products from a John Darko post about 10 years ago. I don't really follow home stereo but I've read about some use battery power in high-end products charged the same way the Red Wine Audio, products were. Lastly, I remember one audio shop near where I grew up swore by and only stocked the 9v battery-powered Grado amp over the ac version.
> 
> Back on topic, I received my Mojo 2 and Poly, and after fully charging I tested the Mojo 2 before setting up the Poly (still dealing with setup issues) and compared it to my Mojo 1 and Hugo 2. The first headphone I tested was my ZMF Aeolus Ziricote and was pleasantly happy with the sound as I swear the stock turning does live up to Rob Watts's updated sound signature. Testing the Hugo 2 was a very odd comparison as the Mojo 2's new 4 band EQ settings hand me won over the Hugo 2. I would be happy with the Hugo 2 but really enjoyed this pairing, I wonder what Zach will say about pairing ZMF headphones paired with the Mojo 2. My Violetric v280 obviously has far more power but again the Mojo 2 gave the Aeolus an interesting change, mostly in the upper midrange to treble. More open and detailed however maybe it's psychoacoustics but will be pairing those 2 for the next month to get the full picture.
> 
> ...


You’re referring to Red Wine Audio Signature 30.2 which I owned many years ago and drove with my Gallo Reference 3.5 loudspeakers at the time.


----------



## chesebert

Red Wine Audio was headfi's FOTM back in the days.


----------



## Baten

jarnopp said:


> So, this is helping with Mojo 2 DSP.  I LIKE THE DCA Ether2, but they can Sound a bit dark (and sweet) with the velour pads. Using the Crinacle measurements, I can see that I want to boost around 4kHz some.  Playing around with the calculator gets me this with +6 at 3k and -9 at 20k. Now Ether2 sounds more like most neutrally tuned HPs:


What's that calculator? 
Edit: nvm, I see


----------



## Rob Watts

jarnopp said:


> If it helps anyone, I created an Excel sheet to play around with and predict the DSP effects. Try it and feel free to make improvements to the factors I used, which I tried many best to estimate from Rob's PDFs (in the Watts Up thread).
> 
> https://mega.nz/file/SzgG0JJQ#WHIJKWvgsmMXA9JRKiA1uf_Ggq0UfaUEoRsmoXnnK_Q
> 
> ...



Well done. The numbers for each filter agree with my plots.

Note that adding two filters magnitude response won't guarantee 100% accuracy, as the phase shift of each filter would need to be computed for perfect accuracy. When I fire up my APx 555 on a Mojo 2, I will see how accurate it is. My guess is this is more than accurate enough.


----------



## fablestruck

headfry said:


> I bought the Curious Hugo Link used, and together with the AQ Jitterbug has been working wonders with MojOG,
> light years ahead of the generic cable I was using and I love the sound.


Thank you.
It looks great.
I've already placed an order.


----------



## gryffe

iPaintCode said:


> I'm going to test my HD800s, Clear Mg Pro, and maybe one more headphone/IEM over the weekend. But my 11-12 hour first-day impressions were very positive, as I can usually tell pretty quickly if I'm going to keep a new purchase in my collection and the Mojo 2 is most defiantly staying, an extremely good first impression.


Please let me know what you think of what you think of M2/Poly with HD800S phones. I sometimes use them with Hugo 2 which sounds amazing, but thought that the M2/Poly compared really well considering the realtively small outlay compared to H2.


----------



## Olliver

fablestruck said:


> Does anyone know how to purchase a good-quality USB cable for the Mojo?
> I don't have the stock cable and I get differences in SQ with various USB cables I try.
> Thanx


I use the audioquest carbon cable together with the dragon tail adapter which has the same wire as the carbon and is available with ligthning and usb c.
the SQ is fine, much better than cheaper wires, but i still don´t know if the wires without dragon tail adapters, work for apple devices.


----------



## Olliver

deleted


----------



## Olliver

listen4joy said:


> anyone tried the mojo2 with the hifiman sundara?


I tried the original mojo with the sundara and was very impressed by it´s resolution and studio monitor like neutrality.
I´m shure the mojo 2 won´t do less impressive.


----------



## Olliver

fablestruck said:


> The issue is that I did try different USB cables and noticed quite profound differences with some. I have one that sounds right to me. The problem is that I lost confidence if I am actually getting the best of the DAC. That's why I was asking for something that the community recommends as reliable.


Absolutely correct. What makes it easier is, there arn´t so many high quality and apple compatible cables.
What makes it worse, is an audioquest diamond cable costs as much as the mojo 2.


----------



## Olliver

jarnopp said:


> If it helps anyone, I created an Excel sheet to play around with and predict the DSP effects. Try it and feel free to make improvements to the factors I used, which I tried many best to estimate from Rob's PDFs (in the Watts Up thread).
> 
> https://mega.nz/file/SzgG0JJQ#WHIJKWvgsmMXA9JRKiA1uf_Ggq0UfaUEoRsmoXnnK_Q
> 
> ...


Thank you very much for sharing this. 
I was hoping someone would do something like this.


----------



## weexisttocease

Received my Mojo 2 and Poly yesterday. Surprised how small it is and very handy too. Grip is also good with the official leather case. 

The GoFigure App was relatively easy to use and no problems with Poly configuration and MAFA App. Did a quick listening with the budget Lokahi and was impressed with the details and transparency, a very monitoring sound with a little warmth. It sounded like a completely new IEM.


----------



## lwells (Feb 18, 2022)

I've had a lot more time to compare my mojo 2 to my OG mojo now. Here are some of my findings:

Initially I found that i preferred a +3 dB on the 125 Hz shelf to give it this 'punch' in guitars that I felt was missing from the OG. Now I prefer it flat.
To me, the OG is a bit more 'in your face' with guitars. It makes my music (rock/electronic/OST) more dramatic and engaging. Then I started to notice that these elements were missing texture that the Mojo 2 was presenting. My benchmark here is Thrice "Hurricane" when the electric guitars enter.
What took me about a week to process was the more natural and convincing sense of space the Mojo 2 creates. Hanz Zimmer "Wallace" from Blade Runner 2049 is a damn near religious experience on my Emotiva Airmotiv 4s. I'm in a giant smooth stone temple with impossibly tall columns.
Using my IEMs (Alclair RSM quads) I actually prefer not to have cross-feed. The OG presents an elliptoid stage centered at my forehead. Oddly, the Mojo 2 seems to be centered in the middle of my head putting live vocals between my ears. The cross feed then makes the vocalist seem larger. Maybe what I am experiencing is an increased depth, however that depth shifts forward toward me. I prefer listening to my speakers. Perhaps it's time for new IEMs when my $250 powered 2chs give me more joy.
The OG NEVER seemed harsh. But the Mojo 2 is somehow much easier to listen to. Part of me wants to perceive this as less engaging. But at the same time I feel like the Mojo 2 is egging me on to turn the volume higher and higher. It still wants to party.
I can see light though the split on the case at the headphone inputs. I didn't notice until I turned the brightness up and perfectly angled the case toward me. This does not bother me at all.
For IEMs, I'm using the included USB cable.

For my speaker setup, I have an ALLO DigiOne sig using coax.


----------



## jinx20001

lwells said:


> I've had a lot more time to compare my mojo 2 to my OG mojo now. Here are some of my findings:
> 
> Initially I found that i preferred a +3 dB on the 125 Hz shelf to give it this 'punch' in guitars that I felt was missing from the OG. Now I prefer it flat.
> To me, the OG is more a bit more 'in your face' with guitars. It makes my music (rock/electronic/OST) more dramatic and engaging. Then I started to notice that these elements were missing texture that the Mojo 2 was presenting. My benchmark here is Thrice "Hurricane" when the electric guitars enter.
> ...



the problem with comparing speakers to IEM's is the earphones are designed primarily to give you precise tuning in a very controlled space (that being the ear canal), often the best ''most ideal'' sound from earphones is rather bland because there is very little air being moved. ofcourse manufacturers can compensate for this by employing more drivers, different kinds of drivers and ofcourse tuning the sound where more fun can be found, so the typical sub bass boost with a sprinkle of highs as icing on the cake, but a user is unlikely to find them more laid back and fun than actual speakers of reasonable quality.

where in ears and headphones shine is in the minutiae, the controlled environment allows manufacturers to specifically find details in the music that you may never hear or focus on with general speakers, bass can be tighter and more multi layered when compared to a general home subwoofer, highs can have layering rather than a simple tweeter tss tss tss sound, vocals can be more natural and undisturbed, to get the same quality in the sound from speakers would take thousands upon thousands of dollars/pounds/whatever and a room with great acoustic alterations in order to get there.

with all that said there is no doubt you can have more fun listening to speakers, you are less focused on how the music sounds from a critical standpoint usually and more focused on just singing along and enjoying the music which is why we can have both and enjoy both, at the same time ofcourse you can also get heaps of joy from in ears but they usually need a little something extra... such as better amplification or some secret sauce tuning and extra drivers.


----------



## lwells

jinx20001 said:


> with all that said there is no doubt you can have more fun listening to speakers, you are less focused on how the music sounds from a critical standpoint usually and more focused on just singing along and enjoying the music which is why we can have both and enjoy both, at the same time ofcourse you can also get heaps of joy from in ears but they usually need a little something extra... such as better amplification or some secret sauce tuning and extra drivers.



For me, it's been quite the opposite. I think most people venture into more expensive IEMs because it is still more accessible (affordable) than a speaker setup. I know this was the case for myself and my friends until I found these Emotivas.  Also, I tend to be more critical when using speakers because there is so much larger of a soundstage to 'look' at. With my IEMs, I just get wrapped in sound and chill out. 

With that said, my OG mojo and speakers keep me on my toes while my toes are still tapping. With the Mojo 2, I can chill out more and my toes are still tapping. Tapping my toes is a sign to me that I'm listening for musicality.


----------



## jinx20001

lwells said:


> For me, it's been quite the opposite. I think most people venture into more expensive IEMs because it is still more accessible (affordable) than a speaker setup. I know this was the case for myself and my friends until I found these Emotivas.  Also, I tend to be more critical when using speakers because there is so much larger of a soundstage to 'look' at. With my IEMs, I just get wrapped in sound and chill out.
> 
> With that said, my OG mojo and speakers keep me on my toes while my toes are still tapping. With the Mojo 2, I can chill out more and my toes are still tapping. Tapping my toes is a sign to me that I'm listening for musicality.



yeh i can agree with that for the most part, except i know for sure im far more critical when listening to in ears compared to speakers... probably because if im listening to speakers im doing the housework aswell... that might explain it haha, when i sit down and use headphones im naturally far more focused on that.


----------



## mnp75

jarnopp said:


> If it helps anyone, I created an Excel sheet to play around with and predict the DSP effects. Try it and feel free to make improvements to the factors I used, which I tried many best to estimate from Rob's PDFs (in the Watts Up thread).
> 
> https://mega.nz/file/SzgG0JJQ#WHIJKWvgsmMXA9JRKiA1uf_Ggq0UfaUEoRsmoXnnK_Q



Nice work! The visualization makes it very clear that it actually might make sense to put equal numbers to ALL 4 bands – the result is NOT an equally elevated flat line, but a V-shape. As someone mentioned already earlier in the thread, but it wasn't instinctively clear that that would be the case…

E.g. here's everything set to +4:


----------



## lwells

mnp75 said:


> Nice work! The visualization makes it very clear that it actually might make sense to put equal numbers to ALL 4 bands – the result is NOT an equally elevated flat line, but a V-shape. As someone mentioned already earlier in the thread, but it wasn't instinctively clear that that would be the case…
> 
> E.g. here's everything set to +4:




I noticed Chord's hosting of the manual is broken. You can also find it here: https://www.richersounds.com/media/pdf/M/o/Mojo_2_User_Manual_f0dd.pdf


----------



## jarnopp

mnp75 said:


> Nice work! The visualization makes it very clear that it actually might make sense to put equal numbers to ALL 4 bands – the result is NOT an equally elevated flat line, but a V-shape. As someone mentioned already earlier in the thread, but it wasn't instinctively clear that that would be the case…
> 
> E.g. here's everything set to +4:


Thanks. The default setting was just illustrative and I was trying to replicate “Graph 2” in the Chord manual to verify it was doing what it should. I think you could make a tab for each headphone you have and paste in the frequency graphs, notes, etc.  might be overkill…it’s just a hobby, right?


----------



## mnp75

jarnopp said:


> Thanks. The default setting was just illustrative and I was trying to replicate “Graph 2” in the Chord manual to verify it was doing what it should. I think you could make a tab for each headphone you have and paste in the frequency graphs, notes, etc.  might be overkill…it’s just a hobby, right?


Yeah that's actually kinda one thing that I wish that the Mojo 2 had: a way to save certain settings as a preset that  you can quickly get back to. At least right now when I've been trying out different headphones, speaker setups and different kind of music, I end up toggling EQ & crossfeed back & forth constantly.

But of course would've made the menu system even more complex. So recording favorite settings either in your head, on a sheet or just in text document will have to do!


----------



## surfgeorge

lwells said:


> I've had a lot more time to compare my mojo 2 to my OG mojo now. Here are some of my findings:
> 
> Initially I found that i preferred a +3 dB on the 125 Hz shelf to give it this 'punch' in guitars that I felt was missing from the OG. Now I prefer it flat.
> To me, the OG is a bit more 'in your face' with guitars. It makes my music (rock/electronic/OST) more dramatic and engaging. Then I started to notice that these elements were missing texture that the Mojo 2 was presenting. My benchmark here is Thrice "Hurricane" when the electric guitars enter.
> ...



Interesting impressions! Thanks for sharing.
Could you do a comparison with your IEMs and the DigiOne Signature input vs USB input (I assume you are using a PC or Laptop?)
I found USB fom my laptop to sound clearly the worst of all options I tried, but it also depends on the computer. My MacBook Pro 2014 sounds way better than the current HP laptop over USB. Optical out from the MBP gave the smoothest sound and darkest background.


----------



## keithmarsh (Feb 18, 2022)

Absolutely love this 4.4 adapter. So sturdy and solid. Feel much more comfortable with having it in my pocket and not having the headphone sockets have strain put on them. I find that it doesn’t colour the sound either like some adapter do!


----------



## keithmarsh (Feb 18, 2022)

(Added 2nd picture to original post)


----------



## Baten

keithmarsh said:


> Absolutely love this 4.4 adapter. So sturdy and solid. Feel much more comfortable with having it in my pocket and not having the headphone sockets have strain put on them. I find that it doesn’t colour the sound either like some adapter do!


Is that "truly" balanced, then?

@Rob Watts any concerns using such an aftermarket product?


----------



## chesebert

Baten said:


> Is that "truly" balanced, then?
> 
> @Rob Watts any concerns using such an aftermarket product?


Of course not truly balanced unless the add on part is converting SE to balanced with an opamp. This SE aversion is stupid all around if you ask me.


----------



## alota

Baten said:


> Is that "truly" balanced, then?


No. It is just a trick


----------



## keithmarsh (Feb 18, 2022)

Baten said:


> Is that "truly" balanced, then?
> 
> @Rob Watts any concerns using such an aftermarket product?



Nope, nothing to do with anything balanced. Just a single ended adapter for 4.4 cables. Most of my good quality cabled are 4.4 so this is a good solution for me!


----------



## chesebert

So it’s just a straight up balance to se adapter. I guess the shape is for looks and structural stuff.


----------



## keithmarsh

chesebert said:


> So it’s just a straight up balance to se adapter. I guess the shape is for looks and structural stuff.



Yep!


----------



## Kentajalli (Feb 18, 2022)

alota said:


> No. It is just a trick


Not a trick - it is a converter so you can plug 4.4mm jack into Mojo.
It is a veeery expensive converter, but not a trick.
Does the same job as this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/DD-Headphone-Converter-Connector-Amplifier-Silver/dp/B088WVMCTD


----------



## vo_obgyn

My Mojo 2 is auto shutting off after a while if no input is detected. The Mojo 2 battery is fully charged. Is this happening to anyone else?


----------



## keithmarsh

Kentajalli said:


> Not a trick - it is a converter so you can plug 4.4mm jack into Mojo.
> It is a veeery expensive converter, but not a trick.
> Does the same job as this:
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/DD-Headphone-Converter-Connector-Amplifier-Silver/dp/B088WVMCTD


Yeah, I have the DDHifi ones but once you add the 4.4 jack it's quite a big lump sticking out of a small 3.5 socket. Even though the PW Audio one is pretty big (and expensive) it's actually a lot nicer in your pocket as the 4.4 jacks sits flush.

This whole hobby is based around expensive things we don't really need 🤣


----------



## Kentajalli

keithmarsh said:


> This whole hobby is based around expensive things we don't really need 🤣


Maybe to you, I am only after sound quality and convenience, in that order.
I would carry a Hugo2, USB cable and big headphones if I have to, not on the train or bus (too old for those).


----------



## keithmarsh

Kentajalli said:


> Maybe to you, I am only after sound quality and convenience, in that order.
> I would carry a Hugo2, USB cable and big headphones if I have to, not on the train or bus (too old for those).


Really???

Do I need to clarify that was a joke. Jesus. Now I remember why I stopped going on head-fi.

Good luck on your very serious audio journey. I'm off to the real world!


----------



## Kentajalli

keithmarsh said:


> Really???
> 
> Do I need to clarify that was a joke. Jesus. Now I remember why I stopped going on head-fi.
> 
> Good luck on your very serious audio journey. I'm off to the real world!


No I got you, just forgot to put a smiley face after.
Do I have to clarify that I was being humorous too??

  🧐


----------



## keithmarsh

Kentajalli said:


> No I got you, just forgot to put a smiley face after.
> Do I have to clarify that I was being humorous too??
> 
> 🧐


Oh, so sorry dude - my bad! It's been a long day!!! 🍻


----------



## jinx20001

vo_obgyn said:


> My Mojo 2 is auto shutting off after a while if no input is detected. The Mojo 2 battery is fully charged. Is this happening to anyone else?



that does not sound normal to me, never had it in the time ive used it but i admittedly use it mostly desktop mode. i know the mojo does have a thermal cut off switch so if it gets too hot it will save itself by shutting off and it should be left 10 minutes before switching back on, however that is the original mojo and the mojo 2 is significantly more efficient with heat output far less (although i will say mine does still get hot to the touch even in desktop mode where battery is out of the equation).

i am slightly worried about how hot it gets, not had an original but with how warm/hot the mojo 2 gets i cant imagine how bad the original was, but we must keep in mind its an amp, they get warm by nature of what they are.

is yours hot when it shuts down?


----------



## alota

Kentajalli said:


> Not a trick - it is a converter so you can plug 4.4mm jack into Mojo.
> It is a veeery expensive converter, but not a trick.
> Does the same job as this:
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/DD-Headphone-Converter-Connector-Amplifier-Silver/dp/B088WVMCTD


Yes of course


----------



## Pier Paolo

Mojo 1 and 2 switch off automatically after 10 minutes, if no input.


----------



## billymisfits

keithmarsh said:


> Absolutely love this 4.4 adapter. So sturdy and solid. Feel much more comfortable with having it in my pocket and not having the headphone sockets have strain put on them. I find that it doesn’t colour the sound either like some adapter do!


does this give you more power/volume?


----------



## jinx20001

Pier Paolo said:


> Mojo 1 and 2 switch off automatically after 10 minutes, if no input.


oh... the more you know huh


----------



## keithmarsh

billymisfits said:


> does this give you more power/volume?


Nope, it’s simply a converter for 4.4 pentaconn cables 👍🏼


----------



## chesebert

billymisfits said:


> does this give you more power/volume?


No.


----------



## vlach

jinx20001 said:


> that does not sound normal to me, never had it in the time ive used it but i admittedly use it mostly desktop mode. i know the mojo does have a thermal cut off switch so if it gets too hot it will save itself by shutting off and it should be left 10 minutes before switching back on, however that is the original mojo and the mojo 2 is significantly more efficient with heat output far less (although i will say mine does still get hot to the touch even in desktop mode where battery is out of the equation).
> 
> i am slightly worried about how hot it gets, not had an original but with how warm/hot the mojo 2 gets i cant imagine how bad the original was, but we must keep in mind its an amp, they get warm by nature of what they are.
> 
> is yours hot when it shuts down?


You could also remove the battery altogether if using the M2 mostly in desktop mode, that way the heat wouldn't be a concern.


----------



## Rob Watts

Baten said:


> Is that "truly" balanced, then?
> 
> @Rob Watts any concerns using such an aftermarket product?



No - it's just an adaptor. You will lose a tiny bit of transparency due to extra contacts in the signal path though.



vo_obgyn said:


> My Mojo 2 is auto shutting off after a while if no input is detected. The Mojo 2 battery is fully charged. Is this happening to anyone else?



That's by design - no locking SPDIF being present and the absence of VBUS (the 5v from the USB source) will cause Mojo 2 to shut down after 10 minutes of inactivity.


----------



## vo_obgyn

Rob Watts said:


> That's by design - no locking SPDIF being present and the absence of VBUS (the 5v from the USB source) will cause Mojo 2 to shut down after 10 minutes of inactivity.


Thanks for the help.

My 3.0 FW Poly is attached to my Mojo 2 when the Mojo 2 auto switches off. This occurs even when the Mojo 2/ Poly combo is being charged. 

So, the Mojo 2 isn’t seeing the Poly at all, I think. The Poly worked just fine with my Mojo 1. Not sure what is going on. I bought the Mojo 2 so I could stream music with the Poly. I am having difficulty.


----------



## jarnopp

vo_obgyn said:


> Thanks for the help.
> 
> My 3.0 FW Poly is attached to my Mojo 2 when the Mojo 2 auto switches off. This occurs even when the Mojo 2/ Poly combo is being charged.
> 
> So, the Mojo 2 isn’t seeing the Poly at all, I think. The Poly worked just fine with my Mojo 1. Not sure what is going on. I bought the Mojo 2 so I could stream music with the Poly. I am having difficulty.


Does this happen while you are playing music, or are you not able to play music though Poly/Mojo 2?


----------



## vo_obgyn (Feb 19, 2022)

jarnopp said:


> Does this happen while you are playing music, or are you not able to play music though Poly/Mojo 2?


The Poly won’t connect to GoFigure when attached to the Mojo 2 so no streaming music. The P light blinks orange and the M light is blue. The Poly worked well with Mojo 1 and has FW 3.0


----------



## ubs28 (Feb 20, 2022)

All this time I thought my Mojo 1 was broken as I didn’t think it sounds good, while everybody is raving about it.

It appears that the Mojo 2 sounds just like my Mojo 1, so the good news is that my Mojo 1 works correctly. Sure, there are improvements but it still sounds like a “Mojo” so to say.

I have replaced my Poly + Mojo with something else, and so far I don’t see how the Poly + Mojo 2 will change that as it doesn’t sound that much better than the Mojo 1.

So I don’t think the upgrade is worth it. The Hugo 1 —> Hugo 2 was a much bigger upgrade.

The Mojo 2 is more like a Mojo 1.5 I’d say. So I will probably wait for a Mojo 3 which will hopefully sounds less “Mojo” and more accurate.

I will have the Mojo 2 on loan for 1 more day, so we shall see if it will change my mind.

I know I am in the minority who didn’t like the Mojo 1, so I guess for most people the Mojo 2 is good.


----------



## vlach

ubs28 said:


> All this time I thought my Mojo 1 was broken as I didn’t think it sounds good, while everybody is raving about it.


I've never heard a better sounding portable DAC/amp than the M1 (i haven't heard the M2).
If there was a better or superior sounding portable DAC/amp, i would own it.

Now, please share which portable DAC/amp, at any price, to your ears, sounds better (and not 'broken') than the original Mojo. 
I'm waiting for your answer.


----------



## lwells

ubs28 said:


> All this time I thought my Mojo 1 was broken as I didn’t think it sounds good, while everybody is raving about it.
> 
> It appears that the Mojo 2 sounds just like my Mojo 1, so the good news is that my Mojo 1 works correctly. Sure, there are improvements but it still sounds like a “Mojo” so to say.
> 
> ...



What do you like about the Hugo that you don’t get from the mojo 2?


----------



## ubs28 (Feb 20, 2022)

vlach said:


> I've never heard a better sounding portable DAC/amp than the M1 (i haven't heard the M2).
> If there was a better or superior sounding portable DAC/amp, i would own it.
> 
> Now, please share which portable DAC/amp, at any price, to your ears, sounds better (and not 'broken') than the original Mojo.
> I'm waiting for your answer.



The Mojo 1 is too digital and harsh which is not correct soundwise.

So one of the portable benchmarks I have used, it is not amazing. The Chord Dave absolutely destroys it. But that is to be expected as it is a consumer device which simply has a headphone output as an after thought.

I can take my AFC 2 Noire for example or whatever headphone and listen on this "consumer level" portable device and it is actually quite enjoyable to listen to. With the Mojo, there is always some "harshness" and "digital" sound which ruins the listening experience for me. The Mojo 1 is probably better at "technicalities", but the listening experience is not that great for me. Now I won't mention which device it is as head-fi will probably explode.

The Chord Dave (fully optimised to eliminate all external noise)  also doesn't have this problem of the Mojo 1. I can take my Focal Utopia (with super high-end cables) and it sounds super smooth, relaxed and analog with a massive soundstage. Yet at the same time, you hear absolutely everything. Basically everything sounds amazing on this setup.

So I basically miss the sit back and enjoy all the music experience with Mojo 1. Now I know I am the minority, so you should probably ignore my opinion about the Mojo 1 as the consensus is that the Mojo 1 is somehow super amazing.

I guess I must have a particular set of ears that somehow finds the Mojo 1 "digital" and "harsh". I honestly thought my Mojo 1 was broken all this time.


----------



## ubs28 (Feb 20, 2022)

lwells said:


> What do you like about the Hugo that you don’t get from the mojo 2?



I'm not a big fan of the Hugo 2 either, as there are big improvements that can be made in comparison to higher end DAC's.  But, I guess this is the best portable solution for an office setting, so what I can do?

The Mojo 2 sounds a bit more "digital" and "harsh" than the Hugo 2. And I don't like that. But the Hugo 2 also sounds a bit "digital" and "harsh" too if you compare it against higher end DAC's. So I guess, the Hugo 2 is "less bad" or the "lesser of two evils" out of the 2 devices.

Also with the 2Go + Hugo 2, I have a better "listening experience" so it say. Probably because it sounds less "digital" and "harsh".


----------



## ChrisGB

It's all a matter of perspective, synergy and personal preference. In any subjective comparisons, if you have very high end gear to use as a yardstick, you will always find the lesser gear lacking somewhere. For meaningful comparison, price has to be taken into account. Also, how hard the output is working can make a huge difference to sound. Portable / battery powered gear will sound less good if it's working hard to drive a difficult load.

Personally, and only on one pair of headphones, I found that, for me, Shanling M6 (the old AKM 4495 one) had better resolution and nuance than Mojo 2. These are / were of comparable price. Mojo 2 had better drive and rythmic properties though.

Dave sets an extremely high bar, most stuff will sound broken if that's what you are used to.


----------



## lwells

Well that settles it. I’m an idiot. Why did I get a mojo instead of a DAVE? 


Oh yea… probably because of the cost difference. I remember now.


----------



## vlach

ubs28 said:


> The Mojo 1 is too digital and harsh which is not correct soundwise.
> 
> So one of the portable benchmarks I have used, it is not amazing. The Chord Dave absolutely destroys it. But that is to be expected as it is a consumer device which simply has a headphone output as an after thought.
> 
> ...


I don't understand why you are drifting so far away as to bring the Dave into this conversation and describing its SQ at length in the context of the Mojo, but i can already tell that engaging with you any further will be a complete waste of time and energy. I give up.


----------



## Baten

This thread gets so weird at times lol


----------



## Another Audiophile

ubs28 said:


> The Mojo 1 is too digital and harsh which is not correct soundwise.
> 
> So one of the portable benchmarks I have used, it is not amazing. The Chord Dave absolutely destroys it. But that is to be expected as it is a consumer device which simply has a headphone output as an after thought.
> 
> ...


Wow, you have the DAVE. What an amazing DAC and headphone amplifier. Certainly you are on the very very very top of the summit and we are all so envious, in a nice way. We all wish we had the DAVE which is an extraordinary piece of gear. Mojo? what Mojo when you have the DAVE... Right?


----------



## gryffe

Another Audiophile said:


> Wow, you have the DAVE. What an amazing DAC and headphone amplifier. Certainly you are on the very very very top of the summit and we are all so envious, in a nice way. We all wish we had the DAVE which is an extraordinary piece of gear. Mojo? what Mojo when you have the DAVE... Right?


I've just gone and bought a DAVID. Heard it's far superior to the DAVE, so yah boo sucks!


----------



## gryffe

.


----------



## Droffen (Feb 20, 2022)

Received my M2 & Poly last week. It's my first Chord stuff.

Poly was still at FW 2.xx, so I had to return to dealer for update, will arrive next days.

2nd topic is the battery on my M2.
My Mojo 2 plays only 3 hours on a Grado PS500e after fully 100% charged.
After one night unused, the next day the battery was fully depleted after 50% charging level the day before switching off.

Seems my start with Chord devices are not that good


----------



## Lyssky

Here, Dave is 199.000 Turkish liras and Mojo 2 is 9500.


----------



## ubs28 (Feb 20, 2022)

Another Audiophile said:


> Wow, you have the DAVE. What an amazing DAC and headphone amplifier. Certainly you are on the very very very top of the summit and we are all so envious, in a nice way. We all wish we had the DAVE which is an extraordinary piece of gear. Mojo? what Mojo when you have the DAVE... Right?



If you read what I wrote, i was not comparing it to my Chord Dave. I was only saying, that my Chord Dave also doesn't sound like that, just like my "consumer-level" device with a headphone output I was testing it against. The correct sound is not supposed to sound that "harsh".

Now if you try to make a "narrative" out of something, have fun and go run your show.


----------



## ubs28

gryffe said:


> I've just gone and bought a DAVID. Heard it's far superior to the DAVE, so yah boo sucks!



What's up with you guys and your reading comprehension. I was comparing the Mojo against a consumer level device with a build-in headphone output.

But good thing I didn't say what device it is, seeing how you guys are already reacting to this, as I bet you guys will go nuts.


----------



## lwells

ubs28 said:


> What's up with you guys and your reading comprehension. I was comparing the Mojo against a consumer level device with a build-in headphone output.
> 
> But good thing I didn't say what device it is, seeing how you guys are already reacting to this, as I bet you guys will go nuts.


I think perhaps there is a language issue. I found your post confusing and unclear.

Enjoy the DAVE!


----------



## ubs28 (Feb 20, 2022)

lwells said:


> I think perhaps there is a language issue. I found your post confusing and unclear.
> 
> Enjoy the DAVE!



Have fun with the Mojo.

I have not used the Poly + Mojo for a long time now (except yesterday to compare it against the Mojo2 ), and it is not because of the Chord Dave.


----------



## Opstck

ubs28 said:


> I was only saying, that my Chord Dave also doesn't sound like that, just like my "consumer-level" device with a headphone output I was testing it against. The correct sound is not supposed to sound that "harsh".


Be a "man" and say what device. If its truth, then are You ashamed of that?


----------



## ubs28

Opstck said:


> Be a "man" and say what device. If its truth, then are You ashamed of that?



I have been long enough on head-fi to know what will trigger the community. So I won't mention it based on my past experience on this board. So let's just move on.


----------



## jinx20001 (Feb 20, 2022)

ubs28 said:


> I have been long enough on head-fi to know what will trigger the community. So I won't mention it based on my past experience on this board. So let's just move on.



dude, just say what it is, its perfectly ok to think one thing is better than another... happens all the time, i think now people are just curious what it is you prefer, some people prefer ifi products, some people prefer fiio products... i dont think anybody really wants a fight about it, maybe it will trigger an interesting discussion and comparison.

some might even doubt you have a mojo 2 to listen to, so like... shut them up, throw up a picture of the mojo and mojo 2 side by side and give us your honest impressions on what you like and dislike compared to this other mystery amp/dac.


----------



## lwells (Feb 20, 2022)

surfgeorge said:


> Interesting impressions! Thanks for sharing.
> Could you do a comparison with your IEMs and the DigiOne Signature input vs USB input (I assume you are using a PC or Laptop?)
> I found USB fom my laptop to sound clearly the worst of all options I tried, but it also depends on the computer. My MacBook Pro 2014 sounds way better than the current HP laptop over USB. Optical out from the MBP gave the smoothest sound and darkest background.




Sure! Thanks for reminding me to use my IEMs with the Allo. I usually just walk around with these guys or they are for listening to music while in the office.

USB (included cable) v. the Allo DigiOne Signature with Alclair RSM Quad IEMs:

_Cliche'_ blacker background with the Allo
Smoother drum hits (especially cymbals). This is really apparent with rock and metal for me. The drums make more sense. Cymbals sound less like artifacting.
The biggest difference is that the stage seems to decompress. It expands well outside of my head and this gives me a strange comforting relief. I'm not straining to make sense of sounds as much.
I think a lot about this 'straining to make sense of sounds'. Whether I'm listening to IEMs or my speakers on my sofa; I notice that sometimes it's difficult to relax my face. I close my eyes but I'm still squinting as if I am looking for things because something doesn't quite make sense. I think that's the cause. I'm actually squinting.

The change from the Mojo 1 to the 2 results in a lot less squinting. The change from the USB to the Allo/Coax input is about equally as big of a change. If you're currently using USB to a Mojo and listen to Roon, I highly recommend the Allo DigiOne signature. With that said, I imagine these are similar to the changes I would see using a Poly as a roon endpoint as well.

I'm considering picking up a used Poly to compare. But at the price of the DigiOne, the used Poly would need to be a great deal. I could use the poly/OG mojo as an endpoint by my bedside for my IEMs. I often forget how much i like these IEMs because I'm generally using the USB input, so again, thank you for reminding me.


----------



## Opstck (Feb 20, 2022)

Opstck said:


> ubs28 said: I have been long enough on head-fi to know what will trigger the community. So I won't mention it based on my past experience on this board. So let's just move on.


Fine, to clarify, don't own any Chord products, would take the Dave, but, money part, and here I am thinking, what if, of the M2.


----------



## headfry (Feb 20, 2022)

lwells said:


> Sure! Thanks for reminding me to use my IEMs with the Allo. I usually just walk around with these guys or they are for listening to music while in the office.
> 
> USB (included cable) v. the Allo DigiOne Signature with Alclair RSM Quad IEMs:
> 
> ...


If you're using the included USB charging cable to connect the Mojo the sound in my opinion will be far below what it's capable of and will be midfi-ish. So many reviews of the Mojo 1 said that it wasn't a step up from something like the Dragonfly, never specifying which cable was used so it was in all likelihood a generic. While Poly will likely
give the _very_ best sound quality, an appropriate and synergistic USB cable can/will bring out close to the best that the Mojo
can do (if you're using USB that is)...when I went from a generic USB cable to the Curious Hugo Link (together with AQ Jitterbug), the difference in my setup was night and day and finally I was getting the musical and sound performance I was reading about! (The Curious only cost me $120 Cn used and was an awesome purchase, I love it!)

USB cables can vary a lot in how much of the DAC's performance can come through!

....and looking forward to Mojo 2, may be arriving later this week!!!  << ===========


----------



## iPaintCode

Early peek review, I've listened to about 20 songs and narrowed it down to 10-12 and have written 3 of the songs I spent a lot of time with and testing the DSP EQ and just about everything in-between. I'm most likely going to put this in the review section with all songs. I don't do a lot of review writing on the forums, but I felt inspired with the Mojo 2 and Poly, and a few asked how the HD800s paired with the Mojo 2. All I can say is give my post a look over, and I think you will find it's a fine pairing.

I've spent most of the day with the HD800s and Mojo 2 direct USB-C to 16 MacBook Pro, Mojo 2 / Poly using Roon (testing on iPhone room remote and the Desktop app), and connected to my iPhone 11's hotspot. I was going to test against the Mojo 1, but I've it up as I will be giving it to my son, who's turning 12 and loves spending hours with my headphone gear. So far, I'm 110% addicted to the Poly with Roon, though using my iPhone as a hotspot will be perfect for outside the house and works great.

First things first, I've tested with the DPS EQ, and I will also include all four settings on each song as to what sounds best to my ears, so please factor in subjective listening and tuning; why not have some fun EQing? So far as volume settings, I will also include those for each track but generally very close. Most music outside of some Metal and EDM I don't listen very loud as I feel it takes away from the details and nuances of the song. I used my older Campfire Cascade 3.5mm stock cloth Litz cable to get a direct connection instead of a ton of adapters. I will also list where the song was sourced from, streaming or hi-res download. I have an extensive collection of digital tracks from CD quality to DSD but use streaming services if I don't have the track.

_Disclaimer: I don't generally write many reviews, so I did my best to articulate what I subjectively heard from the Chord Mojo 2._

*Roon Core on MacBook Pro and Roon Ready
No Crossfeed Mode
EQ Settings* will be in this format but with + and - : | ⬤ Bass 20 Hz | ⬤ Bass 125 Hz shelf | ⬤ Treble 3 kHz shelf | ⬤ Treble 20 kHz |
*Volume Settings *format for volume levels and the mode was in higher gain: | ⬤ | ⬤ | 

Listening Session:

1. Christel Alsos - Turn The Music Loud // FLAC 48kHz 24bit // from OTOTOY.jp

EQ Settings: | ⬤ +1 | ⬤ +4 | ⬤ -3 | ⬤ +1 |
Volume Settings: | ⬤ | ⬤ |

Currently, Turn The Music Loud is one of my favorite female tracks, and I enjoy listening to all of Christel Alsos's albums. I like using this track to test headphones to see how they handle layered female vocals (especially the chorus), percussion instruments, and electric keyboards. I added DPS EQ to bring a little more upper bass, which helped the HD800s add more weight in the bass/upper base; DPS EQ was a game-changer. The Mojo 2 did an excellent job articulating the verses where Christel's vocals have more breath than the layered vocals in the chorus. However, some words have vocal layering throughout the verses and sound great, just like the chorus. Back to the upper bass shelf set to +4, the HD800s are not known for their bass, but the DSP EQ is like pure magic. That's the best I can describe it. I could have pushed it to +5, but I didn't want to overpower the rest of the frequency range. The current settings kept the verse vocals front and center with a nice balance; no need to overdo it. I noticed a little more air and detail than I do with my Hugo 2, but that's from memory as I did not do any A/B testing. I was pleasantly surprised to hear a little extra dynamics from the Mojo 2 on the HD800s and never felt underpowered. Finally, I wanted to touch on the 3 kHz shelf setting. At least on this recording, it sounded a little too warm for my subjective taste, and -3 helped to liven things up. It did lose some warmth, but I liked the changes and gave more energy back to the upper bass. *Perfecto*!

___

1. Minor Majority - Wish You'd Hold That Smile  // FLAC 48kHz 16bit // from Physical CD Rip

EQ Settings: | ⬤ +1 | ⬤ +4 | ⬤ -3 | ⬤ +1 |
Volume Settings: | ⬤ | ⬤ |

After tweaking around the EQ and sound, I decided to keep it exactly as the 1st song as it sounded just right to my ears. It benefits the HD800s due to their anemic bottom-end. This song is male vocals, and the singer's range goes lower than average, and the +4 125 Hz shelf boost gave weight to the lyrics to give it a bit more depth, soul, and warmth. The vocals are my favorite part because having EQ again changed the HD800s just enough to sound like a spiritual successor. The verses had weaved in vocal harmonizing, and between all the singers, it was smooth and sultry. If you like guitars, mainly acoustic, it's a real treat with the HD800s. As I mentioned, it gives an excellent forward placement and a variety of 3 to 4 guitars on many of their songs. If you like Scandinavia, Pop, and Folk with many guitars, this is a great band to own a few albums. Once again, I truly enjoyed the Mojo 2, Poly, and HD800s pairing; it defiantly brought the folk vibe.

___

1. Holly Cole - Train Song // DSF DSD64 // from the digital download, I bought the album years ago, and I don't remember where 😢

EQ Settings: | ⬤ +5 | ⬤ +4 | ⬤ -1 | ⬤ +3 |
Volume Settings: | ⬤ | ⬤ |

The temptation album is a real treat if you like a cozy smooth jazz atmosphere with female vocals. Did I mention bass, a wide range of percussion instruments, and everything in-between; I had to put Train Song into the listening session. The HD800s shine here due to their vast soundstage, and Train Song does not disappoint, though I did have to increase the volume a bit due to the song's dynamic range. Throughout the song, you get a treat of pinpoint percussion placement that sweeps across the soundstage and has been my go-to track when demoing headphones. Holly's vocals are centered and never pushed. It ranges from laid-back to nice eloquent word pronunciations, though I had to slightly increase the volume due to the song's dynamic range. Take notice the EQ was pushed up in the bottom end, especially 20 Hz. Once again, the HD800s needed as much help to dig deep, and the Mojo 2 EQ helped bring the bass up without the Mojo 2 sounding artificial; Rob Watts, you're a freakin' genius. When I listen to this album, I hardly reach for the HD800s, but I can't say it enough, the DSP EQ is magic and once again shined. I've never heard the HD800s do as much justice as it could with acoustic bass, though it wasn't a Sony MDR-Z1R overweighed bass. However, the Mojo 2 helped out the HD800s to reach lower with extra volume. It will be interesting to see how the Focal Clear Mg Pro handle this song, as I feel it won't need as much 20 Hz and 125 Hz shelf EQing. 

___

*More to come but on the Mojo 2 review page. Some Trance/EDM, Soundtracks, Metal, Orchestral, focused on bass, and more!*


----------



## weexisttocease

Does anyone knows how to access to SD Card in Hotspot mode?


----------



## jinx20001

iPaintCode said:


> Early peek review, I've listened to about 20 songs and narrowed it down to 10-12 and have written 3 of the songs I spent a lot of time with and testing the DSP EQ and just about everything in-between. I'm most likely going to put this in the review section with all songs. I don't do a lot of review writing on the forums, but I felt inspired with the Mojo 2 and Poly, and a few asked how the HD800s paired with the Mojo 2. All I can say is give my post a look over, and I think you will find it's a fine pairing.
> 
> I've spent most of the day with the HD800s and Mojo 2 direct USB-C to 16 MacBook Pro, Mojo 2 / Poly using Roon (testing on iPhone room remote and the Desktop app), and connected to my iPhone 11's hotspot. I was going to test against the Mojo 1, but I've it up as I will be giving it to my son, who's turning 12 and loves spending hours with my headphone gear. So far, I'm 110% addicted to the Poly with Roon, though using my iPhone as a hotspot will be perfect for outside the house and works great.
> 
> ...



awesome write up and impressions.

im always weary about applying too much EQ because its often not a case of what the dac can handle but what the drivers in the IEM can handle, i aswell have found though that the EQ does work really well when the headphones are up to the task and deliver.


----------



## jinx20001

iPaintCode said:


> Early peek review, I've listened to about 20 songs and narrowed it down to 10-12 and have written 3 of the songs I spent a lot of time with and testing the DSP EQ and just about everything in-between. I'm most likely going to put this in the review section with all songs. I don't do a lot of review writing on the forums, but I felt inspired with the Mojo 2 and Poly, and a few asked how the HD800s paired with the Mojo 2. All I can say is give my post a look over, and I think you will find it's a fine pairing.
> 
> I've spent most of the day with the HD800s and Mojo 2 direct USB-C to 16 MacBook Pro, Mojo 2 / Poly using Roon (testing on iPhone room remote and the Desktop app), and connected to my iPhone 11's hotspot. I was going to test against the Mojo 1, but I've it up as I will be giving it to my son, who's turning 12 and loves spending hours with my headphone gear. So far, I'm 110% addicted to the Poly with Roon, though using my iPhone as a hotspot will be perfect for outside the house and works great.
> 
> ...



the use of the coloured dots in your review aswell... genius! makes it so clear what you did and how it shaped the sound.


----------



## DavidW (Feb 20, 2022)

New Mojo 2 (received it yesterday) with Poly and a slightly modified old case. All is good!


----------



## Kentajalli

DavidW said:


> New Mojo 2 (received it yesterday) with Poly with a slightly modified old case. All is good!


Looks good enough to me.
Just a suggestion:
the red thread where you cut it may come loose.
- get a flat cardboard or plastic. put a drop of superglue on it.
- use a needle, dipped  in ssuperglue , apply tiniest amount to ends of the thread, perhaps in between leather layers.
let it dry naturally , don't blow at it!
Should last a little longer.


----------



## lwells (Feb 20, 2022)

headfry said:


> If you're using the included USB charging cable to connect the Mojo the sound in my opinion will be far below what it's capable of and will be midfi-ish. So many reviews of the Mojo 1 said that it wasn't a step up from something like the Dragonfly, never specifying which cable was used so it was in all likelihood a generic. While Poly will likely
> give the _very_ best sound quality, an appropriate and synergistic USB cable can/will bring out close to the best that the Mojo
> can do (if you're using USB that is)...when I went from a generic USB cable to the Curious Hugo Link (together with AQ Jitterbug), the difference in my setup was night and day and finally I was getting the musical and sound performance I was reading about! (The Curious only cost me $120 Cn used and was an awesome purchase, I love it!)
> 
> ...




I used the included cable out of convenience. I rarely use a mojo with USB.

I've used many many cables with and without intermediates like ferrite chokes, the Schiit Wyrd and Audioquest Jitterbug. My favorite has been the AQ Evergreen cable with an AQ Jitterbug. But still, I prefer feeding the Mojo from my Allo DigiOne Sig With coax.


----------



## rwelles

weexisttocease said:


> Does anyone knows how to access to SD Card in Hotspot mode?


You'll need an app on your phone that supports DLNA or MPD. Is your phone android or apple?


----------



## weexisttocease

rwelles said:


> You'll need an app on your phone that supports DLNA or MPD. Is your phone android or apple?


It wasn't working with MAFA or BubbleUPnP but i was able to sort it out and now it's working flawlessly. Doesn't work with M.A.L.P. though.


----------



## Another Audiophile

iPaintCode said:


> 1. Holly Cole - Train Song // DSF DSD64 // from the digital download, I bought the album years ago, and I don't remember where 😢


you got me thinking and maybe something for @Rob Watts . how The EQ is applied on DSD signals?


----------



## spruce (Feb 20, 2022)

Thanks. It’s really helpful to hear honest criticism as well as praise when reviewing these threads! Perhaps radio frequency interference was part of the problem? Otherwise, I can definitely imagine higher end gear (Chord Dave) making cheaper gear sound inferior in comparison. That’s probably the biggest issue I have with this hobby, always chasing after the next increment in sound improvement. For example I have the mojo 1 and I’m fighting tooth and nail not to purchase the mojo 2 to as I enjoy it tremendously.


----------



## Kentajalli

Another Audiophile said:


> you got me thinking and maybe something for @Rob Watts . how The EQ is applied on DSD signals?


good question!


----------



## Baten

Another Audiophile said:


> you got me thinking and maybe something for @Rob Watts . how The EQ is applied on DSD signals?


It is no secret the DSD signal is converted to a traditional format on Chord DACs. So the EQ happens in that intermediate.


----------



## Kentajalli

Baten said:


> It is no secret the DSD signal is converted to a traditional format on Chord DACs. So the EQ happens in that intermediate.


actually I had never heard that!
Chord just filters the DSD into analog , it wouldn't get upscaled or go through WTA filter, pretty much untouched.
As far as I know.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Baten said:


> It is no secret the DSD signal is converted to a traditional format on Chord DACs. So the EQ happens in that intermediate.


I might be wrong but I haven’t seen anywhere in the manual saying that the dsd signals are converted to PCM. If that’s the case then Chord DACs and not native DSD decoders?


----------



## vlach

Kentajalli said:


> actually I had never heard that!
> Chord just filters the DSD into analog , it wouldn't get upscaled or go through WTA filter, pretty much untouched.
> As far as I know.


I think Chord converts DSD into PCM, but i could be right.


----------



## lucasratmundo

Spent some time today comparing the Mojo 2 + Poly and the SP2000. Not the most fair comparison given the price difference but I thought it would be a useful data point for anyone considering getting one of those.

Given that both devices are Roon ready, I grouped their playback on Roon and switched between them. I used my test playlist containing a mix of pop, jazz, soundtrack, female and male vocals. Here are my first impressions:

SP2000 is more detailed overall, especially in the treble region.
SP2000 sounds more refined but also more analytical. Mojo 2 has a fuller, more musical sound signature. The "winner" here comes down to personal preference.
Mojo 2 maybe has a small edge on stage size? Not by a lot though.
Mojo 2 has a small edge on transparency.
My use of portable audio is mostly around having a pocketable "end point" controlled from my mobile phone, either through Roon or Bluetooth i.e. I mostly use the SP2000 as a Roon end point. In that context, I tend to like the Mojo 2 + Poly more as it better matches my use cases and I don't have to deal with clunky Android UIs from DAPs.
In terms of pairings, here are my preferences after some quick listening:

U12t: SP2000
Odin: SP2000
Anole VX: Mojo 2
LCD-5: Mojo 2
Elite: Mojo 2
For some reason, Mojo 2 seems to scale better when paired with full-size headphones, especially with cross-feed enabled. SP2000 is excellent with IEMs but the Anole VX sounded really special with the Mojo 2.


----------



## Kentajalli

vlach said:


> I think Chord converts DSD into PCM, but i could be right.


Just checked, it seems you are correct.


----------



## alota

lucasratmundo said:


> Spent some time today comparing the Mojo 2 + Poly and the SP2000. Not the most fair comparison given the price difference but I thought it would be a useful data point for anyone considering getting one of those.
> 
> Given that both devices are Roon ready, I grouped their playback on Roon and switched between them. I used my test playlist containing a mix of pop, jazz, soundtrack, female and male vocals. Here are my first impressions:
> 
> ...


Mojo 2 drives planars easily?


----------



## ChrisGB

alota said:


> Mojo 2 drives planars easily?


I used easy to drive planars with mine (Quad ERA-1) and it drove them very well.


----------



## x RELIC x

DSD is converted to PCM on Chord DACs. Also, you can’t apply DSP changes (likeEQ) to DSD.


----------



## dakanao

ubs28 said:


> The Mojo 1 is too digital and harsh which is not correct soundwise.
> 
> So one of the portable benchmarks I have used, it is not amazing. The Chord Dave absolutely destroys it. But that is to be expected as it is a consumer device which simply has a headphone output as an after thought.
> 
> ...


Did you use USB shielding with the Mojo 1? This should make it a lot smoother


----------



## VancityDreaming

lucasratmundo said:


> Spent some time today comparing the Mojo 2 + Poly and the SP2000. Not the most fair comparison given the price difference but I thought it would be a useful data point for anyone considering getting one of those.
> 
> Given that both devices are Roon ready, I grouped their playback on Roon and switched between them. I used my test playlist containing a mix of pop, jazz, soundtrack, female and male vocals. Here are my first impressions:
> 
> ...


Is that the pwaudio plug 4.4 adapter? So it was released for the mojo, but fits the mojo 2? Thanks


----------



## Rob Watts

Another Audiophile said:


> you got me thinking and maybe something for @Rob Watts . how The EQ is applied on DSD signals?


Seamlessly - DSD is filtered and converted to 705.6kHz PCM and then fed directly to the UHD DSP module. So EQ, crossfeed and volume all work identically.


----------



## zxcvy19 (Feb 21, 2022)

Baten said:


> It is no secret the DSD signal is converted to a traditional format on Chord DACs. So the EQ happens in that intermediate.


Yeah this is not full balanced out put.
(Never mind. Looks like other people don't wanna argue with this. So edited)


----------



## Ranathum

does anyone here know if I could use mojo 2 charging and playing music at same time? I will use it in my desktop pc.


----------



## chesebert

Ranathum said:


> does anyone here know if I could use mojo 2 charging and playing music at same time? I will use it in my desktop pc.


RTFM


----------



## TheDuke990

Ranathum said:


> does anyone here know if I could use mojo 2 charging and playing music at same time? I will use it in my desktop pc.



Yes because power and data use different inputs.


----------



## lucasratmundo

VancityDreaming said:


> Is that the pwaudio plug 4.4 adapter? So it was released for the mojo, but fits the mojo 2? Thanks


Yep, fits perfectly.


----------



## lucasratmundo

Ranathum said:


> does anyone here know if I could use mojo 2 charging and playing music at same time? I will use it in my desktop pc.


Yeah, Mojo 2's desktop mode should cover this pretty well. I'm actually wondering if there any drawbacks of leaving the Poly + Mojo 2 continuously connected in terms of Poly's battery behaviour/health?


----------



## lwells

chesebert said:


> RTFM



Dude. "Yes" would have taken less energy on your part. Let's not become an Arch Linux forum please.


----------



## main character (Feb 21, 2022)

Hello! I have Mojo1 but wanted to ask if there are ways to use two 3.5mm out to make a pseudo 4.4 balance out, for better soundstage. I get that poly is one way to improve mojo sq and usability. Can we increase soundstage just like a decent dap?
Mentioned pw audio 4.4 adapter, I believe, is a single ended 4.4mm out using one of 3 5mm as a ground/shielding. Anyone noticed improvement of SQ with this one? Thanks!


----------



## chesebert

main character said:


> Hello! I have Mojo1 but wanted to ask if there are ways to use two 3.5mm out to make a pseudo 4.4 balance out, for better soundstage. I get that poly is one way to improve mojo sq and usability. Can we increase soundstage just like a decent dap?
> Mentioned pw audio 4.4 adapter, I believe, is a single ended 4.4mm out using one of 3 5mm as a ground/shielding. Anyone noticed improvement of SQ with this one? Thanks!


No.


----------



## main character

chesebert said:


> No.


What is the purpose of these adapters, other than adding coloration from the cable and increasing revenue.. No no?
https://m.aliexpress.com/item/1005001451920816.html


----------



## Layman1

Hi all, am thinking of getting the Mojo 2, if only because I can't afford the Hugo 2 right now, and by the time I can, hopefully there'll be a Hugo 3 or similar available 

Haven't owned a Chord product before (but listened to them at CanJam and been very impressed).

So, I have three questions as a newbie to the Mojo II, and if anyone can help me with any/all, I would really appreciate it! 

1) Fantastic to see the two 3.5mm outputs along with the advice that we can listen to both simultaneously, meaning I can share my music on high end gear with others!
BUT, nearly all of my cables are now 4.4mm. 
So if I were to get (for example) two of those DD-Hifi '3.5mm male to 4.4mm female' Thor's hammer style adaptors, could I use them both at the same time, just as I'd otherwise be able to with a pair of 3.5mm terminated cables? Am not a tech person, so just want to check 

2) I have the Sony WM1Z DAP.  What would be the way(s) in which I could use this with the Mojo II, and which cables would that require?

3) I love the Sony DAP for its DSEE AI-based digital upsampling, which takes tracks in mp3 or 16 bit FLAC and upsamples them to hi-res audio quality (quite noticeable effect!). Would I still be able to use this whilst feeding the sound out to the Mojo II in order to gain the benefits of the Mojo sound signature as well?
Much of my collection is in hi-res FLAC already, but I have certain albums/songs that I can only find in lower res FLAC or even mp3 format. 

Thanks in advance for any advice


----------



## main character (Feb 21, 2022)

I found this from Qutest thread!
(Let me know if I should remove it)
"
Jan 6, 2020 at 4:18 AMPost #4,529 of 5,981
[IMG alt="Rob Watts"]https://cdn.head-fi.org/avatars/m/394/394072.jpg?1397540867[/IMG]
Rob Watts​Member of the Trade: Chord Electronics​Yes the events at Dubai Audio will be public. I don't have the detailed times of it yet...

My DACs are innately single ended, so adding balanced will add extra circuitry, and hence degrade transparency. This is the reverse of other DACs - they have to be balanced, as it's impossible to remove common mode noise from the chip substrate unless you go differential (balanced)."

I own a qutest too. I love it. I mainly use it with violectric amp(SE out) and focal headphones so thought soundstage was okay! Iems for mojo do not have very wide soundstage when compared with my ak dap balanced out.  Seems like thanks to FPGA processing, Chord Dacs do not need balanced for black background and using it is not recommended. Then, there are not many ways to increase soundstage other than using speakers I guess? 🤔

Hybrid iem cables(silver gold alloy etc) may increase perceptions of soundstage a bit..


----------



## main character (Feb 21, 2022)

Layman1 said:


> Hi all, am thinking of getting the Mojo 2, if only because I can't afford the Hugo 2 right now, and by the time I can, hopefully there'll be a Hugo 3 or similar available
> 
> Haven't owned a Chord product before (but listened to them at CanJam and been very impressed).
> 
> ...


Hello!
1) yes you can. Or use pw audio mojo 4.4 out for neater single 4.4mm out
2,3) I am not familiar with wm1z but I hope someone with better knowledge would chime in. Mojo only accepts digital usb or coax input. No analog input. You may use a special cable or a walkman dock to Sony's wm digital port, to use wm1z as a source I guess. Pha-3 or zh1es comes with digital cable that can be connected to wm digital port, but the other end seems to be priprietary as well.


----------



## joshnor713

main character said:


> Hello! I have Mojo1 but wanted to ask if there are ways to use two 3.5mm out to make a pseudo 4.4 balance out, for better soundstage. I get that poly is one way to improve mojo sq and usability. Can we increase soundstage just like a decent dap?
> Mentioned pw audio 4.4 adapter, I believe, is a single ended 4.4mm out using one of 3 5mm as a ground/shielding. Anyone noticed improvement of SQ with this one? Thanks!


Balanced itself doesn't automatically make better SQ or soundstage, it's how the source is tuned/configured. The only thing having a balanced output really affects is power output (which doesn't equate to better SQ itself either, depends the specific case).


----------



## main character

joshnor713 said:


> Balanced itself doesn't automatically make better SQ or soundstage, it's how the source is tuned/configured. The only thing having a balanced output really affects is power output (which doesn't equate to better SQ itself either, depends the specific case).


Sounds good. AK se100 must have been tuned up well for balanced 2.5 out. I may try pw audio mojo 4.4 adapter in the future for power increase. Thanks!


----------



## SRKRAM

chesebert said:


> No.


Seeing some of these 'pseudo balanced' adaptors which connect to both of the mojo's 3.5mm jacks makes me wonder if they're taking left from one connector and right from the other. If so, they'd be increasing the ground resistance, and increasing crosstalk - one thing which true balanced is intended to reduce. The effect is probably negligible, or maybe not when people can hear things down to -301dB.


----------



## joshnor713

main character said:


> I may try pw audio mojo 4.4 adapter in the future for power increase. Thanks!


No, the adapter doesn't convert the 3.5 jack to balanced, lol. It just lets you use the 4.4 plug with the system. You're getting the same output as 3.5mm. Actually, unless the adapter is 100% transparent (which it most likely isn't), you're losing a little bit of SQ.


----------



## Another Audiophile

SRKRAM said:


> Seeing some of these 'pseudo balanced' adaptors which connect to both of the mojo's 3.5mm jacks makes me wonder if they're taking left from one connector and right from the other. If so, they'd be increasing the ground resistance, and increasing crosstalk - one thing which true balanced is intended to reduce. The effect is probably negligible, or maybe not when people can hear things down to -301dB.


can anyone explain what is the benefit of these devises?


----------



## chesebert

Another Audiophile said:


> can anyone explain what is the benefit of these devises?


adapter for 4.4mm and to transfer excess money from your pocket to that of the seller.


----------



## main character

joshnor713 said:


> No, the adapter doesn't convert the 3.5 jack to balanced, lol. It just lets you use the 4.4 plug with the system. You're getting the same output as 3.5mm. Actually, unless the adapter is 100% transparent (which it most likely isn't), you're losing a little bit of SQ.


Yes, I am aware that this is just a SE 4.4.. some said it increases power, as it combines two 3.5mm though(??). Some project in the future!


----------



## main character

joshnor713 said:


> No, the adapter doesn't convert the 3.5 jack to balanced, lol. It just lets you use the 4.4 plug with the system. You're getting the same output as 3.5mm. Actually, unless the adapter is 100% transparent (which it most likely isn't), you're losing a little bit of SQ.


Yes, I am aware! That this is just a SE 4.4mm. Though, some said it increases power, as two 3.5mm combined to 4.4 (??). Just to check that point. Some project for me in the future!


----------



## chesebert (Feb 21, 2022)

main character said:


> Yes, I am aware that this is just a SE 4.4.. some said it increases power, as it combines two 3.5mm though(??). Some project in the future!


Will not happen ever unless chord suddenly decides they want to build fully symmetrical balanced output - 4 output drivers.


----------



## PhenixS1970 (Feb 21, 2022)

Hi All, bought the below Lavricables to connect my Mojo 2 to my A&K sr25 DAP but it's not working.

REFERENCE SILVER USB C TO MICRO USB OTG ANGLED INTERCONNECT FOR ANDROID

Assume the cable is dead on arrival but maybe some others here have it as well (to rule out the cable would be incompatible somehow).

Thanks in advance.


----------



## main character

chesebert said:


> Will not happen ever unless chord suddenly decides they want to build fully symmetrical balanced output - 4 output drivers.


There should not be any power increase, I agree. As 1/2of signals are summed up together. Just curious.


----------



## chesebert

main character said:


> There should not be any power increase, I agree. As 1/2of signals are summed up together. Just curious.


Don’t think there is any summing going on. The 2 SE outputs should just be driven from the same output drivers. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.


----------



## Baten

SRKRAM said:


> Seeing some of these 'pseudo balanced' adaptors which connect to both of the mojo's 3.5mm jacks makes me wonder if they're taking left from one connector and right from the other. If so, they'd be increasing the ground resistance, and increasing crosstalk - one thing which true balanced is intended to reduce. The effect is probably negligible, or maybe not when people can hear things down to -301dB.


Lol that would be hilarious if it did the opposite of what is claimed


----------



## main character

chesebert said:


> Don’t think there is any summing going on. The 2 SE outputs should just be driven from the same output drivers. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.


No it(4.4mm SE) should not be any different from one 3.5 SE output... Product page describes added ground/ shielding. I wonder that would make any change 🤔 .


----------



## deafdoorknob

main character said:


> Hello! I have Mojo1 but wanted to ask if there are ways to use two 3.5mm out to make a pseudo 4.4 balance out, for better soundstage. I get that poly is one way to improve mojo sq and usability. Can we increase soundstage just like a decent dap?
> Mentioned pw audio 4.4 adapter, I believe, is a single ended 4.4mm out using one of 3 5mm as a ground/shielding. Anyone noticed improvement of SQ with this one? Thanks!


https://www.headfonia.com/review-balancing-mojo-mst-audios-mojo-kai/


----------



## chesebert

deafdoorknob said:


> https://www.headfonia.com/review-balancing-mojo-mst-audios-mojo-kai/


You can mod anything for the right price - $700 mod 😂


----------



## main character

deafdoorknob said:


> https://www.headfonia.com/review-balancing-mojo-mst-audios-mojo-kai/


Oh Moko-kai it is!!
Thanks so much. This is very helpful. I will look into this.


----------



## tomi1976

HI there, so I got a Mojo 2, in germany, but I can't find a leather case for it anywhere. All I found wont ship outside of UK
Anybody knows a distributor who has them inside EU?
Thank you and cheers


----------



## cpaulik

tomi1976 said:


> HI there, so I got a Mojo 2, in germany, but I can't find a leather case for it anywhere. All I found wont ship outside of UK
> Anybody knows a distributor who has them inside EU?
> Thank you and cheers


https://artsexcellence.com/chord-mojo-2-premium-leather-case.html and other dutch shops seem to have it


----------



## Kentajalli

tomi1976 said:


> HI there, so I got a Mojo 2, in germany, but I can't find a leather case for it anywhere. All I found wont ship outside of UK
> Anybody knows a distributor who has them inside EU?
> Thank you and cheers


For what it is worth, since Mojo warms up during use and more during charging and even more during charging and working, I chose not to use a case and sold mine!
it just cooks up inside the case - just don't scratch it!
Those who have Poly, have to have a case for stability.


----------



## tomi1976

Kentajalli said:


> For what it is worth, since Mojo warms up during use and more during charging and even more during charging and working, I chose not to use a case and sold mine!
> it just cooks up inside the case - just don't scratch it!
> Those who have Poly, have to have a case for stability.



That is a good point, so I actually only need a Poly Case as otherwise it would be hooked up in Desktop mode...
One question about that btw:

Am I right that if I use a USB-C Cable, it would transmit Data from Computer to the Mojo 2, but as charging only happens using the micro USB charging port, I need a second cable attached to have it charging all the time?


----------



## lwells

tomi1976 said:


> That is a good point, so I actually only need a Poly Case as otherwise it would be hooked up in Desktop mode...
> One question about that btw:
> 
> Am I right that if I use a USB-C Cable, it would transmit Data from Computer to the Mojo 2, but as charging only happens using the micro USB charging port, I need a second cable attached to have it charging all the time?


You are correct.


----------



## tomi1976

lwells said:


> You are correct.


Ok wow.
That means Desktop Mode actually means you don’t unplug your charging micro isb cable even though the bat battery is fully loaded, and not that you operate it as a dac connected to your pc constantly (and with another usb cable)?
Hm.


----------



## Kentajalli

tomi1976 said:


> Ok wow.
> That means Desktop Mode actually means you don’t unplug your charging micro isb cable even though the bat battery is fully loaded, and not that you operate it as a dac connected to your pc constantly (and with another usb cable)?
> Hm.


Think about it, it has Coax and Toslink inputs too, so Desktop mode couldn't/shouldn't be limited to USB alone.


----------



## lwells (Feb 22, 2022)

tomi1976 said:


> Ok wow.
> That means Desktop Mode actually means you don’t unplug your charging micro isb cable even though the bat battery is fully loaded, and not that you operate it as a dac connected to your pc constantly (and with another usb cable)?
> Hm.



Correct. The charging circuit requires the use of the dedicated micro USB connection. That connection does not transmit data. I assume this is done to reduce noise. But I could be wrong; I often am.


----------



## tomi1976

Kentajalli said:


> Think about it, it has Coax and Toslink inputs too, so Desktop mode couldn't/shouldn't be limited to USB alone.


Right, I know there are more inputs than usb, you could plug in a dap on toslink like I used to with my iriver h120 15y ago, but I somehow thought that in dektop mode I would charge and transfer data using one permanently plugged in usb
Like I do using a wm1a in dac mode


----------



## fablestruck

headfry said:


> I bought the Curious Hugo Link used, and together with the AQ Jitterbug has been working wonders with MojOG,
> light years ahead of the generic cable I was using and I love the sound.


Works like a charm 
Thanx for the tip.


----------



## tomi1976

fablestruck said:


> Works like a charm
> Thanx for the tip.


If someone got a used one for sale, I'd be interested (in germany)


----------



## lwells

tomi1976 said:


> If someone got a used one for sale, I'd be interested (in germany)


I'm in Germany. I just ordered one for my laptop at work. Shipping is free. ~135 euro.


----------



## tomi1976

lwells said:


> I'm in Germany. I just ordered one for my laptop at work. Shipping is free. ~135 euro.


Where did you order them?


----------



## u2u2

Kentajalli said:


> For what it is worth, since Mojo warms up during use and more during charging and even more during charging and working, I chose not to use a case and sold mine!
> it just cooks up inside the case - just don't scratch it!
> Those who have Poly, have to have a case for stability.


I am a couple of weeks into Poly/Mojo using an early Mojo original. Added a case last week and had a couple of back to back unexpected shutdowns... Cause seemed to be a warmish Mojo. Runs much warmer when in the case. Solution - put the unit on its side while in use and charging. More surface area exposed to airflow aids in keeping things cool and eliminates the problem. My Mojo 2 just arrived so I am going to take some temperatures of both and see where it leads but I think you can have your case and eat it too with that one simple move.


----------



## lwells

tomi1976 said:


> Where did you order them?


https://curiouscables.com/


----------



## TheEldestBoy

If/when Apple creates their own version of Bluetooth for Hi-Res streaming (some predict it's going to happen since their AirPods Max don't currently play Hi-Res Apple Music without being wired) will the Poly be able to do a firmware update to work with this new Codec?


----------



## Kentajalli

u2u2 said:


> I am a couple of weeks into Poly/Mojo using an early Mojo original. Added a case last week and had a couple of back to back unexpected shutdowns... Cause seemed to be a warmish Mojo. Runs much warmer when in the case. Solution - put the unit on its side while in use and charging. More surface area exposed to airflow aids in keeping things cool and eliminates the problem. My Mojo 2 just arrived so I am going to take some temperatures of both and see where it leads but I think you can have your case and eat it too with that one simple move.


Or you can do my Mod. ( https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-modification.945220/ ) to help cooling.
It really works!
Mostly for fun though.


----------



## utdeep

Maybe, but a poly firmware update might require you to buy an original mojo manufactured between 2017 to 2019.


----------



## DavidW (Feb 22, 2022)

u2u2 said:


> I am a couple of weeks into Poly/Mojo using an early Mojo original. Added a case last week and had a couple of back to back unexpected shutdowns... Cause seemed to be a warmish Mojo. Runs much warmer when in the case. Solution - put the unit on its side while in use and charging. More surface area exposed to airflow aids in keeping things cool and eliminates the problem. My Mojo 2 just arrived so I am going to take some temperatures of both and see where it leads but I think you can have your case and eat it too with that one simple move.


I previously wrote to Chord about heat from the Mojo OG and the Poly. I had both in a case and used it while working outdoors during the warm weather. Here is their reply:

“The answer to the temperature questions is that Mojo and Poly have a thermal cutout. If this is not exceeded, they'll keep working as normal. Given this cutout is set for something in the region of 70 degrees, you should be fine.”


----------



## nycdoi

so..
has any LCD-i4 + mojo2 owners testify yet?


----------



## Alan Billington

John Darko talking generally about portable sound with wired android or iPhone and PLEX amp. He moves on to what he’s not previously talked about … how he rates the Mojo2. He compares it favourably to A&K SP2000 and iBasso Dx300. And this is in a wired setup … hmmm imagine if mojo offered a non wired option which allowed phones to be used as the owners ONE device they carried with them 🤔😆. I think that will be a follow up video. It’s all in the slow reveal https://darko.audio/2022/02/vlog-portable-audio-in-portugal-w-plex-chord-mojo-2/


----------



## u2u2

Kentajalli said:


> Or you can do my Mod. ( https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-modification.945220/ ) to help cooling.
> It really works!
> Mostly for fun though.


Very slick but putting the unit on its side, balls up, works very well. Just trying the same with Poly/Mojo 2 and it is responding well. They feel like they run at similar temperatures but I will be hitting them with my FLIR in due course. Come summer and higher temperatures I may mod my original Mojo.


----------



## lwells (Feb 23, 2022)

Alan Billington said:


> John Darko talking generally about portable sound with wired android or iPhone and PLEX amp. He moves on to what he’s not previously talked about … how he rates the Mojo2. He compares it favourably to A&K SP2000 and iBasso Dx300. And this is in a wired setup … hmmm imagine if mojo offered a non wired option which allowed phones to be used as the owners ONE device they carried with them 🤔😆. I think that will be a follow up video. It’s all in the slow reveal https://darko.audio/2022/02/vlog-portable-audio-in-portugal-w-plex-chord-mojo-2/


Thanks for the heads up! Now I just need to find this FIIO cable he ordered for my iPhone :|

EDIT: https://fiio-shop.de/kabel/digitale-audio-kabel/1147/fiio-lt-lt1


----------



## Blanka79

I am thinking about selling my Lotoo PAW 6000 and buy a Mojo 2 to use with my iPhone...
Wise or stupid?


----------



## Slim1970

Blanka79 said:


> I am thinking about selling my Lotoo PAW 6000 and buy a Mojo 2 to use with my iPhone...
> Wise or stupid?


You won’t be disappointed. The Mojo 2 sounds great paired with the iPhone..


----------



## ChrisGB

Blanka79 said:


> I am thinking about selling my Lotoo PAW 6000 and buy a Mojo 2 to use with my iPhone...
> Wise or stupid?


I'd strongly advise you have a listen first. I found the Mojo 2 to be less to my taste sonically than my DAP (Shanling M6). Mojo 2 did some things better (weight, energy, pace), some things worse (detail, nuance, space). To get improvements in both areas, I've ended up going to Hugo 2 which is currently undergoing it's first charge. A watched kettle never boils, a charging Hugo 2 never gets to full charge!


----------



## MrPanda

My Mojo 2 just arrived!


----------



## Baten

MrPanda said:


> My Mojo 2 just arrived!


lol.. "ok"


----------



## Kentajalli

ChrisGB said:


> I'd strongly advise you have a listen first. I found the Mojo 2 to be less to my taste sonically than my DAP (Shanling M6). Mojo 2 did some things better (weight, energy, pace), some things worse (detail, nuance, space). To get improvements in both areas, I've ended up going to Hugo 2 which is currently undergoing it's first charge. A watched kettle never boils, a charging Hugo 2 never gets to full charge!


You do know Hugo2 has faster charge with a 2 amp charger?


----------



## ChrisGB (Feb 23, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> You do know Hugo2 has faster charge with a 2 amp charger?


I assume the supplied one is 2A? It's been on for nearly 6 hours! OnePlus warp charge it is not.


----------



## Kentajalli

ChrisGB said:


> I assume the supplied one is 2A? It's been on for nearly 6 hours! OnePlus warp charge it is not.


White means fast, blue is standard


----------



## ChrisGB

Kentajalli said:


> White means fast, blue is standard


Just checked, it's a 2.1A charger. It's not too warm at the moment, so must be close to fully charged🤞. Still glowing white!


----------



## Nostoi

ChrisGB said:


> Just checked, it's a 2.1A charger. It's not too warm at the moment, so must be close to fully charged🤞. Still glowing white!


Spoiler alert: you can use your Hugo 2/Mojo/Mojo 2 when it's charging....


----------



## ChrisGB

Nostoi said:


> Spoiler alert: you can use your Hugo 2/Mojo/Mojo 2 when it's charging....


I know, but when the instructions say fully charge before first use, I tend to do it. I've got to set it up with the 2go, then it'll be a late night!


----------



## Nostoi

keithmarsh said:


> Absolutely love this 4.4 adapter. So sturdy and solid. Feel much more comfortable with having it in my pocket and not having the headphone sockets have strain put on them. I find that it doesn’t colour the sound either like some adapter do!


How are you enjoying the Liric with the Mojo 2? I love the Liric with Mojo OG - lovely combo. Hoping the synergy is retained in MKii.


----------



## msq123

Nostoi said:


> How are you enjoying the Liric with the Mojo 2? I love the Liric with Mojo OG - lovely combo. Hoping the synergy is retained in MKii.


I listened to Liric briefly on MoJo2 and it was an amazing experience. Tried Meze Elite right after and it didn’t sound right such was the impact of Liric. Synergy was spot on, what I remember the most was the imaging which was the best I have heard on a headphone. I hope to have another listen of Liric soon and likely get it for myself.


----------



## Nostoi

msq123 said:


> I listened to Liric briefly on MoJo2 and it was an amazing experience. Tried Meze Elite right after and it didn’t sound right such was the impact of Liric. Synergy was spot on, what I remember the most was the imaging which was the best I have heard on a headphone. I hope to have another listen of Liric soon and likely get it for myself.


That's great to hear, thanks. I have the Liric and find it's actually a fairly picky headphone in terms of synergy. The best I heard was FiiO M17 followed by Mojo. I sold the M17, but have a Mojo 2 on the way, so am pleased to hear this.


----------



## Progisus

Does anyone have a pic of the poly/mojo 2 in the mojo 1 case. I would like to see if the functionality of the vol balls would be impeded.


----------



## jarnopp

Progisus said:


> Does anyone have a pic of the poly/mojo 2 in the mojo 1 case. I would like to see if the functionality of the vol balls would be impeded.


This is an aftermarket case, but basically the same. Works fine.  The vol up ball is covered a bit.


----------



## Nostoi

Anyone know of a Hiby-Mojo 2 transport case yet, as there is on Mojo 1 (here)? 

The R3 Pro really does makes the ideal storage/transport for the Mojo....


----------



## DavidW

Progisus said:


> Does anyone have a pic of the poly/mojo 2 in the mojo 1 case. I would like to see if the functionality of the vol balls would be impeded.


From my post a few days ago.


----------



## Kentajalli

jarnopp said:


> This is an aftermarket case, but basically the same. Works fine.  The vol up ball is covered a bit.


Use large nail-clippers to cut a curve out of the extra bit! should be good enough if you get it right.


----------



## captblaze (Feb 24, 2022)

DavidW said:


> From my post a few days ago.Use large nail-clippers to cut a curve out of the extra bit! should be good enough if you get it right.



I will use that bit of advice when it is time to mod my OG case

Edit:

If you want to purchase an OG leather case for a good price -----> Click This


----------



## weexisttocease

I'm very impressed with the Mojo 2 + Poly. It has been a breeze to use the GoFigure App and using the SD Card with MAFA App. It sounds beautiful, very detailed and transparent with s hint of warmth. Didn't touch the UHD DSP yet, need to read the manual before use it.


----------



## u2u2 (Feb 24, 2022)

Progisus said:


> Does anyone have a pic of the poly/mojo 2 in the mojo 1 case. I would like to see if the functionality of the vol balls would be impeded.


I will post pictures with the Van Nuys case. The fit is as good as with an original Mojo/Poly in it. The leather does go over the top of the volume up button but it is soft enough (on my week old case) that I can operate the button without issue except operations that require pressing volume + & - at the same time. That takes a little more effort than a bare Mojo 2...


----------



## NYanakiev (Feb 24, 2022)

Delete


----------



## captblaze

Not the cleanest of cuts, but functional. To be honest I could have left the case the way it was. The only reason I trimmed it was to see the up volume easier


----------



## Mr X (Feb 25, 2022)

I've bought a fair few Valentinum cases (Etsy) over the years and was happy to find out my OG Mojo/Poly case fits M2/Poly nicely


----------



## utdeep

I ordered the Valentium case for the Mojo on Feb 10 hoping it would get to me before current events hit.  I assumed it would work for the Mojo 2.

Unfortunately, it has been stuck in Kiev for the last 10 days.  I don't think I'll ever get it.  Just a warning for anyone considering the case now.  I feel bad for Ukraine and what is happening right now, but on a smaller scale, there are some beautiful craftsman and companies that may not be around or available until better days come.


----------



## MrPanda

MrPanda said:


> My Mojo 2 just arrived!


It's so good, my Focal's almost have soundstage!


----------



## keithmarsh

Nostoi said:


> How are you enjoying the Liric with the Mojo 2? I love the Liric with Mojo OG - lovely combo. Hoping the synergy is retained in MKii.


I'm absolutely loving the Liric with the Mojo 2. I do keep going back to the Liric & iFi Diablo combo though - That's phenomenal. And what you would expect with the price difference. Mojo 2 with Liric is such a rich, dynamic and musical experience though


----------



## TheEldestBoy (Feb 25, 2022)

My current set-ups:
👉 Desktop:  Mac mini -> Schiit Stack (Modi 2 + Loki + Magni 3) -> HD6XX & HE4XX
👉 Portable (just for around the house; I don't listen outside of the house):  iPhone ->  iFi Hip Dac -> HD6XX & HE4XX

I'm thinking about getting the Mojo2 to see if I can hear an improvement over my current set ups.  If the improvement is significant enough I'll keep the Mojo2. If not, I'll consider reselling it.

Question: What would be a reasonable expectation on resale value of a Mojo2 that is in mint condition and just a few months old? The price here in Canada for a new Mojo2 is $875.00 (+ taxes = $988.00).

Could I expect to resell for 80% of the new purchase price?
75%?
70%
Less/More?


----------



## captblaze

TheEldestBoy said:


> My current set-ups:
> 👉 Desktop:  Mac mini -> Schiit Stack (Modi 2 + Loki + Magni 3) -> HD6XX & HE4XX
> 👉 Portable (just for around the house; I don't listen outside of the house):  iPhone ->  iFi Hip Dac -> HD6XX & HE4XX
> 
> ...


The law of diminishing returns would say that early in the life of the hype train you can recoup more than as time progresses. As a result of the MSRP and exchange rate you will not have a large pool of potential buyers. 

Buy Mojo2 for the Musical Joy and stick to precious metals for investment returns


----------



## jarnopp

TheEldestBoy said:


> My current set-ups:
> 👉 Desktop:  Mac mini -> Schiit Stack (Modi 2 + Loki + Magni 3) -> HD6XX & HE4XX
> 👉 Portable (just for around the house; I don't listen outside of the house):  iPhone ->  iFi Hip Dac -> HD6XX & HE4XX
> 
> ...


I predict it will be a significant improvement!  But do give yourself at least a week or two of listening, not even comparing, then evaluate. It takes a bit for the brain to get used to what Mojo delivers.


----------



## TheEldestBoy

jarnopp said:


> I predict it will be a significant improvement!  But do give yourself at least a week or two of listening, not even comparing, then evaluate. It takes a bit for the brain to get used to what Mojo delivers.



Yes, I will listen for a few weeks exclusively using the mojo2 and then I will go back to my other set ups to see if I hear a difference.

I make consistent use of the Loki’s & Hip Dac’s ability to boost bass, so I’m looking forward to seeing what the mojo2 can offer in that regard.


----------



## lwells

TheEldestBoy said:


> My current set-ups:
> 👉 Desktop:  Mac mini -> Schiit Stack (Modi 2 + Loki + Magni 3) -> HD6XX & HE4XX
> 👉 Portable (just for around the house; I don't listen outside of the house):  iPhone ->  iFi Hip Dac -> HD6XX & HE4XX
> 
> ...


I have a Hip DAC. You cannot compare the Mojo 2. It's significantly better with my IEMs.


----------



## TheEldestBoy

lwells said:


> I have a Hip DAC. You cannot compare the Mojo 2. It's significantly better with my IEMs.



Good to hear that. I’m hoping that the difference is noticeable as well with open back headphones. In other words, is the Mojo’s goodness really only appreciated with highly resolving IEM‘s?


----------



## lwells

TheEldestBoy said:


> Good to hear that. I’m hoping that the difference is noticeable as well with open back headphones. In other words, is the Mojo’s goodness really only appreciated with highly resolving IEM‘s?



Considering how much I love using the mojo with my speakers, I'm inclined to say no.


----------



## tomi1976

I am still yet getting to know my new mojo 2 - so far I do like it!

With the new DSP function and the visualization I saw in another post where EQ setting were visualized by the +/- db next to the according colored ball, a kind of database would be cool:
Fields would be contributor name, Headphone model, and then each of the adjustable ranges represent with the ballcolor
Entries would be modelname and +/- db for each dsp set
Does that maybe even exist already, how to brighten up bass beast ot give more richness to too flat sounding headphones, based on the contributors experience


----------



## Progisus

Mojo 2 arriving early next week. I’m upgrading my mojo 1 because of the innovative way the EQ was designed. I am planning on making it with Poly my main mobile rig. I am hoping to add the little tweak to EQ the Odin and EVO need to tame the mids. I’ve also loaded a 1tb sd card with PGGB files. If it sounds even as good as the poly/mojo1 with PGGB it will be a pocket mscaler. I feel version 3 of gofigure has all the bugs out at least in my system. I use Cantata to easily create the albums as playlists and one complete playlist of everything. Imho airplane/bluetooth mode gives the best sound.


----------



## Droffen

Droffen said:


> Received my M2 & Poly last week. It's my first Chord stuff.
> 
> Poly was still at FW 2.xx, so I had to return to dealer for update, will arrive next days.
> 
> ...


Finally received a new updated Poly and a new Mojo 2 without battery issue. Thanks to my dealer
Listening since yesterday with Sennheisers IE 900.
Can’t be more satisfied with this setup.


----------



## spruce (Feb 26, 2022)

Would love to hear from anyone who upgraded but also kept their original Mojo for any particular OG Mojo audio qualities missing from their Mojo 2 upgrade.


----------



## headfry (Feb 26, 2022)

spruce said:


> Would love to hear from anyone who upgraded but also kept their original Mojo for any particular OG Mojo audio qualities missing from their Mojo 2 upgrade.


No new posts in a while so I thought I'd chime in....my Mojo 2 came early last week....now I miss nothing about the OG except as an early love/
backup unit. Seriously, although for some OG users the Mojo 2 will be an optional or even unnecessary purchase, for this user the 2 is a serious upgrade!
I am Thrilled with this unit! Took me a while to figure out that I got the best sound with the USB-C input, (using the Apple USB-C charging cable). In retrospect,
micro USB is a poor input connector for a DAC as it can lose connection easily by even slightly moving the Mojo, so USB-C is not only very secure fit-wise,
but it sounds lovely with just this regular USB-C cable! And once I had it for a few days I found the controls extremely easy and intuitive...love
that I can change or check the settings with the music playing! And the sound quality is for me a total makeover
(What HiFi's review describes the improvements well for me)!

I can't express how satisfied and excited I am! Still love the OG but it will be getting much less use; it has for me no advantages sonically over the Mojo 2;
the 2 perfects the design for me. The synergy with my Grado's is fantastic, and Apple Music never sounded better (I'm cancelling my Tidal after
having subscribed for almost 5 years, nice service but better deals out there with also excellent quality).

The eq is great but I've only made one or two 1 db adjustments to my two main Grado's and the crossfeed is fun but pretty subtle.
Sound quality alone and USB-C input makes it for me worth the upgrade, the DSP features are icing on the cake and really nice to have!

Anyone who is happy with the OG enjoy it as it is still a great unit!


----------



## meomap

OG?


----------



## Progisus

meomap said:


> OG?


Original. I gad the same question awhile back.


----------



## lwells

I kept my OG. I still love it. It moved to my office work desk. Also, I had it signed by @Rob Watts, so I can’t sell it.


----------



## kennyb123

Progisus said:


> Mojo 2 arriving early next week.


I hope you’ll share your impressions.  This might be one of the first Mojo 2s to be used with PGGB.


----------



## tomi1976

About desktop mode: I assume Poly has no own battery, but is powered by mojo 2, right? so if I permanently charge poly, mojo 2 still is in desktop mode?
Thank you and cheers


----------



## chihangs

tomi1976 said:


> About desktop mode: I assume Poly has no own battery, but is powered by mojo 2, right? so if I permanently charge poly, mojo 2 still is in desktop mode?
> Thank you and cheers


Poly operates on its own battery. 
But I would like to know to if poly will operates on desktop mode once mojo 2 and poly fully charged?


----------



## tomi1976

chihangs said:


> Poly operates on its own battery.
> But I would like to know to if poly will operates on desktop mode once mojo 2 and poly fully charged?


if poly operates on its own battery, and if you permanently charge both poly and mojo 2, the alternatives are
1.) mojo 2 and poly both are in battery saving desktop mode
2.) mojo 2 is in desktop mode and poly not
3.) neither mojo 2 or poly are in battery saving mode 

I think it might be 2.) as desktop mode is new in mojo 2, right?


----------



## chihangs

tomi1976 said:


> if poly operates on its own battery, and if you permanently charge both poly and mojo 2, the alternatives are
> 1.) mojo 2 and poly both are in battery saving desktop mode
> 2.) mojo 2 is in desktop mode and poly not
> 3.) neither mojo 2 or poly are in battery saving mode
> ...


I think it’s more likely be 2. 
Wish chord can clarify on this more .
I remember when I have mojo 1 and poly, I cannot charge and play at the same time , it just plays for around 15mins then it shut off by itself. Maybe a over heat issue with poly while charging and playing at the same time .


----------



## tomi1976 (Feb 27, 2022)

chihangs said:


> I think it’s more likely be 2.
> Wish chord can clarify on this more .
> I remember when I have mojo 1 and poly, I cannot charge and play at the same time , it just plays for around 15mins then it shut off by itself. Maybe a over heat issue with poly while charging and playing at the same time .


Yeah, it would be good to know if it is safe to leave mojo2 with poly on the charger or whilst mojo2 would be a desktop option, it would be with poly only a mobile streamer, as a constantly charged poly would have a battery that will lose capacity over time


----------



## miketlse

chihangs said:


> I think it’s more likely be 2.
> Wish chord can clarify on this more .
> I remember when I have mojo 1 and poly, I cannot charge and play at the same time , it just plays for around 15mins then it shut off by itself. Maybe a over heat issue with poly while charging and playing at the same time .


An alternative explanation is hinted at in this post:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ful-info-on-1st-page-◄★☆.831347/post-13845491

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ful-info-on-1st-page-◄★☆.831347/post-13868566

If you are charging Mojopoly together, but your charger does not supply enough current, it is possible to arrive at the situation where your Mojo has received a good charge, but the Poly has received only a partial small charge.
If this is an owners typical charging scenario, and it is repeated enough days in a row, then the owner can arrive at the situation where the Mojo is well charged, but the Poly has only a few minutes of charge left. Maybe in your case, you thought that you were charging and playing, but it was only the Mojo that was in charge and play mode, and the Poly was just playing for the 15 mins until the battery ran out.


----------



## chihangs

miketlse said:


> An alternative explanation is hinted at in this post:
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-☆-poly-☆-wireless-microsd-module-for-mojo-☆★►useful-info-on-1st-page-◄★☆.831347/post-13845491
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-☆-poly-☆-wireless-microsd-module-for-mojo-☆★►useful-info-on-1st-page-◄★☆.831347/post-13868566
> ...


my case with mojo 1 and poly is either the mojo or the poly is over heating while i charge and play at the same time. it shuts off after around 15 mins. but everything is working fine if i unplug the charging cable and both mojo and poly still have good battery life. 
this only happens when i charge and play with the poly . i can always charge and play with the mojo by itself.


----------



## adamjohari

Hey everyone, just got my Mojo 2. How do you guys charge this thing? Can I use the Apple 20-W usb-c charger? I can find the cable. Just wondering on the compatibility of watts/voltage/amperage


----------



## drummguy26

I’m a little curious about the DSP EQ function for Mojo2 @Rob Watts. Are the frequency bands able to be changed by a firmware upgrade in the future? I feel like the 125hz frequency band cuts off a little to early for me. I would like to see 125hz go up to 200hz for more punch and warmth. Similarly with the 20khz frequency band. I feel like this should be more like 16khz instead of 20khz. 

But if this can’t be changed with a firmware upgrade then I guess you can disregard this post. Lol. Just some wishful thinking here.


----------



## miketlse

adamjohari said:


> Hey everyone, just got my Mojo 2. How do you guys charge this thing? Can I use the Apple 20-W usb-c charger? I can find the cable. Just wondering on the compatibility of watts/voltage/amperage


L


drummguy26 said:


> I’m a little curious about the DSP EQ function for Mojo2 @Rob Watts. Are the frequency bands able to be changed by a firmware upgrade in the future? I feel like the 125hz frequency band cuts off a little to early for me. I would like to see 125hz go up to 200hz for more punch and warmth. Similarly with the 20khz frequency band. I feel like this should be more like 16khz instead of 20khz.
> 
> But if this can’t be changed with a firmware upgrade then I guess you can disregard this post. Lol. Just some wishful thinking here.


I suspect the answer is no. My opinion is based on Robs posts stating that he aims to perfect his DAC capabilities (in coding terms) before release, and then not update the code until the next generation of the DAC. The situation is different for the Chord streamers (Poly and 2Go, for which the original chord policy was that they would receive firmware updates. That policy seems to be still in place).
What Rob learns from user feedback regarding the Mojo2 DSP EQ, will no doubt influence his thoughts regarding Hugo 3 and TT3, but his recent posts about the current physical difficulty of developing/testing new DACS, implies to me that new DACS are one or more years away.


----------



## Baten

miketlse said:


> L
> 
> I suspect the answer is no. My opinion is based on Robs posts stating that he aims to perfect his DAC capabilities (in coding terms) before release, and then not update the code until the next generation of the DAC. The situation is different for the Chord streamers (Poly and 2Go, for which the original chord policy was that they would receive firmware updates. That policy seems to be still in place).
> What Rob learns from user feedback regarding the Mojo2 DSP EQ, will no doubt influence his thoughts regarding Hugo 3 and TT3, but his recent posts about the current physical difficulty of developing/testing new DACS, implies to me that new DACS are one or more years away.


It's just functionality. It "could" be coded in firmware releases no problem.


----------



## Flognuts

what portable music source do you guys use with this? Id imagine spotify isn't good enough?


----------



## meomap

Flognuts said:


> what portable music source do you guys use with this? Id imagine spotify isn't good enough?


Quobuz and SD card in phone.


----------



## HONEYBOY

These are my notes that I have copied from the NYC CanJam thread

*Haphazard notes on the Mojo 2*

I had a chance to listen to a few things at the show, and for me the Mojo 2 is the only one I'm writing about because it is the device that in my judgment offered the best price-performance ratio. I started comparing it to my original Mojo and there was an appreciable jump in sound quality that I think is worth the upgrade. I have to admit that I did perceive it as a tad bright in the treble. I've seen a few folks indicate that they hear the Mojo as bright and harsh, but that has never been the case for me. If anything I'd say the Mojo is relatively smooth and even a tad reticent in the treble. With the Mojo 2 the first thing I noticed was the increased level of treble extension and detail. Treble definitely stands out a bit more on the Mojo 2 akin to the Hugo 2. Everything is more intelligible, and micro details are more evident. The articulation and texture it brings to instruments and vocals is a definite step up.  I think I'd still give the nod to the Hugo 2 as the more technically competent, whether that extra level of technical competency translates to engagement is left to be seen. I've just ordered the Mojo 2 to assess this for myself as my suspicions are that Mojo 2 offers that engagement without compromising too much on the technicalities. In all honesty, the Mojo 2 was great at making me feel like I wasn't missing anything at all unless I compared it directly with the Hugo 2.

The Mojo's bass in my opinion was never really quite well defined, at least compared to some of its competitors like the iFi Audio iDSD Black . The Mojo 2 fixes this. It has impact, speed, texture and depth. Driving my Sony IER-Z1R, it was very tastefully done. I was surprised at how much better in the bass it was.  It's a very notable improvement over its predecessor in this regard.

The other thing I noticed was the dynamics of this new Mojo 2. It is fantastic. Transients are also super clean and the dramatic stop and start of moments in the music drive excitement and is a definitive trait  of the Chord Dacs that makes itself known upon immediate listen.

Mojo 2 also has a nice blackground. The Mojo still does well for vocals and some may still prefer it's more full bodied nature. I started preferring the Mojo 2's mid the more I listened. A nice tinge of warmth is added, and it is as mentioned earlier so articulate. You hear more nuance in the vocals and the tonal colors are more evident.

Soundstage is probably in about the same, but because the Mojo 2 is better at instrument separation and placement it feels more well defined, particularly in the depth.

Mojo 2 is also more layered with inner details that would've otherwise been smoothed over by the Mojo being brought to life. Thankfully, it is still very coherent sounding. Lack of coherency was my major concern when I saw initial impressions in this thread that it was more detailed. I love details, but not at the expense of coherency. At the end of the day I want to know that I am listening to music. I know the Mojo 2 was special because I just stopped comparing and listening to my music. At that moment it didn't matter if something else was more detailed or more refined or whatever, I was just once again listening and enjoying my music. Obviously there are many variables at play in our hobby. I did my impressions above as one could glean with the Sony IER-Z1R IEMs playing tracks from Tidal on myPhone.  I would encourage anyone especially those willing to spend good amount of money on kilobuck DAPs  and DAC/Amps to give the Mojo 2 a try.


----------



## vlach

Flognuts said:


> what portable music source do you guys use with this? Id imagine spotify isn't good enough?


A DAP with CD quality and hi rez files.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Flognuts said:


> what portable music source do you guys use with this? Id imagine spotify isn't good enough?


In my case in the UK I tried with my mobile phone but I get interference every time the phone goes from 3G to 4G and in & out from network. Therefore the Poly s not a nice to have but an essential. I can't have my mojo nowhere near my mobile.


----------



## theory_87

HONEYBOY said:


> Soundstage is probably in about the same, but because the Mojo 2 is better at instrument separation and placement it feels more well defined, particularly in the depth.


Mojo 2 benefit quite a lot from burn in. The staging opens up a lot.


----------



## Utterchaos23

The hard case works too... with a little Dremil modification.

It's not pretty, but better than no case! - I have a spare if anyone want to buy one from me...


----------



## Nick24JJ

Hi guys, 

I am looking for a headphone DAC/Amp and I am seriously considering this device. I will be using it, initially, with the 7Hz Timeless and the TRI I3. Will there be any kind of inconvenience, like a hiss or any weird noises, with these IEMs? Anyone here using the Mojo 2 with these or other IEMs with similar specifications? I will be listening through my Sennheiser HD600, as well, but I think there won't be any problem there, right?

I am giving the IEM's specs below.

TRI I3 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Connector: MMCX
Lime Length: 120CM +/- 3CM
Sensitivity: 103DB
Color: Aluminum Alloy Mirror Silver
Type: In-Ear
Plug Type: 3.5mm
Frequency: 20-40kHz
Impedance: 15 Ohms
Driver Unit: 10mm Planar Magnetic + Composite 6mm DD + Balanced Armature Driver

7Hz Timeless SPECIFICATIONS
Driver. 14.2mm planar driver.
Impedance 14.8 Ohms
Sound pressure level. 104dB/1Khz.
Frequency response range. 5-40000hz.
THD. <0.2%/1KHZ.
Connector MMCX.
Nozzle diameter. 5mm.

All of my cables are 2.5mm. Which adaptor would you suggest?

Thank you!


----------



## lwells

Nick24JJ said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I am looking for a headphone DAC/Amp and I am seriously considering this device. I will be using it, initially, with the 7Hz Timeless and the TRI I3. Will there be any kind of inconvenience, like a hiss or any weird noises, with these IEMs? Anyone here using the Mojo 2 with these or other IEMs with similar specifications? I will be listening through my Sennheiser HD600, as well, but I think there won't be any problem there, right?
> 
> ...



Get a linsoul mmcx cable with the correct termination. https://www.amazon.com/Linsoul-Trip...646053600&sprefix=linsoul+mmcx,aps,144&sr=8-3


----------



## someyoungguy (Feb 28, 2022)

Utterchaos23 said:


> The hard case works too... with a little Dremil modification.
> 
> It's not pretty, but better than no case! - I have a spare if anyone want to buy one from me...


Not bad! I might try this with mine once the Mojo2 arrives.


----------



## u2u2

Flognuts said:


> what portable music source do you guys use with this? Id imagine spotify isn't good enough?


I went with SD card in a Poly but in portable use the real limitation, IMHO, is the listening environment. I “justified” the Poly for portable use but, often as not, that means great portable listening doing mundane house chores (poor winter conditions here). Not a Spotify user but if it normally works for you why not stick with tried and true?


----------



## cpaulik

Can anybody hear the difference between Spotify or regular quality apple music compared to Redbook when listening on the go? I definitely can't.


----------



## headfry (Feb 28, 2022)

headfry said:


> No new posts in a while so I thought I'd chime in....my Mojo 2 came early last week....now I miss nothing about the OG except as an early love/
> backup unit. Seriously, although for some OG users the Mojo 2 will be an optional or even unnecessary purchase, for this user the 2 is a serious upgrade!
> I am Thrilled with this unit! Took me a while to figure out that I got the best sound with the USB-C input, (using the Apple USB-C charging cable). In retrospect,
> micro USB is a poor input connector for a DAC as it can lose connection easily by even slightly moving the Mojo, so USB-C is not only very secure fit-wise,
> ...


...after a week with the Mojo 2 I've gone back to the OG for comparison.....while the 2 is substantially better and fully worth the purchase for me, the OG's sound isn't that far off and is also extremely musical...it sounds a bit simplified, especially in the bass clarity/resolution (tho the quantity and slam is nice!) and smaller soundstage/somewhat flatter depth but this is quickly forgotten when I immerse into the music. Anyone who has the OG and is fully satisfied....the 2 is likely an optional purchase. If money isn't the issue and you want the latest and best...have a listen to the 2 with your headphone(s) and decide. I now wish that the OG had a USB-C input, a much more secure connection and sounds great with just an Apple USB-C charge cable.

Right now, I'm happy to own and use both and my OG is in rotation when I feel the need to hear a somewhat different presentation (and
to save the battery on the 2!). I'm totally satisfied and (if you're reading this) Mr. Watts, I think you are amazing!


----------



## Progisus

headfry said:


> after a week with the Mojo 2 I've gone back to the OG for comparison.....while the 2 is substantially better and fully worth the purchase for me, the OG's sound isn't that far off and is also extremely musical...it sounds a bit simplified, especially in the bass and smaller soundstage, somewhat flatter depth but this is quickly forgotten when I immerse into the music. Anyone who has the OG and is fully satisfied....the 2 is likely an optional purchase. If money isn't the issue and you want the latest and best...have a listen to the 2 with your headphone(s) and decide. I now wish the OG had USB-C input, a much more secure connection and sounds great with just an Apple USB-C charge cable.
> 
> Right now, I'm happy to own and use both and my OG is in rotation when I feel the need to hear a somewhat different presentation (and
> to save the battery on the 2!). I'm totally satisfied and (if you're reading this) Mr. Watts, I think you are amazing!


uhd dsp did it for me. Hoping to help a few problem iem’s. EQ on my AK daps is not user friendly.


----------



## AmanPreet

Nick24JJ said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I am looking for a headphone DAC/Amp and I am seriously considering this device. I will be using it, initially, with the 7Hz Timeless and the TRI I3. Will there be any kind of inconvenience, like a hiss or any weird noises, with these IEMs? Anyone here using the Mojo 2 with these or other IEMs with similar specifications? I will be listening through my Sennheiser HD600, as well, but I think there won't be any problem there, right?
> 
> ...


Mojo 2 is dead silent with FD5 and FH3 if that helps. These IEM are sensitive enough that I use ifi-IEMatch with HipDac and Go-Blu. Mojo 2 switches between low gain and high gain as you increase the volume and no background noise at all.

Cheers !!


----------



## rwelles

HONEYBOY said:


> These are my notes that I have copied from the NYC CanJam thread
> 
> *Haphazard notes on the Mojo 2*
> 
> ...



Thanks for posting this here. My experiences with the Mojo2 closely match this opinion.



Utterchaos23 said:


> The hard case works too... with a little Dremil modification.
> 
> It's not pretty, but better than no case! - I have a spare if anyone want to buy one from me...



I've been thinking about getting a Dremel tool kit for some time now. This post got me to finally order one. When it arrives tomorrow, this will be my first project!!


----------



## Nick24JJ

AmanPreet said:


> Mojo 2 is dead silent with FD5 and FH3 if that helps. These IEM are sensitive enough that I use ifi-IEMatch with HipDac and Go-Blu. Mojo 2 switches between low gain and high gain as you increase the volume and no background noise at all.
> 
> Cheers !!


Thank you very much!


----------



## fablestruck

fablestruck said:


> Works like a charm
> Thanx for the tip.


Update on the Curious cable.
Experienced disconnection issues.
Sending it back.


----------



## utdeep

I got the Mojo 2 and I'm enjoying the comparison of it with my Lotoo S2, Cayin N6II with R01, and and my Woo Audio WA7. 





I'm not sure if I like it or not, but it certainly seems to work well with my Meze Elite.  I've made a place for it in my custom Meze Elite portable case!


----------



## 546687 (Feb 28, 2022)

fablestruck said:


> Update on the Curious cable.
> Experienced disconnection issues.
> Sending it back.



If a refund is an option, I recommend you seriously consider it.  We had debugged the Curious Cable in Linux and to us it doesn't meet the USB standard.

It's also a coloured sound, warm signature.  I'm an advocate of perfect neutrality and you can only get that with optical cables.

I recommend a USB optical cable:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/post-16832053

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/post-16836158

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/post-16836110

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/post-16841643

I've also built the ultimate SPDIF toslink source for Chord DACs which nothing will touch for the next 5-10 years.  It's in another world SQ:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/post-16838658

But USB optical is practical.

Anyways, please refrain from questions.  I'm done on the site.  I'm waiting for the most important piece which is a wooden tablet stand for my Hugo2 then I'm out.  Not going down the Mojo2 rabbit hole...

The Monoprice also goes on sale from time to time.  If you search Monoprice Coupon Code, you might find a discount.  I believe I found free shipping, but YMMV.

Just a suggestion to save aggravation....


----------



## vo_obgyn (Feb 28, 2022)

rwelles said:


> Thanks for posting this here. My experiences with the Mojo2 closely match this opinion.
> 
> 
> 
> I've been thinking about getting a Dremel tool kit for some time now. This post got me to finally order one. When it arrives tomorrow, this will be my first project!!


Yes the Mojo 2 is closer in sound to the Hugo 2 than the Mojo OG was.


----------



## Progisus

The mojo 2 dsp is brilliant. Set 3k down 2db and 20k up 2 db. This has made my Odin and EVO fatigue free. Thank you @Rob Watts !


----------



## headfry (Feb 28, 2022)

fablestruck said:


> Update on the Curious cable.
> Experienced disconnection issues.
> Sending it back.



Sorry to hear that, I've been dealing with that issue as per my previous posts, I blame the tiny micro-USB connector,
as it's easily dislodged. Mini-USB would have been a wiser choice for Chord. In the meantime, if you have the option
of USB-C it is an extremely secure physical connection, and for me sounds very good too!

The Curious is such a good sounding and nicely made cable, wish it didn't have that issue with the Mojo though.


----------



## tomi1976

Progisus said:


> The mojo 2 dsp is brilliant. Set 3k down 2db and 20k up 2 db. This has made my Odin and EVO fatigue free. Thank you @Rob Watts !


How about adding your settings for your gear here:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-2-eq-settings.962326/

Thank you and cheers!
Tomi


----------



## Utterchaos23

I was just in the process of suggesting exactly this!... Nice one


----------



## fablestruck

headfry said:


> Sorry to hear that, I've been dealing with that issue as per my previous posts, I blame the tiny micro-USB connector,
> as it's easily dislodged. Mini-USB would have been a wiser choice for Chord. In the meantime, if you have the option
> of USB-C it is an extremely secure physical connection, and for me sounds very good too!
> 
> The Curious is such a good sounding and nicely made cable, wish it didn't have that issue with the Mojo though.


Thanx.
I am using a Lindy 8euro cable, for now, following the recommendation 
of another user here, and it looks and sounds fine. 

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/gp/product/B07FMVF21R/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF&psc=1


----------



## chesterchan

HONEYBOY said:


> These are my notes that I have copied from the NYC CanJam thread
> 
> *Haphazard notes on the Mojo 2*
> 
> ...



Been using my mojo2 for a few days now (used to own a mojo 1 and currently own a hugo 2 as well) .  To sum it up I feel like the mojo 2 sits between mojo 1 and hugo 2. 
Completely agree on so many points here, im enjoying it very much so on IEMs (UM Mest Mkii) rather so than on the arya/ananda. 

The black background is fantastic. Great musicality with a dabble of warmth makes it very exciting, I feel like everything just flows... 
Hugo 2 still brings in the better overall package (Bass quantity and slam/ bigger sound stage and imaging/ overall much leaner sounding with better technicalities) but cant help but say this is goes well w IEMs and its portability factor just makes it worthwhile.


----------



## Lyssky

Still no one tried the Mojo 2 with the LCD-XC?


----------



## mikedemunck

Lyssky said:


> Still no one tried the Mojo 2 with the LCD-XC?


I actually compared the the LCD-XC 2021 to the Aeon Noire with the Mojo2 the last couple of days. When I first tried this headphone I was very impressed, but for longer sessions it didn't cut it for me and I sent the LCD-XC back and am keeping the Noire. The XC was fatiguing (too much treble for my tastes). The noire is perfect, I love it. Adding to that is the massive physical weight of the LCD-XC (700 grams opposed to around 350 for the Noire). One advantage the LCD-XC has is that is a very easy to drive headphone, works fine in phones, laptops, etc. The Noire needs somewhat more power (the Mojo2 has plenty though).


----------



## Lyssky

mikedemunck said:


> I actually compared the the LCD-XC 2021 to the Aeon Noire with the Mojo2 the last couple of days. When I first tried this headphone I was very impressed, but for longer sessions it didn't cut it for me and I sent the LCD-XC back and am keeping the Noire. The XC was fatiguing (too much treble for my tastes). The noire is perfect, I love it. Adding to that is the massive physical weight of the LCD-XC (700 grams opposed to around 350 for the Noire). One advantage the LCD-XC has is that is a very easy to drive headphone, works fine in phones, laptops, etc. The Noire needs somewhat more power (the Mojo2 has plenty though).


I see, thanks.
I was like you but then I insisted on listening the LCD-XC (although mine is 2020) and now I love its treble because my brain got used to that air up high. LCD-XC is no chill-out headphone.


----------



## Amlalsulami

Got my Mojo 2 today and just wanted to ask whar is the best way to concocted to HiBy R3? Via USB-C -> USB-C
 or
 USB-C -> and cox, toslink.. etc? 

So confused sorry, Thanks!


----------



## surfgeorge

Amlalsulami said:


> Got my Mojo 2 today and just wanted to ask whar is the best way to concocted to HiBy R3? Via USB-C -> USB-C
> or
> USB-C -> and cox, toslink.. etc?
> 
> So confused sorry, Thanks!


I have been using the original mojo with the R3 for years, and have been using it with both the Hiby USB-C to Coax cable and the Shanling L2 USB-C to Micro USB cable.
The L2 sounds a bit  brighter, the coax cable a bit smoother, cleaner and darker. Since the coax is also mechanically more robust I have been using it now for a long time.
The disadvantage of the coax cable is that the volume control of the R3 remains active - so you have to be careful to always keep the R3 at full volume to prevent any processing of the digital data in the R3. At least I hope that at 100% volume the R3's sound processor is bypassed and the digital data is not changed in any form.

I love this stack, the form factor is good and I can operate both the Mojo and the R3 blind.
But there is one issue - the original Mojo has RFI when the R3's Wifi is enabled and they are stacked. This makes it impossible to use the R3's Tidal implementation.
The workaround is to connect the Mojo to the PC (which is a bad USB source) or the phone, in my case iPhone, with an additional MEENOVA Lightning to micro-USB cable.

Could you check if you get interference when you stack the Mojo2 and the R3 with active Wifi? It would be great if the Mojo 2 would solve that issue.


----------



## SRKRAM

surfgeorge said:


> The workaround is to connect the Mojo to the PC (which is a bad USB source)


Why is a PC a bad USB source?


----------



## surfgeorge

SRKRAM said:


> Why is a PC a bad USB source?


I did several comparisons using different sources for my Mojo and Hugo 2, and there are quite clear differences between various digital sources. Using an HP notebook (with docking station, connected to mains) gave the worst SQ of all options.
Personally I liked Toslink (from MBP 2014) best, followed by coax and then USB.
Generally I found USB to be more prone to sounding brighter, less smooth and with a less black background.
But it really depends which device is feeding the digital data through the USB connection. My MacBook Pro 2014 on battery was very good.


----------



## PANURUS

SRKRAM said:


> Why is a PC a bad USB source?


In order to determine whether a PC provided a poor quality USB signal, it can be useful to perform the following test.
Take a compressed Flac file, and convert it to WAV file.
Then compare to listening the 2 files.
If the WAV file has the listening is better, then it means that the surplus of processor activity, when decompressing the FLAC, adds a surplus of noise to the USB interface.
This test will not demonstrate that the noise generated by the network card or hard disk is non-existent or USB keys.
Until I find a quality streamer, I converted all my FLAC files into wav despite the opposition of the theorists saying that FLAC format was without loss and that use a format or other had to lead to the same result.
I had observed the same phenomenon on some DVD players like OPPO BDP103D. I even bought a Streamer with 2 USB bus powered separately to escape the problem but I only waste 3500 euros.


----------



## SRKRAM

PANURUS said:


> In order to determine whether a PC provided a poor quality USB signal, it can be useful to perform the following test.
> Take a compressed Flac file, and convert it to WAV file.
> Then compare to listening the 2 files.
> If the WAV file has the listening is better, then it means that the surplus of processor activity, when decompressing the FLAC, adds a surplus of noise to the USB interface.
> ...


I'm currently running Tidal, which utilises FLAC, and it's consuming around 0.5% CPU. How much less could it take to play WAV, and would this lead to any meaningful difference in noise? If you perceive any difference it may well be expectation bias. However, as this hobby is all about perceiving audio, if you perceive a difference that's all that matters.


----------



## ChrisGB

I tried the Mojo 2 connected to a heavy duty workstation, a Samsung Galaxy Tab 12s on battery power, a Shanling M6 and a OnePlus 9pro. Streaming from Amazon Music HD, the least pleasing combination was with the Samsung, with lots of intrusive noise on the sound and generally very poor sound quality. Hooked up to the workstation things were considerably better, with no noticable noise and a much better overall sound. Both the Shanling M6 and OnePlus 9 pro were much closer to each other and noticably better than either PC solution, the M6 giving the best results.


----------



## MrPanda

I'm really enjoying the Mojo 2, which strikes me as just a little below Hugo 2 in resolution, but in some ways, better because of the easy to use DSP, which is remarkably transparent.  The speed of the Mojo 2 makes it clean, fast, and articulate.   It's my new office rig along with a DCA Aeon 2 Noire and sometimes Stellia, but at home where I can use open backs it's got a fantastic synergy with Focal Clear MG.  The crossfeed functions really make older jazz recordings and early stereo a pleasure to listen to.  Only issue I have is when I'm using an iPhone 13 with the camera connector kit, the Mojo2 loses audio when the screen lock kicks in.  I hate having the phone open when I'm at work, etc, so I'm wondering if anyone else has had that issue and found a work-around, other than disabling the screen lock in the iPhone settings....


----------



## someyoungguy

SRKRAM said:


> Why is a PC a bad USB source?


I always used my first Mojo with my PC via USB, mainly because I had my whole music library on my PC and it was easier than connecting to my phone (with more limited music selection). Then when I started experimenting with dongles I noticed that they sounded much better when I used them with my iPhone than with my PC & Audirvana. Seems like I'd been listening to Mojo OG with a worse digital source all that time. My only advice would be to experiment and see what sounds best for you, hard to know what results different people will get since we all have different phone, computer and tablet set-ups.


----------



## spruce

headfry said:


> ...after a week with the Mojo 2 I've gone back to the OG for comparison.....while the 2 is substantially better and fully worth the purchase for me, the OG's sound isn't that far off and is also extremely musical...it sounds a bit simplified, especially in the bass clarity/resolution (tho the quantity and slam is nice!) and smaller soundstage/somewhat flatter depth but this is quickly forgotten when I immerse into the music. Anyone who has the OG and is fully satisfied....the 2 is likely an optional purchase. If money isn't the issue and you want the latest and best...have a listen to the 2 with your headphone(s) and decide. I now wish that the OG had a USB-C input, a much more secure connection and sounds great with just an Apple USB-C charge cable.
> 
> Right now, I'm happy to own and use both and my OG is in rotation when I feel the need to hear a somewhat different presentation (and
> to save the battery on the 2!). I'm totally satisfied and (if you're reading this) Mr. Watts, I think you are amazing!


Thanks! I was thinking if I do upgrade I would probably rotate to enjoy the different presentations when the mood struck. My OG is still in great condition.


----------



## Sam L

Anyone compare the ifi gryphon vs mojo 2?


----------



## SemiAudiophile

Sam L said:


> Anyone compare the ifi gryphon vs mojo 2?


Both are quite different in terms of sound and use case. Gryphon to me is very smooth, musical, relaxed, almost R-2R like. 

Mojo 2 reminds me a bit like Sabre based DAC. Very clean, detailed. But more engaging where it demands your attention. Authoritative. Crisp and fast bass lines. It's got some meat and grunt to it too.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Sam L said:


> Anyone compare the ifi gryphon vs mojo 2?


I received a review unit and doing the comparison. Will be publishing my review in a couple of weeks.


----------



## lwells (Mar 3, 2022)

SRKRAM said:


> I'm currently running Tidal, which utilises FLAC, and it's consuming around 0.5% CPU. How much less could it take to play WAV, and would this lead to any meaningful difference in noise? If you perceive any difference it may well be expectation bias. However, as this hobby is all about perceiving audio, if you perceive a difference that's all that matters.



I don't understand the FLAC v. WAV idea. But noisy USB ports are definitely an issue I've faced. If you're on a desktop, listen for the differences between ports on the front of your PC and ones on the motherboard IO panel. Better yet, compare that to a daughter USB PCI card. For a laptop, compare the left to right side of your computer. If you have a laptop dock, compare the dock's USB ports. I'm willing to bet you find some ports you like more than others. I've never found one I like as much as coax or spdif though. On a noisy port, I notice the soundstage collapse and the addition of shimmering around the drums.


----------



## Currawong

Rob Watts has explained the issue elsewhere, but, basically, a computer connected to the mains can transmit noise through the ground plane to the Mojo via USB. If you have a device disconnected from the mains, then this can't happen.  He suggested if testing different set-ups, whichever sounds darker is the one with less noise. I've noticed as I improved my power set-up on my main system that the sound became progressively darker.


----------



## ChrisGB

Currawong said:


> Rob Watts has explained the issue elsewhere, but, basically, a computer connected to the mains can transmit noise through the ground plane to the Mojo via USB. If you have a device disconnected from the mains, then this can't happen.  He suggested if testing different set-ups, whichever sounds darker is the one with less noise. I've noticed as I improved my power set-up on my main system that the sound became progressively darker.


Interesting. I found my laptop on battery to be by far the noisiest source, it was unlistenable. Obviously more at play than just ground plane noise on my case. I fixed it by buying a Hugo 2 / 2go combination.


----------



## lwells

ChrisGB said:


> Interesting. I found my laptop on battery to be by far the noisiest source, it was unlistenable. Obviously more at play than just ground plane noise on my case. I fixed it by buying a Hugo 2 / 2go combination.


Quite a pricey fix. Did you consider a USB to toslink adapter?


----------



## DavidW

I've had Mojo 2 for a few weeks and all is going well. Prior to receiving the Mojo 2, my Mojo 1's USB socket was inoperable and when stationary, I used the optical port via Chromecast Audio and that work as an interim solution. Upon receiving the Mojo 2, I bolted on the Poly for music listening, and retired the Mojo 1.

The other night, I disconnected the Poly with the goal of watching Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool on my Mac with the audio going from the Mac wirelessly to Chromecast Audio and then to the Mojo 2 via the optical port and outputted to my Focal Clear headphones. What I heard throughout the film was (very fine but with) a delay in the audio. It was tolerable since most of the film was music, or narration on top the music/original footage and less so narration with the camera on the speaker.  I then tried to do the same by eliminating Chromecast Audio. This time, my connection was from the Mac to the Mojo 2 using the USB-C input and then to my headphones. No delays!

Any speculation why there would be a delay when Chromecast Audio was part of the chain and not when I eliminated it?


----------



## kumar402

DavidW said:


> I've had Mojo 2 for a few weeks and all is going well. Prior to receiving the Mojo 2, my Mojo 1's USB socket was inoperable and when stationary, I used the optical port via Chromecast Audio and that work as an interim solution. Upon receiving the Mojo 2, I bolted on the Poly for music listening, and retired the Mojo 1.
> 
> The other night, I disconnected the Poly with the goal of watching Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool on my Mac with the audio going from the Mac wirelessly to Chromecast Audio and then to the Mojo 2 via the optical port and outputted to my Focal Clear headphones. What I heard throughout the film was (very fine but with) a delay in the audio. It was tolerable since most of the film was music, or narration on top the music/original footage and less so narration with the camera on the speaker.  I then tried to do the same by eliminating Chromecast Audio. This time, my connection was from the Mac to the Mojo 2 using the USB-C input and then to my headphones. No delays!
> 
> Any speculation why there would be a delay when Chromecast Audio was part of the chain and not when I eliminated it?


You used bluetooth to connect? Some devices have latency when connected via bluetooth... Not sure which bluetooth version Chromecast is on


----------



## vlach

DavidW said:


> I've had Mojo 2 for a few weeks and all is going well. Prior to receiving the Mojo 2, my Mojo 1's USB socket was inoperable and when stationary, I used the optical port via Chromecast Audio and that work as an interim solution. Upon receiving the Mojo 2, I bolted on the Poly for music listening, and retired the Mojo 1.
> 
> The other night, I disconnected the Poly with the goal of watching Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool on my Mac with the audio going from the Mac wirelessly to Chromecast Audio and then to the Mojo 2 via the optical port and outputted to my Focal Clear headphones. What I heard throughout the film was (very fine but with) a delay in the audio. It was tolerable since most of the film was music, or narration on top the music/original footage and less so narration with the camera on the speaker.  I then tried to do the same by eliminating Chromecast Audio. This time, my connection was from the Mac to the Mojo 2 using the USB-C input and then to my headphones. No delays!
> 
> Any speculation why there would be a delay when Chromecast Audio was part of the chain and not when I eliminated it?


Is there any reason you can't use the optical from the mac directly to the Mojo2?


----------



## ChrisGB

lwells said:


> Quite a pricey fix. Did you consider a USB to toslink adapter?


😂 It was a bit. I was getting good results from the Mojo 2 with USB C to USB micro cable from my DAP, but I was also losing some resolution and nuance compared with the DAP, which rendered it a no go for me. Also had a few incidences of "wall of white noise". There were some bits of the Mojo 2 performance that were improvements on my DAP, particularly weight and pace driving Quad ERA-1. What I did really like was the fluidity of the delivery, so I decided to try a Hugo 2. This didn't play particularly well with the laptop, but was excellent with the workstation and even better with the DAP. Same fluidity, but a big step up in drive, dynamics, detail and nuance over both the DAP and the Mojo 2. It plays in a different league. I do a lot of streaming, so the 2go seemed to make sense. I hadn't heard it with Hugo 2, but once the two were bolted together, the results were sublime, noticably better than the DAP as a source, convenient too. Serious mission creep describes it best.


----------



## iFi audio

Another Audiophile said:


> I received a review unit and doing the comparison. Will be publishing my review in a couple of weeks.



Excellent, we look forward to your findings, thanks!


----------



## DavidW

kumar402 said:


> You used bluetooth to connect? Some devices have latency when connected via bluetooth... Not sure which bluetooth version Chromecast is on


It is my understanding that Chromecast Audio uses WiFi, not bluetooth. That is why I ruled out any delays associated with bluetooth.


vlach said:


> Is there any reason you can't use the optical from the mac directly to the Mojo2?


Available cables- I had the optical cable to Chromecast Audio and not a USB cable. That is why I tried it straight from the Mac to the Mojo 2 with a USB cable bypassing Chromecast Audio altogether.

It's more a mater of curiosity why there would be a delay in the first place.


----------



## Currawong

I'd guess something like the Chromecast Audio buffering to reduce the chance of drop-outs.


----------



## PhenixS1970

Have the Mojo 2 a few weeks now and love it.  However I have also experienced the "white noise" jump scare a few times. Interestingly this happened a few times as well with my Lotoo S2 dongle but Lotoo was able to fix this with the latest firmware update.  So no joy for the Mojo 2.


----------



## surfgeorge

PhenixS1970 said:


> Have the Mojo 2 a few weeks now and love it.  However I have also experienced the "white noise" jump scare a few times. Interestingly this happened a few times as well with my Lotoo S2 dongle but Lotoo was able to fix this with the latest firmware update.  So no joy for the Mojo 2.


I have had the white noise issue with my original Mojo quite a few times over the years, and it has always turned out to be a cable issue.
I have had it mostly with Lightning-micro USB cables that I use with my iPhones and iPad, but I think I also had it with regular USB cables and the PC.

My suspicion was always that the micro-USB connector got deformed over time and lost contact.
The micro-USB socket on the Mojo has held up very well, every time I got a new cable the connection was tight and secure, no wobbling and no white noise.


----------



## Earbones

Wow… it’s been a minute since I checked this thread. Randomly googled “Mojo 2” to see if there had been any movement on things, and was blown away… and I’m sorry, but not in a good way. 

I’m sure this thread has turned into a rabid love-fest, replete with the usual Chord fanboys willing to forgive anything, including-and-up-to live black mamba snakes accidentally packaged along with the devices, and I’m sure I’ll be flamed like a witch in 17th century Massachusetts, but I just have to say it… I am shocked that this is the final design. Shocked. It looks like a prototype. 

Stubborn adherence to a problematic micro-usb format in order to work with a half decade-old streaming add-on (which could do with an update itself)? Check. Single pasted-on USB-C port, so poorly implemented into the design that it literally infringes into other port’s spaces? Check. Big increase in price despite the fact that it’s still just a DAC/amp with no internal streaming ability, and therefore a step behind most competitors in pure tech? Check.

Man, something this feature-free and with such a slap-dash design is going to have to sound f_cking _stunning_ for me to buy it. 

And the thing is… that’s not impossible. It might sound that good. It is a Chord after all. I will be reading the professional reviews with interest…


----------



## Progisus

Hearing will be your judge. It is a significant upgrade to my mojo 1, my daps and dongles. The uhd dsp is what made me upgrade and I wasn’t dissapointed. ymmv yadda, yadda


----------



## flyte3333

jinx20001 said:


> i would suggest you are probably right on this, Rob just said that chord have received only 2 reports of this issue with the mojo 2 and i know for sure i was one of them and thats after seeing what 5 or 6 reports on here at least over the last few days so it is likely people just restart the device and carry on without ever reporting the wider issue to chord... im sure chord probably dont want the headache and after having a successful launch its not what they want to hear but its important that they know and can provide fixes or suggestions as rob has done above, so so far customer service is doing just fine which is all we can ask.





keithmarsh said:


> Thanks for the feedback. To your last point - the issue does happen in exclusive mode, with different (good quality) cables and it also happens during playback when no cables have been touched / moved.
> 
> As you suggest is would be great if everyone experiencing the issue to contact Chord so it may be investigated a little further.



@jinx20001 @keithmarsh 

Did you guys report your white noise blast, to Chord Support?

What did Chord come back with? Are they aware of the issue? Hopefully they should be, since it's been reported since Mojo 1.

Also, did you both try it with the Chord ASIO driver on Windows?


----------



## jarnopp

Earbones said:


> is going to have to sound f_cking _stunning_ for me to buy it.



It does. 

It’s really the same tonality and musicality of Mojo but better in every regard (except power and form factor, which remain the same if they work for you). But increased transparency and detail, better bass detail, crossfeed is magical, and DSP if you need it.


----------



## spruce

jarnopp said:


> It does.
> 
> It’s really the same tonality and musicality of Mojo but better in every regard (except power and form factor, which remain the same if they work for you). But increased transparency and detail, better bass detail, crossfeed is magical, and DSP if you need it.


What about the top end. I’ve heard it’s a little bright?


----------



## jarnopp

spruce said:


> What about the top end. I’ve heard it’s a little bright?


My 55 year old ears don’t go above 14k, but it is more detailed, but I wouldn’t say bright. But there’s always DSP if you want to dial it down a bit.


----------



## Matte Black

The latest CanJam thread mentioned Chord had the Mojo 2 on show paired with the Liric. The Stereonet and Moon Audio reviews of the Mojo 2 also mentioned this pairing. So Mojo 2 / Liric the best synergy so far? 

What confused me a bit was the Headfonia review, mentioning the more power hungry DT1990 Pro and HD800S as favorite pairings with the Mojo 2, maybe a matter of different taste?


----------



## vlach (Mar 4, 2022)

Matte Black said:


> The latest CanJam thread mentioned Chord had the Mojo 2 on show paired with the Liric. The Stereonet and Moon Audio reviews of the Mojo 2 also mentioned this pairing. So Mojo 2 / Liric the best synergy so far?
> 
> What confused me a bit was the Headfonia review, mentioning the more power hungry DT1990 Pro and HD800S as favorite pairings with the Mojo 2, maybe a matter of different taste?


The best synergy is a matter of personal preference.
Ask 50 people which headphone pairs best with the Mojo2 and you are likely to get almost as many different answers.


----------



## jarnopp

vlach said:


> The best synergy is a matter of personal preference.
> Ask 50 people which headphone pairs best with the Mojo2 and you are likely to get almost as many different answers.


But DCA Aeon Noire will be at or near the top of that list


----------



## Nick24JJ

Guys,

How do you keep your Mojo 2 attached to your smartphone and which is a good cable to connect it with an Android phone?

Thank you


----------



## meomap

Nick24JJ said:


> Guys,
> 
> How do you keep your Mojo 2 attached to your smartphone and which is a good cable to connect it with an Android phone?
> 
> Thank you


I bought a 2 ft silver C to C from Moon Audio.
Works great for Note9 and laptop.....


----------



## Nick24JJ

meomap said:


> I bought a 2 ft silver C to C from Moon Audio.
> Works great for Note9 and laptop.....


2 feet? My phone has a USB Type-C 2.0. it is the POCO F2 Pro. I am looking for a (very) short cable. How do you keep it attached to your phone?


----------



## captblaze

Nick24JJ said:


> I am looking for a (very) short cable.


Look here ----->Short Audio Cable

I have the lightning version and it is well made and has been hassle free in my setup


----------



## Droffen

So, no need of the usb apple camera adapter ?


----------



## captblaze

Droffen said:


> So, no need of the usb apple camera adapter ?


not with that cable it is an OTG lightning that I connect multiple devices to both my iPhone and iPad.


----------



## captblaze

Droffen said:


> So, no need of the usb apple camera adapter ?


not a mojo2 in the photo, but it does work without CCK


----------



## Nick24JJ

captblaze said:


> Look here ----->Short Audio Cable
> 
> I have the lightning version and it is well made and has been hassle free in my setup


Yes, that is what I am looking for, but I live in the UK. Also, how do you attach the Mojo 2 to your phone? Or, how do you carry it?


----------



## captblaze

Nick24JJ said:


> Yes, that is what I am looking for, but I live in the UK. Also, how do you attach the Mojo 2 to your phone? Or, how do you carry it?


I have a Poly left over from my OG Mojo and that is how Mojo2 is fed


----------



## Nick24JJ

captblaze said:


> I have a Poly left over from my OG Mojo and that is how Mojo2 is fed


Okay, I see.

If anyone else has any solution on how to attach the Mojo 2 to the phone, please tell  Or, how do you carry it?


----------



## captblaze

Nick24JJ said:


> Okay, I see.
> 
> If anyone else has any solution on how to attach the Mojo 2 to the phone, please tell  Or, how do you carry it?


maybe this?  
Meenova Ultra Tough & Durable iOS 15 to MicroUSB OTG Pro Cable 15cm 0.5ft for iPhone​
Do a search on Amazon UK


----------



## Kentajalli

Nick24JJ said:


> 2 feet? My phone has a USB Type-C 2.0. it is the POCO F2 Pro. I am looking for a (very) short cable. How do you keep it attached to your phone?


Mine is over three feet!
And No, I am not into strap-on's  🧐
Mojo or Hugo2 stays on table, I pick up the phone, change tracks, check my emails, post on Headfi . . . .


----------



## Nick24JJ

captblaze said:


> maybe this?
> Meenova Ultra Tough & Durable iOS 15 to MicroUSB OTG Pro Cable 15cm 0.5ft for iPhone​
> Do a search on Amazon UK


Thanks, but I have an Android phone, the POCO F2 PRO.


----------



## miketlse

Nick24JJ said:


> Okay, I see.
> 
> If anyone else has any solution on how to attach the Mojo 2 to the phone, please tell  Or, how do you carry it?


The attachment issue is almost identical for both the Mojo OG and Mojo 2, except that the Mojo OG had narrow grooves to facilitate using rubber bands as a means of attachment.
You should search the Mojo OG thread, because there are many posts and images of the various cables/cases/bags and other DIY methods that owners experimented with. True some of the cables will be no longer on sale, but their current equivalents will be.


----------



## meomap

Nick24JJ said:


> 2 feet? My phone has a USB Type-C 2.0. it is the POCO F2 Pro. I am looking for a (very) short cable. How do you keep it attached to your phone?


I have 6" C to Micro cable for Mojo 1 from Moon Audio also. However, signal kind of broken off once I put them in front jean pocket. I have a feeling the Micro connection is not sturdy. That's why 2 ft cable , Mojo2 in front and Note9 in back pocket and no drop in connection so far....


----------



## captblaze

Nick24JJ said:


> Thanks, but I have an Android phone, the POCO F2 PRO.


Then the first link will get you where you need to go


----------



## vlach

Kentajalli said:


> Mine is over three feet!
> And No, I am not into strap-on's  🧐
> Mojo or Hugo2 stays on table, I pick up the phone, change tracks, check my emails, post on Headfi . . . .


I think the question is how do you keep the Mojo attached to your phone 'when you carry them outside'.


----------



## AmanPreet

captblaze said:


> Then the first link will get you where you need to go





vlach said:


> I think the question is how do you keep the Mojo attached to your phone 'when you carry them outside'.


Probably velcro with adhesive. Darko Audio has a similar setup. I have a spare LG G6 around, probably will try that to stick Mojo2 as an outdoor go-to-go.
Darko Audio Vlog on below link
https://darko.audio/2022/02/vlog-portable-audio-in-portugal-w-plex-chord-mojo-2/


----------



## hepcat11

Hey all,

I am having the most frustrating time with my Mojo 2, and I cannot seem to determine if it's a problem with the Mojo 2 or my various source devices.


iPhone 13 Pro - I have the lightning camera connector. I have set streaming to Hi-Res Lossless. But I seem to only get 44.1 today. Yesterday, I was getting the right reading. 2 days ago, it wasn't even working at all (output coming out of the phone).
Hiby R6 (original) - Bought a 3.5 mm SPDIF to SPDIF cable. No audio even though the R6 indicated COAX was on. Verified no audio with Schiit Bifrost, so maybe it's the cable? Went USB-C out to USB-C in. Now Mojo 2 indicates 192 kHz for ALL audio (even though I was playing a mix of different bit depth/rate).
A&K Kann Cube - This seems to be the only device working as expected.
Does the Mojo 2 work reliably for y'all? Particularly with the USB-C port? They made a HUGE miss with keeping micro-usb, so I've been trying to only use USB-C.


----------



## Kentajalli (Mar 5, 2022)

vlach said:


> I think the question is how do you keep the Mojo attached to your phone 'when you carry them outside'.


As I always have, even with my previous Fiio.
In my coat pocket, and phone in my top (shirt) pocket.
keeping them separate  achieves:
- reduced bulk
- frees up the phone, so I could easily pick  it up to operate it.
- keeps EMI at bay.
I was cheecky with my previous reply, but wasn't joking.


----------



## headfry (Mar 5, 2022)

I've had the Mojo 2 for almost two weeks and as much as I love the OG, which I'll keep,
the Mojo 2 is for me sheer magic. Listening to "Pet Sounds" of the same album with crossfeed
on green - transports me back in time to California in the mid-60's, amazing. With crossfeed on red,
the Beatle's self-titled white album blows me away with the virtuosity on display, wow....I had no idea
it was so well performed and recorded. "Tomorrow Never Knows" from Revolver is gold too,
it's like the M2 knows exactly how to best reproduce each track!

I've also found the eq settings valuable, used very sparingly in the bass region so far
(obviously the eq as well as crossfeed settings can vary according to the setup).
Some can complain about the various features - or the price - and the M2's not for everyone
but I am one totally satisfied audiophile....again, Rob W., if you're reading this....you are amazing!


----------



## HONEYBOY

Yeah the Mojo 2s coherency and oneness with the music is truly special. I honestly thought the Mojo would win in this department but the Mojo 2 is incredible at putting all the pieces together in a musical way whilst still retaining incredible separation and speed. I’m very impressed.


----------



## Droffen

Btw I’m using this case for Mojo 2 and Poly. 

Lihit Lab

Perfect size and space for accessories


----------



## emilsoft

Is anyone finding the Mojo 2 needs to be warmed up (playing for an hour or so) before it sounds good; when I play it cold first time it sound on edge and harsh up top/digital.. if I leave it playing for a while warmed up it starts sounding better and less steely. 

I also find I have to use a relatively high quality source otherwise straight out of a computer it sounds a bit too harsh for me.

ps - this is not eq related (and I have few other baseline sources that I use to compare)


----------



## AmanPreet

emilsoft said:


> Is anyone finding the Mojo 2 needs to be warmed up (playing for an hour or so) before it sounds good; when I play it cold first time it sound on edge and harsh up top/digital.. if I leave it playing for a while warmed up it starts sounding better and less steely.
> 
> I also find I have to use a relatively high quality source otherwise straight out of a computer it sounds a bit too harsh for me.
> 
> ps - this is not eq related (and I have few other baseline sources that I use to compare)


I had similar experience but only once when I opened from box, it had bit bright and narrow sound but after an hour or so it changed. I have Mojo2 for week and it sounds right from switch on and don't need warm up now. May just first time thing for few electronics inside.

Cheers.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

captblaze said:


> I have a Poly left over from my OG Mojo and that is how Mojo2 is fed


If I could get my Poly to stream through the hotspot on my iPhone, that would probably be enough of a reason to buy the Mojo 2.    Not sure I am willing to go through that nose bleed exercise again, though.    Has anyone ever gotten that to work?


----------



## jarnopp

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> If I could get my Poly to stream through the hotspot on my iPhone, that would probably be enough of a reason to buy the Mojo 2.    Not sure I am willing to go through that nose bleed exercise again, though.    Has anyone ever gotten that to work?


Yes, this works. Manually add the iPhone hotspot name and password to GoFigure and then connect Poly. I’m doing it now, listening to Tidal app streaming to Poly/Mojo. That doesn’t work for you?


----------



## seadog123

Apologies if this has been asked before. Is the Mojo 2 superior in every way to the Dragonfly Cobalt ? I’ll be using it with a 64 Audio U12T and Sony IER-Z1R.


----------



## joshnor713

seadog123 said:


> Apologies if this has been asked before. Is the Mojo 2 superior in every way to the Dragonfly Cobalt ? I’ll be using it with a 64 Audio U12T and Sony IER-Z1R.


The Mojo 1 is superior than the Cobalt


----------



## seadog123

joshnor713 said:


> The Mojo 1 is superior than the Cobalt


That’s what I suspected, unfortunately I cannot get a demo. of Chord products where I am. When I did the Cobalt demo. with the U12T it was a lovely combination. But the U12T deserves a much better portable DAC/amp. I’ll just have to leap of faith purchase one.


----------



## msq123

Turned Mojo 2 MagSafe compatible. Very strong magnet, able to hold up to 800gms, so I can use mojo as a grip. Makes it a lot more portable and convenient for on the go use.


----------



## Nick24JJ

msq123 said:


> Turned Mojo 2 MagSafe compatible. Very strong magnet, able to hold up to 800gms, so I can use mojo as a grip. Makes it a lot more portable and convenient for on the go use.


Looks nice, from where have you gotten that?


----------



## MrPanda

seadog123 said:


> That’s what I suspected, unfortunately I cannot get a demo. of Chord products where I am. When I did the Cobalt demo. with the U12T it was a lovely combination. But the U12T deserves a much better portable DAC/amp. I’ll just have to leap of faith purchase one.


I don't have a Cobalt, but I do have a DF Red, and either Mojo is better, but Mojo 2 will have terrific DSP functions like EQ and crossfeed, as well as a visible volume level.  Mojo's also doesn't blast at 100% volume when the connection is dropped and reconnected, a problem that's prevented me from really using the DF Red very often.  Mojo 2 also remembers its settings, including volume.


----------



## iDesign

seadog123 said:


> That’s what I suspected, unfortunately I cannot get a demo. of Chord products where I am. When I did the Cobalt demo. with the U12T it was a lovely combination. But the U12T deserves a much better portable DAC/amp. I’ll just have to leap of faith purchase one.


The advantage with the Cobalt is that it’s small and allows you to enjoy the music with the U12t. Whereas with the Mojo and Mojo 2, you’re sometimes distracted with its weight or the micro-usb inputs losing connection if you place it inside a bag. They perhaps have different use cases and as more competent players and smaller DAC devices arrive on the market, the Mojo 2 feels seven years old in your pocket.


----------



## msq123

Nick24JJ said:


> Looks nice, from where have you gotten that?


Also available on AliExpress if you are willing to wait

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09JGFYMBG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_NAJ15KME4GS07T09VAN4


----------



## miketlse

Looks like the next Mojo 2 review is nearly here.


----------



## sparkofinsanity

seadog123 said:


> That’s what I suspected, unfortunately I cannot get a demo. of Chord products where I am. When I did the Cobalt demo. with the U12T it was a lovely combination. But the U12T deserves a much better portable DAC/amp. I’ll just have to leap of faith purchase one.


My cobalt ended up in a drawer when I bought my Stellias and heard the Cobalts limitations. Haven’t tried it with the U12t yet but I bet the result will be similar. The Mojo 1 is better without a doubt and if the Mojo 2 has better treble that’s a better option still. On the go I use U12t with the ifi Go Blu, sounds decent enough (busy, noisy city) and easy to use.


----------



## Nostoi

Fresh in the house:



Early impressions:

1. Very impressive layering/imaging. Clearly a step-up from Mojo 1 on a technical level. Not Hugo 2 level, but very impressive for a small and affordable unit. 
2. Mojo 2 timbre is spot on. Less warm than Mojo 1, but overall clarity is more engaging to me. Chord have done well to avoid the timbre from being overly dry and analytical. 
3. Overall presentation is slightly more forward. Mojo 1 is more laid back, slightly smoother. 
4. EQ function is well-designed, well-implemented, if slightly fiddly. Clearly a preference to any kind of software DSP, aside from Roon. 
5. Balls are smaller. And they don't roll. 
6. USB-C placement feels a bit comical; you do get the sense it was just stuck on to appease a certain demand. 
7. Leather case is quite nice, though seams at the back slightly conceal USB ports. Not a big deal. 
8. Pairs absolutely splendidly with Cayin C9 and Woo Audio WA8 amps, both amps give expression to the Mojo 2's technical chops. Can't recommend this enough. 
9. Paris nicely with all the headphones I tried, from IE900 to ZMF VC.

Overall, nicely done!


----------



## Pulcino

msq123 said:


> Turned Mojo 2 MagSafe compatible. Very strong magnet, able to hold up to 800gms, so I can use mojo as a grip. Makes it a lot more portable and convenient for on the go use.


Hi msq123 what 90 degree connector are you using?


----------



## msq123

Pulcino said:


> Hi msq123 what 90 degree connector are you using?


https://www.audioconcierge.co.uk/portfolio/ddhifi-tc28i-lightning-connection-kit/


----------



## Pulcino

msq123 said:


> https://www.audioconcierge.co.uk/portfolio/ddhifi-tc28i-lightning-connection-kit/


Thank you!


----------



## Nick24JJ (Mar 7, 2022)

msq123 said:


> Also available on AliExpress if you are willing to wait
> 
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09JGFYMBG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_NAJ15KME4GS07T09VAN4


Thank you very much! I have the POCO F2 Pro and I am using this case. Do you think it will work with my case? What about this holder? Will this one work, as well?

For me, these products are extremely important in my decision to purchase the Mojo 2 or not. Because I will (almost) never sit down on a chair and listen to the Mojo 2, if I will buy it. I will need to carry it in my pocket, while doing various things inside the house, after work. I do not have much time to sit down, besides when I go to sleep, and in those hours I'm just watching some Netflix.. I would go for the ifi Gryphon, as it has Bluetooth and I won't have to carry my phone on me, but I am hesitating due to the sound quality of the Mojo 2 + its DSP. I still don't know...


----------



## msq123

Nick24JJ said:


> Thank you very much! I have the POCO F2 Pro and I am using this case. Do you think it will work with my case? What about this holder? Will this one work, as well?
> 
> For me, these products are extremely important in my decision to purchase the Mojo 2 or not. Because I will (almost) never sit down on a chair and listen to the Mojo 2, if I will buy it. I will need to carry it in my pocket, while doing various things inside the house, after work. I do not have much time to sit down, besides when I go to sleep, and in those hours I'm just watching some Netflix.. I would go for the ifi Gryphon, as it has Bluetooth and I won't have to carry my phone on me, but I am hesitating due to the sound quality of the Mojo 2 + its DSP. I still don't know...



This magnet is for MagSafe compatible iPhones but I have seen android cases with similar functionality so you could find a different case with MagSafe style magnets and then this should work. Not sure about the other magnetic ring you sent, should work since MagSafe compatible but I don’t know how thick it is to offset mojo’s feet else could be used with mojo leather case.

You could also look at poly if BT is important to you. While Gryphon looks good on the paper, Mojo 2 will surely outclass it. I have TT2 for desktop use and I won’t say mojo is close to it but I don’t miss it when I am listening to mojo. It is still a cumbersome setup for on the go use but the performance is such that I feel little compromises are acceptable.


----------



## virgopunk

Just in case anyone was curious the M2 pairs with the CA Cascades superbly. The Cascades are fantastic cans anyway but with the M2 they really shine. The M2's EQ and crossfeed allows you to dial-in with amazing accuracy. They may not be to everyone's taste but I love the rich bass with the smooth mids and highs. Any criticism of the M2's crisper highs than the OG disappears with the Cascades.


----------



## zxc7777

Can anyone compare it with ifi gryphon? Choosing between them w/o any chance to demo


----------



## Jeffyue

zxc7777 said:


> Can anyone compare it with ifi gryphon? Choosing between them w/o any chance to demo


----------



## Another Audiophile

zxc7777 said:


> Can anyone compare it with ifi gryphon? Choosing between them w/o any chance to demo


I have the ifi gryphon as a review sample and will post my review and comparison against mojo 2 the next week


----------



## Nick24JJ (Mar 8, 2022)

Another Audiophile said:


> I have the ifi gryphon as a review sample and will post my review and comparison against mojo 2 the next week


Oh, can you please do it faster? 

Also, in your Gryphon testing, can you please talk about its Bluetooth strength? For example, I am currently using the Qudelix 5K and I can listen (LDAC 990) to my entire property, upstairs/downstairs, by leaving my phone on my desk (1st floor). No drops/disconnections, ever. What happens with the Gryphon?

Thanks in advance!


----------



## AmanPreet

I think one can add Bluetooth capability using XDUOO-05BL Pro. Below is a link to the post where Bluetooth is working with Original Mojo. Should work with Mojo2. Surely it's not as neat but gets the job done.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/xduoo-05bl-pro-with-chord-mojo.24752/


----------



## zxc7777

Another Audiophile said:


> I have the ifi gryphon as a review sample and will post my review and comparison against mojo 2 the next week


Great, thanks!


----------



## Kentajalli

AmanPreet said:


> I think one can add Bluetooth capability using XDUOO-05BL Pro. Below is a link to the post where Bluetooth is working with Original Mojo. Should work with Mojo2. Surely it's not as neat but gets the job done.
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/xduoo-05bl-pro-with-chord-mojo.24752/


Come on! it was very neat - I was proud of that.


----------



## AmanPreet

Kentajalli said:


> Come on! it was very neat - I was proud of that.


Indeed it's neat and thanks for original post 👍.

I meant it would be so good of Chord or a third party could come up with an attachment similar to Poly but smaller and cheaper. I am waiting to get this done. I have spent this month's quota on Mojo2 😀


----------



## Kentajalli

Nick24JJ said:


> please talk about its Bluetooth strength? For example, I am currently using the Qudelix 5K and I can listen (LDAC 990) to my entire property, upstairs/downstairs, by leaving my phone on my desk (1st floor). No drops/disconnections, ever.


WOW!
I mean double WOW.
Best standard BT I ever get is two rooms, max!
on LDAC , one room would be lucky.


----------



## ChrisGB

I've never been able to keep LDAC actually working stably at 990kb/s over more than 50cm. It _appears_ to work at 990 over longer ranges, but if forced to run at 990 only, it drops out.


----------



## rkt31

Any idea about burn in time ? Sound signature is of very relaxed nature. Vocals have a kind of " stress free " quality to it. More holographic and better depth perception than original mojo. Vocals are intimate and kind of communicating directly to you. I tried with r70x and orange volume was enough for most songs, indicating plenty of output by mojo 2. R70x is such a gem of headphones that with mojo 2 it can put to shame many Uber ultra expensive dac+headphone set up to shame. I tried with uapp android bit perfect usb input and xduoo X10 optical out, worked flawlessly. EQ is so so clean that you think the song has just changed the tonality as if the effect was in the recording itself. Any idea why strapping rubber bands were not supplied ?


----------



## rwelles

rkt31 said:


> Any idea about burn in time ? Sound signature is of very relaxed nature. Vocals have a kind of " stress free " quality to it. More holographic and better depth perception than original mojo. Vocals are intimate and kind of communicating directly to you. I tried with r70x and orange volume was enough for most songs, indicating plenty of output by mojo 2. R70x is such a gem of headphones that with mojo 2 it can put to shame many Uber ultra expensive dac+headphone set up to shame. I tried with uapp android bit perfect usb input and xduoo X10 optical out, worked flawlessly. EQ is so so clean that you think the song has just changed the tonality as if the effect was in the recording itself. Any idea why strapping rubber bands were not supplied ?


From a hardware perspective, I'd say 0.0 hours. However, it takes quite a while for your brain to assimilate how the Mojo (both 2 and OG as well as other Chord DACs) is extraordinarily exact in its timing. Rob Watts has written on this subject in this thread and others. 

For me, it took me about a month after I got the OG Mojo before my brain finally settled in. Enjoy the ride!!

As for the rubber bands, dunno


----------



## jarnopp

rkt31 said:


> Any idea about burn in time ? Sound signature is of very relaxed nature. Vocals have a kind of " stress free " quality to it. More holographic and better depth perception than original mojo. Vocals are intimate and kind of communicating directly to you. I tried with r70x and orange volume was enough for most songs, indicating plenty of output by mojo 2. R70x is such a gem of headphones that with mojo 2 it can put to shame many Uber ultra expensive dac+headphone set up to shame. I tried with uapp android bit perfect usb input and xduoo X10 optical out, worked flawlessly. EQ is so so clean that you think the song has just changed the tonality as if the effect was in the recording itself. Any idea why strapping rubber bands were not supplied ?


No rubber bands because (my theory) the case is a bit simpler in the cutouts and without the band grooves to save money and also they would prefer Poly as the source to feed it.


----------



## Progisus

rkt31 said:


> EQ is so so clean that you think the song has just changed the tonality as if the effect was in the recording itself.


Well said!


----------



## emilsoft

rkt31 said:


> Any idea about burn in time ? Sound signature is of very relaxed nature. Vocals have a kind of " stress free " quality to it. More holographic and better depth perception than original mojo. Vocals are intimate and kind of communicating directly to you. I tried with r70x and orange volume was enough for most songs, indicating plenty of output by mojo 2. R70x is such a gem of headphones that with mojo 2 it can put to shame many Uber ultra expensive dac+headphone set up to shame. I tried with uapp android bit perfect usb input and xduoo X10 optical out, worked flawlessly. EQ is so so clean that you think the song has just changed the tonality as if the effect was in the recording itself. Any idea why strapping rubber bands were not supplied ?


Give it 40-50 hours, mine settled a little (smoother, cleaner sounding). There's also brain burn in sure, but I feel it's more than that (I have my other sources which I use to set checkpoints)

Also - in my view it likes a little warmup play time to settle too (can sound a little harsh from cold).


----------



## emilsoft

Can anyone chime in about the Poly + Mojo sound quality wise:

say vs a high quality optical output, or a usb decrapifier like ifi iusb micro 3..  is the Poly the ultimate upgrade (sound quality wise) for the Mojo as a source?

If say it's not much better soundwise than a small DAP attached to the Mojo, I might just save my money


----------



## kumar402

emilsoft said:


> Can anyone chime in about the Poly + Mojo sound quality wise:
> 
> say vs a high quality optical output, or a usb decrapifier like ifi iusb micro 3..  is the Poly the ultimate upgrade (sound quality wise) for the Mojo as a source?
> 
> If say it's not much better soundwise than a small DAP attached to the Mojo, I might just save my money


Well all that depends on how well they have implemented noise rejection, clock they are using to reclock and send jitter free signal to Mojo. If all those things like better reclocking the signal and noise rejection is still upto Mojo then it may just be a device that let you stream things into Mojo.


----------



## emilsoft

kumar402 said:


> Well all that depends on how well they have implemented noise rejection, clock they are using to reclock and send jitter free signal to Mojo. If all those things like better reclocking the signal and noise rejection is still upto Mojo then it may just be a device that let you stream things into Mojo.



Yes theres bunch of factors as well as synergy. I've read few different opinions about the Poly but no one compared it to other sources.


----------



## Nick24JJ

I, as well, am waiting not only for comparisons between the Poly and other sources but, more importantly, between the Mojo 2 and the ifi Gryphon, and other sources.


----------



## kumar402 (Mar 9, 2022)

emilsoft said:


> Yes theres bunch of factors as well as synergy. I've read few different opinions about the Poly but no one compared it to other sources.


Since it only works with Mojo so very few comparison. But as far as desktop streamer goes like cheap HAT for Pi or ifi streamer or various DDC like Singxer SU6/ Denafrips/ Gustard/SoTM which are cheaper then poly they all have high quality galvanic isolation for noise rejection, very good clock, some have linear power supply and verious output like AES/RCA/BNC coax, SPDIF, I2S but ya they all are desktop solution.


----------



## iDesign (Mar 9, 2022)

My early impressions of the Mojo 2: The location of the USB-C port is really nervous and I suspect it will break. The Mojo 2 I/O design is so odd that it is more of a _step backwards_ than _backwards compatible— _it’s a lose-lose situation even for Poly owners. The four button interface isn’t intuitive, especially for accessing the EQ or dimmer without the handbook. At this point Chord needs to move on from the multicolor illuminated buttons and find a new design as the settings become more complex. The differences in sound quality are subtle and I think reviews claiming big differences are more to do with post-purchase rationalization. In all, the Mojo 2 is a lateral move at best and I honestly find the original Mojo sounds more full and dynamic. It feels like Rob Watts’ potential to design a great device was stifled by John Franks’ insistence it work with the Poly and they simply wanted to reboot sales. So why did I purchase the Mojo 2? Because I’m gifting my original Mojo and HD600s to a loved one.

For what it’s worth, the FiiO LT-LT1 may not be properly shielded and I perceived a brighter sound (RF noise)-- though this may be related to the Mojo 2’s quirky USB-C Implementation which may be susceptible to RF since it acts as a foot.


----------



## emilsoft

Nick24JJ said:


> I, as well, am waiting not only for comparisons between the Poly and other sources but, more importantly, between the Mojo 2 and the ifi Gryphon, and other sources.


There was a comparison on YouTube for the ifi and the mojo.

I've also heard them, they have a different sound.

I disliked the original Mojo, sounded a bit DSP and digital. I thought the ifi idsd nano black was more natural and organic so I sold the Mojo 1.

Mojo 2 is a different story - it also has the Chord sound which can sound a little processed, but it's much better controlled now. It's a bold, wide and accurate sound signature and it has excellent amplification which has tight control over harder to drive headphones (almost sounding like a class a amp), and coupled with the eq it can just sound quite a bit more mature accurate and impressive than the ifi.

The ifi gryphon still has op amp based amplification which is a bit uninspiring to me, and it hisses with high sensitivity iems requiring the use of iematch, which in turn kills the dynamics of the sound. Also it doesn't have the extensive eq, only a sub bass boost.

I see the gryphon as a Swiss army knife tool, it can do a lot including act as a line in amplification and Bluetooth but it doesn't reach for the stars.. it's based on ifi hasn't really innovated significantly all these years I think.

Don't get me wrong I like ifi, but I feel the gryphon is overpriced for what you get sound quality wise. Im also not a Chord groupie, many times I disliked the Chord sound which is almost as if a compressor has been applied pushing details upfront too much. But the Mojo 2 offers many improvement on top and with its eq it's really rather unique... If it didn't have the eq I would think twice..


----------



## Nokizaru

Guys, what IEMs have good synergy with M2? have anyone tried MEST mkII, or something from Campfire audio (andromedas, solaris, ara)?


----------



## AmanPreet

emilsoft said:


> Mojo 2 is a different story - it also has the Chord sound which can sound a little processed, but it's much better controlled now. It's a bold, wide and accurate sound signature and it has excellent amplification which has tight control over harder to drive headphones (almost sounding like a class a amp), and coupled with the eq it can just sound quite a bit more mature accurate and impressive than the ifi.


Mojo2 does feature a class A Amp for amplification.


----------



## rkt31

emilsoft said:


> There was a comparison on YouTube for the ifi and the mojo.
> 
> I've also heard them, they have a different sound.
> 
> ...


What is processed sound like ?


----------



## Jeffyue

Hi folks, wonder if anybody has compared Mojo2 and WA11 pls?


----------



## emilsoft

AmanPreet said:


> Mojo2 does feature a class A Amp for amplification.


Oh really? I thought it was discrete but didn't think it class A also, I never read anything about that before.


----------



## emilsoft

rkt31 said:


> What is processed sound like ?



Processed is difficult to describe but when you feel there is something extra there and not only the truth - like Vivid mode on AMOLED screens that make the reds pop but are not true to real life - very pleasant for the eye nonetheless. I have a Hiby RS6 R2R and that one sounds both more lifelike and relaxed,  but yet doesn't necessarily have that polished and punchy Vivid mode the Mojo has


----------



## jarnopp

emilsoft said:


> Oh really? I thought it was discrete but didn't think it class A also, I never read anything about that before.


Yes, to a point:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/page-180#post-16585412


----------



## AmanPreet

emilsoft said:


> Oh really? I thought it was discrete but didn't think it class A also, I never read anything about that before.


I can't recall where have read it, but think this is one of the reasons Mojo2 runs warm, the other being FPGA. I would still like someone to share more info on the amp and D/A stages if they have.

Cheers.


----------



## rkt31

emilsoft said:


> Processed is difficult to describe but when you feel there is something extra there and not only the truth - like Vivid mode on AMOLED screens that make the reds pop but are not true to real life - very pleasant for the eye nonetheless. I have a Hiby RS6 R2R and that one sounds both more lifelike and relaxed,  but yet doesn't necessarily have that polished and punchy Vivid mode the Mojo has


So it means mojo adds something extra despite having lower distortion ?


----------



## ChrisGB

rkt31 said:


> So it means mojo adds something extra despite having lower distortion ?


That's not how I'd describe it. I'd say it's more like the difference between LCD and OLED screens. For me, the apparent increase in detail seems to be a result of the background being darker. 

Compression brings quiet sounds forward, but also squashes dynamics, the Mojo 2 tends towards opening up dynamics to my ears.


----------



## HiWire

AmanPreet said:


> Indeed it's neat and thanks for original post 👍.
> 
> I meant it would be so good of Chord or a third party could come up with an attachment similar to Poly but smaller and cheaper. I am waiting to get this done. I have spent this month's quota on Mojo2 😀



I bet the next Mojo iteration (Mojo 2.5 or Mojo 3) will integrate the Poly functions, as the current setup is expensive, inconvenient, and less power efficient.

With USB-C, firmware updates and a Bluetooth 5.x radio, "Mojo x" would be relatively future-proof for the next few years.


----------



## miketlse

HiWire said:


> I bet the next Mojo iteration (Mojo 2.5 or Mojo 3) will integrate the Poly functions, as the current setup is expensive, inconvenient, and less power efficient.
> 
> With USB-C, firmware updates and a Bluetooth 5.x radio, "Mojo x" would be relatively future-proof for the next few years.


I note that you don't even mention sound quality as a criterion.


----------



## jlbrach

I think sound is assumed...


----------



## spruce

iDesign said:


> My early impressions of the Mojo 2: The location of the USB-C port is really nervous and I suspect it will break. The Mojo 2 I/O design is so odd that it is more of a _step backwards_ than _backwards compatible— _it’s a lose-lose situation even for Poly owners. The four button interface isn’t intuitive, especially for accessing the EQ or dimmer without the handbook. At this point Chord needs to move on from the multicolor illuminated buttons and find a new design as the settings become more complex. The differences in sound quality are subtle and I think reviews claiming big differences are more to do with post-purchase rationalization. In all, the Mojo 2 is a lateral move at best and I honestly find the original Mojo sounds more full and dynamic. It feels like Rob Watts’ potential to design a great device was stifled by John Franks’ insistence it work with the Poly and they simply wanted to reboot sales. So why did I purchase the Mojo 2? Because I’m gifting my original Mojo and HD600s to a loved one.
> 
> For what it’s worth, the FiiO LT-LT1 may not be properly shielded and I perceived a brighter sound (RF noise)-- though this may be related to the Mojo 2’s quirky USB-C Implementation which may be susceptible to RF since it acts as a foot.


Great to finally hear some contrary views here! I love my original Mojo, what do you think the Mojo 2 does better in your opinion if not being as full and dynamic sounding?


----------



## spruce

emilsoft said:


> There was a comparison on YouTube for the ifi and the mojo.
> 
> I've also heard them, they have a different sound.
> 
> ...


What “improvements on top” do you perceive as I’ve also heard others mention the Mojo 2 sounding brighter or sharper?


----------



## spruce

emilsoft said:


> Processed is difficult to describe but when you feel there is something extra there and not only the truth - like Vivid mode on AMOLED screens that make the reds pop but are not true to real life - very pleasant for the eye nonetheless. I have a Hiby RS6 R2R and that one sounds both more lifelike and relaxed,  but yet doesn't necessarily have that polished and punchy Vivid mode the Mojo has


Good description! I get that sense from the original Mojo but it’s a sound I really enjoy more than I think I would for whatever reason? I also have an Ares II R2R and I think it definitely does not “pop” (I.e., polished and punchy) like my Mojo!


----------



## iDesign (Mar 10, 2022)

spruce said:


> What do you think the Mojo 2 does better in your opinion…?


Nothing. The Mojo 2 with the default EQ setting is _perhaps_ more resolving than the Mojo but I’d like to identify the Mojo 2 EQ setting that is most similar to the Mojo‘s tone so I can more objectively compare them (RF noise and a brighter/leaner tone somtimes gives the false impression of higher fidelity). This is a device where the differences are so subtle that you should be weary of reviews that boasted leaps and Hugo 2-like performance— that is all theater and post-purchase rationalization. Let’s be clear, they bare more similarities than differences.


----------



## spruce

I really appreciate your opinion and feedback. I’ve heard a couple reviewers estimate the Mojo 2 is perhaps a 5 to 10% or maybe 15% improvement, and also heard the Mojo 2 described as “thinner” which sounds less appealing to me in some ways than the original thicker and perhaps more laid back Mojo signature. 

As far as post-purchase rationalization, I think that occurs but on the other hand in many cases you can return the Mojo within 30 days. I would think that would curtail some of that phenomenon. Although I do feel these threads seem to lean on the side of pep rallies which makes it hard to glean certain information.


----------



## kumar402

spruce said:


> I really appreciate your opinion and feedback. I’ve heard a couple reviewers estimate the Mojo 2 is perhaps a 5 to 10% or maybe 15% improvement, and also heard the Mojo 2 described as “thinner” which sounds less appealing to me in some ways than the original thicker and perhaps more laid back Mojo signature.
> 
> As far as post-purchase rationalization, I think that occurs but on the other hand in many cases you can return the Mojo within 30 days. I would think that would curtail some of that phenomenon. Although I do feel these threads seem to lean on the side of pep rallies which makes it hard to glean certain information.


Mojo OG was warm but it was not laid back by any means. From what I have read so far the treble of Mojo2 is more polished and refined then that of Mojo OG. So it will definitely not cause any discomfort in treble as compared to original. But I haven't heard Mojo 2 so take my advice with grain of salt.


----------



## MSA1133

Still messing around with the Mojo 2, but I'm liking what I'm hearing and the built in EQ is an excellent addition.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Nick24JJ said:


> Oh, can you please do it faster?
> 
> Also, in your Gryphon testing, can you please talk about its Bluetooth strength? For example, I am currently using the Qudelix 5K and I can listen (LDAC 990) to my entire property, upstairs/downstairs, by leaving my phone on my desk (1st floor). No drops/disconnections, ever. What happens with the Gryphon?
> 
> Thanks in advance!


Thanks. Bluetooth will have its own section because from what I can see and hear is the most underrated feature the gryphon has.


----------



## Nostoi

This little combo is impressing me. Mojo 2 is quite a notable upgrade from Mojo OG - imaging and layering far more precised. Mojo OG feels a little grainier in comparison. You want it warmer? EQ can easily roll-back to Mojo OG timbre. Synergy with IE900 - wow. Lovely. My go to source for the IE900 was the N6ii/R01, but the Mojo 2 outperforms it. I can't recommend this pairing enough!

This DD 4.4mm adaptor works, but is clunky; have therefore ordered the more expensive PWAudio one, which looks better in long-run.


----------



## iFi audio

Another Audiophile said:


> I have the ifi gryphon as a review sample and will post my review and comparison against mojo 2 the next week



We have our popcorn ready!


----------



## Progisus

I don’t feel one should refer to EQ when describing the UHD DSP of the mojo 2. It really does change the sound character to match the iem connected. Here are my settings for my iems. Still deciding if I want to adjust for the IE800(s).





This feature alone is a reason to buy or upgrade to the mojo 2.


----------



## jarnopp

iDesign said:


> Nothing. The Mojo 2 with the default EQ setting is _perhaps_ more resolving than the Mojo but I’d like to identify the Mojo 2 EQ setting that is most similar to the Mojo‘s tone so I can more objectively compare them (RF noise and a brighter/leaner tone somtimes gives the false impression of higher fidelity). This is a device where the differences are so subtle that you should be weary of reviews that boasted leaps and Hugo 2-like performance— that is all theater and post-purchase rationalization. Let’s be clear, they bare more similarities than differences.


Or everything! The DSP setting that most matches OG Mojo to me is flat.  The difference is that Mojo 2 has additional transparency which is very obvious in direct comparison. If you are perfectly happy with Mojo, and don’t need DSP, USB-C input or locking volume buttons, then you only need Mojo 2 for the crossfeed.


----------



## NoTimeFor

Mojo 2 is getting glowing reviews by all. I do not think I've read / watched any single less favourable review on it.

How does Mojo 2 compare against Hugo 2? I sold Hugo 2 because it was too treble hot even with the warmest filter setting.


----------



## Nostoi

NoTimeFor said:


> Mojo 2 is getting glowing reviews by all. I do not think I've read / watched any single less favourable review on it.
> 
> How does Mojo 2 compare against Hugo 2? I sold Hugo 2 because it was too treble hot even with the warmest filter setting.


I should have a Hugo 2 in hand in the next day or so, will let you know how they compare.


----------



## Kentajalli

NoTimeFor said:


> Mojo 2 is getting glowing reviews by all. I do not think I've read / watched any single less favourable review on it.
> 
> How does Mojo 2 compare against Hugo 2? I sold Hugo 2 because it was too treble hot even with the warmest filter setting.


Yep!
When I got mine, I thought Hugo2 was too bright (coming from Mojo classic).
Then by chance, I changed my headphone cable and by magic Mojo classic became a bit brighter and Hugo2 became warmer, with the same cable!
I am not saying this would work for everyone but worked for me.
I am not exaggerating - Mojo classic is a lot brighter and cleaner, Hugo2 a bit warmer - they sort of meet in the middle, as far as tonality is concerned.
but in a word - Hugo2 is "better".
BTW, the filtering (for me) only works on hi-res material, above 44.1 kHz.
on CD stuff, I can never tell a difference.


----------



## NoTimeFor

Kentajalli said:


> Yep!
> When I got mine, I thought Hugo2 was too bright (coming from Mojo classic).
> Then by chance, I changed my headphone cable and by magic Mojo classic became a bit brighter and Hugo2 became warmer, with the same cable!
> I am not saying this would work for everyone but worked for me.
> ...


I has Mojo 1 and Hugo 2 at the same time. Sold Mojo first because it really did not do much for me. Found it bit congested and grainy tone. Also holding the device, the case had a weird vibration when charging. Hugo 2 was definitely step up from Mojo 1 by number of degrees. I am thinking that Mojo 2 is better than Mojo 1 but lesser than Hugo 2 from the reviews so far.


----------



## gazzington

Hi
My poly has been working fine for the last 3 weeks since I got it. Now I can't get my phone to see the device at all. I pushed the silver pin in the the reset slot but nothing happens. Help!


----------



## Kentajalli

NoTimeFor said:


> I has Mojo 1 and Hugo 2 at the same time. Sold Mojo first because it really did not do much for me. Found it bit congested and grainy tone. Also holding the device, the case had a weird vibration when charging. Hugo 2 was definitely step up from Mojo 1 by number of degrees. I am thinking that Mojo 2 is better than Mojo 1 but lesser than Hugo 2 from the reviews so far.


Mojo classic grainy sound? there is always a first! 
congested? perhaps a little , but only compared to the likes of Hugo2, which is "super open".
The vibration, more of  a fizzing _noise _than vibration, is caused by by unfiltered noise from wall chargers interfering with Mojo's internal charge pump circuitry. If you had plugged in a powerbank instead of a wall charger (or a good wall charger) the fizzing noise would have disappeared! At any rate, at worst it was just a nuisance than anything else.
Mojo2 being better than Mojo classic? that seems to be the word! (I haven't personally tried one yet).


----------



## SemiAudiophile (Mar 10, 2022)

Nostoi said:


> This little combo is impressing me. Mojo 2 is quite a notable upgrade from Mojo OG - imaging and layering far more precised. Mojo OG feels a little grainier in comparison. You want it warmer? EQ can easily roll-back to Mojo OG timbre. Synergy with IE900 - wow. Lovely. My go to source for the IE900 was the N6ii/R01, but the Mojo 2 outperforms it. I can't recommend this pairing enough!
> 
> This DD 4.4mm adaptor works, but is clunky; have therefore ordered the more expensive PWAudio one, which looks better in long-run.


Mojo 2 is my favorite pairing with IE300. I imagine it will be excellent with IE600/IE900 as well.

I never heard the OG Mojo. But I like to add +1db to subbass and +2db to midbass using the DSP feature for a bit of warmth. I'm guessing that's what the OG Mojo kind of sounded like.


----------



## Kentajalli

SemiAudiophile said:


> Mojo 2 is my favorite pairing with IE300. I imagine it will be excellent with IE600/IE900 as well.
> 
> I never heard the OG Mojo. But I like to add +1db to subbass and +2db to midbass using the DSP feature for a bit of warmth. I'm guessing that's what the OG Mojo kind of sounded like.


I have IE 400 and Mojo classic and Hugo2.
I have -7dB @60Hz to tame down IE400's overblown bass & midbass all the way to low mids.
How different we are!


----------



## feverfive

Nostoi said:


> This little combo is impressing me. Mojo 2 is quite a notable upgrade from Mojo OG - imaging and layering far more precised. Mojo OG feels a little grainier in comparison. You want it warmer? EQ can easily roll-back to Mojo OG timbre. Synergy with IE900 - wow. Lovely. My go to source for the IE900 was the N6ii/R01, but the Mojo 2 outperforms it. I can't recommend this pairing enough!
> 
> This DD 4.4mm adaptor works, but is clunky; have therefore ordered the more expensive PWAudio one, which looks better in long-run.


You have a lot of nice gear, so it warms my heart to see you enjoying the R3 as a digital transport in this setup.  Is that a Woo Audio USB-C interconnect?


----------



## Nostoi

feverfive said:


> You have a lot of nice gear, so it warms my heart to see you enjoying the R3 as a digital transport in this setup.  Is that a Woo Audio USB-C interconnect?


Thanks. The R3 is a fantastic transport for the Mojo 2. Long battery life, solid build, nimble UI even with a 1TB SD card. The IC is this - https://penonaudio.com/shanling-l2.html 

I have this en route, which might be preferable - https://penonaudio.com/cayin-cs-40tc35.html


----------



## Nostoi

SemiAudiophile said:


> Mojo 2 is my favorite pairing with IE300. I imagine it will be excellent with IE600/IE900 as well.
> 
> I never heard the OG Mojo. But I like to add +1db to subbass and +2db to midbass using the DSP feature for a bit of warmth. I'm guessing that's what the OG Mojo kind of sounded like.


IE600 looks good, indeed. 

Yes, sounds about Mojo OG territory. The treble is smoother; Mojo 2 definitely has a crisper top end. Technically, the Mojo 2 is notably ahead, I'd say. I had the Mojo OG since it's launch up until I heard Mojo 2. Couldn't go back after that!


----------



## gazzington

Nostoi said:


> IE600 looks good, indeed.
> 
> Yes, sounds about Mojo OG territory. The treble is smoother; Mojo 2 definitely has a crisper top end. Technically, the Mojo 2 is notably ahead, I'd say. I had the Mojo OG since it's launch up until I heard Mojo 2. Couldn't go back after that!


Lol I’ve still got both. I should probably sell the og but I doubt I’d get much so I may as well keep it


----------



## gonzfi

Anyone used the mojo2 with c9? Comments?


----------



## greenmac

gonzfi said:


> Anyone used the mojo2 with c9? Comments?


----------



## Slim1970

gonzfi said:


> Anyone used the mojo2 with c9? Comments?


Heck yes! The pairing is outstanding. The C9 adds a hefty low end and more body to the sound. The Mojo 2 brings the details, its wonderful instrument separation, clarity and adds a pretty darn good EQ. The sound is spectacular mot only for IEM’s but full,sized headphones as well.


----------



## NoTimeFor

Just got the Mojo 2.  My initial impression: This thing sounds awesome. Definitely worth the price and more. I was quite disappointed with Mojo 1 with its dark, grainy, and compressed sound. Mojo 2 does not have any of that. It has a smooth open presentation with sweet high. Cross feed and it's welcome addition. I have not really played with DSP yet.  Took me about 10 to 15 minutes get used to the menu workflow. Once I got hang of it I thought it's pretty intuitive. My only complain is that it gets hot. I do not have better portable DAC/AMP than Mojo 2 but going by my memory, I think mojo 2 can give Hugo 2 tough fight!


----------



## vlach

Slim1970 said:


> Heck yes! The pairing is outstanding. The C9 adds a hefty low end and more body to the sound. The Mojo 2 brings the details, its wonderful instrument separation, clarity and adds a pretty darn good EQ. The sound is spectacular mot only for IEM’s but full,sized headphones as well.


Slim, did you compare both outputs of the M2 before settling one the right side output? With the OG Mojo i prefer the left side which has slightly more body to me ears.


----------



## MSA1133

This pairing is great, I'm liking what I'm hearing with the default EQ.


----------



## rkt31

I would suggest users to try r70x with mojo 2 and there would be no going back to anything else, even to a very very high end desktop setup of boutique dac+ boutique amp, it is such a good pairing. The combo may only be beaten by tt2 with without HMS but then mojo 2 is portable. Vocals are so so life like, like they are directly communicating to you. Vocals are solidly locked at centre, while music is all around you, indicating the lowest distortion of any kind. Imo this quality is the most difficult to achieve by any dac.


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## the W (Mar 12, 2022)

Mine arrived today, but it generates clicking noise on the left side…. I was using Andromeda, and clicking noise was unbearable.


----------



## v1rooz

I’m happy user of mojo 2 since 3 weeks and I can say it’s amazing! I’m using that with iPhone, neutron and etymotic er4xr. So far the best portable experience I’ve ever had. It’s just flawless. I have also mojo og and it’s big step further in every single aspect. Full recommendation  Grettings from Poland 🇵🇱.


----------



## Slim1970

vlach said:


> Slim, did you compare both outputs of the M2 before settling one the right side output? With the OG Mojo i prefer the left side which has slightly more body to me ears.


They are the same


----------



## NoTimeFor

v1rooz said:


> I’m happy user of mojo 2 since 3 weeks and I can say it’s amazing! I’m using that with iPhone, neutron and etymotic er4xr. So far the best portable experience I’ve ever had. It’s just flawless. I have also mojo og and it’s big step further in every single aspect. Full recommendation  Grettings from Poland 🇵🇱.


Hopefully in company of good music adds sense of calmness for you on what's happening in your neighbour country.


----------



## Nokizaru

M2 + DC Aeon 2 closed... oh my! Another great synergy. So far I've tried M2 with Mee P1, etymotic ER4SR, Yamaha YH-100 (yeah, M2 can drive it!), DC Aeon 2c and AQ Nighthawk (wooden version) and it sounded great with pretty much every one of them except for AQ nighthawk but they are very picky on the source so no suprise here.
But with Aeon 2c... superb wide and deep soundstage, outstanding detail and separation, sound is clean, yet smooth and rich. This is the best pairing I have heard so far.


----------



## NoTimeFor

Nokizaru said:


> M2 + DC Aeon 2 closed... oh my! Another great synergy. So far I've tried M2 with Mee P1, etymotic ER4SR, Yamaha YH-100 (yeah, M2 can drive it!), DC Aeon 2c and AQ Nighthawk (wooden version) and it sounded great with pretty much every one of them except for AQ nighthawk but they are very picky on the source so no suprise here.
> But with Aeon 2c... superb wide and deep soundstage, outstanding detail and separation, sound is clean, yet smooth and rich. This is the best pairing I have heard so far.


I am using M2 + Mr.Speakers Aeon and AQ NightHawk here. Both sound fabulous to my ears without any DSP adjustment. The vocal sounds soooo good with Mojo2. For critical listening I mate M2 to McIntosh MHA200 ... Sounds so sweet and lovely


----------



## rkt31

NoTimeFor said:


> I am using M2 + Mr.Speakers Aeon and AQ NightHawk here. Both sound fabulous to my ears without any DSP adjustment. The vocal sounds soooo good with Mojo2. For critical listening I mate M2 to McIntosh MHA200 ... Sounds so sweet and lovely


The beauty of mojo 2 and all chord dacs is the ultra clean dac output which you can use directly through headphones as volume control is embedded in FPGA itself. You don't need to color that clean output by adding amp. I would suggest you to use high impedance headphones like r70x, hd800s, hd650 or hd600 with mojo 2.


----------



## NoTimeFor

rkt31 said:


> The beauty of mojo 2 and all chord dacs is the ultra clean dac output which you can use directly through headphones as volume control is embedded in FPGA itself. You don't need to color that clean output by adding amp. I would suggest you to use high impedance headphones like r70x, hd800s, hd650 or hd600 with mojo 2.


Oh I can't part with the tube amp. Just love the sound


----------



## Nostoi

The Mojo2 does surprisingly well in comparison to its big brother. Solid job!


----------



## miketlse

the W said:


> Mine arrived today, but it generates clicking noise on the left side…. I was using Andromeda, and clicking noise was unbearable.


Some owners do find their TT2 does occasionally suffer from clicking, and need a new motherboard.
I don't remember reading about any Mojo2s suffering from clicking, so I suggest email support@chordelectronics.co.uk and see what they propose.


----------



## jarnopp

Nokizaru said:


> M2 + DC Aeon 2 closed... oh my! Another great synergy. So far I've tried M2 with Mee P1, etymotic ER4SR, Yamaha YH-100 (yeah, M2 can drive it!), DC Aeon 2c and AQ Nighthawk (wooden version) and it sounded great with pretty much every one of them except for AQ nighthawk but they are very picky on the source so no suprise here.
> But with Aeon 2c... superb wide and deep soundstage, outstanding detail and separation, sound is clean, yet smooth and rich. This is the best pairing I have heard so far.


Do you have the perforated pads? If not, it’s a very worthwhile upgrade.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Kentajalli said:


> WOW!
> I mean double WOW.
> Best standard BT I ever get is two rooms, max!
> on LDAC , one room would be lucky.


Right now, I am lied down on my bed, upstairs, relaxing, and my phone is charging downstairs, on the first floor. I am listening to Amazon HD with my UTWS5 + 7Hz Timeless. In the Developer options of my POCO F2 Pro, I have set LDAC fixed at 909/990 kbps. so not adaptive. Not a single drop/disconnection.

Guys, can the Mojo 2 receive firmware updates, if/when Chord may release one?


----------



## Nokizaru

jarnopp said:


> Do you have the perforated pads? If not, it’s a very worthwhile upgrade.


Yes, I have them but I haven't used them yet. As far as I know Aeon2c + perforated pads = aeon2c noire, that's why I decided to buy them.


----------



## the W

miketlse said:


> Some owners do find their TT2 does occasionally suffer from clicking, and need a new motherboard.
> I don't remember reading about any Mojo2s suffering from clicking, so I suggest email support@chordelectronics.co.uk and see what they propose.


Thank you miketlse! I probably got a bad unit as everyone else is happy with Mojo2.


----------



## Kentajalli

the W said:


> Thank you miketlse! I probably got a bad unit as everyone else is happy with Mojo2.


if it is new, go back to your dealer for a replacement - much quicker.


----------



## jarnopp

Nokizaru said:


> Yes, I have them but I haven't used them yet. As far as I know Aeon2c + perforated pads = aeon2c noire, that's why I decided to buy them.


Yes. I had A2C with perforated pads and now Noire.  They are the same.


----------



## jarnopp

Nick24JJ said:


> Right now, I am lied down on my bed, upstairs, relaxing, and my phone is charging downstairs, on the first floor. I am listening to Amazon HD with my UTWS5 + 7Hz Timeless. In the Developer options of my POCO F2 Pro, I have set LDAC fixed at 909/990 kbps. so not adaptive. Not a single drop/disconnection.
> 
> Guys, can the Mojo 2 receive firmware updates, if/when Chord may release one?


No, Chord DACs are based on coded FPGA chips and are not updatable, unless Chord wants to do it themselves in house.


----------



## Slim1970

Nostoi said:


> The Mojo2 does surprisingly well in comparison to its big brother. Solid job!


Please tell us more


----------



## Pulcino

Has anyone tried Mojo2 with the Fiio FD7?


----------



## Nick24JJ

jarnopp said:


> No, Chord DACs are based on coded FPGA chips and are not updatable, unless Chord wants to do it themselves in house.


Thank you for your reply, so to clarify, by in-house, do you mean that in an eventual firmware update we would have to return the units to Chord? Or, the device can accept a firmware update over USB?


----------



## AmanPreet

Pulcino said:


> Has anyone tried Mojo2 with the Fiio FD7?


Not with FD7 but I have little brother FD5. Mojo2 pairs very well with FD5. It's little bit sharp with provided silver cable but swap with copper cables sound just right for my taste. You could Adjust EQ to balance out tonality.

Cheers.


----------



## Kentajalli

Nick24JJ said:


> Thank you for your reply, so to clarify, by in-house, do you mean that in an eventual firmware update we would have to return the units to Chord? Or, the device can accept a firmware update over USB?


Well, so far and to my knowledge , no DAC has had a firmware update.
Be it in-house, outhouse, usb or internet.
Think about it, Mojo2 is almost a Mojo classic with firmware update.
Same Usb chip, same FPGA, almost same output section.


----------



## jarnopp

Nick24JJ said:


> Thank you for your reply, so to clarify, by in-house, do you mean that in an eventual firmware update we would have to return the units to Chord? Or, the device can accept a firmware update over USB?


It would have to be returned to Chord. But as noted above, no Chord DAC has actually had a firmware update in lieu of a new model.


----------



## evhvis

jarnopp said:


> It would have to be returned to Chord. But as noted above, no Chord DAC has actually had a firmware update in lieu of a new model.


There have been revisions, but afaik they do not offer older customers the new firmware. E.g. my OG mojo has auto off and firmware 1.0.5 IIRC. Auto off was introduced after the initial launch.


----------



## Nostoi

Slim1970 said:


> Please tell us more


Testing now, here's my observations (no EQ/filters involved here):

1. On IEMs - in my case, IE900 - the difference between Hugo 2 and Mojo 2 is rather subtle. Hugo 2 has better micro-detail, better layering, better imaging, but the difference on a technical level is notably closer than between Hugo 2 and Mojo OG. Hugo 2 hits harder - has better dynamics - than Mojo 2, and generally has more of an authoritative feel. 

2. Bigger differences come into play with full-size headphones that are moderately hard to drive. On the ZMF VC, there's no doubt that the Mojo 2 can drive with some headroom to spare. But the Hugo 2 offers a more defined presentation, with a greater sense of space. Mojo 2 has a sight "softness" in comparison, where separation especially isn't as precise (though I have to say again, it's a marked improvement on Mojo OG). I'm also comparing this on my TT2, incidentally, and as you might expect - there's a continuity with Hugo 2 and Mojo 2, but TT2 offers a level of micro-detail and clarity that is lacking on the others. 

3. In terms of timbre/tonality, this was interesting. With the VC, my preferred source is Hugo 2 by far. The Hugo 2 has a super clean presentation which works especially well with warmer headphones, I find. The Mojo 2's timbre is close to Hugo 2, but it's nowhere as forward as Hugo 2. Mojo 2 has a slightly smoother/rounder top-end, whereas Hugo 2 is ultra-energetic in comparison. I'm a big fan of pairing Hugo 2 with tube amps; this is where the Hugo 2's magic really comes to the foreground, IMO. Some will likely prefer Mojo 2's slightly more cohesive timbre, I expect. The TT2 tonality is interesting - it has more body than Mojo 2 and Hugo 2. The overall presentation is more refined, more subtle than Hugo 2. On brighter headphones - Kennerton Rognir/HD800s - the TT2 is by far the "winner" in terms of synergy. The lower end body gives a tremendous sense of body that is not as evident in Hugo 2 or Mojo 2.   

In sum: Mojo 2, Hugo 2, and TT2 are - IMO - mutually edifying and complementary. And, of course, they each serve a different function. They share the same Chord signature, but present in different ways and with varying levels of technical excellence. Placing the Mojo 2 against even the TT2, it's impressive how well the former fairs. I remember doing multiple tests with Mojo OG, and it felt like a huge step downward switching between TT2/Hugo 2 to Mojo OG. The Mojo 2 holds its ground with ease. It's an amazing achievement.


----------



## Slim1970

Nostoi said:


> Testing now, here's my observations (no EQ/filters involved here):
> 
> 1. On IEMs - in my case, IE900 - the difference between Hugo 2 and Mojo 2 is rather subtle. Hugo 2 has better micro-detail, better layering, better imaging, but the difference on a technical level is notably closer than between Hugo 2 and Mojo OG. Hugo 2 hits harder - has better dynamics - than Mojo 2, and generally has more of an authoritative feel.
> 
> ...


Excellent write-up. It's sounds like the Mojo 2, although very improved, still sits behind the Hugo 2 in sonics. It seems like the Chord hierarchy remains in tack for now!


----------



## rocketron

Nostoi said:


> Testing now, here's my observations (no EQ/filters involved here):
> 
> 1. On IEMs - in my case, IE900 - the difference between Hugo 2 and Mojo 2 is rather subtle. Hugo 2 has better micro-detail, better layering, better imaging, but the difference on a technical level is notably closer than between Hugo 2 and Mojo OG. Hugo 2 hits harder - has better dynamics - than Mojo 2, and generally has more of an authoritative feel.
> 
> ...





Nostoi said:


> Testing now, here's my observations (no EQ/filters involved here):
> 
> 1. On IEMs - in my case, IE900 - the difference between Hugo 2 and Mojo 2 is rather subtle. Hugo 2 has better micro-detail, better layering, better imaging, but the difference on a technical level is notably closer than between Hugo 2 and Mojo OG. Hugo 2 hits harder - has better dynamics - than Mojo 2, and generally has more of an authoritative feel.
> 
> ...


Totally agree with everything you have said. 👍

I find the Mojo 2 a absolute joy for a portable dac/amp.


----------



## Nostoi

Slim1970 said:


> Excellent write-up. It's sounds like the Mojo 2, although very improved, still sits behind the Hugo 2 in sonics. It seems like the Chord hierarchy remains in tack for now!


Thanks, glad it's helpful. I would say so, yup. Mojo 2 is definitely best bang for the buck, I will say. 

You'll have to let us know where the Dave vs. Mojo 2 showdown fits in!


----------



## Slim1970

Nostoi said:


> You'll have to let us know where the Dave vs. Mojo 2 showdown fits in!


Haha, is that really fair!


----------



## rocketron

My Saturday evening all set.
Little one in bed and music playing 😉


----------



## vlach

rocketron said:


> My Saturday evening all set.
> Little one in bed and music playing 😉


The M2 must be nice with the WA8 yeah?


----------



## Alan Billington

Nostoi said:


> Thanks, glad it's helpful. I would say so, yup. Mojo 2 is definitely best bang for the buck, I will say.
> 
> You'll have to let us know where the Dave vs. Mojo 2 showdown fits in!


Surely Dave vs Mojo 2 + Mscaler be more meaningful 😆In so many ways it should not would and fits No use case  but hey that’s what Saturday night testing is for!


----------



## rocketron

vlach said:


> The M2 must be nice with the WA8 yeah?


I no longer have the WA8.
I sold it when I bought a TT2 .
I used the WA8 along with a Hugo 2.
I still wish I kept the WA8 but found I used the Vorzuge Pure ii+ more often .
The WA8 is a great sounding amp.
I even used it as a pre amp for a vinyl set up for a few years.
It embarrassed some quite expensive preamps.


----------



## Nostoi

vlach said:


> The M2 must be nice with the WA8 yeah?


Pairs beautifully, as does C9 and Mojo2.


----------



## alekc

For those who like classical music, I find this album both: great recording and demonstration of Mojo 2 capabilities, especially when you want to expose most if not all of this little marvel strengths. It also shows that Mojo 2 can be great even for very critical listening longer sessions and it can easily compete with a lot more expensive dacs and amps.


----------



## Pulcino

alekc said:


> For those who like classical music, I find this album both: great recording and demonstration of Mojo 2 capabilities, especially when you want to expose most if not all of this little marvel strengths. It also shows that Mojo 2 can be great even for very critical listening longer sessions and it can easily compete with a lot more expensive dacs and amps.


Perfect, what is your streamer and what headphones are you using?


----------



## pete321

Bought mine, coming soon  quick questions.

Is sound quality exact same in desktop mode vs battery, hated battery charging on original, will be braver with original now that I have another and take it out when it dies and run it without battery.

Also like original I assume it won't play well with Tidal? my original although it sounded better in exclusive mode, despite no mqa support, than spotify, had a delay that cut off the start of songs as the light color adjusted, making Tidal unusable, at least on my macbook, so I'm waiting for spotify hifi like many others. hurry up plz 😠


----------



## iDesign

pete321 said:


> Bought mine, coming soon  quick questions.
> 
> Is sound quality exact same in desktop mode vs battery, hated battery charging on original, will be braver with original now that I have another and take it out when it dies and run it without battery.
> 
> Also like original I assume it won't play well with Tidal? my original although it sounded better in exclusive mode, despite no mqa support, than spotify, had a delay that cut off the start of songs as the light color adjusted, making Tidal unusable, at least on my macbook, so I'm waiting for spotify hifi like many others. hurry up plz 😠


In theory the sound quality would improve whilst disconnected from the mains. Selection aside, Qobuz is far better than TIDAL.


----------



## pete321 (Mar 12, 2022)

I was thinking it would sound better or same using external power but then I saw some reviewers youtube review (bald guy) and he mentioned desktop mode should come close to battery mode quality, so I guess I'll just have to try, still going to use desktop mode, that and dsp is mostly why I bought it.

qobuz not available in Canada without lots of complex paypal schemes/vpns etc, otherwise I would, hopefully it will come here soon.


----------



## Radaos

I have a Mojo 2 which I am in general very happy with, but I've noticed some weirdness with it. If it's placed a few steps away and I walk over to change the volume, it sometimes shuts off. I'm guessing this is due to static sensitivity - shoes on carpet, reach for button - click.

Also, on rare occasions, there is a blast of white noise, lasting up to 3 seconds, but so far I have encountered this only when connected to a Raspberry Pi. I'll continue to monitor for this with laptop use.


----------



## Nick24JJ

iDesign said:


> *In theory the sound quality would improve whilst disconnected from the mains.* Selection aside, Qobuz is far better than TIDAL.


Why?

PS: I'm currently comparing Qobuz with Amazon HD and I find them the same, quality wise. Amazon HD has a better interface, more options, I believe.


----------



## Garpov

pete321 said:


> Bought mine, coming soon  quick questions.
> 
> Is sound quality exact same in desktop mode vs battery, hated battery charging on original, will be braver with original now that I have another and take it out when it dies and run it without battery.
> 
> Also like original I assume it won't play well with Tidal? my original although it sounded better in exclusive mode, despite no mqa support, than spotify, had a delay that cut off the start of songs as the light color adjusted, making Tidal unusable, at least on my macbook, so I'm waiting for spotify hifi like many others. hurry up plz 😠


I had the Mojo OG and using Foobar it would cut off the start of songs, this doesn't happen on the Mojo 2 👌


----------



## NoTimeFor

pete321 said:


> Bought mine, coming soon  quick questions.
> 
> Is sound quality exact same in desktop mode vs battery, hated battery charging on original, will be braver with original now that I have another and take it out when it dies and run it without battery.
> 
> Also like original I assume it won't play well with Tidal? my original although it sounded better in exclusive mode, despite no mqa support, than spotify, had a delay that cut off the start of songs as the light color adjusted, making Tidal unusable, at least on my macbook, so I'm waiting for spotify hifi like many others. hurry up plz 😠


I do not hear any difference between desktop mode and battery mode. I am running M2 with MacBook Pro / Roon. DECCA recordings sound SUPERB.


----------



## RogueTao

MrPanda said:


> I'm really enjoying the Mojo 2, which strikes me as just a little below Hugo 2 in resolution, but in some ways, better because of the easy to use DSP, which is remarkably transparent.  The speed of the Mojo 2 makes it clean, fast, and articulate.   It's my new office rig along with a DCA Aeon 2 Noire and sometimes Stellia, but at home where I can use open backs it's got a fantastic synergy with Focal Clear MG.  The crossfeed functions really make older jazz recordings and early stereo a pleasure to listen to.  Only issue I have is when I'm using an iPhone 13 with the camera connector kit, the Mojo2 loses audio when the screen lock kicks in.  I hate having the phone open when I'm at work, etc, so I'm wondering if anyone else has had that issue and found a work-around, other than disabling the screen lock in the iPhone settings....




I don’t yet have the FiiO LT-LT1 USB Type-C to Lightning data cable (single 10 cm cable connection), or the Mojo 2, to test for that circumstance, though I thought to mention it as an alternative that provides a direct connection. Perhaps it will also be fit for your purpose.


----------



## the W

Radaos said:


> I have a Mojo 2 which I am in general very happy with, but I've noticed some weirdness with it. If it's placed a few steps away and I walk over to change the volume, it sometimes shuts off. I'm guessing this is due to static sensitivity - shoes on carpet, reach for button - click.
> 
> Also, on rare occasions, there is a blast of white noise, lasting up to 3 seconds, but so far I have encountered this only when connected to a Raspberry Pi. I'll continue to monitor for this with laptop use.


I am also having a defective unit with clicking noise on the left side. I bought from Gramophone, and they indicated that I am the only one having issue on Mojo2, which sounds perfect to everyone else. Having difficulty to get exchange.


----------



## Matte Black (Mar 13, 2022)

Burning in new units, leather case was not in stock and will arrive later.

Edit: tried to add pic but size is too large apparently.


----------



## realmassy

Is anyone aware of alternative non-leather cases for the Mojo 2? I can’t find anything online


----------



## iDesign

realmassy said:


> Is anyone aware of alternative non-leather cases for the Mojo 2? I can’t find anything online


Looks terrible:
https://moonstarreviews.net/news-miter-announced-leather-case-for-chord-mojo-2/


----------



## realmassy

Thanks! yeah doesn’t look good, I agree, and I’m not even sure what ‘pueblo leather’ is…from a quick search it seems animal leather anyway


----------



## aldinho878

Anyone heard the Woo Wa11 topaz to compare with the Mojo 2?


----------



## aldinho878

Also does the mojo 2 have any more driving power than the mojo 1? Or for the purpose of hard to drive headphones, they are the exact same?


----------



## Radaos

aldinho878 said:


> Also does the mojo 2 have any more driving power than the mojo 1? Or for the purpose of hard to drive headphones, they are the exact same?


I didn't have the Mojo 1, but Mojo 2 is capable of driving my old Sennheiser HD565s well into hearing damage territory. That is 150 ohms, 94 dB sensitivity.


----------



## benjamind2012

Mojo (original): 720mW into 8ohms
Mojo 2: 600mW into 30ohms

What does Mojo 2 output at 8ohms?


----------



## DLegendary0ne

I notice that I can't activate Spacial Audio in Windows (Dolby Atmos, Windows Sonic).  The option is completely grayed out.  Is this by design, or is there a way around this?


----------



## AmanPreet

DLegendary0ne said:


> I notice that I can't activate Spacial Audio in Windows (Dolby Atmos, Windows Sonic).  The option is completely grayed out.  Is this by design, or is there a way around this?


I am able to select the option. Which windows drivers are you using? Try Chord drivers from the below link.
https://chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Windows-10-768KHz-driver.zip


----------



## utdeep (Mar 14, 2022)

I received both the official Mojo 2 Leather Case today and the Valentinum Chord Mojo Case.  The Valentinum case barely made it out of Ukraine and was stuck in the airport for more than 2 weeks.  Sadly, it may never be back on Etsy.

While it was designed for the Chord Mojo 1, the Valentinum Case handily beats the official case in quality, usability, and price.  Pictures below and a comparison with the official case.  Makes me feel even worse about the war in Ukraine - hopefully Valentinum will be okay.

*Valentinum Case*



*Official Case*


----------



## utdeep

Adding this in case people are trying to figure out how to put the Mojo 2 in the Valentinum case


----------



## iDesign (Mar 14, 2022)

utdeep said:


> *Official Case*


_Sloppy_ doesn't even begin to describe the construction of Chord's $90.00 case.


----------



## Nostoi

utdeep said:


> I received both the official Mojo 2 Leather Case today and the Valentinum Chord Mojo Case.  The Valentinum case barely made it out of Ukraine and was stuck in the airport for more than 2 weeks.  Sadly, it may never be back on Etsy.
> 
> While it was designed for the Chord Mojo 1, the Valentinum Case handily beats the official case in quality, usability, and price.  Pictures below and a comparison with the official case.  Makes me feel even worse about the war in Ukraine - hopefully Valentinum will be okay.
> 
> ...


Collector's item! Hoping Valentinum is doing ok.


----------



## Kentajalli

iDesign said:


> _Sloppy_ doesn't even begin to describe the construction of Chord's $90.00 case.


That last-minute USB-C on Mojo2 will bite Chord 's arse for years to come!
Embarrassing .😞


----------



## DLegendary0ne

AmanPreet said:


> I am able to select the option. Which windows drivers are you using? Try Chord drivers from the below link.
> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Windows-10-768KHz-driver.zip


This solved my whole problem.   I didn't realize I needed a driver from Chord.  Thank you!


----------



## Radaos

Nostoi said:


> Collector's item! Hoping Valentinum is doing ok.


I just ordered a Valentinum Mojo case, don't know if it can even be shipped, but they can use any support they can get right now.


----------



## dsrk

benjamind2012 said:


> Mojo (original): 720mW into 8ohms
> Mojo 2: 600mW into 30ohms
> 
> What does Mojo 2 output at 8ohms?


It's 4.2v at 30 ohms which is 588mw, so at 8 ohms it will be 2.2 watts.


----------



## benjamind2012

dsrk said:


> It's 4.2v at 30 ohms which is 588mw, so at 8 ohms it will be 2.2 watts.



But the Mojo original can only output 720mW at 8ohms. The theoretical output at 4.2v at 8ohms would be around 2200mW, but does the Mojo 2 actually output that amount of current?


----------



## dsrk (Mar 15, 2022)

benjamind2012 said:


> But the Mojo original can only output 720mW at 8ohms. The theoretical output at 4.2v at 8ohms would be around 2200mW, but does the Mojo 2 actually output that amount of current?


According to the specs, I think it can.
iFi Gryphon and xCan can output 1 watt at 32 ohms, so it's possible.


----------



## benjamind2012

dsrk said:


> According to the specs, I think it can.
> iFi Gryphon and xCan can output 1 watt at 32 ohms, so it's possible.



I'm not that knowledgable about amp specs, but 1W at 32ohms would mean what at 8ohms? Or 16ohms? 

Some say it depends on the amp. I'm not familiar with either the Mojo/2/iFi amps.

Most portables seems to not spec anything below 32ohms...which makes me wonder what the actual output is at those resistances. Some amps put out more current at lower ohms, and others put out less. So it's a mixed bag.


----------



## dsrk (Mar 15, 2022)

benjamind2012 said:


> I'm not that knowledgable about amp specs, but 1W at 32ohms would mean what at 8ohms? Or 16ohms?
> 
> Some say it depends on the amp. I'm not familiar with either the Mojo/2/iFi amps.
> 
> Most portables seems to not spec anything below 32ohms...which makes me wonder what the actual output is at those resistances. Some amps put out more current at lower ohms, and others put out less. So it's a mixed bag.


I understand what you are trying to say.

Yes, it sometimes can be less power at lower impedance. Only the manufacturer can confirm if it outputs less power at 8 ohms than at 30 ohms.

The specs say 4.2v @32 and 5.2v @300. So, it's nothing out of ordinary.

Even if the output is 600mw @8 ohms, it's more than enough for any headphone or IEM with that impedance IMO.


----------



## dsrk

Hi,

Very late to the thread. I am thinking of buying Mojo 2 because of it's EQ.
I always use EQ, I tried many portable AMPs with bass boost but they all are too much bass for me including the iFi xbass, xbass II. 
I have been using software EQs (Neutron, UAPP etc..) but they never gave me the satisfaction because they kill the dynamics and slam.

Is there any volume drop when the EQ is enabled? or any distortion if we boost 20hz or 125hz 6db?
Most important, does enabling the EQ kill the dynamics and slam?


----------



## Kentajalli

dsrk said:


> Is there any volume drop when the EQ is enabled? or any distortion if we boost 20hz or 125hz 6db?
> Most important, does enabling the EQ kill the dynamics and slam?


There should not be.
Mojo2 has three bits allocated to make sure it won't clip , so the +9dB limit of its EQ is well within range.
The whole point of UHD DSP (as I understand it) is to make sure the EQ is done transparently, though for me, Neutron DSP is a second best, the only thing I ever notice when using it, is a slight stereo image height reduction and only with Hugo2 that happens to be the most 3D DAC I have ever heard.


dsrk said:


> Yes, it sometimes can be less power at lower impedance. Only the manufacturer can confirm if it outputs less power at 8 ohms than at 30 ohms.
> The specs say 4.2v @32 and 5.2v @300. So, it's nothing out of ordinary.


One does not have to be an electronic engineer to grasp that a rechargeable device does not have unlimited power.
Any device has a finite power output that can it be exceeded, for Mojo classic it was about 0.7W. Otherwise it could theoretically driving a 0.00000000001 Ohm load, destroy the planet!
The fact that at 300 ohm it is 5.2V and at 32 Ohm it is reduced to 4.2V should indicate that.


----------



## againa

All, I hope someone can help me, I have recently purchased the Mojo2, to pair with the monarch MKII, I am very satisfied, I nearly cried the first time I heard this combination.. BTW the Box that come with the Monarch MKII fits perfectly the Mojo2 and the IEM.. so it's perfect. 

However I use, when I am to go, my Iphone for listening to music, and despite the camera adapter + the micro USB cable works.. it's really.. Ugly. So I am searching a working LIghtning to microUSB or USBC (even better), that is Short, and .. it's available I*N ITALY (or at least in europe*).. I know about the Meenova cables, but they are like 30 euros in europe with the shipping and arrive after 2 months.. so I wonder, if there is any alternative for Mojo users in Europe that want to connect it to an Iphone (I now I know.. I should have something better). 
If I may ask a bonus question.. what player do you use for Flac Files on Iphone? Flac player+ works.. but all my flac tracks at 96kHZ are.. reported to the mojo as 44.1 kHz tracks (.. !!!) if I use VLC player the color of the menu on the Mojo reflect the right kHZ of the tracks. 

thank you!
Antonio.


----------



## Pulcino

againa said:


> All, I hope someone can help me, I have recently purchased the Mojo2, to pair with the monarch MKII, I am very satisfied, I nearly cried the first time I heard this combination.. BTW the Box that come with the Monarch MKII fits perfectly the Mojo2 and the IEM.. so it's perfect.
> 
> However I use, when I am to go, my Iphone for listening to music, and despite the camera adapter + the micro USB cable works.. it's really.. Ugly. So I am searching a working LIghtning to microUSB or USBC (even better), that is Short, and .. it's available I*N ITALY (or at least in europe*).. I know about the Meenova cables, but they are like 30 euros in europe with the shipping and arrive after 2 months.. so I wonder, if there is any alternative for Mojo users in Europe that want to connect it to an Iphone (I now I know.. I should have something better).
> If I may ask a bonus question.. what player do you use for Flac Files on Iphone? Flac player+ works.. but all my flac tracks at 96kHZ are.. reported to the mojo as 44.1 kHz tracks (.. !!!) if I use VLC player the color of the menu on the Mojo reflect the right kHZ of the tracks.
> ...


Would this work?


----------



## Pulcino

Pulcino said:


> Would this work?


It‘s Amazon Germany but maybe available in Italy, too. Looks great


----------



## Vyyy

If anyone interested i have dual bnc to coax to connect Mojo2/Hugo2. I have previously used with Hugo2. Let me know in such case.


----------



## gatherer1234

Vyyy said:


> If anyone interested i have dual bnc to coax to connect Mojo2/Hugo2. I have previously used with Hugo2. Let me know in such case.





Pulcino said:


> Would this work?



I think that is a power cable, usb-c to lightning. I.e for charging your phone.


----------



## Pulcino

gatherer1234 said:


> I think that is a power cable, usb-c to lightning. I.e for charging your phone.


But they indicate a data transfer speed


----------



## againa (Mar 15, 2022)

the problem is that it doesn’t matter if its a data cable or MIFI, actually it SHOULD NOT be MIFI compatible. A working cable should  have the electronics to emulate a lightning camera adapter. The attached photo give an idea of what the cable should be and what is not. I have already purchased 5 cables lightning to microusb or USB C (and i had many more and no one works) i do have also a shure KSE 1500 and it come with a lightning to microusb cable (that you attach to the KSE DAC) so should work right? Nope! It doesn’t. I purchased the mavic DIJI cables ( the one for the drones) and they don’t work. These are special cables that are used by a bunch of other products like Roland.. and they are not easy to find.
See the attached image

Thanks for everyone that is trying to provide an answer.


----------



## utdeep

I'm using the Lightning - USB C cable that came with my Lotoo S2 and it works well.


----------



## ChrisGB

dsrk said:


> Hi,
> 
> Very late to the thread. I am thinking of buying Mojo 2 because of it's EQ.
> I always use EQ, I tried many portable AMPs with bass boost but they all are too much bass for me including the iFi xbass, xbass II.
> ...


I played with the EQ a bit and found it to be undetectable in terms of sound quality degradation. Admittedly I was not using gross adjustments for anything other than curiosity, but it really is totally transparent EQ as far as my ears and Quad ERA-1 could tell.


----------



## dsrk

ChrisGB said:


> I played with the EQ a bit and found it to be undetectable in terms of sound quality degradation. Admittedly I was not using gross adjustments for anything other than curiosity, but it really is totally transparent EQ as far as my ears and Quad ERA-1 could tell.


Thanks


----------



## leaky74

Sorry, another cable question. Any recommendations for a longer (1 metre), snug fitting usb c cable? Sounds daft I know but some of my short cables are a much tighter fit and almost click into place. All my longer length cables though seem to have a certain amount of play in them which makes them prone to disconnects (physically and audibly), if nudged.


----------



## Radaos

leaky74 said:


> Sorry, another cable question. Any recommendations for a longer (1 metre), snug fitting usb c cable? Sounds daft I know but some of my short cables are a much tighter fit and almost click into place. All my longer length cables though seem to have a certain amount of play in them which makes them prone to disconnects (physically and audibly), if nudged.


Anker Powerline + for a well built, secure fitting USB-C cable. Available in lengths up to 3m.

I also have a Wireworld Chroma 8, 1m. Secure fitting, far more expensive, awkward inflexible ribbon cable, no audible benefit.


----------



## realmassy

Got my Mojo 2 today...quite surprised about the size, from pictures and videos didn't look this small. 
Sound wise, I tried it only with the 64 Audio U6T and I like what I'm hearing, clearly better than the Hidizis dongle I've been using with my iPad Pro, very engaging and full sound...dare I say, distracting while working, a few times I stopped working and focused on music! Gonna try the Meze Empyreans tonight


----------



## rkt31

Any recommendations for short optical mini to toslink cable preferably with 90° plugs ?


----------



## captblaze

rkt31 said:


> Any recommendations for short optical mini to toslink cable preferably with 90° plugs ?


----------



## dsrk (Mar 16, 2022)

rkt31 said:


> Any recommendations for short optical mini to toslink cable preferably with 90° plugs ?


I got it done with a local cable maker for $15 and bought mini toslink plugs. Will buy 90 degree plugs when I buy Mojo 2.

If you are in US, try contacting these guys:
https://extreme-audio-usa.myshopify...ical-audio-cable-with-metal-connectors-3-feet


You can buy the cable here:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32930375042.html?spm=a2g0s.8937460.0.0.7e952e0eOJ2GzE

And the plugs:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000248894239.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.610c4313mVcbre&algo_pvid=e8deff4c-4f84-443f-ab64-84121c6508b4&algo_exp_id=e8deff4c-4f84-443f-ab64-84121c6508b4-1&pdp_ext_f={"sku_id":"10000001007979978"}&pdp_pi=-1;4.52;-1;-1@salePrice;USD;search-mainSearch

or

https://www.amazon.com/Optical-Adaptor-EMK-Extension-Connector/dp/B0989JPL79/ref=sr_1_19?crid=3CY52LUGF5YJI&keywords=emk+right+angle+90+degree+toslink&qid=1647448064&s=electronics&sprefix=emk+righ+angle+90+degree+toslink,electronics,256&sr=1-19


----------



## leaky74

I was actually looking at the chroma thinking the profile of the plug might make for a good fit.


----------



## NoTimeFor

Does anyone know how M2 draws power in desktop mode? Does it draw USB power directly or from battery?


----------



## vo_obgyn (Mar 16, 2022)

@leaky74 

I am enjoying the
Anker USB-C to USB-C Cable, 643 Cable​https://us.anker.com/products/A8552011

Works well between my M1 MacBook Pro and my Mojo 2. Comes in 3 and 6 feet lengths. Good snug fit. It has a nice feel to the cable too.


----------



## drummguy26

I think a lot of people are wanting to know if Mojo 2 is better than the Gryphon, but I say, if money permits, get both! Gryphon complements the Mojo 2 wonderfully. xBass in conjunction with Mojo 2’s UHD EQ is amazing. It does wonders for the Monarch MKII.


----------



## dsrk

drummguy26 said:


> I think a lot of people are wanting to know if Mojo 2 is better than the Gryphon, but I say, if money permits, get both! Gryphon complements the Mojo 2 wonderfully. xBass in conjunction with Mojo 2’s UHD EQ is amazing. It does wonders for the Monarch MKII.


I had the xCan and the xbass ii was too much bass for me. And the 3D+ not much useful. On the other hand hoping Mojo 2 UHD DSP would give better control than iFi's sound enhancements.


----------



## MSA1133

Regarding Mojo 2 vs Gryphon, I've been testing both. If you're looking for pure sound quality, then you can't go wrong with the Mojo 2 (the Gryphon is no slouch though, and it's a close call). If you need Bluetooth and MQA, then the Gryphon would fit your needs better.


----------



## dsrk

MSA1133 said:


> Regarding Mojo 2 vs Gryphon, I've been testing both. If you're looking for pure sound quality, then you can't go wrong with the Mojo 2 (the Gryphon is no slouch though, and it's a close call). If you need Bluetooth and MQA, then the Gryphon would fit your needs better.


How is UHD DSP on Mojo 2 compared to xbass and 3D+ on Gryphon?


----------



## drummguy26

MSA1133 said:


> Regarding Mojo 2 vs Gryphon, I've been testing both. If you're looking for pure sound quality, then you can't go wrong with the Mojo 2 (the Gryphon is no slouch though, and it's a close call). If you need Bluetooth and MQA, then the Gryphon would fit your needs better.


This is so true! Gryphon isn’t too far off from Mojo 2 at all! I was actually expecting a drastic difference in SQ between Mojo 2 and Gryphon, but it was very close to my ears. Also, I feel like you get more of a visceral effect with Gryphons xBass than Mojo 2’s EQ. But again, the way to do it is to combine the two.


----------



## MSA1133

dsrk said:


> How is UHD DSP on Mojo 2 compared to xbass and 3D+ on Gryphon?


Different flavors and uses, but as @drummguy26 mentioned, the Gryphon's xBass has a more visceral effect since you could toggle between three different settings at the back of the device. 3D effect was more of a gimmick to me and I don't use it. The Mojo 2's EQ is excellent too and allows for more customization to suit your needs/mood which the Gryphon can't do. 

Hope that helps!


----------



## hssong85

MSA1133 said:


> Different flavors and uses, but as @drummguy26 mentioned, the Gryphon's xBass has a more visceral effect since you could toggle between three different settings at the back of the device. 3D effect was more of a gimmick to me and I don't use it. The Mojo 2's EQ is excellent too and allows for more customization to suit your needs/mood which the Gryphon can't do.
> 
> Hope that helps!


Could you please elaborate on different flavors? I have tried Gryphon and it was awesome. I am really torn between two but can't get my hands on to try M2.


----------



## againa

I've listen to the last 5 seconds of Daft Punk - Giorgio By Moroder with the mojo2, flat EQ and the monarch MKII.. the last 2 bips are going to blew your mind. 
set up the EQ on the bass band to something between +3dB  to +6dB... and have fun.


----------



## dsrk

MSA1133 said:


> Different flavors and uses, but as @drummguy26 mentioned, the Gryphon's xBass has a more visceral effect since you could toggle between three different settings at the back of the device. 3D effect was more of a gimmick to me and I don't use it. The Mojo 2's EQ is excellent too and allows for more customization to suit your needs/mood which the Gryphon can't do.
> 
> Hope that helps!


If Gryphon had multi band EQ like Mojo 2, I would have picked Gryphon hands down because of its features and connectivity options.

But unfortunately it didn't, so I chose to give Mojo 2 a try. It will be back in stock next month in India, eagerly waiting to buy it.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Yes, very many people are expecting a decent VERSUS between the Mojo 2 and the Gryphon, myself included, but besides one YouTube review, I haven't seen any. There was one guy here who has said he was preparing a review but nothing yet


----------



## Kentajalli

dsrk said:


> If Gryphon had multi band EQ like Mojo 2, I would .....


Almost all software DAPs have some sort of EQ.
Some DACs even have some sort of analog tone controls.
But Mojo2 has a unique, revolutionary EQ system, not found anywhere else! so it is not directly comparable to any other device.
Chord calls Ultra High Definition DSP.
All I am saying is no other device should be compared to it, even if it had a 20 band parametric EQ onboard.


----------



## Thomaswa

I bought Mojo 2 not caring too much about the EQ, but surprisingly it has become something i use all the time. It brings so much value its actually unbelievable you can get it for this price in a portable device.


----------



## benjamind2012

The crossfeed is also apparently good and you can use 3 different levels of that effect.

In all honesty I think EQ and crossfeed etc should be done in the Android/iPhone/PC and let the dacamp just handle the audio without any modification to the sound once it leaves the source.

But alas Android smartphone devs are obviously too lazy - well, many of them are - the big name Android smartphone companies could do this. Same applies for Apple. I know for sure they could implement it but they just can't be bothered.

Crossfeed is fantastic for making headphones sound more like speakers.


----------



## RogueTao (Mar 17, 2022)

againa said:


> All, I hope someone can help me, I have recently purchased the Mojo2, to pair with the monarch MKII, I am very satisfied, I nearly cried the first time I heard this combination.. BTW the Box that come with the Monarch MKII fits perfectly the Mojo2 and the IEM.. so it's perfect.
> 
> However I use, when I am to go, my Iphone for listening to music, and despite the camera adapter + the micro USB cable works.. it's really.. Ugly. So I am searching a working LIghtning to microUSB or USBC (even better), that is Short, and .. it's available I*N ITALY (or at least in europe*).. I know about the Meenova cables, but they are like 30 euros in europe with the shipping and arrive after 2 months.. so I wonder, if there is any alternative for Mojo users in Europe that want to connect it to an Iphone (I now I know.. I should have something better).
> If I may ask a bonus question.. what player do you use for Flac Files on Iphone? Flac player+ works.. but all my flac tracks at 96kHZ are.. reported to the mojo as 44.1 kHz tracks (.. !!!) if I use VLC player the color of the menu on the Mojo reflect the right kHZ of the tracks.
> ...


mconnect app

FiiO LT-LT1 USB Type-C to Lightning data cable (single 10 cm cable connection), reportedly works with the Mojo 2:
https://darko.audio/2022/02/vlog-portable-audio-in-portugal-w-plex-chord-mojo-2/

Purchase link for Europe is here: https://www.wifimedia.eu/en/fiio-lt-lt1.html


----------



## pete321 (Mar 17, 2022)

Is the battery 'off off' in desktop mode? Like can I leave it plugged in purple when not using the mojo at all then just plug and play while still purple or should I turn off whole unit?

Sometimes it's a bitch going from that seemingly long blue to purple even on a white charge level, but I don't want to harm the battery out of laziness obviously.


----------



## Kentajalli

benjamind2012 said:


> The crossfeed is also apparently good and you can use 3 different levels of that effect.


I think Chord crossfeed is too strong (at least on Hugo2), even at min. level.


benjamind2012 said:


> In all honesty I think EQ and crossfeed etc should be done in the Android/iPhone/PC and let the dacamp just handle the audio without any modification to the sound once it leaves the source.


Point was that all current software EQ leaves something to be desired, So Chord is trying to remedy that, I am all for it. But for me, Neutron EQ is almost perfect! Almost because on Hugo2 I can still detect a slight stereo image height reduction, even with the slightest of EQ levels. Since I have not heard Mojo2, I can not compare. But Neutron's crossfeed is better for me, because it is fully adjustable.


benjamind2012 said:


> But alas Android smartphone devs are obviously too lazy - well, many of them are - the big name Android smartphone companies could do this. Same applies for Apple. I know for sure they could implement it but they just can't be bothered.


There are enough third party software players with good facilities already.


----------



## DecentLevi

Kentajalli said:


> That last-minute USB-C on Mojo2 will bite Chord 's arse for years to come!
> Embarrassing .😞


Were you being sarcastic? I see 0 point in your comment, quite condescending, highly unrealistic and not helpful for the community.


----------



## dsrk (Mar 17, 2022)

.


----------



## dsrk (Mar 18, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> Almost all software DAPs have some sort of EQ.
> Some DACs even have some sort of analog tone controls.
> But Mojo2 has a unique, revolutionary EQ system, not found anywhere else! so it is not directly comparable to any other device.
> Chord calls Ultra High Definition DSP.
> All I am saying is no other device should be compared to it, even if it had a 20 band parametric EQ onboard.





Kentajalli said:


> Since I have not heard Mojo2, I can not compare.


.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Is there anyone here who owns and uses the Qudelix-5K? How does it compare with the Mojo 2 when it comes to sound quality, without any EQ/sound effects applied on either devices?


----------



## againa

pete321 said:


> Is the battery 'off off' in desktop mode? Like can I leave it plugged in purple when not using the mojo at all then just plug and play while still purple or should I turn off whole unit?
> 
> Sometimes it's a bitch going from that seemingly long blue to purple even on a white charge level, but I don't want to harm the battery out of laziness obviously.


directly from the manual:

_A blue charge status LED indicates the maximum battery capacity range has been reached. If Mojo 2 is left constantly on charge, it will enter intelligent desktop mode to protect the battery from overcharging. This will be indicated by a purple battery status light._


----------



## Kentajalli

dsrk said:


> You have not heard Mojo 2 and you are simply making an assumption that is is not like any EQ on DAPs. Have you tested the Cowon's JetEffects or Lotoo's PEQ? Please don't make assumptions like this.


No, I have not tested Cowan or Mojo2! but I don't have to actually driven a Tesla to know its engine implementation is diffrent to a Diesel car! do I?


dsrk said:


> If you have Mojo 2 and you compared it to the best implementations like RME ADI 2 DAC, then anyone can believe you.


Again, I was not trying to say that Mojo2's EQ implementation is superior to other devices, simply that it is _Unique _- no other device I have heard of, does EQ in same way.


----------



## SRKRAM

DecentLevi said:


> Were you being sarcastic? I see 0 point in your comment, quite condescending, highly unrealistic and not helpful for the community.


You must admit that the USB-C port does look like a bit of an afterthought which was just added as a slight concession to modernity. I know that Chord wanted to keep compatibility with the Poly, but even that is 5 years old now and there are plenty of ways in which it could be improved. To many potential mojo 2 buyers who don't own a Poly the micro USB ports would seem a bit anachronistic and I's sure that they will loose customers because if it.


----------



## Kentajalli

DecentLevi said:


> Were you being sarcastic? I see 0 point in your comment, quite condescending, highly unrealistic and not helpful for the community.


Not sarcastic at all, very genuine!
I am sorry you feel my comment is "not helpful to the community", but with your permission, we leave that to moderators.
If you check my comment, you will see that it was a reply - to a comment that "Mojo2 $90 case does not fit well and sloppy" - main reason for that is the positioning of the USB-C socket.
Many are complaining about this aspect of the Mojo2, the half-baked (last-minute) attempt to silence those who complained about lack of USB-C on new Chord products.
Hopefully, Chord will take all these criticisms (sarcasms) onboard and not repeat this kind of mistake.
And that is possibly the _point _you called 0 and condescending! perhaps ......


----------



## NoTimeFor

SRKRAM said:


> You must admit that the USB-C port does look like a bit of an afterthought which was just added as a slight concession to modernity. I know that Chord wanted to keep compatibility with the Poly, but even that is 5 years old now and there are plenty of ways in which it could be improved. To many potential mojo 2 buyers who don't own a Poly the micro USB ports would seem a bit anachronistic and I's sure that they will loose customers because if it.


M2 USB-C works great - I don't have problem, but if someone wants to use COAX and USB-C at the same time (I cannot see use case for it) then one might face space issue. I'd say people buy M2 for sound quality, crossfeed, DPS, and desktop mode. Having USB-C is a nice touch and I rarely look at the inputs when I am listening to Mojo 2, so the arrangement of inputs don't bother me visually. Design wise, smaller 4 balls is the qutest lol.


----------



## AmanPreet

NoTimeFor said:


> M2 USB-C works great - I don't have problem, but if someone wants to use COAX and USB-C at the same time (I cannot see use case for it) then one might face space issue. I'd say people buy M2 for sound quality, crossfeed, DPS, and desktop mode. Having USB-C is a nice touch and I rarely look at the inputs when I am listening to Mojo 2, so the arrangement of inputs don't bother me visually. Design wise, smaller 4 balls is the qutest lol.


+1 to this. Even I feel USB C is positioned okayish. I always wanted ports to lower so that fewer chances of bending ports/plugs.


----------



## againa (Mar 18, 2022)

RogueTao said:


> mconnect app
> 
> FiiO LT-LT1 USB Type-C to Lightning data cable (single 10 cm cable connection), reportedly works with the Mojo 2:
> https://darko.audio/2022/02/vlog-portable-audio-in-portugal-w-plex-chord-mojo-2/
> ...


found it on Ebay for 20 euros including shipping.. it will take a week to get it.. and I'll let everyone knows if it's working.

I saw the video and someone told him its working however the cable that works from meenova specifically said that is not working with fiio dac … so let see ill get in 6 days but i have the impression i have wasted another 20 euros…
thanks!


----------



## dsrk (Mar 18, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> Again, I was not trying to say that Mojo2's EQ implementation is superior to other devices, simply that it is _Unique _- no other device I have heard of, does EQ in same way.


.


----------



## leaky74

RogueTao said:


> mconnect app
> 
> FiiO LT-LT1 USB Type-C to Lightning data cable (single 10 cm cable connection), reportedly works with the Mojo 2:
> https://darko.audio/2022/02/vlog-portable-audio-in-portugal-w-plex-chord-mojo-2/
> ...



I wonder if the Audioquest longer length equivalents (lightning to usb c), work too?


----------



## Kentajalli

dsrk said:


> My intention was if you don't test it personally how can you confirm.
> 
> If it is actually better, we all welcome it and want it. That's why we are here, aren't we?


You don't read the replies, do you?
I don't care if it is better or worse, for that I need not test it.


----------



## dsrk (Mar 18, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> You don't read the replies, do you?
> I don't care if it is better or worse, for that I need not test it.


I gave up


----------



## Klmahnn

Just received mine… off the bat, I’m not all that happy with the balls rattling around… or the sloppy finish on the text that makes it look scratched (but isn’t). Does everyone have this?


----------



## jarnopp

Klmahnn said:


> Just received mine… off the bat, I’m not all that happy with the balls rattling around… or the sloppy finish on the text that makes it look scratched (but isn’t). Does everyone have this?


My text is not like that. But the laser etching on Mojo2 is lighter and less prominent than Mojo or Poly. But it’s usually in a case anyway.


----------



## Radaos

Radaos said:


> I just ordered a Valentinum Mojo case, don't know if it can even be shipped, but they can use any support they can get right now.


Dispatched. Yay!


----------



## Nick24JJ

Just ordered mine, the Mojo 2 I mean, a few minutes ago. It will be here in a few days. We will see

PS: does it get hot?


----------



## Radaos

Nick24JJ said:


> Just ordered mine, the Mojo 2 I mean, a few minutes ago. It will be here in a few days. We will see
> 
> PS: does it get hot?


Nothing beyond slightly warm in my experience.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Thanks, that's good to hear 

Can anyone suggest me a good 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter? The majority of my cables are 2.5mm. I am using IEMs

Thank you


----------



## rwelles

dd hifi


----------



## againa

Klmahnn said:


> Just received mine… off the bat, I’m not all that happy with the balls rattling around… or the sloppy finish on the text that makes it look scratched (but isn’t). Does everyone have this?


Uhm its badly scratched … my engraving is just right .. return it?


----------



## Klmahnn

againa said:


> Uhm its badly scratched … my engraving is just right .. return it?


Yup, along with the noise issues and fried iems (RIP) I've been reading about, I'm not even giving it a listen. Back it goes!


----------



## Nick24JJ (Mar 18, 2022)

rwelles said:


> dd hifi


Thanks, I've just ordered this one, DD ddHiFi DJ35AR, but it will arrive at the end of April 😥
I will use the stock 3.5mm cables until then. Any 6.35 to 3.5mm adapter for my Sennheiser HD600?

@Klmahnn , sorry man! 😲I hope mine won't be like that..


----------



## DecentLevi

Kentajalli said:


> Not sarcastic at all, very genuine!
> I am sorry you feel my comment is "not helpful to the community", but with your permission, we leave that to moderators.
> If you check my comment, you will see that it was a reply - to a comment that "Mojo2 $90 case does not fit well and sloppy" - main reason for that is the positioning of the USB-C socket.
> Many are complaining about this aspect of the Mojo2, the half-baked (last-minute) attempt to silence those who complained about lack of USB-C on new Chord products.
> ...


I guess it becomes a bit unnerving having this thread so heavily saturated with criticisms of USB implementations, especially starting with all the micro USB gripes. I have my gripes too: the fact that neither input or output is compatible with my system; I would have to get a RCA coax to 2.5 mm converter for the input, and a 3.5 mm to dual RCA output converter on the analog out... Certainly I could complain, maybe I will. But I'm  not going to go full out and lambast the pioneering USA company of Chord Electronics and their savant designer that their design will bite them in the rear "for years to come". It won't, I guarantee it, and these kind of statements take a toll on the team spirit overall. I'm sure they've got better things in the pipeline, and people like me who can find ways around these small inconveniences, to gain the advantage of sound improvements overall.


----------



## Klmahnn

Nick24JJ said:


> Thanks, I've just ordered this one, DD ddHiFi DJ35AR, but it will arrive at the end of April 😥
> I will use the stock 3.5mm cables until then. Any 6.35 to 3.5mm adapter for my Sennheiser HD600?
> 
> @Klmahnn , sorry man! 😲I hope mine won't be like that..


Fingers crossed. I would have kept an eye out for when these issues would (hopefully) have been resolved and gotten another, however, it seems to be another product that has foregone any kind of protection circuitry to preserve audio quality from what I've gleaned in this thread? Happy to be corrected... The Adi-2 dac has protection circuitry and can be coupled to a power bank for greater transportability, so perhaps I'll just stick to that 🤷🏻‍♂️


----------



## jlbrach

Klmahnn said:


> Just received mine… off the bat, I’m not all that happy with the balls rattling around… or the sloppy finish on the text that makes it look scratched (but isn’t). Does everyone have this?


the balls rattle around on the mojo and hugo 2...no way around it


----------



## Amlalsulami

Anyone know of a Hiby-Mojo 2 transport case yet?


----------



## NoTimeFor

Klmahnn said:


> Just received mine… off the bat, I’m not all that happy with the balls rattling around… or the sloppy finish on the text that makes it look scratched (but isn’t). Does everyone have this?


Mine is not like that. I kindda like the rattling buttons. It's imperfection sort of making it stands out (like being a rebel in a way) in a society where perfection is everything ...


----------



## NoTimeFor

rwelles said:


> dd hifi


I am using one with my headphone plug. It's relatively inexpensive but really well crafted in my untrained eyes.


----------



## tekkster

scratchy?  Hmmmm. Doesn’t seem that way to me


----------



## dsrk

Nick24JJ said:


> Thanks, I've just ordered this one, DD ddHiFi DJ35AR, but it will arrive at the end of April 😥
> I will use the stock 3.5mm cables until then. Any 6.35 to 3.5mm adapter for my Sennheiser HD600?
> 
> @Klmahnn , sorry man! 😲I hope mine won't be like that..


This is better IMO:
https://www.amazon.com/CableCreatio...d=1647662630&sprefix=6.35mm+fe,aps,258&sr=8-6


----------



## Nick24JJ

dsrk said:


> This is better IMO:
> https://www.amazon.com/CableCreation-Headphone-Adapter-Amplifier-Theater/dp/B097MQHDGW/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=6.35mm+female+to+3.5mm+adapter+male&qid=1647662630&sprefix=6.35mm+fe,aps,258&sr=8-6


Thank you, but it is not available on Amazon UK. What about this one?

Also, can you guys please suggest me a good short cable to connect the Mojo 2 with my Android phone, the POCO F2 Pro?


----------



## againa

RogueTao said:


> mconnect app
> 
> FiiO LT-LT1 USB Type-C to Lightning data cable (single 10 cm cable connection), reportedly works with the Mojo 2:
> https://darko.audio/2022/02/vlog-portable-audio-in-portugal-w-plex-chord-mojo-2/
> ...


I just got it today and it DOES works.
Mojo correctly report the right bitrate (at leadt till 192 kHZ (i don’t have anything above).
Also the USB C plug is really tight REALLY REALLY tight. So there is no way its going to bend or anything else IMHO is a way netter option than the mini usb connector
Thanks again RogueTao


----------



## Nick24JJ (Mar 19, 2022)

I just got mine, half an hour ago, and I have it charging through a USB port of this. Super fast delivery, btw, I've ordered it just last night! 😀

It feels a tidy bit heavier than expected, no problem at all!

Two things:

1) When I turn it upside down, gently, I hear a noise, like some screw is loose or something like that. It's not loud, neither does it feel broken. Is this normal?
2) The logo as well as the button indicators are faint. The Mojo 2 logo on the front becomes visible only under strong day light. Is this normal? In the photos, on various reviews, it appears more bold.

_(Device, registered, just contacted Chord support for the above)_

And one question: the charge status LED is pulsing blue and the Menu button is white(ish). Is this how it is supposed to work?

I have not powered it on, yet, just took it out of the package and put it to charge. When it is fully charged, does the charge status LED stop pulsing? And remain blue for as long as the battery level is between 75% to 100% ? Is this how it works?


----------



## NoTimeFor (Mar 19, 2022)

Anyone find that poorly recorded songs or dynamic range compressed songs are unlistenable with Mojo2? I am thinking Mojo 2 is highly transparent in that way. I can pick out distortion in the music at a low volume even ...


----------



## Relaxasaurus

Here's Rob Watts' presentation at Canjam, where he expands on the slides he posted earlier in the thread:


----------



## NoTimeFor

Nick24JJ said:


> I just got mine, half an hour ago, and I have it charging through a USB port of this. Super fast delivery, btw, I've ordered it just last night! 😀
> 
> It feels a tidy bit heavier than expected, no problem at all!
> 
> ...


1 - What you're hearing is rattling sound from loose buttons. Some find that less desirable, but I like it
2 - Mine too. Again, I like the fact that the logo and labels are not conspicuous


----------



## Klmahnn

I’ve searched through this thread and there are a fair few reports of a white noise issue and it doesn’t seem to be specific to an OS (or even exclusive to the Mojo amongst Chord products).

Has anyone who contacted support got a satisfactory response? I’m wondering whether to return my unit and look elsewhere or just ask for an exchange.

I suppose, whilst unpleasant and hopefully easily avoided by following some simple dos/don’ts, it might not be a dealbreaker. Unless of course it’s frying iems and possibly damaging less sensitive drivers over time…


----------



## Nick24JJ

NoTimeFor said:


> 1 - What you're hearing is rattling sound from loose buttons. Some find that less desirable, but I like it
> 2 - Mine too. Again, I like the fact that the logo and labels are not conspicuous


Ah, okay, I see, great then, thank you! 👍
I've never owned/used any other Chord product, so I was not aware. As long as the device itself is not faulty, I am perfectly fine with all that!  

PS: Do you know the answer to my question, re: the charge LED? Does it keep pulsing forever, while charging, or does it stop? Because I have it for like 2.5 hours now, and it keeps pulsing blue.


----------



## NoTimeFor

Nick24JJ said:


> Ah, okay, I see, great then, thank you! 👍
> I've never owned/used any other Chord product, so I was not aware. As long as the device itself is not faulty, I am perfectly fine with all that!
> 
> PS: Do you know the answer to my question, re: the charge LED? Does it keep pulsing forever, while charging, or does it stop? Because I have it for like 2.5 hours now, and it keeps pulsing blue.


Mine pulse too. In the manual, it says that is desktop mode.


----------



## Kentajalli (Mar 19, 2022)

DecentLevi said:


> I guess it becomes a bit unnerving having this thread so heavily saturated with criticisms of USB implementations, especially starting with all the micro USB gripes. I have my gripes too: the fact that neither input or output is compatible with my system; I would have to get a RCA coax to 2.5 mm converter for the input, and a 3.5 mm to dual RCA output converter on the analog out... Certainly I could complain, maybe I will. But I'm  not going to go full out and lambast the pioneering USA company of Chord Electronics and their savant designer that their design will bite them in the rear "for years to come". It won't, I guarantee it, and these kind of statements take a toll on the team spirit overall. I'm sure they've got better things in the pipeline, and people like me who can find ways around these small inconveniences, to gain the advantage of sound improvements overall.


They are British BTW, so am I and very proud of them.
I am a fan of Chord, have Mojo classic and Hugo2 - thinking of getting a TT2 as well.
I am also fully aware, that atleast for data, USB-C has nothing over any USB-2 implementation (For power USB-C is superior). For convenience and keeping up with times, USB-C was a MUST!
Already, as you say, there is a lot of dismay about Chord and USB-C. Think about it, Mojo2 has just come out and will not get upgraded for a few years (Chord track record). This means for the next few years we have to deal with micro-usb (obsolete years ago), not only that, should they decide to upgrade the (already aging BT4.0) Poly, they will have no option but to keep the damn thing going still! for how many more years?
Don't you see the madness in that?  The current USB-C on Mojo2 is redundant! in a bad place, serves no purpose but to shut the complaining crowd up.
We have come to expect our beloved Chord to be a pioneering company - this was a mistake.
All for what? Not coming up with an alternative?

I am no expert, but what was wrong with this; ? ?
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ing-on-page-95-of-thread.885405/post-16820475






A simple passive adaptor, they could have included a sleeve too with the part. A cheap alternative, but future proof!
Poly2 could employ USB-C and not need the adaptor, while Mojo2 would have remained compatible with Poly classic.
And _Please _don't come back and complain about Poly-Mojo2 case issues or the added cost of the adaptor with sleeve - anyone who can afford Poly, can afford a passive adaptor (less than $50) to keep on using their beloved gadget.
But the deed is done, and we (well me) keep on complaining, making sure it won't happen again (to Hugo3 perhaps).


----------



## Nick24JJ (Mar 19, 2022)

NoTimeFor said:


> Mine pulse too. In the manual, it says that is desktop mode.


Thank you 
Actually, when the Mojo 2 is fully charged, the Menu button becomes purple and the charge LED stops pulsing and it's just blue. Mine just did that.

Also, here's the official Chord response, re: the noises. _This is the button mounts dropping into their housing and is completely normal (this process gives them a degree of shock resistance)._


----------



## Radaos (Mar 19, 2022)

NoTimeFor said:


> Anyone find that poorly recorded songs or dynamic range compressed songs are unlistenable with Mojo2? I am thinking Mojo 2 is highly transparent in that way. I can pick out distortion in the music at a low volume even ...



My benchmark is All Right Now by Free. great song, but a horrible recording. 
The better the hi-fi system, the worse it sounds.


----------



## NoTimeFor

Kentajalli said:


> They are British BTW, so am I and very proud of them.
> I am a fan of Chord, have Mojo classic and Hugo2 - thinking of getting a TT2 as well.
> I am also fully aware, that atleast for data, USB-C has nothing over any USB-2 implementation (For power USB-C is superior). For convenience and keeping up with times, USB-C was a MUST!
> Already, as you say, there is a lot of dismay about Chord and USB-C. Think about it, Mojo2 has just come out and will not get upgraded for a few years (Chord track record). This means for the next few years we have to deal with micro-usb, not only that, should they decide to upgrade the (already few years old) Poly, they will have no option but to keep the damn thing going still! for how many more years?
> ...


I don't know about you but I have more micro usb cables than usbc. Usbc isn't still the norm in audiophile world, imo


----------



## Kentajalli

NoTimeFor said:


> I don't know about you but I have more micro usb cables than usbc. Usbc isn't still the norm in audiophile world, imo


So do I actually! because I am old and won't throw anything out! (Chord won't let me ) .
But times have changed, go to Amazon and search for fast chargers, already over half of them are USB-C only!
People already have, and will have, more and more USB-C only chargers and cables. Mojo2 should have remained with times in years to come.


----------



## NoTimeFor

My Mojo is fully loaded lol.


----------



## tekkster

NoTimeFor said:


> Anyone find that poorly recorded songs or dynamic range compressed songs are unlistenable with Mojo2? I am thinking Mojo 2 is highly transparent in that way. I can pick out distortion in the music at a low volume even ...


I have a delta goodrem album that plays fine on a bunch of dacs but on the mojo, mojo2, and hugo2, it plays so horribly i can’t listen to it.


----------



## Radaos (Mar 19, 2022)

Edited: accidental duplicate post.


----------



## tekkster

i’m a fan of the duoo X10Tii

nice to have physical controls, a screen, and while it has coax out, currently enjoying optical.

use it with stellia, cascade, kse1200, and when beingreally mobile, the $25 cca nra, which does classical and jazz very well.

i have the poly as well, but the lack of screen and physical controls can be annoying.  No-look track skipping with physical controls is so much easier than busting out the smartphone and getting to the app.


----------



## Jezda

tekkster said:


> i’m a fan of the duoo X10Tii
> 
> nice to have physical controls, a screen, and while it has coax out, currently enjoying optical.
> 
> ...


I am also a fan of duoo X10Tii. Great transport! Using it with my Hugo2 and Mojo OG.
What is the optical cable you have, please? Only using coax and usb out.


----------



## spruce (Mar 19, 2022)

NoTimeFor said:


> Anyone find that poorly recorded songs or dynamic range compressed songs are unlistenable with Mojo2? I am thinking Mojo 2 is highly transparent in that way. I can pick out distortion in the music at a low volume even ...


Would love to hear others thoughts on this. I’ve heard the original Mojo may be more laid-back in some respects and perhaps this is one of them? I’ve run into big trouble a few times with highly resolving equipment, purportedly being “better”, that degrades the listening experience.

As an extremely happy owner of a Mojo, who is very interested in the Mojo 2, I would like to know if listening to poorly recorded tracks will be a potential issue.


----------



## NoTimeFor

spruce said:


> Would love to hear others thoughts on this. I’ve heard the original Mojo may be more laid-back in some respects and perhaps this is one of them? I’ve run into big trouble a few times with highly resolving equipment, purportedly being “better”, that degrades the listening experience.
> 
> As an extremely happy owner of a Mojo, who is very interested in the Mojo 2, I would like to know if listening to poorly recorded tracks will be a potential issue.


It would be unpleasant if you listen with highly transparent / resolving headphones. For instance, with poor recordings, I use Nighthawks that are pretty dark and soft resolving


----------



## vlach

tekkster said:


> i’m a fan of the duoo X10Tii
> 
> nice to have physical controls, a screen, and while it has coax out, currently enjoying optical.
> 
> ...


I think you would be better off with a short 'flexible' optical cable. That way the Mojo wouldn't be offset from the DAP and could be positioned however you want it. I also think a very stiff connection causes more stress to the connectors since there is no give.


----------



## spruce

NoTimeFor said:


> It would be unpleasant if you listen with highly transparent / resolving headphones. For instance, with poor recordings, I use Nighthawks that are pretty dark and soft resolving


Interesting. I think many folks here have at least one, and probably several, highly resolving and transparent headphones they plan to use the Mojo 2 with…


----------



## DecentLevi (Mar 19, 2022)

Does anyone here use the Mojo 2 with a full-size / desktop tube amp? If so, does the tube saturation gel well with its sound signature? Or what about the concept in general of external amps with it - due to having no line out it becomes double amping, so does that exacerbate the micro details or dynamics too much?


----------



## NoTimeFor (Mar 19, 2022)

spruce said:


> Interesting. I think many folks here have at least one, and probably several, highly resolving and transparent headphones they plan to use the Mojo 2 with…


I use it with both type of cans. I take back what I said earlier. Just tried HQplayer with M2. It's marvellous. Wow .. Such realism and soul engaging ...


----------



## NoTimeFor

DecentLevi said:


> Does anyone here use the Mojo 2 with a full-size / desktop tube amp? If so, does the tube saturation gel well with its sound signature? Or what about the concept in general of external amps with it - due to having no line out it becomes double amping, so does that exacerbate the micro details or dynamics too much?


I use McIntosh MHA200. I think M2 has a nice amp out. But with MHA200, I find the sound just extra engaging and expansion of soundstage around my head.


----------



## joshnor713

DecentLevi said:


> Does anyone here use the Mojo 2 with a full-size / desktop tube amp? If so, does the tube saturation gel well with its sound signature? Or what about the concept in general of external amps with it - due to having no line out it becomes double amping, so does that exacerbate the micro details or dynamics too much?


I use the Hugo 2 with a tube amp (sorry, didn't upgrade my Mojo 1 to the 2 yet). Bear in mind that with Chord's DACs, you're not double-amping. They don't have an amp (volume/gain is controlled digitally). So don't have to worry about this.

The Hugo 2, being neutral, pairs beautifully with a tube amp. Trading a little resolution/transparency for body/warmth, more-so depending on the amp you get. Since the Mojo 2 is more like it now, bet it'd be a similar thing. I would personally not pair the Mojo 1 with a tube amp; just would be too much warmth.


----------



## vlach

The Chord Mojo (and I'm sure the Hugo2 as well) has one (1) amp stage.


----------



## vo_obgyn

NoTimeFor said:


> I use McIntosh MHA200. I think M2 has a nice amp out. But with MHA200, I find the sound just extra engaging and expansion of soundstage around my head.


I was wondering, what is your Mojo 2 volume level when connected to the MHA200? The Mojo 2 does not have a fixed line level out, so I was wondering how to set the Mojo 2 volume when connected to the MHA200. Thanks.


----------



## DecentLevi

NoTimeFor said:


> I use McIntosh MHA200. I think M2 has a nice amp out. But with MHA200, I find the sound just extra engaging and expansion of soundstage around my head.


Nice. Do you know of a cable worth recommending to use the Mojo with an amp? I'm looking for single 3.5mm to dual RCA cable. A short y-splitter cable with premium metals, not just an adapter because I want to use it with my thick, heavy aftermarket RCA cable.

I've also used my former Chord Qutest with tube amps and it was fantastic.


----------



## tekkster (Mar 19, 2022)

Jezda said:


> I am also a fan of duoo X10Tii. Great transport! Using it with my Hugo2 and Mojo OG.
> What is the optical cable you have, please? Only using coax and usb out.


The one from moon audio.  It’s pre-shaped, which makes for a compact setup.

https://www.moon-audio.com/silver-dragon-toslink-digital-cable.html


----------



## NoTimeFor (Mar 19, 2022)

vo_obgyn said:


> I was wondering, what is your Mojo 2 volume level when connected to the MHA200? The Mojo 2 does not have a fixed line level out, so I was wondering how to set the Mojo 2 volume when connected to the MHA200. Thanks.


It varies from song to song, but usually I put the MHA200 volume at 12'o unity gain and I adjust M2 volume to a normal listening level (i.e. light blue) then from there I use MHA200 volume knob. However, M2 amp out is impressive- Sound quality is pretty much constant for all volume range and I could not hear distortion even at max volume, but it got hot, so I try to keep M2 volume lower.


DecentLevi said:


> Nice. Do you know of a cable worth recommending to use the Mojo with an amp? I'm looking for single 3.5mm to dual RCA cable. A short y-splitter cable with premium metals, not just an adapter because I want to use it with my thick, heavy aftermarket RCA cable.
> 
> I've also used my former Chord Qutest with tube amps and it was fantastic.


I am currently using 3.5mm - RCA adaptor from Audioquest. It does a good job with Mojo. Cables do make difference, IMO. I was using Balden cable from Bluejean; well made cable and does the job. However, I recently replaced that with Lavricable silver RCA. They use Aeco plugs that sounds very good. I read that the hollow pin RCA plugs that Aeco makes sound better than WBT plugs from some cable DIY forum.

The difference was not night and day, but the overall soundscape became more expensive. Treble was more relaxed, I could hear more music due to more extended decay. I thought about getting Y cable, but its application is limited so I got the RCA adaptor and premium RCA cables that made more sense for my use case.


----------



## DecentLevi (Mar 20, 2022)

NoTimeFor said:


> It varies from song to song, but usually I put the MHA200 volume at 12'o unity gain and I adjust M2 volume to a normal listening level (i.e. light blue) then from there I use MHA200 volume knob. However, M2 amp out is impressive- Sound quality is pretty much constant for all volume range and I could not hear distortion even at max volume, but it got hot, so I try to keep M2 volume lower.
> 
> I am currently using 3.5mm - RCA adaptor from Audioquest. It does a good job with Mojo. Cables do make difference, IMO. I was using Balden cable from Bluejean; well made cable and does the job. However, I recently replaced that with Lavricable silver RCA. They use Aeco plugs that sounds very good. I read that the hollow pin RCA plugs that Aeco makes sound better than WBT plugs from some cable DIY forum.
> 
> The difference was not night and day, but the overall soundscape became more expensive. Treble was more relaxed, I could hear more music due to more extended decay. I thought about getting Y cable, but its application is limited so I got the RCA adaptor and premium RCA cables that made more sense for my use case.


Much thanks for your input! Saw the silver cable you're using and I see how it can make sense with an adapter. My custom silver RCA cable on the other hand is much thicker and heavier like a snake, so would put strain on the adapter. I'm checking on the cable thread here for any premium quality short y-splitter recommendations, unless someone else here has another suggestion.

For the digital input, I'm thinking of going with BlueJeans though. I've had what I consider world-class results with their cheap Belden 1694A BNC coax cable between my DDC and DAC's with specific premium ferrite chokes on it, in my personal opinion rivaling the WAVE reference cables which I extensively compared it to. I'll have to see if they can terminate it RCA to 3.5mm though.

PS - I also found the BlueJeans RCA cables somewhat lacking, but used as RCA/BNC coax with special ferrite chokes, the story dramatically changed.

But does the Mojo 2 coax connection use a 2-pin connection like this?





_(lower portion of photo. Credit goes to miketlse)_


----------



## Nick24JJ (Mar 20, 2022)

Guys, since you are talking about cables, can you please help me choose a decent short USB C cable to connect my Mojo 2 to my Android phone? I am a bit confused, sorry..
Is this one, good? If not, from where could I buy a better one *in the UK? *Yesterday, after receiving my Mojo 2, I've connected it to my POCO F2 Pro phone, using this cable, because it is the only one available in my home now. It played but it did not sound right... It did not sound well, I don't know why.. Can you please help?

Thank you

PS: Also, when it comes to Mojo's inputs, USB C is preferable to Micro-USB input, correct?


----------



## Kentajalli

Nick24JJ said:


> Guys, since you are talking about cables, can you please help me choose a decent short USB C cable to connect my Mojo 2 to my Android phone? I am a bit confused, sorry..


I advise against short! phones are noisy , keeping them away is better.


Nick24JJ said:


> Is this one, good? If not, from where could I buy a better one *in the UK? *Yesterday, after receiving my Mojo 2, I've connected it to my POCO F2 Pro phone, using this cable, because it is the only one available in my home now. It played but it did not sound right... It did not sound well, I don't know why.. Can you please help?


USB input, is not affected by cable, bad cable sometimes makes it not work at all. the only issue with any electrical connection to Mojo is RF noise, so I doubt it is the cable.


Nick24JJ said:


> Thank you
> 
> PS: Also, when it comes to Mojo's inputs, USB C is preferable to Micro-USB input, correct?


Wrong! technically .
USB audio does not go beyond USB 2.
so USB-C has nothing over micro.
Convenience ? absolutely .


----------



## Nick24JJ

Kentajalli said:


> I advise against short! phones are noisy , keeping them away is better.
> 
> USB input, is not affected by cable, bad cable sometimes makes it not work at all. the only issue with any electrical connection to Mojo is RF noise, so I doubt it is the cable.
> 
> ...


Okay, I see, thank you for your reply! So, if you advise against short cables, how am I supposed to carry the Mojo 2 together with my phone, in my pocket? And, which cable would you suggest to connect the Mojo 2 with an Android phone like mine? (Poco F2 Pro)


----------



## Kentajalli (Mar 20, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> Okay, I see, thank you for your reply! So, if you advise against short cables, how am I supposed to carry the Mojo 2 together with my phone, in my pocket?


You have more than one pocket I assume 😊.
In UK we always wear a jacket! I have been using any DACs I ever had in my top coat pocket, coiled up IEM, short to my ears, and a longish , thin, flexible USB to my phone, which I keep in my side pocket. This way, I can take out only the phone, read messages, browse, change tracks  etc. while playing.



Nick24JJ said:


> And, which cable would you suggest to connect the Mojo 2 with an Android phone like mine? (Poco F2 Pro)


I suppose any thin, flexible USB-C cable would do, if one side is at right angle, the better.
At home, again, Mojo stays on the sofa or a table, and the phone is still free to be picked up and used.
Frankly, I don't have a pocket big enough for Mojo and phone strapped together weighing nearly a pound!


----------



## Nick24JJ (Mar 20, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> You have more than one pocket I assume 😊.
> In UK we always wear a jacket! I have been using any DACs I ever had in my top coat pocket, coiled up IEM, short to my ears, and a longish , thin, flexible USB to my phone, which I keep in my side pocket. This way, I can take out only the phone, read messages, browse, change tracks  etc. while playing.
> 
> 
> ...


Hey there, thank you for your answer, no worries. I've just ordered 2 cables, a mytysun and a KORQU. Whichever will feel more convenient, and won't cause any issues, will be kept/used, the other one will be returned, or I might even keep it, no worries. My current cable is 30cm long, so it is inconvenient. These are 10cm and 13.7cm, respectively.

I bought my Mojo 2 to use it as a desktop DAC/Headphone amp with my computer. In the future, it will be staying on my desk, permanently. Right now, I just own a laptop but around December I will be purchasing a good desktop computer. I am just waiting for AMD to release their new processors. Until then, well, I would like to listen to my Mojo a little bit, you know? Thus, I'm getting these cables. I will never carry the Mojo 2 outside of my house. For me, it is a transportable device, not a portable device. Portable, for me, is my Qudelix-5K and super portable and convenient is my FiiO UTWS5. But I would like to listen to my Mojo a bit, as well.

Thank you

PS: I'm glad you have time to actually sit down and listen to music. I have very many things to do, indoors and outdoors, so no time for me.


----------



## tonedeafmelomaniac

MSA1133 said:


> Regarding Mojo 2 vs Gryphon, I've been testing both. If you're looking for pure sound quality, then you can't go wrong with the Mojo 2 (the Gryphon is no slouch though, and it's a close call). If you need Bluetooth and MQA, then the Gryphon would fit your needs better.


Hello! Which one has more natural analogue sound?


----------



## Stevko

Still considering mojo 2.
Made in GB and non MQA is very nice  

But how to enable 2V line out?
How much power do mojo 2 deliver in 300ohm?


----------



## spruce

the W said:


> I am also having a defective unit with clicking noise on the left side. I bought from Gramophone, and they indicated that I am the only one having issue on Mojo2, which sounds perfect to everyone else. Having difficulty to get exchange.


Thanks for the heads up! Did you get an exchange? I see they are charging $799 on Amazon right now.


----------



## the W

spruce said:


> Thanks for the heads up! Did you get an exchange? I see they are charging $799 on Amazon right now.


Yes, I contacted Chord support and they told me the behavior of my Mojo2 was not correct so I should returned to the dealer. I bought from Gramophone on Amazon, and after I showed them my email exchange with Chord, they issued a return for me. I ordered another one from Gramophone for 725 a couple days ago and it works fine now. 

Just checked price, it increased to 799… lol


----------



## someyoungguy

Looks like Dignis have a case coming out soon too:


----------



## 529128

RogueTao said:


> mconnect app
> 
> FiiO LT-LT1 USB Type-C to Lightning data cable (single 10 cm cable connection), reportedly works with the Mojo 2:
> https://darko.audio/2022/02/vlog-portable-audio-in-portugal-w-plex-chord-mojo-2/
> ...


Just received this. I can confirm this works flawlessly.


----------



## tekkster

someyoungguy said:


> Looks like Dignis have a case coming out soon too:


I miss the rigid plasticky case for the mojopoly, really wish they made a mojo2poly version


----------



## SRKRAM

someyoungguy said:


> Looks like Dignis have a case coming out soon too:


Just make sure you order from Dignis and not Dignitas


----------



## Chibs

henrikgadegaard said:


> Just received this. I can confirm this works flawlessly.


Without having to use the apple camera connector dongle on iphone?


----------



## NoTimeFor (Mar 21, 2022)

mojo2 at a high volume level gets fairly warm. I hate hot digital gear so I put m2 on top of a metal object and bottom of mojo2 touching that object. Now even at max volume, mojo runs cool.


----------



## Chris Kaoss

SRKRAM said:


> Just make sure you order from Dignis and not Dignitas


----------



## mariopoli

Where can I buy a Mojo2 in Europe and have it shipped to the United Sates?


----------



## tekkster

mariopoli said:


> Where can I buy a Mojo2 in Europe and have it shipped to the United Sates?


Good question!  I was just curious and checking around.  Seems like Mojo2 is out of stock at all the online stores I commonly use.  Wow.  Guess it's pretty popular.


----------



## leilei787

i was lucky to grab an open box unit from music room with 15% discount. i think there is a third party selling mojo 2 on Amazon, delivery is end of this month


----------



## YtseJamer

mariopoli said:


> Where can I buy a Mojo2 in Europe and have it shipped to the United Sates?



I have one available for sale here.


----------



## Radaos (Mar 22, 2022)

mariopoli said:


> Where can I buy a Mojo2 in Europe and have it shipped to the United Sates?


Available in this store with international shipping.
https://www.hifihut.ie/products/chord-mojo-2-portable-dac-headphone-amplifier


----------



## Nick24JJ (Mar 22, 2022)

I've set up my Mojo 2 on my Windows 11 Pro laptop according to this guide. When I am listening to Amazon Music Unlimited the power button color does not correspond to the sample rate. The song is playing at 44.1 kHz but the button lights up in light blue instead of red. In Qobuz, the power button lights up according to the sample rate. I've selected the Exclusive mode in the Amazon Music app, on my laptop. Am I doing something wrong?


----------



## Radaos

Nick24JJ said:


> I've set up my Mojo 2 on my Windows 11 Pro laptop according to this guide. When I am listening to Amazon Music Unlimited the power button color does not correspond to the sample rate. The song is playing at 44.1 kHz but the button lights up light blue instead of red. In Qobuz, the power button lights up according to the sample rate. I've selected the Exclusive mode in the Amazon Music app, on my laptop. Am I doing something wrong?


The setup guide you linked is for Mojo 1. I'm not sure if there were changes to the driver for Mojo 2, but the relevant information is here:
https://chordelectronics.co.uk/mojo-2-instructional
I'm not familiar with Amazon Music though.


----------



## Chibs

Nick24JJ said:


> I've set up my Mojo 2 on my Windows 11 Pro laptop according to this guide. When I am listening to Amazon Music Unlimited the power button color does not correspond to the sample rate. The song is playing at 44.1 kHz but the button lights up light blue instead of red. In Qobuz, the power button lights up according to the sample rate. I've selected the Exclusive mode in the Amazon Music app, on my laptop. Am I doing something wrong?


You're not, Amazon and windows is. Getting bit perfect off of a computer is bit of a mess. Especially with Amazon music.

I go into this in detail here if interested. 



TLDR - A streamer will fix this and sound much better.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Mar 22, 2022)

@Radaos , thanks, I've already watched that video. All it says is that you need to download and install the windows driver. The guide I've given, shows how to set it up in the Control Panel/Sound, as well.

@Chibs , thanks for your reply, really interesting video! Tomorrow I am receiving a FiiO BTA30 Pro. Will it do the trick?

And one last question: when the Mojo 2 is connected to a PC/laptop via USB, does it charge at the same time? Is this possible? Because now that I am using it with my laptop and listening to music, it does not charge. The battery status indicator has gone green (battery level 40% - 75%)

PS: I wish the button signs and the logo were a bit more bold. They are so faint on my unit. In the pictures of the reviews and in their YouTube videos, as well, they are clearly visible. Already contacted support, they said it is normal/same for everyone.


----------



## Matte Black

Seems like the Mojo 2 isn’t Roon tested yet, in my Roon settings the Poly is recognized, but the Mojo 2 is named an Unidentified device.

Do other Roon users have the same experience?

It’s also not mentioned yet here: https://roonlabs.com/partners/chord


----------



## Chibs

Nick24JJ said:


> @Radaos , thanks, I've already watched that video. All it says is that you need to download and install the windows driver. The guide I've given, shows how to set it up in the Control Panel/Sound, as well.
> 
> @Chibs , thanks for your reply, really interesting video! Tomorrow I am receiving a FiiO BTA30 Pro. Will it do the trick?
> 
> ...


I have the Bta30 Pro too. Use it connected to my TV in conjunction with the Btr5. Great combo for that stuff but sadly won't help your situation.
You can also get bit perfect out of your computer from Tidal but your Mojo won't support MQA and coming out of your computer will sound meh anyways.
Basically, if you want bit perfect with amazon you'll need a streamer that supports Amazon Music. You can get Bitperfect to your dac from iphone or ipad if you switch to Apple music though. I have an other video on the Streaming services that I've tried (if you search my channel).

We still have a long way to go with high res music streaming. Hopefully things will become less complicated soon!


----------



## Nick24JJ (Mar 22, 2022)

Chibs said:


> I have the Bta30 Pro too. Use it connected to my TV in conjunction with the Btr5. Great combo for that stuff but sadly won't help your situation.
> You can also get bit perfect out of your computer from Tidal but your Mojo won't support MQA and coming out of your computer will sound meh anyways.
> Basically, if you want bit perfect with amazon you'll need a streamer that supports Amazon Music. You can get Bitperfect to your dac from iphone or ipad if you switch to Apple music though. I have an other video on the Streaming services that I've tried (if you search my channel).
> 
> We still have a long way to go with high res music streaming. Hopefully things will become less complicated soon!


Thanks, I'll have a look at your channel. I'm on Android, no Apple here, sorry. I will try to use the BTA30 Pro with my Qudelix-5K. I think it will work OK, I don't trust FiiO but I gave in, this time. The sad thing, I've learned from your video, is that it's not just a color that's not changing on Amazon HD + Ultra, but it is actually the quality of the sound. On Qobuz, it changes and it sounds different, as well. Let me confirm, though: when Qobuz says 24 bits / 96 kHz, and Mojo 2 lights up a green power button, am I actually listening to that?

Also, to reply to myself: nope, the Mojo 2 will not charge when connected to a desktop/laptop via USB-C while listening to music, but it will charge if connected via the
Micro-USB charging input to the PC, while playing music via its USB-C input. So, you need to connect it with both cables.


----------



## Chibs

Nick24JJ said:


> Thanks, I'll have a look at your channel. I'm on Android, no Apple here, sorry. I will try to use the BTA30 Pro with my Qudelix-5K. I think it will work OK, I don't trust FiiO but I gave in, this time. The sad thing, I've learned from your video, is that it's not just a color that's not changing on Amazon HD + Ultra, but it is actually the quality of the sound. On Qobuz, it changes and it sounds different, as well. Let me confirm, though: when Qobuz says 24 bits / 96 kHz, and Mojo 2 lights up a green power button, am I actually listening to that?
> 
> Also, to reply to myself: nope, the Mojo 2 will not charge when connected to a desktop/laptop via USB-C while listening to music, but it will charge if connected via the
> Micro-USB charging input to the PC, while playing music via its USB-C input. So, you need to connect it with both cables.


I can tell you with certainty, amazon won't be any different with that BTA30 from your PC.
Quobuz is a different story. I have no experience with it because I can't get it here. Honestly, I'm jealous you have it.

Rob Watts designed the mojo2 so the charging is separate from data.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Chibs said:


> I can tell you with certainty, amazon won't be any different with that BTA30 from your PC.
> Quobuz is a different story. I have no experience with it because I can't get it here. Honestly, I'm jealous you have it.
> 
> Rob Watts designed the mojo2 so the charging is separate from data.


We'll see tomorrow, when I will get the BTA30 Pro. The reason I got it is that I want Bluetooth indoors, while I am moving inside my property doing various things. For now, I am using my FiiO UTWS5. It's fine but goes up to aptX Adaptive only. My Qudelix-5K can do LDAC + PEQ. I'm not sure if the BTA30 Pro can connect, somehow, with my XBOX Series S, I don't think so. It cannot even connect "properly" to the UTWS5, it cannot control play/pause or next/previous song...

Yeah, Qobuz might be a different story when used with UAPP on Android, it supports bit-perfect then. I'll get it tomorrow, and I will then listen to a few songs from there, and then the same from Amazon HD, at 48 kHz. I am curious if I will be able to hear a difference. Don't envy me. I'm paying Amazon Prime, Video, Music, I even had an Audible subscription for 2 years. Yet, I'm mostly listening to YouTube free because the DJ sets I'm dying for, are not available anywhere else.

Yeah, Rob designed the Mojo 2 so the charging is separate from data, so I need a longer charging cable to reach my Multiple Plug Power Strip

Thank you


----------



## ChrisGB (Mar 22, 2022)

Deleted


----------



## ChrisGB

Nick24JJ said:


> We'll see tomorrow, when I will get the BTA30 Pro. The reason I got it is that I want Bluetooth indoors, while I am moving inside my property doing various things. For now, I am using my FiiO UTWS5. It's fine but goes up to aptX Adaptive only. My Qudelix-5K can do LDAC + PEQ. I'm not sure if the BTA30 Pro can connect, somehow, with my XBOX Series S, I don't think so. It cannot even connect "properly" to the UTWS5, it cannot control play/pause or next/previous song...
> 
> Yeah, Qobuz might be a different story when used with UAPP on Android, it supports bit-perfect then. I'll get it tomorrow, and I will then listen to a few songs from there, and then the same from Amazon HD, at 48 kHz. I am curious if I will be able to hear a difference. Don't envy me. I'm paying Amazon Prime, Video, Music, I even had an Audible subscription for 2 years. Yet, I'm mostly listening to YouTube free because the DJ sets I'm dying for, are not available anywhere else.
> 
> ...


Have you checked out Soundcloud and Bandcamp? Some very new stuff lands on these two.


----------



## SRKRAM

Nick24JJ said:


> Thank you for your reply, so to clarify, by in-house, do you mean that in an eventual firmware update we would have to return the units to Chord? Or, the device can accept a firmware update over USB?


The type of FPGA used in the mojo stores its configuration in SRAM , and is loaded into the device on power up. I presume that the FPGA code is stored in the microcontroller's non-volatile storage and transferred to the FPGA.  Chord probably have the ability to update all of the embedded software, including the FPGA code, but as others have said, I don't think they have ever done this for units in the field.


----------



## rkt31

Mojo 2 is so refined that even the harshest of recordings are listenable. Details and resolution is big bonus.


----------



## Nick24JJ

SRKRAM said:


> The type of FPGA used in the mojo stores its configuration in SRAM , and is loaded into the device on power up. I presume that the FPGA code is stored in the microcontroller's non-volatile storage and transferred to the FPGA.  Chord probably have the ability to update all of the embedded software, including the FPGA code, but as others have said, I don't think they have ever done this for units in the field.


Thanks for your reply, good to know 👍


----------



## Kentajalli (Mar 23, 2022)

*Just got mine delivered!*
Well actually this morning, ordered with Richer Sounds in UK for £450, free one and half day delivery (that's how long it took).
- First things first, I don't think build quality is up to Mojo Classic standards! the classic had precision shells that match perfectly together, if assembled carefully, you could close your eyes and run back of your nail over the joints and not feel anything! with Mojo2 ? not so much.
Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, just comparing.
- The Menu and learning the controls was a doddle for me, took about a couple of minutes, I know it by heart now, no problem what so ever. If you are hesitant about this issue, have it from me, it is no issue.
- It has a wife button!
When I put the headphones on, my wife takes pleasure in waving her hand to make me stop and listen to her - now I can quickly Mute with one sausage finger of mine, Lovely . . .
- Praise and congratulations are due for transparency of the EQ system. I hear no drop in sound quality using it at any level, wonderful, it _Does Work!_
- Gets as warm as the Classic, has the same power, drives my Hifiman Edition XS easily.
- Sounds very smooth, cultured, musical . . .  what you expect from a Chord DAC.
- It is *NOT *a Hugo2 killer! nor a replacer.
   In case anyone was wondering, it is not far off. Indeed many DACs are not far off Hugo2 - it is just that Hugo2 has a bag-full of fairy dust in its pocket that so far, I have not found on any other DAC .
What is it? ...... ..... _Sound Stage! It is the most 3D sounding DAC ever._
Mojo2 sounds (in comparison) as though you have enabled crossfeed. The type that kills most of the stereo. BUT ONLY when compared to Hugo2, otherwise, sound image is slightly better than Mojo Classic, slightly!
It also has better _Bass definition _than the Classic, but not the same class as Hugo2 (I am listening to Mojo2 as I jot this down).
Imagine you get Hugo2, strip away a bit of the stereo image height and width, seperation of instruments and make it a bit light-weight (less meat on the bones) and you are close to Mojo2.
On a good recording (Jordi Savall - Beethoven 7th  24/88.2) there is a slow beating bass with violins on top, with Hugo2 the bass is encompassing and deep, and when things get rough, the bass and the violins remain seperate and locked in their space, with Mojo2 the bass is not as big or deep and when things get rough, it feels as though the bass gets modulated into the violins and things do not remain in their place. Again I am comparing it to a _Goliath!_
Compared to the competition that I have heard (Including Mojo Classic and Hugo2) , it is well worth the price.
Mojo Classic was (is) a beast to improve! Mojo2 does it, mostly on extra facilities and a little better Bass and odd improvements here nor there. The Classic is still a wonderful DAC at its new used-price category - it kills any of the competition at around £200+ .


----------



## rkt31 (Mar 23, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> *Just got mine delivered!*
> Well actually this morning, ordered with Richer Sounds in UK for £450, free one and half day delivery (that's how long it took).
> - First things first, I don't think build quality is up to Mojo Classic standards! the classic had precision shells that match perfectly together, if assembled carefully, you could close your eyes and run back of your nail over the joints and not feel anything! with Mojo2 ? not so much.
> Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, just comparing.
> ...


I have tt2 with m scaler. I had Hugo 2 and original mojo earlier. To me mojo 2 has more refinement than even Hugo 2, as per my memory. It is surprisingly close to tt2 in terms of refinement. Though the difference may be more revealing with power hungry headphones as tt2 has more power. May be with m scaler the difference will be even less. To me mojo 2 with headphones like hd650, hd800s, hd600 and r70x can kill even the most expensive headphones systems including very expensive desktop systems, it is such a game changer dac/headphone amp.


----------



## Pulcino

rkt31 said:


> I have tt2 with m scaler. I had Hugo 2 and original mojo earlier. To me mojo 2 has more refinement than even Hugo 2, as per my memory. It is surprisingly close to tt2 in terms of refinement. Though the difference may be more revealing with power hungry headphones as tt2 has more power. May be with m scaler the difference will be even less. To me mojo 2 with headphones like hd650, hd800s, hd600 and r70x can kill even the most expensive headphones systems including very expensive desktop systems, it is such a game changer dac/headphone amp.


Hi rkt31, could you describe the different strengths and shortcomings of your listed headphones in combination with Mojo2? Hope I’m not asking for too much work.


----------



## rkt31 (Mar 23, 2022)

Pulcino said:


> Hi rkt31, could you describe the different strengths and shortcomings of your listed headphones in combination with Mojo2? Hope I’m not asking for too much work.


I use he400se and r70x with it. Today experimented a bit with EQ for he400se. + 1 click 20hz and - 2 clicks 20khz led to ultimate sonic Nirvana which I never experienced earlier not even with tt2 and m scaler, may be due to this EQ feature of mojo 2. With R70X I did not try EQ but I will try tomorrow. Even without EQ R70X was extremely musical, a bit on warmer side. May be + 1 click on treble shelf EQ with r70x will balance out the things. I would say rob watts has created miracle product in the form of mojo 2.


----------



## Kentajalli

rkt31 said:


> I have tt2 with m scaler. I had Hugo 2 and original mojo earlier. To me mojo 2 has more refinement than even Hugo 2, as per my memory. It is surprisingly close to tt2 in terms of refinement. Though the difference may be more revealing with power hungry headphones as tt2 has more power. May be with m scaler the difference will be even less. To me mojo 2 with headphones like hd650, hd800s, hd600 and r70x can kill even the most expensive headphones systems including very expensive desktop systems, it is such a game changer dac/headphone amp.


Perhaps I could persuade you to do a swap with me, I get you 2, no, three New Mojo2's for your TT2. 😊😊


----------



## SRKRAM

Has anybody used the mojo 2 with hifiman Arya stealth and, if so, how did they sound?


----------



## rkt31

Kentajalli said:


> Perhaps I could persuade you to do a swap with me, I get you 2, no, three New Mojo2's for your TT2. 😊😊


You forgot that tt2 is a dac and i mainly use it in my speaker system. 🙂


----------



## rkt31

Tried mojo 2 with r70x. +3 clicks for 20hz and +1 click on treble shelf seems to make the sound more linear, balanced  and life like. Swapping he400se and r70x with their respective EQ clearly exhibited the faster bass of r70x may be due to higher impedance of 470ohm. Imo EQ feature of mojo 2 if used correctly "just enough" to make the response flat, can do wonders. Kudos to rob watts for this lossless EQ feature.


----------



## 529128

Chibs said:


> Without having to use the apple camera connector dongle on iphone?


Yes.


----------



## Slim1970

Chibs said:


> Without having to use the apple camera connector dongle on iphone?


If you have a poly, no CCK needed. Airplay works flawlessly with the Mojo 2.


----------



## ducnsh

Slim1970 said:


> If you have a poly, no CCK needed. Airplay works flawlessly with the Mojo 2.


But limitation of Airplay is 16 bit 44.1Khz, right?


----------



## againa

I know the mojo2 has no "one touch line level". so what "colors" of the button should I set to have a similar line level output ? does anyone knows? 

thanks.


----------



## againa

My experience with QOBUZ Mojo2 and WINDOWS 10:

after several tests here my experience with QOBUZ:

output devices:
1) ASIO Chord 1.05 as audio output device works.. *but only on 44.1 kHZ*.. anything else.. got slowed down.. so if you hear a 88.2 kHZ track it will be half of the speed.. a 96 kHZ will be less than half.. It seems is a 5 years old issue.. if anyone knows how to solve it.. let me know.
2) currently the most working one is the Wasapi (exclusive) mode, fun fact.. you may not see in the bottom right menu on the main page, you have to go on settings/music playing/listening preference and set it there... then it will be selected and works. 

the ball color change appropriately based on the kHZ. I have experienced few times when i start getting some clicks.. I have to disconnect the mojo and then everything goes well. 

another topic: is anyone using the Monarch MKII with the mojo2? what eq do you use?


----------



## jarnopp

ducnsh said:


> But limitation of Airplay is 16 bit 44.1Khz, right?


Poly can do 768 if you have the right software, like Roon. But AirPlay is limited to 44.1 or 48.


----------



## Slim1970

ducnsh said:


> But limitation of Airplay is 16 bit 44.1Khz, right?


I’m not sure, but you may be correct about that.


----------



## Soundizer

Anyone compared Mojo 2 with iFI Diablo. I know Diablo is twice the price, but still interested in the audio quality differences.


----------



## jlbrach

twice the price?..huh?...


----------



## rkt31

So finally r70x EQ settings are out. I finally settled for + one click of 20hz and + one click of treble shelf. It sounds most linear and realistic.


----------



## Kentajalli

jlbrach said:


> twice the price?..huh?...


More than twice:
- power consumption at _Normal_
- battery power
- size
- weight
- over 4 times power
It is more like Hugo2.
...
Did I mention it has Milf Resistors ?


----------



## jlbrach

diablo if I am not mistaken lists for 899 USD...mojo 2 799...


----------



## Gww1

jlbrach said:


> diablo if I am not mistaken lists for 899 USD...mojo 2 799...


In the UK the Mojo 2 is £450 and the Diablo is £900, despite both being UK companies....


----------



## Progisus

jarnopp said:


> Poly can do 768 if you have the right software, like Roon. But AirPlay is limited to 44.1 or 48.


Poly is only good for 354 over wifi. 768 if playing from sd card.


----------



## padawan25

So am I correct in assuming the MOJO 2 can be paired with an iPhone with just a lightning to usb-c cable ?  No silly OTG cable needed ??


----------



## Chibs

padawan25 said:


> So am I correct in assuming the MOJO 2 can be paired with an iPhone with just a lightning to usb-c cable ?  No silly OTG cable needed ??


Yes, I thought it was too good to be true as well. Used to having to deal with that obnoxious camera adapter with my ifi idsd Signature. 
An other reason I’m excited to get one of these!


----------



## rwelles

padawan25 said:


> So am I correct in assuming the MOJO 2 can be paired with an iPhone with just a lightning to usb-c cable ?  No silly OTG cable needed ??


Some cables are designed to only supply power for recharging. Some are data and power. Just make sure it passes data.


----------



## jarnopp

Progisus said:


> Poly is only good for 354 over wifi. 768 if playing from sd card.


Are you sure that’s not a Roon limitation? You may be right, but I haven’t seen that limitation stated anywhere for Poly using WiFi.


----------



## padawan25

rwelles said:


> Some cables are designed to only supply power for recharging. Some are data and power. Just make sure it passes data.


Pretty sure I watched a review where they were using an Audioquest Carbon lightning to USB-C. Apple cables are charge and data as well


----------



## Progisus

jarnopp said:


> Are you sure that’s not a Roon limitation? You may be right, but I haven’t seen that limitation stated anywhere for Poly using WiFi.


My apologies. You are correct. Confirmed with 768khz PGGB file streamed through mconnect.


----------



## NoTimeFor (Mar 24, 2022)

I am using HQPlayer and upsample 44.1 kHz 16bit tracks to PCM 705.6 kHz 32bit with Mojo 2, music sounds very smooth. In my experience, this is as good as it gets. If you use Mojo 2 with a computer, you must give HQPlayer a try if you have not (much cheaper than M-Scaler) Technical ability of Mojo 2 is amazing for it's small size. Really happy with M2


----------



## NoTimeFor (Mar 25, 2022)

Soundizer said:


> Anyone compared Mojo 2 with iFI Diablo. I know Diablo is twice the price, but still interested in the audio quality differences.


I own ifi Micro DSD Black Label. I auditioned Diablo before buying Mojo 2. Diablo packs power but the sound signature of Burr-Brown chip is there. So if you like that then go for it as it can drive pretty much all cans out there. However, I found burr-brown sounds a bit slow and mundane. I much prefer Chord's PRAT and dynamic sounds (some may call it dry or analytical). Also, the volume knob on portable ifi devices do not track evenly at lower volume. It needs to get up to a certain level to have equal volume. This may be not an issue for you if you don't listen at a low volume. Mojo 2 has a very good amp and volume, IMO. I cannot hear any distortion at any volume level and it tracks evenly. I was not very impressed with Mojo 1 but Mojo 2 did!


----------



## Rob Watts

Kentajalli said:


> Did I mention it has Milf Resistors ?


Very good... but MELF resistors are hideously undesirable, (more of a Siren than a Milf) as they have internal pressure contacts from the solder caps to the metal film resistive element which degrades detail resolution and depth perception. Imagine replacing a gold RCA phono socket with cheap tin plated contacts, and do it many times over - that's exactly what you are doing when using MELF resistors. They also have another problem, as the metal film is printed as a spiral on the ceramic cylindrical body; that gives it large value of inductance, and together with parasitic capacitances creates significant RF resonances - adding to RF noise and so more noise floor modulation. Metal film SMD resistors on the other hand have fused silver palladium internal contacts, so no contact non-linearity problems, and minimal inductance and parasitic capacitances, so almost perfect RF characteristics.


----------



## rkt31

Mojo 2 dry or analytical ? I found it to be a bit on warmer side despite having extremely good transients. Prat is not always analytical you see. There were times when prat was synonyms with bright analytical sound but not with chord dacs. Chord dacs sound 'faster" due to lack of distortion and accurate transients not because of analytical by nature. We audiophile like to describe sound as some "type" like slow fast, warm, analytical etc etc instead being accurate or inaccurate. Imo chord mojo 2 is more accurate than that burr brown. More accurate sound is more life like, it is as simple as that.


----------



## rkt31 (Mar 25, 2022)

NoTimeFor said:


> I own ifi Micro DSD Black Label. I auditioned Diablo before buying Mojo 2. Diablo packs power but the sound signature of Burr-Brown chip is there. So if you like that then go for it as it can drive pretty much all cans out there. However, I found burr-brown sounds a bit slow and mundane. I much prefer Chord's PRAT and dynamic sounds (some may call it dry or analytical). Also, the volume knob on portable ifi devices do not track evenly at lower volume. It needs to get up to a certain level to have equal volume. This may be not an issue for you if you don't listen at a low volume. Mojo 2 has a very good amp and volume, IMO. I cannot hear any distortion at any volume level and it tracks evenly. I was not very impressed with Mojo 1 but Mojo 2 did!


Mojo 2 dry or analytical ? I found it to be a bit on warmer side despite having extremely good transients. Prat is not always analytical you see. There were times when prat was synonymous with bright analytical sound but not with chord dacs. Chord dacs sound 'faster" due to lack of distortion and accurate transients not because of analytical by nature. We audiophile like to describe sound as some "type" like slow fast, warm, analytical etc etc instead being accurate or inaccurate. Imo chord mojo 2 is more accurate than that burr brown. More accurate sound is more life like, it is as simple as that.


----------



## NoTimeFor

rkt31 said:


> Mojo 2 dry or analytical ? I found it to be a bit on warmer side despite having extremely good transients. Prat is not always analytical you see. There were times when prat was synonyms with bright analytical sound but not with chord dacs. Chord dacs sound 'faster" due to lack of distortion and accurate transients not because of analytical by nature. We audiophile like to describe sound as some "type" like slow fast, warm, analytical etc etc instead being accurate or inaccurate. Imo chord mojo 2 is more accurate than that burr brown. More accurate sound is more life like, it is as simple as that.


Neither Mojo 1 or Hugo 2 was emotionally engaging when I had them. However, I really enjoyed Hugo 2's PRAT. I am not sure what's different about Mojo 2, but it sounds so right to me (with Roon / HQPlayer) and I do not have desire to try TT2 which I was looking to get later this year.


----------



## HONEYBOY

NoTimeFor said:


> Neither Mojo 1 or Hugo 2 was emotionally engaging when I had them. However, I really enjoyed Hugo 2's PRAT. I am not sure what's different about Mojo 2, but it sounds so right to me (with Roon / HQPlayer) and I do not have desire to try TT2 which I was looking to get later this year.


Would you mind sharing your Roon / HQPlayer settings?


----------



## Jeffyue

Anybody can share the experience between Mojo2 & Centrance HifiM8v2?


----------



## DecentLevi (Mar 25, 2022)

Hey guys, exploring my coax cable options for the Mojo 2 in advance. I was about to get another *1694A* Beleden BNC cable from BlueJeans Cable co. which was excellent for the Qutest, but due to it's thickness they recommended slightly thinner cables to fit one side onto the required 3.5mm coax connection for the Mojo 2. First they recommended *this* but I wasn't sure due to it being stranded copper, which is odd for any BNC type cable. Luckily they got back to me after checking around and look what they found: *a silver-plated* solid copper core cable. Just wanting any feedback on my options. This will go between my DDC converter and the DAC (one side RCA, other side 3.5mm coax connection)


----------



## DecentLevi

refresh for updated post above. @joe feel free to delete this post.


----------



## rkt31

NoTimeFor said:


> Neither Mojo 1 or Hugo 2 was emotionally engaging when I had them. However, I really enjoyed Hugo 2's PRAT. I am not sure what's different about Mojo 2, but it sounds so right to me (with Roon / HQPlayer) and I do not have desire to try TT2 which I was looking to get later this year.


The most important part of music to be emotionally engaging is focussed vocals. When vocals are locked in centre, while music is all around you, imo is the best situation for vocals, communicating directly to you. Chord dacs with ultra low distortion and nil channel imbalance (due to digital volume control) are main contributer to this trait along with accurate transients.


----------



## Kentajalli

Rob Watts said:


> Very good... but MELF resistors are hideously undesirable, (more of a Siren than a Milf) as they have internal pressure contacts from the solder caps to the metal film resistive element which degrades detail resolution and depth perception. Imagine replacing a gold RCA phono socket with cheap tin plated contacts, and do it many times over - that's exactly what you are doing when using MELF resistors. They also have another problem, as the metal film is printed as a spiral on the ceramic cylindrical body; that gives it large value of inductance, and together with parasitic capacitances creates significant RF resonances - adding to RF noise and so more noise floor modulation. Metal film SMD resistors on the other hand have fused silver palladium internal contacts, so no contact non-linearity problems, and minimal inductance and parasitic capacitances, so almost perfect RF characteristics.


Yes, yes MELF resistors ( damned spell-check's _Add to Library )._
Bottom line, the use of  _these _resistors here, is just for a colourful sales brochure, all those colourful rings!
I get a little apprehensive, when any manufacturer starts to quote the opamp model numbers, DAC chips series etc. To me, it says "we are filling the void of low-design by exotic components".
ifi is a respectable company, they should avoid that, but these are Covid days, economy not what it used to be.


----------



## NoTimeFor

HONEYBOY said:


> Would you mind sharing your Roon / HQPlayer settings?


I tried many different combinations of PCM filters and dithers, and bitrates and modulation for SDM, the one combination I really like, and always comeback to is sinc-M / NS9 with PCM sample rate 768K. I grey check Multicore DSP and Adaptive output rate. My tracks are mostly 44.1 kHz 16bits and this setting sounds great with all genre of music with Mojo2.


----------



## HTML

Just got my order for the Mojo2 in. Can't wait for it to arrive!


----------



## Soundizer

Gww1 said:


> In the UK the Mojo 2 is £450 and the Diablo is £900, despite both being UK companies....





HTML said:


> Just got my order for the Mojo2 in. Can't wait for it to arrive!


How much is mojo2 in usa?


----------



## Soundizer

Kentajalli said:


> More than twice:
> - power consumption at _Normal_
> - battery power
> - size
> ...


I cannot resist a good Milf. That’s me out


----------



## Zachik

Kentajalli said:


> I get a little apprehensive, when any manufacturer starts to quote the opamp model numbers, DAC chips series etc. To me, it says "we are filling the void of low-design by exotic components".


A LOT of audiophiles want and expect those technical specs. When not provided by the vendor - they start complaining.
I guess you cannot satisfy everyone... 
But seriously, it is better to provide all the info, and let people (like you) filter out what they do not care for.



Kentajalli said:


> ifi is a respectable company, they should avoid that, but these are Covid days, economy not what it used to be.


Yup - great company, and following some of their product threads, people ask for that stuff. iFi is doing the right thing providing it (IMHO).


----------



## Kentajalli

Soundizer said:


> I cannot resist a good Milf. That’s me out


Neither can I.
Does this mean the Diablo is for fussy younger blokes?


----------



## Soundizer

Kentajalli said:


> Neither can I.
> Does this mean the Diablo is for fussy younger blokes?


Hey come on, that’s a tad ageist 

🤩


----------



## NoTimeFor

Hey @Rob Watts, can you confirm if Mojo 2 draws power directly from the plug when in desktop mode? Thx.


----------



## Amlalsulami

Still waiting Mojo2 and HiBy R3 combo case


----------



## HTML

Soundizer said:


> How much is mojo2 in usa?


In Singapore it's around 620USD


----------



## rkt31

@Rob Watts , if dsp is 104bit, does it mean volume control and other processing like digital filtering also is 104 bit accurate ?


----------



## Rob Watts

NoTimeFor said:


> Hey @Rob Watts, can you confirm if Mojo 2 draws power directly from the plug when in desktop mode? Thx.



When in desktop mode the battery is completely isolated, so power only comes from the charger circuit, in this case a low impedance high current regulator replaces the battery and provides power to the device.



rkt31 said:


> @Rob Watts , if dsp is 104bit, does it mean volume control and other processing like digital filtering also is 104 bit accurate ?



Short answer yes. Long answer is more complicated than that - as different digital circuits have very different requirements for transparency. So the IIR filter needs noise shaping and 104 bits to be transparent, but an FIR filter (like the WTA filter) needs smaller DSP bit depth. This is because an IIR filter (which is doing the EQ) is recursive (that is the signal is being fed back continuously so small consistent errors end up being huge) and so has different requirements to the WTA filter.

But IIR filters and FIR filters and all digital modules processing audio have a common requirement for transparency - that is being able to reproduce a -301dB signal with perfect amplitude and phase accuracy compared to 0dB. It's just that to do this you require different bit depths to maintain this accuracy. In the case of Mojo 2, I used the 104 bit UHD DSP core to do the volume control too, but that doesn't mean that you have to use 104 bits for volume control - but you do need to ensure that when the volume control is functioning, that the -301dB signal is perfectly reproduced if you want a transparent volume control.

In the case of the EQ - the IIR bi-quad filters - you do indeed need 104 bits plus noise shaping of all the internal nodes - to perfectly reproduce -301dB when the filters are active.


----------



## rkt31

Rob Watts said:


> When in desktop mode the battery is completely isolated, so power only comes from the charger circuit, in this case a low impedance high current regulator replaces the battery and provides power to the device.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for clarifying !


----------



## surfgeorge

Amlalsulami said:


> Still waiting Mojo2 and HiBy R3 combo case


That case for Mojo + R3 was my design work.
If someone would be willing to  lend me the Mojo 2 for 2-3 weeks please send me a PM, then I can adapt the case design.
I’m in Austria, and I’d provide the lender a 3D printed combo case and transport box as a thank you.


----------



## vlach

Rob Watts said:


> When in desktop mode the battery is completely isolated, so power only comes from the charger circuit, in this case a low impedance high current regulator replaces the battery and provides power to the device.


Rob,
Am i correct in thinking that removing the battery and powering the M2 with an external 5V battery pack is essentially equivalent to the desktop mode, and that the charging circuit would power the device?


----------



## dsrk

@Rob Watts 
If the second 3.5mm port supports line out/optical out, that would be wonderful.


----------



## x RELIC x

dsrk said:


> @Rob Watts
> If the second 3.5mm port supports line out/optical out, that would be wonderful.


It is already basically the line out with the way Rob designs his DACs. Think of the Mojo’s 3.5mm output as other DAC’s analogue output.

Why have an optical digital output on a Digital to Analogue Converter? There would be no point of spending money on the Mojo then.


----------



## rkt31 (Mar 26, 2022)

dsrk said:


> @Rob Watts
> If the second 3.5mm port supports line out/optical out, that would be wonderful.


Why so many people still over the years couldn't understand that chord dacs don't have seperate headphone amp and dac line out stages. Volume control is applied digitally within FPGA before converting to analog. So headphone out and dac line out are same. If you want line out, simply use an output which is suitable to you, by clicking down from the highest output. I would however prefer sending the output directly to power amps likes of ahb2 which can handle high output of chord dacs. I myself use tt2+m scaler with ahb2 directly.


----------



## syazwaned

Jeffyue said:


> Anybody can share the experience between Mojo2 & Centrance HifiM8v2?


Yes I would like to know as well


----------



## dsrk

x RELIC x said:


> It is already basically the line out with the way Rob designs his DACs. Think of the Mojo’s 3.5mm output as other DAC’s analogue output.
> 
> Why have an optical digital output on a Digital to Analogue Converter? There would be no point of spending money on the Mojo then.





rkt31 said:


> Why so many people still over the years couldn't understand that chord dacs don't have seperate headphone amp and dac line out stages. Volume control is applied digitally within FPGA before converting to analog. So headphone out and dac line out are same. If you want line out, simply use an output which is suitable to you, by clicking down from the highest output. I would however prefer sending the output directly to power amps likes of ahb2 which can handle high output of chord dacs. I myself use tt2+m scaler with ahb2 directly.


The main reason I want to buy Mojo 2 is for its EQ. 
1. I want to use it as a portable DAC/AMP with my DAPs. 
2. I want to use it as a pure EQ to my desktop DAC/AMP stack.


----------



## NoTimeFor

dsrk said:


> The main reason I want to buy Mojo 2 is for its EQ.
> 1. I want to use it as a portable DAC/AMP with my DAPs.
> 2. I want to use it as a pure EQ to my desktop DAC/AMP stack.


Mojo2 is for 1. I think you need a different type of device for 2.


----------



## mf25 (Mar 26, 2022)

@Rob Watts Mojo 2 reproduces music beautifully. I really appreciate the listening joy it brings. Thank you for making such a fantastic device


----------



## syazwaned

NoTimeFor said:


> Mojo2 is for 1. I think you need a different type of device for 2.


why Not?


----------



## drummguy26

againa said:


> I know the mojo2 has no "one touch line level". so what "colors" of the button should I set to have a similar line level output ? does anyone knows?
> 
> thanks.


I’ve found that the dark blue volume colors fit as a good line out volume. Anything over that you may get distortion when feeding into another amp.


----------



## Kentajalli

x RELIC x said:


> It is already basically the line out with the way Rob designs his DACs. Think of the Mojo’s 3.5mm output as other DAC’s analogue output.


Since both output ports are wired in parallel, if you plug a 30 Ohm headphone into one socket, and get output from the other to an amplifier, you force the output stage to go into class AB mode, unplug the headphone and it reverts to class A !
If I understood RW explanation correctly.
Not that class AB would sound inferior, take it as a fun fact.


----------



## NoTimeFor

Kentajalli said:


> Since both output ports are wired in parallel, if you plug a 30 Ohm headphone into one socket, and get output from the other to an amplifier, you force the output stage to go into class AB mode, unplug the headphone and it reverts to class A !
> If I understood RW explanation correctly.
> Not that class AB would sound inferior, take it as a fun fact.


What if both amp and headphone are plugged in but amp is powered off. Does mojo2 still operate in class ab?


----------



## Kentajalli

NoTimeFor said:


> What if both amp and headphone are plugged in but amp is powered off. Does mojo2 still operate in class ab?


Yes I believe so.
It is the low impedance that does it.
The output stage is in class A for high impedance loads (high impedance headphones and line inputs of an amp), but it goes into class AB for low impedance loads, hence I mentioned 30 Ohm headphones.


----------



## rkt31 (Mar 26, 2022)

dsrk said:


> The main reason I want to buy Mojo 2 is for its EQ.
> 1. I want to use it as a portable DAC/AMP with my DAPs.
> 2. I want to use it as a pure EQ to my desktop DAC/AMP stack.


Better sell your dac amp stack and use mojo 2 direct. There is no point in using other dac when you have mojo 2's ultra clean analog output. Seriously mojo 2 can replace your even most expensive dac + amp desktop stack, it is so good . (Until unless you are using tt2 or dave ). Did you try your headphone direct out of mojo 2 ?


----------



## NoTimeFor

rkt31 said:


> Better sell your dac amp stack and use mojo 2 direct. There is no point in using other dac when you have mojo 2's ultra clean analog output. Seriously mojo 2 can replace your even most expensive dac + amp desktop stack, it is so good . (Until unless you are using tt2 or dave ). Did you try your headphone direct out of mojo 2 ?


Mojo2 has an excellent amp, but it can sound a touch too clean / lively for my taste. I really like mojo feeding into my tube amp.


----------



## dsrk

rkt31 said:


> Better sell your dac amp stack and use mojo 2 direct. There is no point in using other dac when you have mojo 2's ultra clean analog output. Seriously mojo 2 can replace your even most expensive dac + amp desktop stack, it is so good . (Until unless you are using tt2 or dave ). Did you try your headphone direct out of mojo 2 ?


I have yet to buy Mojo 2, been waiting for it to be back in stock in India.

It will be available next month.

If Mojo 2 powers my headphones HD6XX and LCD2C as good as my desktop stack, I will decide on selling it.


----------



## rkt31

dsrk said:


> I have yet to buy Mojo 2, been waiting for it to be back in stock in India.
> 
> It will be available next month.
> 
> If Mojo 2 powers my headphones HD6XX and LCD2C as good as my desktop stack, I will decide on selling it.


I am already using mojo 2 with r70x and he400se and with tiny EQ adjustment i would say it is the best headphone sound experience i have ever had in my life.


----------



## rkt31

NoTimeFor said:


> Mojo2 has an excellent amp, but it can sound a touch too clean / lively for my taste. I really like mojo feeding into my tube amp.


Lively and clean arn't these two contradictory traits ? Btw clean sound isn't musical ? I found mojo 2 with r70x to be ultimate kind of experience, it is so so musical and life like. I used +1 click to 20hz, +1 click to treble shelf and -1 click to 20khz.


----------



## Pulcino

rkt31 said:


> Lively and clean arn't these two contradictory traits ? Btw clean sound isn't musical ? I found mojo 2 with r70x to be ultimate kind of experience, it is so so musical and life like. I used +1 click to 20hz, +1 click to treble shelf and -1 click to 20khz.


Hi rkt31, have you tried Mojo 2 with an iPhone as a streamer? Is it degrading the sound quality? How do you feed your mojo?


----------



## NoTimeFor (Mar 26, 2022)

rkt31 said:


> Lively and clean arn't these two contradictory traits ? Btw clean sound isn't musical ? I found mojo 2 with r70x to be ultimate kind of experience, it is so so musical and life like. I used +1 click to 20hz, +1 click to treble shelf and -1 click to 20khz.


I described a bright signature (or may be high detail) as lively and high transparency as clean. Not the best way to describe I suppose. I rushed when I posted that. Problem with using DSP on M2 is that I need to tinker with the settings depending on which tracks I play. I got annoyed and set DSP to neutral now days. Playing it through tube amp fixes most of nuances for me


----------



## vlach (Mar 26, 2022)

rkt31 said:


> Lively and clean arn't these two contradictory traits ? Btw clean sound isn't musical ?


I think he meant to say clean and 'lean', which is not as musical (or rich) as using the M2 to feed a tube amp for example.


----------



## Nokizaru (Mar 26, 2022)

rkt31 said:


> I am already using mojo 2 with r70x and he400se and with tiny EQ adjustment i would say it is the best headphone sound experience i have ever had in my life.



Do You use stock cable with ATH?


----------



## Amlalsulami

surfgeorge said:


> That case for Mojo + R3 was my design work.
> If someone would be willing to  lend me the Mojo 2 for 2-3 weeks please send me a PM, then I can adapt the case design.
> I’m in Austria, and I’d provide the lender a 3D printed combo case and transport box as a thank you.



I'll lend you my Mojo 2 since you are coming to Saudi arabia


----------



## rkt31

Pulcino said:


> Hi rkt31, have you tried Mojo 2 with an iPhone as a streamer? Is it degrading the sound quality? How do you feed your mojo?


I use xduoo X10 optical out as source and uapp usb out in Android as source.


----------



## rkt31

Nokizaru said:


> Do You use stock cable with ATH?


No, i got a custom cable made from fiio rc ux1 (uses oyaide pcocc copper ) headphone extension cable. I had few rc ux1 with me. Now it is out of stock everywhere.


----------



## againa

padawan25 said:


> So am I correct in assuming the MOJO 2 can be paired with an iPhone with just a lightning to usb-c cable ?  No silly OTG cable needed ??


No! Absolutely not. I have tested several cables the FiiO LT-LT1 cable works perfectly. Also the meenova cables should works… i will get them in a day or two and chrck if they works


----------



## againa

rwelles said:


> Some cables are designed to only supply power for recharging. Some are data and power. Just make sure it passes data.


 Sorry for the doble post I’m on iphone. 
No any mifi cable thet trasmit data that are USBC to lightning WONT work.

You need specific cables that integrate the camera adapter on it like the fiio above
Ive tested with around 5 dofferent cables lightning to USBC that works well and move data but none of then work with the mojo


----------



## kumar402

NoTimeFor said:


> I tried many different combinations of PCM filters and dithers, and bitrates and modulation for SDM, the one combination I really like, and always comeback to is sinc-M / NS9 with PCM sample rate 768K. I grey check Multicore DSP and Adaptive output rate. My tracks are mostly 44.1 kHz 16bits and this setting sounds great with all genre of music with Mojo2.


HQPlayer smoothen the sound and makes it softer with Sinc-M and NS-9 and may be that’s why you like it with Mojo 2.


----------



## rkt31

kumar402 said:


> HQPlayer smoothen the sound and makes it softer with Sinc-M and NS-9 and may be that’s why you like it with Mojo 2.


Mojo 2 is so smooth already. Hqplayer imo with sinc m and ns9 makes bass too dominant somehow, when it tested it with original mojo.


----------



## HTML

againa said:


> No! Absolutely not. I have tested several cables the FiiO LT-LT1 cable works perfectly. Also the meenova cables should works… i will get them in a day or two and chrck if they works


LT-LT1 works like a charm right? I have the chord and the LT-LT1 coming next week. If it doesn't work I just wasted 20 bucks or so.


----------



## syazwaned

Guys, it is possible to use volume knob like this one on my PC since Mojo 2 does not have any? Will it degrade the sound in any way?


----------



## rkt31

syazwaned said:


> Guys, it is possible to use volume knob like this one on my PC since Mojo 2 does not have any? Will it degrade the sound in any way?


Mojo 2 has 104bit accurate digital volume control.


----------



## syazwaned

rkt31 said:


> Mojo 2 has 104bit accurate digital volume control.


But mojo doesn't have volume knob 🥲. Just wonder if I could add this to volume PC volume through USB. So, I could play with knob whenever I feel like it.


----------



## rkt31 (Mar 27, 2022)

syazwaned said:


> But mojo doesn't have volume knob 🥲. Just wonder if I could add this to volume PC volume through USB. So, I could play with knob whenever I feel like it.


You won't be able to use asio driver of mojo 2. Just for having volume knob you should not degrade the sound quality. Btw if you want knob then why at all you will spend on mojo 2 ?


----------



## syazwaned

rkt31 said:


> You won't be able to use asio driver of mojo 2. Just for having volume knob you should not degrade the sound quality. Btw if you want know then why at all you will spend on mojo 2 ?


Thanks appreciate it. For the time being only Mojo 2 cater my audio needs. UHD EQ, crossfeed and good dac.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Which driver do you suggest to use when connecting the Mojo 2 with a PC? ASIO or WASAPI exclusive?


----------



## kumar402

syazwaned said:


> But mojo doesn't have volume knob 🥲. Just wonder if I could add this to volume PC volume through USB. So, I could play with knob whenever I feel like it.


if you want digital attenuation then many keyboards come with such knob to let you control digital volume without adding another USB device in the digital path. I would never add such device in my digital chain.


----------



## ChrisGB

Nick24JJ said:


> Which driver do you suggest to use when connecting the Mojo 2 with a PC? ASIO or WASAPI exclusive?


Chord do a driver for Mojo 2 on their website. Worked well for me on workstation.


----------



## Nick24JJ

ChrisGB said:


> Chord do a driver for Mojo 2 on their website. Worked well for me on workstation.


I know, I've already installed it since day one, on my laptop. What I'm asking is, in Qobuz I see the following:

- ASIO Chord 1.05
- WASAPI Chord Mojo 2 (Chord Async 44.1kHz - 768kHz)
- WASAPI (Exclusive Mode) Chord Mojo 2 (Chord Async 44.1kHz - 768kHz)

Which one is best/recommended?


----------



## ChrisGB

Nick24JJ said:


> I know, I've already installed it since day one, on my laptop. What I'm asking is, in Qobuz I see the following:
> 
> - ASIO Chord 1.05
> - WASAPI Chord Mojo 2 (Chord Async 44.1kHz - 768kHz)
> ...


Sorry I can't help you with that, I can't remember which one I used and have since got rid of my Mojo 2.


----------



## Gww1

Nick24JJ said:


> I know, I've already installed it since day one, on my laptop. What I'm asking is, in Qobuz I see the following:
> 
> - ASIO Chord 1.05
> - WASAPI Chord Mojo 2 (Chord Async 44.1kHz - 768kHz)
> ...


I find WASAPI exclusive with Qobuz works best, ASIO seems a little inconsistent with outputting the correct sampling rate.


----------



## Hyde00 (Mar 28, 2022)

Hello guys I have a question!

My friend suggest that Mojo 2 might fit the sound signature I'm looking for but I do have a few questions.

*1.*  I'm really using it ask desktop unit, so it doesn't NEED to be portable but I'm hunting for sound signature basically.
*2.*  It says now it has improved battery management system in Mojo 2, is it able to run directly through USB power and skipping battery power entirely?
*3.* *My headphone is Denon D5200*, so it has sparkly treble and deep bass.  I also like forward/intimate vocal that's what draws me to look at Mojo 2.  Would this sound like it's for me?  Imagine Grado forwardness and sparkly treble but Denon/Fostex bass.
*4.* *My current daily driver is Dragonfly Red* and I like its sound signature, but resolution is low.  I tried L&P W2 and W2-131 but wish the vocal is closer.  Doesn't need to be portable, but using those devices so I can use volume control from keyboard for convenience.  But I understand Mojo 2 would have hardware buttons for volume.  In a perfect world I prefer dongle dac (volume control from keyboard) but ok with dac/amp with analogue volume knob.  Not my favorite but also ok with Mojo's buttons.
*5.*  Based on my criteria, would Mojo 2 be for me?  If not what other dac/amp would have the sound I'm looking for?  Mainly looking for forward vocal follow by sparkly treble and deep bass.  Neutrality/linear is NOT what I'm looking for.

Originally was thinking to try Mojo 1 but I heard charging it all the time as desktop unit will kill the battery fast that's why I'm looking at Mojo 2.

Any comment would be appreciated, thanks!

*EDIT:*  Some people have suggested iFi Zen Dac V2 if I'm going for musicality rather than accuracy.  Or should I go for the Zen stack instead?


----------



## vlach

Hyde00 said:


> Hello guys I have a question!
> 
> My friend suggest that Mojo 2 might fit the sound signature I'm looking for but I do have a few questions.
> 
> ...


Regarding using the Mojo 1 in desktop mode you could remove the battery and power it up with USB.


----------



## Hyde00

vlach said:


> Regarding using the Mojo 1 in desktop mode you could remove the battery and power it up with USB.


From what I read is that Mojo 1's battery is 7.4V, but the USB is only able to supply 5V.

So while it will work but you will not get the same sound/performance as running off the battery.  Though some people hack it with a USB supply that supports 7.4V, but this approach requires some DIY.  Like they drilled a hole and hook up the power supply directly onto the battery line.

Otherwise considering the discounted price of Mojo 1 now, it would probably seem like a better option for me lol.


----------



## pete321 (Mar 28, 2022)

Hyde00 said:


> Hello guys I have a question!
> 
> My friend suggest that Mojo 2 might fit the sound signature I'm looking for but I do have a few questions.
> 
> ...


When it's purple fully charged it is skipping the battery, battery life seems good but I've been running it as desktop since I bought it and hope that preserves it. Make sure to get a proper wart and charge cable so it charges to white to get to that purple state quick otherwise it's slow, I still turn mine off from time to time because I don't trust having it on all the time not effecting the battery at all.

The dsp cannot really transform a headphone's signature, more enhance it's existing signature, I hate my hd650 because it has no bass and even maxing out the bass shelves didn't help.

On my bluedio victory V1 cheapo headphones (still my favorites), it made them even better by maxing every shelf except the subbass, messing with that just ruined the entire sound with distortion, so it will be trial and error and every can is different but don't expect it to really correct vocals ect jmo, there can also be sibbilance and tinny qualities if your phones are already bright.

I like loud bassy woofer rumbling headphones and it added a bit more vocals and treble but didn't change the sound signature, but it is better than my mojo 1 or mojo 2 vanilla and I think it was worth it.


----------



## vlach

Hyde00 said:


> From what I read is that Mojo 1's battery is 7.4V, but the USB is only able to supply 5V.
> 
> So while it will work but you will not get the same sound/performance as running off the battery.  Though some people hack it with a USB supply that supports 7.4V, but this approach requires some DIY.  Like they drilled a hole and hook up the power supply directly onto the battery line.
> 
> Otherwise considering the discounted price of Mojo 1 now, it would probably seem like a better option for me lol.


Actually, there's an internal dc-to-dc converter which bumps up the 5V. 
I did extensive tests with and without the battery and was unable to detect any SQ differences.


----------



## Hyde00

pete321 said:


> When it's purple fully charged it is skipping the battery, battery life seems good but I've been running it as desktop since I bought it and hope that preserves it. Make sure to get a proper wart and charge cable so it charges to white to get to that purple state quick otherwise it's slow, I still turn mine off from time to time because I don't trust having it on all the time not effecting the battery at all.
> 
> The dsp cannot really transform a headphone's signature, more enhance it's existing signature, I hate my hd650 because it has no bass and even maxing out the bass shelves didn't help.
> 
> ...


lol ok cool at least it seems a few people have been running it as desktop unit so far.  Keep me updated!


vlach said:


> Actually, there's an internal dc-to-dc converter which bumps up the 5V.
> I did extensive tests with and without the battery and was unable to detect any SQ differences.


Ohhhh that's good to hear, yeah my concern is the drop of sound quality.  But if you say it sounds the same then I'll probably try to see if I can find a Mojo 1 at good price, thanks!


----------



## surfgeorge

Hyde00 said:


> lol ok cool at least it seems a few people have been running it as desktop unit so far.  Keep me updated!
> 
> Ohhhh that's good to hear, yeah my concern is the drop of sound quality.  But if you say it sounds the same then I'll probably try to see if I can find a Mojo 1 at good price, thanks!


For your needs the Mojo 2 would be better IMO.
* it is optimized for desktop mode
* you can modify the signature with EQ if needed
* bass definition and extension is improved over the Mojo 1, and transparency, staging, layering and separation will be a revelation - there are no components in the signal path, whereas the Mojo 1 used a coupling capacitor which takes a toll on transparency and definition, especially in the bass.

Mojo 1 was great, Mojo 2 will get you pretty close to Hugo 2 sound at 1/4 the price.


----------



## theophile

I've had the Mojo 2 for one week now. Paired with the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk IEMs. A little bit of eq tweaking. The lowest crossfade setting and things are really cooking.


----------



## Kentajalli

theophile said:


> I've had the Mojo 2 for one week now. Paired with the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk IEMs. A little bit of eq tweaking. The lowest crossfade setting and things are really cooking.


Your IEM has been recommended to me, because I am looking to upgrade my IEMs.
With no EQ what so ever, how does it sound?
- transparency?
- Treble clear?
- Bass resolution, amount?
- Midrange, vocals?
Thanx in advance.
Can PM me, if you prefer.


----------



## stormwrx

Anyone pair the Chord Mojo 2 with the Sony IER-M9? Would appreciate your listening impressions and EQ settings, if any. Thanks.


----------



## surfgeorge

stormwrx said:


> Anyone pair the Chord Mojo 2 with the Sony IER-M9? Would appreciate your listening impressions and EQ settings, if any. Thanks.


I am using the M9 with the original Mojo and the Hugo2Go.
The M9 is very revealing of the differences between the Mojo and the Hugo2, in fact it is my reference to judge these differences.
The Hugo 2 is characterized by very high definition, detail, clarity and separation from sub bass to treble, whereas the Mojo's strongest area is the midrange, which is also very detailed and clear, topped off with a fluid treble and a warm, somewhat slower and softer bass, lacking a bit of the definition and extension the Hugo 2 provides.
The other difference is the soundstage, Mojo is good compared to other DACs at it's price range, but the difference to Hugo 2 is quite big, with the H2 providing much more depth, layering and focus of the elements.

From all that has been said, it sounds like the Mojo 2 is right in between the original Mojo and the Hugo2, and at 1/4 of the price of the H2 it sounds like a steal!


----------



## jwbrent (Mar 28, 2022)

@DecentLevi, “I'm not going to go full out and lambast the pioneering USA company of Chord Electronics.”

Chord is a British company. 😉 Perhaps you meant the US Chord distributor?


----------



## Hyde00

surfgeorge said:


> For your needs the Mojo 2 would be better IMO.
> * it is optimized for desktop mode
> * you can modify the signature with EQ if needed
> * bass definition and extension is improved over the Mojo 1, and transparency, staging, layering and separation will be a revelation - there are no components in the signal path, whereas the Mojo 1 used a coupling capacitor which takes a toll on transparency and definition, especially in the bass.
> ...


Heyyy thank you for your reply.

I think at this point I'm pretty set to give Mojo a try, just want to confirm a few more things before deciding on Mojo 1 vs Mojo 2.

I vaguely read Mojo has polite treble, but I do like my treble.  Would you happen to know if Mojo 1 or Mojo 2 has more treble?  (the more the better, though I guess Mojo 2 has EQ too so I can probably EQ it).  Also to my understanding Mojo 1 has a bit more intimate vocal right?  Does Mojo 2 still has forward vocal?  And sounds like bass quality and quantity wise Mojo 2 wins from what you just said.

It's just that I have a friend in UK and he says he can most likely find me a Mojo 1 at half the price of Mojo 2.  So I'm wondering if Mojo 2's improvements is worth it considering the huge price difference.

Thanks!!!


----------



## pete321

Hyde00 said:


> Heyyy thank you for your reply.
> 
> I think at this point I'm pretty set to give Mojo a try, just want to confirm a few more things before deciding on Mojo 1 vs Mojo 2.
> 
> ...


Jmo but unless you are prepared to listen for 5 hours then charge for 4-6 hours and then repeat this over and over every time you want to use it, Mojo 1 is not worth it in any way even with the deep discounts probably going on now, save up a little and have a better dac for life (desktop mode should work if battery is dead), it sounds better and you can feel more power even without touching dsp or crossfeed.


----------



## Hyde00

pete321 said:


> Jmo but unless you are prepared to listen for 5 hours then charge for 4-6 hours and then repeat this over and over every time you want to use it, Mojo 1 is not worth it in any way even with the deep discounts probably going on now, save up a little and have a better dac for life (desktop mode should work if battery is dead), it sounds better and you can feel more power even without touching dsp or crossfeed.


It sounds like there is the battery hack (take out battery) for Mojo 1 but as you said all things considered probably still better to get Mojo 2 right?

Okay in this case I'll save up for Mojo 2 then, thanks!


----------



## pete321 (Mar 28, 2022)

There is the battery hack, but Robb Watts himself acknowledged that it might function but it was not designed to run from mains whereas mojo 2 was. I have both, it's not an incredible difference in improvement but mojo 2 does sound better stock to me and if you know your way around eq it is fun to be able to tune it on the fly as you listen (I don't but still found good settings).
I think mojo 1 won't retain much of its value as it's worse in every way (sucks for me too I think I'll keep mine rather than sell cheap).


----------



## Kentajalli (Mar 28, 2022)

Hyde00 said:


> It sounds like there is the battery hack (take out battery) for Mojo 1 but as you said all things considered probably still better to get Mojo 2 right?
> 
> Okay in this case I'll save up for Mojo 2 then, thanks!


The battery issue is blown out of proportion .
In UK at least, Chord can supply new batteries for about £40. if you check this forum, you find compatible batteries from Aliexpress for $20.
they work for 7+ hours on a full charge.
- Mojo classic has a softer, thicker midrange, Mojo2 is leaner but clearer (not always desired).
Treble on both is very good, same amount.
Bass on Mojo2 is better.
People should hold on to their Mojo classic, at least for six months, till Mojo2 passes the test of time and hype to die down a bit.


----------



## tekkster

Kentajalli said:


> The battery issue is blown out of proportion .
> In UK at least, Chord can supply new batteries for about £40. if you check this forum, you find compatible batteries from Aliexpress for $20.
> they work for 7+ hours on a full charge.
> - Mojo classic has a softer, thicker midrange, Mojo2 is leaner but clearer (not always desired).
> ...


Agree.  I've purchased Mojo batteries from thecablecompany in new jersey and george meyer in california.

not a big deal


----------



## Hyde00

pete321 said:


> There is the battery hack, but Robb Watts himself acknowledged that it might function but it was not designed to run from mains whereas mojo 2 was. I have both, it's not an incredible difference in improvement but mojo 2 does sound better stock to me and if you know your way around eq it is fun to be able to tune it on the fly as you listen (I don't but still found good settings).
> I think mojo 1 won't retain much of its value as it's worse in every way (sucks for me too I think I'll keep mine rather than sell cheap).


Yeah that's my concern, I've read split opinions so far regarding running Mojo 1 without battery.  I guess safer to go with Mojo 2 since as you said it was actually designed that way.

In a perfect world I'd want Chord Anni but in Mojo price LOL (since I'll be using it as desktop unit so I really don't need the battery, that and I like rotary knob better).

Chord need to release an Anni Jr, as it stands Anni is about 2.5 times the price of Mojo 2?


Kentajalli said:


> The battery issue is blown out of proportion .
> In UK at least, Chord can supply new batteries for about £40. if you check this forum, you find compatible batteries from Aliexpress for $20.
> they work for 7+ hours on a full charge.
> - Mojo classic has a softer, thicker midrange, Mojo2 is leaner but clearer (not always desired).
> ...





tekkster said:


> Agree.  I've purchased Mojo batteries from thecablecompany in new jersey and george meyer in california.
> 
> not a big deal


Yeah I think the real issue for me is that I kind of want to use it as desktop unit so probably still not ideal to drain the battery all day (I turn my computer on in the morning and turn off at night).

As I mentioned a budget Anni would probably be best for me.  At the moment Mojo is the only thing that I can afford.


----------



## surfgeorge

Hyde00 said:


> Heyyy thank you for your reply.
> 
> I think at this point I'm pretty set to give Mojo a try, just want to confirm a few more things before deciding on Mojo 1 vs Mojo 2.
> 
> ...



I still think that the Mojo 1 is a great little DAC especially considering the used prices, and the battery issue is a bit overblown. I still get 7 hours runtime out of my 3,5 year old Mojo.
The funny thing with the Mojo is that it's seductive and easy to listen to. The soundstage is more intimate, the treble is fluid and the bass is warm. Hours of joy.
I never found the treble lacking, but people who are used to sharp, slightly harsh treble will find the Mojo smoother, slightly more shimmery than sparkly.
I always liked it and never missed bite or detail.
The bass is actually also not bad, but the Hugo 2 has such incredible definition, texture and extension that the Mojo 1 simply can't keep up.
The Hugo is actually quite intense and demands attention. There's so much atmosphere in the music, it's like you can feel the space, and all the sounds are like carved out, so accurate! At times I switch on cross-feed when I just want to relax.

I don't know where the Mojo 2 falls in between the M1 and H2.
I suspect that it's at least half way in between or even closer to H2.
What makes it really tempting is the cross-feed, Desktop Mode and EQ.
The cross-feed implementation of the Chord DACs is not merely a channel mixing but it emulates how the ear hears sounds coming from the opposite side of the head - which is bassier. This makes the cross feed actually sound more intimate and warm, aside from the more centered image. Great for vocals.
So if you can save up to get the M2 without regretting spending the money later, I'd go for it.

Sometimes int the future I will have to get it myself...


----------



## Kentajalli

surfgeorge said:


> I still think that the Mojo 1 is a great little DAC


Yes, yes


surfgeorge said:


> especially considering the used prices, and the battery issue is a bit overblown. I still get 7 hours runtime out of my 3,5 year old Mojo.


Absolutely 


surfgeorge said:


> The funny thing with the Mojo is that it's seductive and easy to listen to. The soundstage is more intimate, the treble is fluid and the bass is warm. Hours of joy.
> I never found the treble lacking, but people who are used to sharp, slightly harsh treble will find the Mojo smoother, slightly more shimmery than sparkly.
> I always liked it and never missed bite or detail.


Agree, every word.


surfgeorge said:


> The bass is actually also not bad, but the Hugo 2 has such incredible definition, texture and extension that the Mojo 1 simply can't keep up.
> The Hugo is actually quite intense and demands attention. There's so much atmosphere in the music, it's like you can feel the space, and all the sounds are like carved out, so accurate!


Well described .


surfgeorge said:


> I don't know where the Mojo 2 falls in between the M1 and H2.
> I suspect that it's at least half way in between or even closer to H2.
> What makes it really


I think it is in a class of its own, the most featured Chord DAC. Sound quality is closer to Mojo classic than Hugo2, in my opinion.


surfgeorge said:


> tempting is the cross-feed, Desktop Mode and EQ.
> The cross-feed implementation of the Chord DACs is not merely a channel mixing but it emulates how the ear hears sounds coming from the opposite side of the head - which is bassier. This makes the cross feed actually sound more intimate and warm, aside from the more centered image. Great for vocals.


Mmmmm, not a fan of Chord crossfeed.


surfgeorge said:


> So if you can save up to get the M2 without regretting spending the money later, I'd go for it.


Again Mojo Classic is very good value at half the price.


surfgeorge said:


> Sometimes int the future I will have to get it myself...


Enjoy your current Mojo, unless you really want/need the features .


----------



## Hyde00

lol thanks for the feedback guys, sounds like both are good.  I guess I'll check what I can find in the classified.

Thanks!


----------



## vlach (Mar 28, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> The battery issue is blown out of proportion .
> In UK at least, Chord can supply new batteries for about £40. if you check this forum, you find compatible batteries from Aliexpress for $20.
> they work for 7+ hours on a full charge.
> - Mojo classic has a softer, thicker midrange, Mojo2 is leaner but clearer (not always desired).
> ...


Another problem with the battery (according to some user reports i read) is that it loses its charge when not in use. That's a problem if you charge it and don't use for a week or two only to find out it lost 50% of its charge when you want to use it again.


----------



## Kentajalli

vlach said:


> Another problem with the battery (according to some user reports i read) is that it loses its charge when not in use. That's a problem if you charge it and don't use for a week or two only to find out it lost 50% of its charge when you want to use it again.


My three year old spare phone is same.
Battery is cheap enough to replace every two years, even one.
And available !


----------



## vlach

Kentajalli said:


> My three year old spare phone is same.
> Battery is cheap enough to replace every two years, even one.
> And available !


That's not acceptable and much too inconvenient. I don't have this problem with any other battery powered device. This is why i removed the battery and use an external battery pack.


----------



## Kentajalli

vlach said:


> That's not acceptable and much too inconvenient. I don't have this problem with any other battery powered device. This is why i removed the battery and use an external battery pack.


You found my powerbank!
I left it on the plane a month ago, did you also find the microSD card reader? they were together.


----------



## Rob Watts

vlach said:


> Another problem with the battery (according to some user reports i read) is that it loses its charge when not in use. That's a problem if you charge it and don't use for a week or two only to find out it lost 50% of its charge when you want to use it again.


Agreed that was an issue with Mojo - if you left it on the shelf for several weeks you needed to top up the charge. One of the improvements I made was to reduce the standby current (this powers the on/off circuitry) by an order of magnitude - now with Mojo 2 it now takes 7 months to go from full charge to flat whilst leaving it on the shelf.


----------



## magicalmouse

vlach said:


> That's not acceptable and much too inconvenient. I don't have this problem with any other battery powered device. This is why i removed the battery and use an external battery pack.


What battery pack is best for the mojo 1 (size, charge, convenience)?


----------



## Nick24JJ

Yesterday, it was the second time I've encountered a horrible white noise while I was listening to YouTube with my Mojo 2 connected via USB on my laptop. I was listening fairly loud, volume buttons lighted green, and all of the sudden this noise appeared! I had to shut it down and power it on, again. Does this have to do with the USB port on my laptop, malfunctioning?


----------



## Derivative

Nick24JJ said:


> I know, I've already installed it since day one, on my laptop. What I'm asking is, in Qobuz I see the following:
> 
> - ASIO Chord 1.05
> - WASAPI Chord Mojo 2 (Chord Async 44.1kHz - 768kHz)
> ...


I got my Mojo 2 yesterday and found the only option that worked properly for Qobuz is the Wasapi Exclusive Mode.
For Spotify, I had to set the Default Format in the Sound Control Panel to 16 bit / 44.1kHz for it to work properly (Spotify doesn't do exclusive mode).

it's been a little fiddly and for a moment I thought my Mojo unit itself was faulty, but I think it's settled in now.


----------



## Derivative

Nick24JJ said:


> Yesterday, it was the second time I've encountered a horrible white noise while I was listening to YouTube with my Mojo 2 connected via USB on my laptop. I was listening fairly loud, volume buttons lighted green, and all of the sudden this noise appeared! I had to shut it down and power it on, again. Does this have to do with the USB port on my laptop, malfunctioning?


Hi, I think I had the same problem, really jarring white noise, preceded by some clear crackles and pops. 
I use a windows laptop as my source, also connected via USB to the Mojo - the noise manifested whether using the C or micro port.

I initially though my unit was faulty, but by playing around with the settings in the Sound Control Panel I managed to sort it out, for now.
Basically, for anything that doesn't play in Exclusive Mode (i.e. Spotify and YT) and only plays in shared mode, I set the default format to 16 bit / 44.1khz.
For Qobuz, which allows Wasapi Exclusive Mode, I make sure to always select that option and it works fine.

I'm guessing the noise comes from a some sort of mismatch in the digital signal being transferred from the laptop to the Mojo, but I am not an expert at all and hoping someone more knowledgeable can weigh in.


----------



## Amberlamps

Kentajalli said:


> Yes, yes
> 
> Absolutely
> 
> ...



I approve of this post.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Mar 29, 2022)

@Derivative , thank you for your reply and for confirming. I am using Windows 11 Pro and below are my settings for the Mojo 2. When it comes to Qobuz, all the options I've posted earlier work for me. I am not using the Mojo 2 much, maybe 30 - 45 minutes every other day, due to lack of time. I purchased this device to use it as a desktop unit, exclusively. This is not a portable device to me. I am planning to connect it permanently with my desktop computer, which I will buy later this year. So, it is crucial to me that it will function properly with a computer.

@Rob Watts , can you please tell me why is this white noise happening and how can it be fixed? Have I set up the Mojo 2 properly on my current laptop?

Thank you


----------



## HTML

Just receive my Mojo2. I can confirm that it works with iPhone without the need for CCK. I'm using the FiiO LT-LT1 cable. 

Coming from a guy with no prior dac/amps, this little fella is magical as compared to Mac/iPhone!


----------



## Derivative

Nick24JJ said:


> @Derivative , thank you for your reply and for confirming. I am using Windows 11 Pro and below are my settings for the Mojo 2. When it comes to Qobuz, all the options I've posted earlier work for me. I am not using the Mojo 2 much, maybe 30 - 45 minutes every other day, due to lack of time. I purchased this device to use it as a desktop unit, exclusively. This is not a portable device to me. I am planning to connect it permanently with my desktop computer, which I will buy later this year. So, it is crucial to me that it will function properly with a computer.
> 
> @Rob Watts , can you please tell me why is this white noise happening and how can it be fixed? Have I set up the Mojo 2 properly on my current laptop?
> 
> Thank you


I got the white noise when, like you, I selected the 32 bit / 384kHz format in shared mode.
It seems to have disappeared when I reduced this to the lowest quality, 16 bit / 44.1 kHz.

I'm also using the Mojo 2 as a desktop DAC/Amp, with the laptop as a source. However I'm considering getting a dedicated source.


----------



## Kentajalli

Derivative said:


> I got the white noise when, like you, I selected the 32 bit / 384kHz format in shared mode.
> It seems to have disappeared when I reduced this to the lowest quality, 16 bit / 44.1 kHz.
> 
> I'm also using the Mojo 2 as a desktop DAC/Amp, with the laptop as a source. However I'm considering getting a dedicated source.


Substandard USB cable has low bandwidth, it is noisy and suffers from dropouts, it sends the (sensitive) USB input of Chord DACs crazy! hence the white noise.
At lower bitrates, it just manages.
I wish Chord fixes that instead of white noise, it just mutes!
Change your cable, check your connections, it is a known issue (with bad cables).


----------



## Derivative

Kentajalli said:


> Substandard USB cable has low bandwidth, it is noisy and suffers from dropouts, it sends the (sensitive) USB input of Chord DACs crazy! hence the white noise.
> At lower bitrates, it just manages.
> I wish Chord fixes that instead of white noise, it just mutes!
> Change your cable, check your connections, it is a known issue (with bad cables).


Ok thanks for the advice, I have indeed been using bog standard cables I found in a drawer.
One thing to note: I've been using the same micro-USB cable with the original Mojo which i also own, and never had this issue. 
Is the Mojo 2 more sensitive?

Finally, which cable or cable maker would you recommend?


----------



## HTML

Derivative said:


> Ok thanks for the advice, I have indeed been using bog standard cables I found in a drawer.
> One thing to note: I've been using the same micro-USB cable with the original Mojo which i also own, and never had this issue.
> Is the Mojo 2 more sensitive?
> 
> Finally, which cable or cable maker would you recommend?


On my MacBook, I hooked the Mojo2 with thunderbolt cable (overkill but does the job), It's been smooth so far with no issues that you mentioned.


----------



## Kentajalli (Mar 29, 2022)

Derivative said:


> Ok thanks for the advice, I have indeed been using bog standard cables I found in a drawer.
> One thing to note: I've been using the same micro-USB cable with the original Mojo which i also own, and never had this issue.
> Is the Mojo 2 more sensitive?
> 
> Finally, which cable or cable maker would you recommend?


Amazon basic usually is fine.
I do not know any makes, I make my own DIY stuff.
But I did use an Audioquest Pearl with no issues., if you want to go semi-exotic!
It is just a good cable with (real) gold-plated contacts that also should double up as a fast charge cable, if you connect it to a 2 amp wall charger!
No, Mojo2 is no more sensitive - it has the same USB input chip.


----------



## vlach

magicalmouse said:


> What battery pack is best for the mojo 1 (size, charge, convenience)?


https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...cQFnoECCIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1F6eiuPsFI86xtaykt85V0


----------



## Derivative

Thanks for the advice, appreciate it. time to go cable shopping!


----------



## Nick24JJ (Mar 29, 2022)

I am using the cable that came with the Mojo 2. If this is considered substandard...
PS: my USB ports OK, no issues reported from Windows. Also, to be precise: the white noise appeared in my system only while using the provided USB cable. Besides that, I am also using 2 other USB-C to USB-C cables. This one and this one. This irritating white noise has not appeared while using these two cables but I have not used them much.


----------



## Progisus

The white noise occurs when the streamer/pc looses the handshake, usually when changing tracks of different resolution. I have had this with all my Chord dacs… mojo1, mojo2, h2, TT1and TT2 and cables. Usually software reinitialize cures it.


----------



## vlach

Rob Watts said:


> Agreed that was an issue with Mojo - if you left it on the shelf for several weeks you needed to top up the charge. One of the improvements I made was to reduce the standby current (this powers the on/off circuitry) by an order of magnitude - now with Mojo 2 it now takes 7 months to go from full charge to flat whilst leaving it on the shelf.


It is really good to know that the battery discharge problem is resolved with the M2, this will reassure a lot of people who were concerned about it, in fact i feel this part of the redesign should've been highlighted among all the other new features (unless i missed it) as it makes the M2 an even more compelling offer!


----------



## Kentajalli

vlach said:


> It is really good to know that the battery discharge problem is resolved with the M2, this will reassure a lot of people who were concerned about it, in fact i feel this part of the redesign should've been highlighted among all the other new features (unless i missed it) as it makes the M2 an even more compelling offer!


No it wasn't highlighted, not as far as I knew, frankly, till you mentioned it, I didn't even know it was an issue, never mind an already a solution!
It is good to know that RW is thorough.
So can I buy your Mojo off you for cheap now?  I mean it has lots of issues


----------



## Nick24JJ (Mar 29, 2022)

Progisus said:


> The white noise occurs when the streamer/pc looses the handshake, usually when changing tracks of different resolution. I have had this with all my Chord dacs… mojo1, mojo2, h2, TT1and TT2 and cables. Usually software reinitialize cures it.


All I was doing, in both times when this horrible white noise occurred, was to listen to music on YouTube on my browser, using the provided USB cable. It was a continuous DJ set, so no change of tracks or of resolution. It is pretty alarming what you say, that you've encountered this in all of your Chord devices! I have already emailed support and I am waiting for their response. Do you realize how does it feel to be lost in music, listening to a certain high volume, and this sound to occur? I am using my 7Hz Timeless IEM and I thought I would lose my hearing...

And, what is the solution? To set it up at 16/44.1 to listen to YouTube and go change it again, when listening to local files, Amazon HD and Qobuz?


----------



## Azurik

Anyone with the mojo 2 and a ps5 able to test if the ps5 recognises it via the front usb c to usb c connection and if the ps5 usb a ports provide enough power to the mojo 2 via micro in order to leave it connected? 

Ideally both the usb c and usb a Port are connected to the mojo 2 for data and charging.


----------



## Gww1 (Mar 29, 2022)

If you set Qobuz (or whatever) to WASAPI exclusive it will automatically change to the correct sample rate, so you just leave the windows setting to 16 44.1. I leave my windows settings on 24bit 48khz all the time and have never experienced the problem with Mojo 2 or Hugo 2.


----------



## Another Audiophile

My review of the @iFi audio gryphon XDSD and comparison with @ChordElectronics mojo 2 is up here on head-fi


----------



## Nick24JJ (Mar 29, 2022)

Gww1 said:


> If you set Qobuz (or whatever) to WASAPI exclusive it will automatically change to the correct sample rate, so you just leave the windows setting to 16 44.1. I leave my windows settings on 24bit 48khz all the time and have never experienced the problem with Mojo 2 or Hugo 2.


Thank you for your reply! I sincerely hope and wish that this will work for me, as well! I wouldn't like to return the Mojo 2 + I've also purchased the leather Mojo case (£45) and a 6 year guarantee from my local dealer (£45). It's not so much that, though, I really like the Mojo 2 for my desktop!


----------



## padawan25

Another Audiophile said:


> My review of the @iFi audio gryphon XDSD and comparison with @ChordElectronics mojo 2 is up here on head-fi



Great comparison….thank you for taking the time.


----------



## Radaos

Progisus said:


> The white noise occurs when the streamer/pc looses the handshake, usually when changing tracks of different resolution. I have had this with all my Chord dacs… mojo1, mojo2, h2, TT1and TT2 and cables. Usually software reinitialize cures it.



I've had it happen in the middle of a track. This was with a good quality USB cable, on Spotify, connected to a Raspberry Pi, running R-Pi OS.
The white noise lasted several seconds, stopped when I paused the track, then resumed when I hit Play again, with noise lasting another second or so, before returning to normal operation. This blast of noise happened on at least three different occasions.

That said, I've been using the Mojo 2 on a Windows laptop for a few weeks and have not encountered this issue.


----------



## meomap

I encountered only one time white noise with Mojo2, Note 9, and 2 ft Moon Audio silver usbC to usbC.
Just got out if parking lot at Costco hearing Quobuz.

Did not hear white noise again so far.
Using the same setup with window laptop, no white noise.


----------



## kennyb123

kumar402 said:


> HQPlayer smoothen the sound and makes it softer with Sinc-M and NS-9 and may be that’s why you like it with Mojo 2.


That’s not at all what I hear with sinc-M.  The improvement is similar to M-Scaler but to a smaller degree.


----------



## mariopoli

Well I finally bought my Mojo2. I live in the USA and the price in Europe is much lower. I don't know why Chord has radically different prices in different regions. Its total BS.  After weeks of trying no one would ship me one to the states so I bought one at a local retailer. 

I like it despite all the hype and snake oil technical descriptions of how it works and was designed. It definitely sounds better than my apple dongle on my cell phone. The equalizer is excellent. It is the first electronic EQ I have used that does not distort the sound in a negative way that I can tell. I tried the Mojo2 with the Amber Rubarth, Sessions From the 17th Ward recording. The Mojo2 makes my Grado GH1 sound more musical. I also tried it with the Senn. HD6XX. I increased the treble 3dB on the Mojo2 and the HD6XX sounds fantastic. There are a lot of complaints online about how complicated it is to use the equalizer but I found that to be without merit. If you read the manual it explains how to use it. Once you do it it becomes very intuitive and I doubt I will need to look at the manual as a reference for this again. The color coding is actually very clever. It uses the rainbow colors. It's actually easier to recognize a color that it is to read a description. You don't need to speak or read a language to use the Mojo We all recognize colors. I find it very clever. I can adjust it in complete darkness as I don't need a light to read text.

This is a very nice toy to have. I don't want to take the Grado headphones off my head. The Mojo2 takes the harshness off the Grado house sound and makes them less tiring for extended listening sessions. 

Are there any aftermarket cases I can buy for it? The factory case is too expensive for me.


----------



## dsrk

mariopoli said:


> Well I finally bought my Mojo2. I live in the USA and the price in Europe is much lower. I don't know why Chord has radically different prices in different regions. Its total BS.  After weeks of trying no one would ship me one to the states so I bought one at a local retailer.
> 
> I like it despite all the hype and snake oil technical descriptions of how it works and was designed. It definitely sounds better than my apple dongle on my cell phone. The equalizer is excellent. It is the first electronic EQ I have used that does not distort the sound in a negative way that I can tell. I tried the Mojo2 with the Amber Rubarth, Sessions From the 17th Ward recording. The Mojo2 makes my Grado GH1 sound more musical. I also tried it with the Senn. HD6XX. I increased the treble 3dB on the Mojo2 and the HD6XX sounds fantastic. There are a lot of complaints online about how complicated it is to use the equalizer but I found that to be without merit. If you read the manual it explains how to use it. Once you do it it becomes very intuitive and I doubt I will need to look at the manual as a reference for this again. The color coding is actually very clever. It uses the rainbow colors. It's actually easier to recognize a color that it is to read a description. You don't need to speak or read a language to use the Mojo We all recognize colors. I find it very clever. I can adjust it in complete darkness as I don't need a light to read text.
> 
> ...


Nice. 
Does HD6XX sound good out of Mojo 2? Do you think it can power them reasonably?

It's priced $580 in India almost similar to Mojo, I was actually surprised after I saw the price in US.


----------



## mariopoli

dsrk said:


> Nice.
> Does HD6XX sound good out of Mojo 2? Do you think it can power them reasonably?
> 
> It's priced $580 in India almost similar to Mojo, I was actually surprised after I saw the price in US.


No problem powering the HD6XX out of the Mojo 2 for me. The HD6XX definitely need an external amp. The Mojo2 sounded great with them compared to the output of the Apple dongle which is not enough and thin sounding.


----------



## Jeffyue

.


----------



## vlach (Mar 30, 2022)

mariopoli said:


> Well I finally bought my Mojo2. I live in the USA and the price in Europe is much lower. I don't know why Chord has radically different prices in different regions. Its total BS.  After weeks of trying no one would ship me one to the states so I bought one at a local retailer.
> 
> I like it despite all the hype and snake oil technical descriptions of how it works and was designed. It definitely sounds better than my apple dongle on my cell phone. The equalizer is excellent. It is the first electronic EQ I have used that does not distort the sound in a negative way that I can tell. I tried the Mojo2 with the Amber Rubarth, Sessions From the 17th Ward recording. The Mojo2 makes my Grado GH1 sound more musical. I also tried it with the Senn. HD6XX. I increased the treble 3dB on the Mojo2 and the HD6XX sounds fantastic. There are a lot of complaints online about how complicated it is to use the equalizer but I found that to be without merit. If you read the manual it explains how to use it. Once you do it it becomes very intuitive and I doubt I will need to look at the manual as a reference for this again. The color coding is actually very clever. It uses the rainbow colors. It's actually easier to recognize a color that it is to read a description. You don't need to speak or read a language to use the Mojo We all recognize colors. I find it very clever. I can adjust it in complete darkness as I don't need a light to read text.
> 
> ...


Great feedback, thank you.
Btw, i urge you to try the G-pads on the GH1. They literally transformed my RS2E with a soundstage size comparable to the (king of soundstage?) HD800. Don't try the cheaper ones on eBay (they kill the mids), invest $50 on the originals from Grado and thank me later 

Sorry for OT.


----------



## Stevko (Mar 30, 2022)

mariopoli said:


> Well I finally bought my Mojo2. I live in the USA and the price in Europe is much lower. I don't know why Chord has radically different prices in different regions. Its total BS.  After weeks of trying no one would ship me one to the states so I bought one at a local retailer.
> 
> I like it despite all the hype and snake oil technical descriptions of how it works and was designed. It definitely sounds better than my apple dongle on my cell phone. The equalizer is excellent. It is the first electronic EQ I have used that does not distort the sound in a negative way that I can tell. I tried the Mojo2 with the Amber Rubarth, Sessions From the 17th Ward recording. The Mojo2 makes my Grado GH1 sound more musical. I also tried it with the Senn. HD6XX. I increased the treble 3dB on the Mojo2 and the HD6XX sounds fantastic. There are a lot of complaints online about how complicated it is to use the equalizer but I found that to be without merit. If you read the manual it explains how to use it. Once you do it it becomes very intuitive and I doubt I will need to look at the manual as a reference for this again. The color coding is actually very clever. It uses the rainbow colors. It's actually easier to recognize a color that it is to read a description. You don't need to speak or read a language to use the Mojo We all recognize colors. I find it very clever. I can adjust it in complete darkness as I don't need a light to read text.
> 
> ...



same in europe with US gear: Grado 325x= 440USD + VAT =553 incl VAT for me..    Crazy



Radaos said:


> I've had it happen in the middle of a track. This was with a good quality USB cable, on Spotify, connected to a Raspberry Pi, running R-Pi OS.
> The white noise lasted several seconds, stopped when I paused the track, then resumed when I hit Play again, with noise lasting another second or so, before returning to normal operation. This blast of noise happened on at least three different occasions.
> 
> That said, I've been using the Mojo 2 on a Windows laptop for a few weeks and have not encountered this issue.


So what is the white noise? something with the PC or an issue with the Mojo?


----------



## hnaeht (Mar 30, 2022)

@Another Audiophile great review and thanks for taking your time sharing.

It's good to know the well-known interference noise still exists on mojo2 when pairing it with mobile phone. I must say it's a huge drawback (for me at least) especially since the device is designed for "mobile joy" and it took 7 years for an upgraded device. I really had a high hope the issue would be resolved in mojo2 and sadly it doesn't.

Remember the time I got mojo classic, every time I receive an incoming call, or a person sit/stand next to me get/make a call, the interference noise appears. I just can't enjoy my music purely from my phone (tiald, apple music...) with those annoying noises.

I just quote your review here to give a better context for anyone might wonder whether this issue is resolved or not. It is not. 



> "The problem I came across when using the Mojo 2 was interference when bundled with my mobile. Every time my mobile would connect or change from 3G to 4G network I would get clicks and pops. I am not an expert but that killed the mojo2 as a portable device and is not a faulty device. I owned 3 original Mojos and all had the same issue."


----------



## Derivative

dsrk said:


> Nice.
> Does HD6XX sound good out of Mojo 2? Do you think it can power them reasonably?
> 
> It's priced $580 in India almost similar to Mojo, I was actually surprised after I saw the price in US.


I've plugged my Focal Clear and Audeze LCD-2C into the Mojo 2 and it had no problems driving them, with plenty of headroom to spare in my experience. 
I also have a HD600, haven't tried them with the Mojo yet I'm confident it will also drive them well.


----------



## Stevko

hnaeht said:


> @Another Audiophile great review and thanks for taking your time sharing.
> 
> It's good to know the well-known interference noise still exists on mojo2 when pairing it with mobile phone. I must say it's a huge drawback (for me at least) especially since the device is designed for "mobile joy" and it took 7 years for an upgraded device. I really had a high hope the issue would be resolved in mojo2 and sadly it doesn't.
> 
> ...


So that`s the noise they talking about in this thread?? Or are there more than one noise issue?


----------



## jarnopp

There are 3 possible noises that OG Mojo made, and I think we are down to 2 for Mojo 2:
1) “whining” on battery charging when nearing full (not in Mojo 2 that I’ve heard)
2) 2G cell phone RFI when a phone is close to Mojo
3) screeching noise do to wrong sync input, which can happen with all the Chord DACs but should be very rare once you’ve properly got your system sorted.


----------



## YtseJamer

mariopoli said:


> This is a very nice toy to have. I don't want to take the Grado headphones off my head. The Mojo2 takes the harshness off the Grado house sound and makes them less tiring for extended listening sessions.



I agree with you.  The Mojo 2 is great match with the Grado headphones.


----------



## Nick24JJ

So, I got a response from Chord support regarding the white noise I've encountered twice on my Mojo 2, when connected to my Windows 11 laptop, and while listening to YouTube from my browser. Chord said that it was due to wrong settings. My settings are shown in this post.

From the screenshots of that post: 
As Chord said, _Mojo2 is not a DTS or Dolby decoder so these boxes should be unchecked. _And they added: _...realistically, I would lower the output sample rate too..._

Furthermore, 
_Nothing on YouTube is going to be more than 24 bit 48kHz (and the vast majority much less than that). If you are listening direct from a browser, thanks to the truly abysmal setup of Windows 10 and 11, you will need to stop ALL other notification sounds. The noise you hear is a conflict between the sample rate of the notification sound and the sample rate you have requested be sent to the Mojo2 (in this case 384kHz). This can be minimized if you set a 48kHz output (as it is the sample rate of Win notifications) but it is best avoided by turning them off altogether._

So now, I've lowered the sample rate to 48kHz and muted all Windows notification sounds. I did not have time to test this, yet, but I am sure I will not face any white noise issue, further. IF I will, I'll report it here.

When it comes to RFI when my phone is close to the Mojo 2, I have never faced that, but I very-very rarely connect it to my phone.


----------



## Another Audiophile

hnaeht said:


> @Another Audiophile great review and thanks for taking your time sharing.
> 
> It's good to know the well-known interference noise still exists on mojo2 when pairing it with mobile phone. I must say it's a huge drawback (for me at least) especially since the device is designed for "mobile joy" and it took 7 years for an upgraded device. I really had a high hope the issue would be resolved in mojo2 and sadly it doesn't.
> 
> ...


It’s sad but it is what it is and we have the responsibility to point that out. For me the mojo without the poly is not a portable device. At least that has been my experience and I am not alone on this one


----------



## Kentajalli (Mar 30, 2022)

Another Audiophile said:


> It’s sad but it is what it is and we have the responsibility to point that out. For me the mojo without the poly is not a portable device. At least that has been my experience and I am not alone on this one


- Re the "white noise" issue, I can not defend Chord on that! NO, it should have been fixed, at least it should MUTE, but a loud white noise is unacceptable.
- Re interference noise, it is mostly gone now, because Mobile phone frequency bands have changed, so they got lucky, it fixed itself.
- Re the odd RFI getting into the "ground plane" , I believe Mojo2 has better filtering now, and frankly Mobile DACs don't usually have galvanic isolation, so it is a general issue affecting all mobile DACs, only the most transparent actually let you hear the effect
Before I forget, Thank you for your review.
- Re your review, it seemed most of your gripe is with Poly (understandable), but to defend your position you say "Mojo without Poly is not portable" !!??
I don't get that, many of us don't have (or want) a Poly, and use Mojo as a portable device. Tell me is ifi gryphon without Wifi, not a portable device?? why not?
Mojo (2) is fine without Poly, one connection to a phone or a portable DAP and you can go walkabouts, listen on the plane or the train, thats portable to me.
Mojo2 has a unique feature that sets it apart from all else! _A transparent Equalizer._
If that is not important to someone, then sheer sound quality per $ would be good enough to get one.
For me, the EQ is wonderful, but I have no use for it! neither I would ever use crossfeed or desktop mode! But that's me.
I actually sent mine back! I have a Hugo2 and intend on getting a TT2, that's enough for me.
But in all fairness, Mojo2 is small enough to fit in a pocket, has many inputs (I only used USB to my phone), has reasonable power to drive any IEM and most headphones, great sound quality and is affordable!
OK £450 is not small change, but in these inflation days, it is like £350 seven years ago! In real terms, not only Mojo2 has been improved, but price has been dropped!
@Rob Watts - If you intend on implementing the EQ on a future Hugo3, we need atleast 5 Bands!
two *Shelf  *for Bass and Treble, and three *Peak *for upper bass/low mid , mid and upper mid/low treble. And possibly a memory function to dial in different EQ setups, like four at least.
I know, I am cheeky!  
Did I mention a small screen also?


----------



## Another Audiophile

Kentajalli said:


> - Re interference noise, it is mostly gone now, because Mobile phone frequency bands have changed, so they got lucky, it fixed itself.
> - Re the odd RFI getting into the "ground plane" , I believe Mojo2 has better filtering now, and frankly Mobile DACs don't usually have galvanic isolation, so it is a general issue affecting all mobile DACs, only the most transparent actually let you hear the effect
> Before I forget, Thank you for your review.
> - Re your review, it seemed most of your gripe is with Poly (understandable), but to defend your position you say "Mojo without Poly is not portable" !!??
> ...


I just share my experiences. The mojo 2 connected directly to my mobile is a constant problem with noise induced as described in my review. I didn’t have this issue with the gryphon and the gryphon has a very well implemented and underrated BT if you don’t want the mobile connected via a cable.  For this reason I said that for me and based on my experiences the mojo 2 is not fit for purpose as a mobile device. The poly works perfectly fine following the latest update and for my use case is an essential if you want the mojo 2 out and about. Regarding the “general issue” that’s not my experience. Even the Fiio BTR5 has not such issues when connected via a usb-c to lighting cable. I’ve used it extensively without any noise induced.


----------



## adonissk

I was debating which forum to post this in, I'll give it shot in here. I've been a happy owner of the Mojo 2 for a while now and I find the EQ to be a game changer for my IEM collection. I have owned several TOTL DAPs at different times and I have not experienced a purer EQ implementation on a portable device. Would I like finer band control, sure, but at this price point I am not complaining. 
I am a heavy Tidal user as all my playlists are on there and though I would like to switch to Qobuz, it still has a lot of gaps for my collection and music preferences. Thus, I am stuck with multiple MQA-only releases. Which is fine for my setup, or so I thought. I was happily using an iOS device with Tidal, where I assume the Tidal app performs the first unfold, and then feeds Mojo 2 with an 88.2 or 96khz stream, which Mojo 2 happily decodes. It sounds great. Does is sound better than 44.1khz non-MQA Tidal titles? I don't think so. 

So the other day I could not find my lightning to usb-c dongle and I thought I'd try a different source. I picked up my DX300 MAX, fired up UAPP (with the MQA plugin) and started streaming my Tidal playlists to Mojo 2 over usb-c. Yes, I could've skipped Mojo in this case and listened through the incredible MAX directly, however for the specific iems I wanted the EQ. In this setup, UAPP performs the first unfold and sends an 88.2 or 96khz stream to Mojo 2. To my utter shock and surprise, the sound out of the Mojo 2 is completely different. The soundstage is spectacularly wider, instrument separation is phenomenal, bass is tighter and harder hitting. This is not subtle. I eventually found my dongle and went back and forth between Tidal on iOS and UAPP on Android. Mojo 2 was the dac in both cases. Big difference in sound. 
What's going on here? Is UAPPs MQA unfolding vastly superior to Tidal's? Something else?


----------



## headfry

adonissk said:


> I was debating which forum to post this in, I'll give it shot in here. I've been a happy owner of the Mojo 2 for a while now and I find the EQ to be a game changer for my IEM collection. I have owned several TOTL DAPs at different times and I have not experienced a purer EQ implementation on a portable device. Would I like finer band control, sure, but at this price point I am not complaining.
> I am a heavy Tidal user as all my playlists are on there and though I would like to switch to Qobuz, it still has a lot of gaps for my collection and music preferences. Thus, I am stuck with multiple MQA-only releases. Which is fine for my setup, or so I thought. I was happily using an iOS device with Tidal, where I assume the Tidal app performs the first unfold, and then feeds Mojo 2 with an 88.2 or 96khz stream, which Mojo 2 happily decodes. It sounds great. Does is sound better than 44.1khz non-MQA Tidal titles? I don't think so.
> 
> So the other day I could not find my lightning to usb-c dongle and I thought I'd try a different source. I picked up my DX300 MAX, fired up UAPP (with the MQA plugin) and started streaming my Tidal playlists to Mojo 2 over usb-c. Yes, I could've skipped Mojo in this case and listened through the incredible MAX directly, however for the specific iems I wanted the EQ. In this setup, UAPP performs the first unfold and sends an 88.2 or 96khz stream to Mojo 2. To my utter shock and surprise, the sound out of the Mojo 2 is completely different. The soundstage is spectacularly wider, instrument separation is phenomenal, bass is tighter and harder hitting. This is not subtle. I eventually found my dongle and went back and forth between Tidal on iOS and UAPP on Android. Mojo 2 was the dac in both cases. Big difference in sound.
> What's going on here? Is UAPPs MQA unfolding vastly superior to Tidal's? Something else?


...with IEM try putting the crossfeed on the lowest setting (red), I find that even though the difference is hard to hear it often feels better with it on. For some
older recordings, I sometimes go up to green. Then at some point turn crossfeed off and see how it differs, see what your preference is.


----------



## surfgeorge

adonissk said:


> I was debating which forum to post this in, I'll give it shot in here. I've been a happy owner of the Mojo 2 for a while now and I find the EQ to be a game changer for my IEM collection. I have owned several TOTL DAPs at different times and I have not experienced a purer EQ implementation on a portable device. Would I like finer band control, sure, but at this price point I am not complaining.
> I am a heavy Tidal user as all my playlists are on there and though I would like to switch to Qobuz, it still has a lot of gaps for my collection and music preferences. Thus, I am stuck with multiple MQA-only releases. Which is fine for my setup, or so I thought. I was happily using an iOS device with Tidal, where I assume the Tidal app performs the first unfold, and then feeds Mojo 2 with an 88.2 or 96khz stream, which Mojo 2 happily decodes. It sounds great. Does is sound better than 44.1khz non-MQA Tidal titles? I don't think so.
> 
> So the other day I could not find my lightning to usb-c dongle and I thought I'd try a different source. I picked up my DX300 MAX, fired up UAPP (with the MQA plugin) and started streaming my Tidal playlists to Mojo 2 over usb-c. Yes, I could've skipped Mojo in this case and listened through the incredible MAX directly, however for the specific iems I wanted the EQ. In this setup, UAPP performs the first unfold and sends an 88.2 or 96khz stream to Mojo 2. To my utter shock and surprise, the sound out of the Mojo 2 is completely different. The soundstage is spectacularly wider, instrument separation is phenomenal, bass is tighter and harder hitting. This is not subtle. I eventually found my dongle and went back and forth between Tidal on iOS and UAPP on Android. Mojo 2 was the dac in both cases. Big difference in sound.
> What's going on here? Is UAPPs MQA unfolding vastly superior to Tidal's? Something else?


Thanks for sharing!
when you listen to Tidal iOS or the DX300, what color does the power ball show?
On the Mojo 1 the color corresponds to the sampling rate, red being 44 or 48 kHz.
Does it differ between iOS and DX300?
The other possibility is simply the quality of the digital signal.
I hear a pretty big improvement with the Hugo 2 since I use the 2Go with it. Just as you describe, clarity, separation and depth improve significantly.


----------



## ChrisGB

I found the Mojo 2 to sound different from source to source. The Samsung Tab Pro S was pretty much unusable with drop outs and noise. I put this down to the laptop not being up to providing a stable data output. No problems at all feeding it from a workstation with identical USB settings. Feeding the Mojo 2 from the phone (OnePlus 9 Pro) I had no issues with dropouts or RF interference. Feeding it from the Shanling M6 DAP gave best sound quality and Shanling's ancient version of Android has the resampling removed, so easy to send even the highest resolution files through to Mojo 2. Never tried Tidal, I don't want to encourage them!


----------



## adonissk

surfgeorge said:


> Thanks for sharing!
> when you listen to Tidal iOS or the DX300, what color does the power ball show?
> On the Mojo 1 the color corresponds to the sampling rate, red being 44 or 48 kHz.
> Does it differ between iOS and DX300?
> ...


Same color in both cases, green or yellow depending on the track. This means the first MQA unfold happens in both Tidal/ios and android UAPP Tidal.


----------



## Derivative

Nick24JJ said:


> So, I got a response from Chord support regarding the white noise I've encountered twice on my Mojo 2, when connected to my Windows 11 laptop, and while listening to YouTube from my browser. Chord said that it was due to wrong settings. My settings are shown in this post.
> 
> From the screenshots of that post:
> As Chord said, _Mojo2 is not a DTS or Dolby decoder so these boxes should be unchecked. _And they added: _...realistically, I would lower the output sample rate too..._
> ...


That's really helpful, thank you for sharing. The white noise issue has disappeared for me over the last 2 days of listening, guess I hit on the right settings.

I'm finding the EQ on the Mojo 2 a fantastic tool. Works so well, and once you get the hang of it it's easy to use for on the fly adjustments.


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## Nick24JJ (Mar 30, 2022)

Derivative said:


> That's really helpful, thank you for sharing. The white noise issue has disappeared for me over the last 2 days of listening, guess I hit on the right settings.
> 
> I'm finding the EQ on the Mojo 2 a fantastic tool. Works so well, and once you get the hang of it it's easy to use for on the fly adjustments.


You are welcome. Here are a few more things I've observed, in the little time I have to use the Mojo 2.

1. Chord ASIO 1.05 driver does not function properly. In Qobuz it plays in half the speed of the song. I've tried all sample rates from 44.1kHz up to 96kHz. In Foobar2000 the same driver functions properly with local [PCM] files.

2. Wasapi Exclusive Mode plays normally in Qobuz and the power button color lights up in the correct sample rate.

3. The sample rate in Windows Sound defines the capability of Mojo 2 in Amazon Music Unlimited. If, for example, I set it up at 48kHz in Windows, Amazon desktop app shows: Device Capability 24bit/48kHz, Track Quality 24bit/192kHz, Currently playing at: 24bit/48kHz. So, I've set it up at 32bit/192kHz in Windows Sound. All Windows sounds are muted = No Sound [profile]. In Amazon music app, the power button always displays the Windows sample rate = 192kHz = blue.

All the above, in my Windows 11 Pro HP laptop.

Let's see how this will work..


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## rkt31 (Mar 31, 2022)

Mojo 2 with r70x is out of the world both with music and movie watching. I used +1 click 20hz, +1 click treble shelf and -1 click 20khz ( this 20khz setting is upto you. You may or may not want -1 click of 20khz with r70x depending upon your taste etc ) . I used asio out in j river with my laptop and thought why one needs a dedicated home theatre, it was so so engulfing experience. To me mojo 2 and r70x is a combo which can beat even the most expensive headphone set ups, it comes out so good.


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## hssong85

Can anybody give me an insight on Mojo 2 vs Qutest in terms of SQ. I am fully aware that mojo 2 is portable.

It is just that getting Mojo 2 used is impossible and price for Qutest is only couple hundred different. But Qutest is getting outdated and read somewhere Mojo 2 is very similar.


----------



## NoTimeFor

hssong85 said:


> Can anybody give me an insight on Mojo 2 vs Qutest in terms of SQ. I am fully aware that mojo 2 is portable.
> 
> It is just that getting Mojo 2 used is impossible and price for Qutest is only couple hundred different. But Qutest is getting outdated and read somewhere Mojo 2 is very similar.


I think Mojo 2 $875 CAD (new) whereas Qutest is $1500 to $1800 CAD in used market. Not sure where you're getting the Qutest from, but a couple hundred difference is a good deal! I cannot speak for Qutest but I had Hugo 2 while back, and FWIW, Mojo 2 should give a pretty fair fight against it. I am using Mojo 2 to feed tube amp and I really like the result so far. However, if you're looking to use the DAC for permanent hifi setup then Qutest would make more sense given that you have a synergistic preamp.


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## ardbeg1975 (Mar 31, 2022)

NoTimeFor said:


> I think Mojo 2 $875 CAD (new) whereas Qutest is $1500 to $1800 CAD in used market. Not sure where you're getting the Qutest from, but a couple hundred difference is a good deal! I cannot speak for Qutest but I had Hugo 2 while back, and FWIW, Mojo 2 should give a pretty fair fight against it. I am using Mojo 2 to feed tube amp and I really like the result so far. However, if you're looking to use the DAC for permanent hifi setup then Qutest would make more sense given that you have a synergistic preamp.


I have both and like anything else in this hobby, the law of diminishing returns applies particularly as you go north of $1K. To my ears, the Qutest is more resolving and has slightly more depth as you’d expect given higher tap length and Rob Watt’s arguments about tap count translating to better transient response and thus spacial cues. But it is nearly double the cost. Do you need maximal portability (Mojo2) or a small footprint but very capable desktop setup (Qutest). So, I can hear a difference and that difference has prompted me to consider further trading up to a TT2 to again get another noticeable albeit expensive and small in percentage of improvement upgrade in depth and resolution.


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## Nick24JJ

Nick24JJ said:


> 1. Chord ASIO 1.05 driver does not function properly. In Qobuz it plays in half the speed of the song. I've tried all sample rates from 44.1kHz up to 96kHz. In Foobar2000 the same driver functions properly with local [PCM] files.


Chord Support: _ASIO on Qobuz (not just ours, in general) is somewhat broken. We'd suggest using the Direct mode which should work perfectly. _


----------



## hssong85

NoTimeFor said:


> I think Mojo 2 $875 CAD (new) whereas Qutest is $1500 to $1800 CAD in used market. Not sure where you're getting the Qutest from, but a couple hundred difference is a good deal! I cannot speak for Qutest but I had Hugo 2 while back, and FWIW, Mojo 2 should give a pretty fair fight against it. I am using Mojo 2 to feed tube amp and I really like the result so far. However, if you're looking to use the DAC for permanent hifi setup then Qutest would make more sense given that you have a synergistic preamp.


To be very exact, I have a buddy to would like to sell for 1400 cad. Mojo 2 is 875+tax which is about 1k. So 400 dollars CAD equates to 2~300 in USD. Thats where my couple hundred dollars math came from. Thanks for the input!


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## hssong85

ardbeg1975 said:


> I have both and like anything else in this hobby, the law of diminishing returns applies particularly as you go north of $1K. To my ears, the Qutest is more resolving and has slightly more depth as you’d expect given higher tap length and Rob Watt’s arguments about tap count translating to better transient response and thus spacial cues. But it is nearly double the cost. Do you need maximal portability (Mojo2) or a small footprint but very capable desktop setup (Qutest). So, I can hear a difference and that difference has prompted me to consider further trading up to a TT2 to again get another noticeable albeit expensive and small in percentage of improvement upgrade in depth and resolution.


You just summarized what I have been doing. THAT small differences ruining my wallet.


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## NoTimeFor

hssong85 said:


> You just summarized what I have been doing. THAT small differences ruining my wallet.


Qutest does not have volume control. What will you pair it up with?


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## headfry (Mar 31, 2022)

I'd just like to add to my impressions having added to my Mojo OG the Mojo 2 over 5 weeks ago.
I now find that the improvements that the new model brings add up to a very large difference, more than I
initially thought...to the point that I now feel that it's hard going back to the OG, it's like trading down
from a high end DAC to a pretty nice midfi one. OG's showing its age in my opinion, subjectively
all of the improvements with the new one add up to a major upgrade and readily, easily audible
when partnered with gear that allows the Mojo to reveal its quality.

A few years ago I went to my local dealer to demo the Hugo 2 with my headphones and source. While I heard
improvements - clearer, much larger soundstage, better resolution/micro-details, the overall musicality
didn't feel like an improvement at the time, just different. For the cost I wasn't interested in pursuing it.
Now that the Mojo 2 is here it has all of the qualities that I'm looking for and is very addictive in the best way.
I've been exploring new types of music and due to the "open window" nature of the M2 it's effortless,
even genres that I wasn't big on before become easily enjoyable for me.

In particular, much improved clarity, coherence and much more, beautifully balanced
to the point where for me the Mojo 2 disappears leaving the original recording as the artist intended.

All of this with no EQ nor crossfeed control used and volume matched. I love
the controls but that's for another discussion!

While the Mojo 2 isn't perfect, for the price and features it suits me perfectly and gives me an extremely
satisfying dollop of Rob Watt's secret sauce, supremely enjoyable to the point that I have no interest
in listening to anything better. Which is not to say that this is the right unit for everyone, there are many
excellent competing ones out there, some for much, much less. For me though the continuing
and consistent musical enjoyment that it brings is immense.


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## NoTimeFor

headfry said:


> I'd just like to add to my impressions having added to my Mojo OG the Mojo 2 over 5 weeks ago.
> I now find that the improvements that the new model brings add up to a very large difference, more than I
> initially thought...to the point that I now feel that it's hard going back to the OG, it's like trading down
> from a high end DAC to a pretty nice midfi one. OG's showing its age in my opinion, subjectively
> ...


I concur with your findings. When I heard more expensive DACs at a hifi store and at home, I find sound quality from Mojo 2 can go toe to toe with them. There are differences in sound from DAC to DAC, but those are "differences" not necessarily better than Mojo 2.


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## surfgeorge

headfry said:


> I'd just like to add to my impressions having added to my Mojo OG the Mojo 2 over 5 weeks ago.
> I now find that the improvements that the new model brings add up to a very large difference, more than I
> initially thought...to the point that I now feel that it's hard going back to the OG, it's like trading down
> from a high end DAC to a pretty nice midfi one. OG's showing its age in my opinion, subjectively
> ...


Nice write up, and you raise a pretty important point that it takes time to appreciate the SQ. It’s like the brain has to learn to process the information.
I have the original Mojo and the Hugo2Go (the 2Go makes quite a big difference) and it took me a while to fully appreciate the SQ improvements over the Mojo.

Now with the Mojo 2 I somehow feel that a Mojo 2 + Poly would be the more economical and practical solution, and saving lots of money too…


----------



## Derivative

headfry said:


> I'd just like to add to my impressions having added to my Mojo OG the Mojo 2 over 5 weeks ago.
> I now find that the improvements that the new model brings add up to a very large difference, more than I
> initially thought...to the point that I now feel that it's hard going back to the OG, it's like trading down
> from a high end DAC to a pretty nice midfi one. OG's showing its age in my opinion, subjectively
> ...


Same, can't go back to the original Mojo now. That EQ alone puts it above the competition for me, not to mention the sound quality.


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## joshnor713

surfgeorge said:


> Nice write up, and you raise a pretty important point that it takes time to appreciate the SQ. It’s like the brain has to learn to process the information.
> I have the original Mojo and the Hugo2Go (the 2Go makes quite a big difference) and it took me a while to fully appreciate the SQ improvements over the Mojo.
> 
> Now with the Mojo 2 I somehow feel that a Mojo 2 + Poly would be the more economical and practical solution, and saving lots of money too…


Same here, I also have these two. Upon getting the H2, I could hear a definitive improvement, but couldn't say it was worth 5x the price. While I still agree it's not worth 5x the price, I have grown a deep admiration for the H2 and really notice the drop in SQ (particularly, clarity, soundstage, and imaging) now whenever I use my Mojo again. Upgrading kinda ruins you. I remember when I had the Mojo for years (primarily with my now old SE846) and thought it was the perfect sound.

With the H2, not sure I need to upgrade to the Mojo 2. I only use the Mojo when I travel, and can "bear" to use it for a short time until I'm back with my H2. Maybe if I can catch it on sale or a good used unit one day. Doesn't mean I'm not intrigued to hear it. I'm in here after all


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## adonissk

Couldn’t agree more, upgrading ruins you forever. Once the clarity is there, once the air between instruments is very present, you immediately notice when they are not.


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## mariopoli

Technical question here. On the Chord Mojo2 the equalizer each button push corresponds to a 1dB change. For the volume control what is it?


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## mariopoli

I just discovered something really cool about the Mojo2. It has 2 audio out jacks so two persons can listen at the same time. If you use both at the same time the volume is not reduced. That means it has separate internal amplifiers for each output.


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## Kentajalli

mariopoli said:


> I just discovered something really cool about the Mojo2. It has 2 audio out jacks so two persons can listen at the same time. If you use both at the same time the volume is not reduced. That means it has separate internal amplifiers for each output.


No it doesn't . wired in parallel .


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## Kentajalli

joshnor713 said:


> Same here, I also have these two. Upon getting the H2, I could hear a definitive improvement, but couldn't say it was worth 5x the price. While I still agree it's not worth 5x the price, I have grown a deep admiration for the H2 and really notice the drop in SQ (particularly, clarity, soundstage, and imaging) now whenever I use my Mojo again. Upgrading kinda ruins you. I remember when I had the Mojo for years (primarily with my now old SE846) and thought it was the perfect sound.
> 
> With the H2, not sure I need to upgrade to the Mojo 2. I only use the Mojo when I travel, and can "bear" to use it for a short time until I'm back with my H2. Maybe if I can catch it on sale or a good used unit one day. Doesn't mean I'm not intrigued to hear it. I'm in here after all


Well I have an H2.
I recently got an M2, and compared it with my trusted M1.
OK, M2 is better, specially the bass, it has a unique tone control, crossfeed , desktop mode etc.
But most of that is lost on me, so I returned it! and with heaviest of hearts, sold my beloved Mojo too.
H2 is enough for me. My running days are over, I may take it on the plane or the train or ever decreasing holidays.
M2 is good, but H2 is still king of the roads.


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## mariopoli

Kentajalli said:


> No it doesn't . wired in parallel .


Ok but the volume for each headphone remains the same.


----------



## Kentajalli

mariopoli said:


> Ok but the volume for each headphone remains the same.


How could it not! 
Unless you plug two headphones of differing sensitivity.


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## vlach

Kentajalli said:


> How could it not!
> Unless you plug two headphones of differing sensitivity.


I think he meant to say that the output level of headphone A remains the same and doesn't drop when another headphone (B) is connected to the other port.

Disclaimer: I have not tested or verified this myself.


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## mariopoli

vlach said:


> I think he meant to say that the output level of headphone A remains the same and doesn't drop when another headphone (B) is connected to the other port.
> 
> Disclaimer: I have not tested or verified this myself.


Correct. I find that very useful.


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## Nick24JJ

mariopoli said:


> Correct. I find that very useful.


Me, too! I can compare different headphones and IEMs, or same IEM with different cables and tips. I have 2 pairs of the 7 Hz Timeless and I'm looking forward in receiving my ddHiFi DJ35AR!


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## hssong85

NoTimeFor said:


> Qutest does not have volume control. What will you pair it up with?


I have Schiit Jotunheim with full volume control. I have my portables so I was looking into desktop setups.

More I think about it, Qutest fits my need. I am just worried that new techs are better than old.


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## jarnopp

hssong85 said:


> I have Schiit Jotunheim with full volume control. I have my portables so I was looking into desktop setups.
> 
> More I think about it, Qutest fits my need. I am just worried that new techs are better than old.


I would expect a new Qutest soon and don’t know why one would choose Qutest over Mojo 2, assuming the desktop mode works as described. With 40k taps, it’s nearly equal to Qutest 49k, and offers additionally: volume control, DSP, crossfeed and a DC servo output stage, where Qutest uses the exact output stage of OG Mojo.


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## surfgeorge

jarnopp said:


> I would expect a new Qutest soon and don’t know why one would choose Qutest over Mojo 2, assuming the desktop mode works as described. With 40k taps, it’s nearly equal to Qutest 49k, and offers additionally: volume control, DSP, crossfeed and a DC servo output stage, where Qutest uses the exact output stage of OG Mojo.


I think you need to dig deeper for the differences between the Mojo and the Qutest.
Taps is only one factor. The output stage design is another big one, where the Hugo2 and Qutest are much more complex.
Mojo 2 is a great package and value obviously, but the few comparisons with Hugo 2 said that the H2 is still clearly ahead, as it should be.
Rob Watts didn‘t give any hints that there would be a new Qutest, so it might still be a long wait for an upgrade to that product. It took 7 years for a new Mojo, going by that we’ll have to wait a few more years for upgrades to the H2/Qutest range.


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## Alan Billington

I’ve read lots about M2 comparatives and I’ve only seen I think two to Qutest. Both preferred M2 from memory. I’m sure someone will rekindle this comparison 👍


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## vlach

Alan Billington said:


> I’ve read lots about M2 comparatives and I’ve only seen I think two to Qutest. Both preferred M2 from memory. I’m sure someone will rekindle this comparison 👍


I read several times that H2 and Qutest sound the same.


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## chesebert

surfgeorge said:


> I think you need to dig deeper for the differences between the Mojo and the Qutest.
> Taps is only one factor. The output stage design is another big one, where the Hugo2 and Qutest are much more complex.
> Mojo 2 is a great package and value obviously, but the few comparisons with Hugo 2 said that the H2 is still clearly ahead, as it should be.
> Rob Watts didn‘t give any hints that there would be a new Qutest, so it might still be a long wait for an upgrade to that product. It took 7 years for a new Mojo, going by that we’ll have to wait a few more years for upgrades to the H2/Qutest range.


Hugo2 + 2go is not really travel friendly - not very pocketable. Battery service is also like $400 from US authorized dealer so not cheap.


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## hssong85

It's getting hard to choose between qutest and mojo2. One thing for sure is chord is way to slow in updating their product. Things do get outdated...


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## ubs28 (Apr 2, 2022)

surfgeorge said:


> I think you need to dig deeper for the differences between the Mojo and the Qutest.
> Taps is only one factor. The output stage design is another big one, where the Hugo2 and Qutest are much more complex.
> Mojo 2 is a great package and value obviously, but the few comparisons with Hugo 2 said that the H2 is still clearly ahead, as it should be.
> Rob Watts didn‘t give any hints that there would be a new Qutest, so it might still be a long wait for an upgrade to that product. It took 7 years for a new Mojo, going by that we’ll have to wait a few more years for upgrades to the H2/Qutest range.



Indeed, the Hugo 2 is ahead, not sure why some people even say the Mojo 2 is better.

I actually gained alot more respect for my Mojo 1 as the Mojo 2 sounds more like a Mojo 1.5 rather than a Mojo 2 next to it. Unless you like to EQ and crossfeed, the Mojo 2  was not really worth the upgrade to me. But then still, it is a very expensive EQ and crossfeed what you are buying then.

Not sure what Rob Watts did in 7 years, but it doesn't sounds like a "7 year" upgrade to me.

I guess I will upgrade my Mojo 1 when the Mojo 3 comes out.


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## headfry (Apr 2, 2022)

ubs28 said:


> Indeed, the Hugo 2 is ahead, not sure why some people even say the Mojo 2 is better.
> 
> I actually gained alot more respect for my Mojo 1 as the Mojo 2 sounds more like a Mojo 1.5 rather than a Mojo 2 next to it. Unless you like to EQ and crossfeed, the Mojo 2  was not really worth the upgrade to me. But then still, it is a very expensive EQ and crossfeed what you are buying then.
> 
> ...



While we all hear differently and with respect this is the upgrade that I've been waiting and hoping for.

For me, the Mojo 2 sounds much, much better than the OG (1st gen)....do I think it's twice as good?

To me the OG's bass and mid-bass now sounds by comparison somewhat lacking in detail...although it has nice
weight and tonal balance and is otherwise musical. Even without eq/crossfeed,
for me the M2 is a really nice upgrade and sounds high-end.
I'm assuming that the partnering equipment is suitably well matched.

Don't get me wrong, the Mojo is still a really nice sounding DAC and can serve for many years! 

And of course there's no shortage of competing great sounding DACS out there.

Again, we all hear differently, this is my opinion and other opinions are equally valid. Listening is the only way to find what's right for each of us.

I've heard the H2 with my headphones a little over two years ago and while very nice wasn't the upgrade I was looking for price considered.

Personally Mojo 2 for me is musical and consistently satisfying. I no longer have any interest in even demoing anything better
...if it ain't broke don't fix it.

For me Mr. Watts has fully succeeded with the M2 and brought it up to date.


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## kornel221

Hi ,

Just have a quick question .

I have mojo 1 and I am thinking of upgrading to mojo 2 , is there a significant improvement over the mojo 2?

Also I have won a YouTube giveaway and currently have a smsl SU-9N dac with sabre 9038 , would it be better to get a smsl sh9 amp with thx 888 and pair it with the new dac or just get a mojo 2?

I know it's random question but I hope someone can help me .

My headphones are sennheiser hd 660s and akg k702 


Thanks a lot!


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## Kentajalli (Apr 2, 2022)

I'll start with "Horses for courses!"
Your DAC measures superb according to ASR, shame they didn't put a headphone jack on it! But it is a *desktop DAC.*
Mojo 2 can be, is that how you intend on using it? or is it for portable use? remember Mojo = *Mo*bile *Jo*y.
If it is for mobile use, then there is no competition, Mojo2 is your only option.
If it is for desktop use, you re gonna need that amp anyways! get my drift?
There could be a third alternative though - you just want to listen with your headphone at home, and a desktop DAC is no issue!
In that case, not all is lost.
Depending on your choice of headphones (Senn 660s @150R may do, AKG at 60R may or may not) , you may be able to get a converter cable to the balanced output of the DAC to a 4.4mm balanced socket (or the single ended RCA outputs to 3.5mm socket) and plug your headphones in! SMSL has about 5V output, if its output impedance is low enough and your headphones impedance high enough, you may get away with buying nothing at all (save for the cable converter).
I would try that first to see how it goes, costs you little, may save you hundreds.
Good luck.


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## kornel221

Thanks !!

I didn't know I could do that with the DAC outputs !! Thanks for the suggestions , I'll definitely try it out and if I like it over the mojo I'll just buy smsl sh9 , thanks a lot!


----------



## jarnopp

surfgeorge said:


> I think you need to dig deeper for the differences between the Mojo and the Qutest.
> Taps is only one factor. The output stage design is another big one, where the Hugo2 and Qutest are much more complex.
> Mojo 2 is a great package and value obviously, but the few comparisons with Hugo 2 said that the H2 is still clearly ahead, as it should be.
> Rob Watts didn‘t give any hints that there would be a new Qutest, so it might still be a long wait for an upgrade to that product. It took 7 years for a new Mojo, going by that we’ll have to wait a few more years for upgrades to the H2/Qutest range.


The taps and the Qutest has a 10 element pulse array vs Mojo/Mojo2 with 4 element. But, the discrete output stage of Mojo 1 and Qutest are the same:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...official-thread.831345/page-987#post-14591223


----------



## surfgeorge

jarnopp said:


> The taps and the Qutest has a 10 element pulse array vs Mojo/Mojo2 with 4 element. But, the discrete output stage of Mojo 1 and Qutest are the same:
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...official-thread.831345/page-987#post-14591223


Thanks for that link…
I am wondering which part of the output stage RW is referring to, since the Mojo has a capacitor in the signal path while the Hugo 2 and Quest use a “DC servo” if I remember correctly. The Hugo 2 is definitely vastly more detailed and transparent compared to the Mojo, especially when paired with the 2Go.
Short take from me - Hugo 2 is quite a big improvement over Mojo 1, and Quest should be equal. I may but the Mojo 2 soon, I really want to know how close it gets to the Hugo 2…


----------



## vlach

surfgeorge said:


> Thanks for that link…
> I am wondering which part of the output stage RW is referring to, since the Mojo has a capacitor in the signal path while the Hugo 2 and Quest use a “DC servo” if I remember correctly. The Hugo 2 is definitely vastly more detailed and transparent compared to the Mojo, especially when paired with the 2Go.
> Short take from me - Hugo 2 is quite a big improvement over Mojo 1, and Quest should be equal. I may but the Mojo 2 soon, I really want to know how close it gets to the Hugo 2…


I think the part of the output stage RW is referring to is the single amp stage.


----------



## Kentajalli

surfgeorge said:


> Thanks for that link…
> I am wondering which part of the output stage RW is referring to, since the Mojo has a capacitor in the signal path while the Hugo 2 and Quest use a “DC servo” if I remember correctly. The Hugo 2 is definitely vastly more detailed and transparent compared to the Mojo, especially when paired with the 2Go.
> Short take from me - Hugo 2 is quite a big improvement over Mojo 1, and Quest should be equal. I may but the Mojo 2 soon, I really want to know how close it gets to the Hugo 2…


I believe the cap is between DAC and the output stage. Output stage could be the same (believe it is) but it is not fed the same.


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## ChrisGB (Apr 2, 2022)

surfgeorge said:


> Thanks for that link…
> I am wondering which part of the output stage RW is referring to, since the Mojo has a capacitor in the signal path while the Hugo 2 and Quest use a “DC servo” if I remember correctly. The Hugo 2 is definitely vastly more detailed and transparent compared to the Mojo, especially when paired with the 2Go.
> Short take from me - Hugo 2 is quite a big improvement over Mojo 1, and Quest should be equal. I may but the Mojo 2 soon, I really want to know how close it gets to the Hugo 2…



Having never owned a Mojo 1, I first bought the Mojo 2, then the Hugo 2 and then the 2go, I can give you some perspective:

The Mojo 2 was intended as an upgrade from the Shanling M6 (AKM based original) that I was using. I'd bought the Quad ERA-1 headphones and while the Quad / Shanling combination showed excellent resolution and detail, it lacked a bit of dynamic punch as a combination, the ERA-1 being a low impedance planar magnetic and the M6 being better suited to efficient IEMs. The Mojo 2 with it's nearly 4x output power seemed like a good idea, with many reviewers raving about the Mojo 2's resolution, I was expecting to be blown away. The reality was, to say the least, unexpected. Drive, dynamics, scale and sense of rhythmic integrity were definitely a big step up from the Shanling M6 using the Mojo 2 / ERA-1  combination. There was also this lovely "fluidity" about the delivery, a sense of detail and pace without being forced, free of strain or effort. However, there was a price to pay. Bass was more present, but less detailed. Subtle amplitude changes and texture seemed to have gone missing. Overlapping similar frequency events in the bass seemed more homogenized. Further up the frequency range, there were similar losses where fine amplitude changes were needed to created the detail in filigree sounds. Some rendering of relatively quiet metallic textures sometimes seemed veiled. The differences were not huge, needing much blind A/B listening to work out specifically what was different, but I couldn't live with the loss of finesse. Overall, it was very similar to the Shanling M6 sonically and with simpler music, it would need careful listening to work out which was being listened to. The M2 was retuned (it also had white noise episodes). The big benefit of the M2 was the EQ, adding +2db to the 20Hz region giving a weight to the bottom end that I'd describe as perfect for the ERA-1.

Next step, try a Hugo 2. I bought a demo model to try out with the intention of spending a week using every spare minute to carefully evaluate areas where it might improve on the Shanling or the M2. The reality was again unexpected. Where the M2 had failed to blow me away, the Hugo2 Quad ERA-1 pairing really did deliver a punch in the face, blatantly obvious set of improvements. Less than a minute of listening was all that was needed to hear this, the improvements needing no detailed A/B listening to detect. The Hugo 2 was hugely more revealing of the subtleties and nuances that the Shanling had been partially portraying and adding a big step in detail and transparency well beyond anything the Shanling M6 or Mojo 2 could portray. Combined with an improved sense of drive, pace and dynamics, this one was definitely a keeper. Even better, when I took the demo unit back and bought the new Hugo 2, I bought a 2go as well. Getting the pair home and discovering that the 2go moves the sound up a bit further was a pleasant surprise!

So M2 vs H2 is not really a fair comparison and the performance difference does reflect their respective price points. Does the M2 get close? Well, yes, in some ways, but the Shanling M6 gets a little bit closer in many respects. That M2 EQ is a very nice touch though. I wonder if an H3 is on the way with similar EQ capability. I'd buy that.


----------



## Kentajalli

ChrisGB said:


> Having never owned a Mojo 1, I first bought the Mojo 2, then the Hugo 2 and then the 2go, I can give you some perspective:
> 
> The Mojo 2 was intended as an upgrade from the Shanling M6 (AKM based original) that I was using. I'd bought the Quad ERA-1 headphones and while the Quad / Shanling combination showed excellent resolution and detail, it lacked a bit of dynamic punch as a combination, the ERA-1 being a low impedance planar magnetic and the M6 being better suited to efficient IEMs. The Mojo 2 with it's nearly 4x output power seemed like a good idea, with many reviewers raving about the Mojo 2's resolution, I was expecting to be blown away. The reality was, to say the least, unexpected. Drive, dynamics, scale and sense of rhythmic integrity were definitely a big step up from the Shanling M6 using the Mojo 2 / ERA-1  combination. There was also this lovely "fluidity" about the delivery, a sense of detail and pace without being forced, free of strain or effort. However, there was a price to pay. Bass was more present, but less detailed. Subtle amplitude changes and texture seemed to have gone missing. Overlapping similar frequency events in the bass seemed more homogenized. Further up the frequency range, there were similar losses where fine amplitude changes were needed to created the detail in filigree sounds. Some rendering of relatively quiet metallic textures sometimes seemed veiled. The differences were not huge, needing much blind A/B listening to work out specifically what was different, but I couldn't live with the loss of finesse. Overall, it was very similar to the Shanling M6 sonically and with simpler music, it would need careful listening to work out which was being listened to. The M2 was retuned (it also had white noise episodes). The big benefit of the M2 was the EQ, adding +2db to the 20Hz region giving a weight to the bottom end that I'd describe as perfect for the ERA-1.
> 
> ...


And I have had, Mojo Classic, Mojo2, Hugo2 and the Quads!
The Quads weren't for me, I returned them within the window allowed. 
I was at first smithen by Mojo2, but ultimately most of its charms were wasted on me (crossfeed, Tone controls, Desktop mode) so I returned that too.
I sold my Mojo Classic and missing it! but as you say, Hugo2 is much better and frankly enough for me.
I probably buy another Mojo Classic once I can pick a mint one up for peanuts! (may happen with all the hype with Mojo2).
BTW , I found the Quads too dark, perhaps that's why with Mojo2 it didn't work for you and Hugo2 did .
In all fairness, Mojo2 has excellent bass, if nothing else!


----------



## Engineered asbolute

Hi all,

First post, link to a few videos on my Chanel on the mojo1 and mojo2 

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Mojo 1 battery change


----------



## Chibs

Engineered asbolute said:


> Hi all,
> 
> First post, link to a few videos on my Chanel on the mojo1 and mojo2
> 
> ...


Interesting teardown. What are your subjective thoughts on v1 versus v2? Will you be keeping V2?


----------



## Engineered asbolute

Chibs said:


> Interesting teardown. What are your subjective thoughts on v1 versus v2? Will you be keeping V2?


Need a few days of critical listening then will share my thoughts .. decision to keep the mojo2 or down the extra and buy hugo2..


----------



## Chibs

Engineered asbolute said:


> Need a few days of critical listening then will share my thoughts .. decision to keep the mojo2 or down the extra and buy hugo2..


I look forward to your thoughts.


----------



## daniel2022 (Apr 3, 2022)

Hi, I tried to find a clear answer to my question in google and in the forum, but I am still confused, so I would appreciate your help.

When using the Mojo 2 and the Iphone´s Tidal app, I get a maximum of 96 kHz/24 bit resolution on master. In my windows PC, the same. I do not seem to be able to play 192 kHz files for example.

In windows I installed the driver. In Tidal I selected the exclusive modus, the volume managed by the DAC, and do not select the MQA (for which the Mojo 2 has no compability).

In the phone, there is not much to configure, but anyhow I do not get more than a green indicator for 96 kHz.

Am I doing something wrong, or 96 kHz is the maximum file resolution to be expected with the Mojo 2 using Tidal?

Thanks in advance!

Edit: another question, the unit makes a somehow loud click noise (not in the headphones, but like coming from the case) when turned on or off. I hear the same with a different desktop DAC I have, and therefore think it is normal, but the Mojo 2 did not make the sound the first few times I used it, and would like to ask you if it is normal. Many thanks!


----------



## ChrisGB

Kentajalli said:


> And I have had, Mojo Classic, Mojo2, Hugo2 and the Quads!
> The Quads weren't for me, I returned them within the window allowed.
> I was at first smithen by Mojo2, but ultimately most of its charms were wasted on me (crossfeed, Tone controls, Desktop mode) so I returned that too.
> I sold my Mojo Classic and missing it! but as you say, Hugo2 is much better and frankly enough for me.
> ...


Funnily enough, I've never thought of the Quads as dark. Maybe with the leather pads they could be? I found the felt pads to give much clearer bass region. The leather pads add weight, but lose definition, so they now live in the box. They are a little hot in the 6KHz region with felt pads, but their level of detail at all frequencies seems to offset their very slightly recessed 3-4KHz region.

The Mojo 2 bass is very good, but the Quads played it somewhat weightier / thickened and with less texture and resolution than the Shanling M6. On the plus side, it played it across a broader dynamic pallet, with better pace and energy. The Hugo 2 took the M6 resolution of texture and nuance to an entirely different level and added the best elements of the M2 on the Quads. Just goes to show how subjective we are!

I'd like to give the Mojo 2 a listen on a broader selection of IEMs and headphones, but I tend to go with one pair for everything, so don't have a selection to play with.


----------



## ChrisGB

daniel2022 said:


> Hi, I tried to find a clear answer to my question in google and in the forum, but I am still confused, so I would appreciate your help.
> 
> When using the Mojo 2 and the Iphone´s Tidal app, I get a maximum of 96 kHz/24 bit resolution on master. In my windows PC, the same. I do not seem to be able to play 192 kHz files for example.
> 
> ...


The click is normal if it's the one you hear after the boot up light sequence finishes.


----------



## daniel2022

ChrisGB said:


> The click is normal if it's the one you hear after the boot up light sequence finishes.


Yes, it happens when the light sequence finishes at boot up, and when I turn the unit off. It comes from inside the aluminium case. It is a relatively loud click sound.


----------



## Kentajalli

daniel2022 said:


> Yes, it happens when the light sequence finishes at boot up, and when I turn the unit off. It comes from inside the aluminium case. It is a relatively loud click sound.


That's just a relay ticking .
its harmless.
Incidentally on Mojo Classic the relay is on the other side!, when they added the forth button, they didn't have room for it no more, so it got moved.


----------



## scarfacegt

Just ordered the mojo 2.Can i use an standard usb c to c with it? The one i got with my samsung phone?


----------



## meomap

scarfacegt said:


> Just ordered the mojo 2.Can i use an standard usb c to c with it? The one i got with my samsung phone?


Yes, I used my M2 with Note9.
Or laptop....


----------



## Nick24JJ

daniel2022 said:


> Yes, it happens when the light sequence finishes at boot up, and when I turn the unit off. It comes from inside the aluminium case. It is a relatively loud click sound.


I am hearing a gentle click sound when powering on my Mojo 2 but not a loud click. It would be better if you would make a video and contact Chord support 👍


----------



## daniel2022

Thanks you all for the help. I submitted a video to Chord Electronics.


----------



## Stevko

daniel2022 said:


> Hi, I tried to find a clear answer to my question in google and in the forum, but I am still confused, so I would appreciate your help.
> 
> When using the Mojo 2 and the Iphone´s Tidal app, I get a maximum of 96 kHz/24 bit resolution on master. In my windows PC, the same. I do not seem to be able to play 192 kHz files for example.
> 
> ...


Tidal = MQA. mojo2 don`t support MQA.(Thank god)
So if you wanna go higher, 192KHz. you need apple music or qobuz


----------



## kanefsky

Nick24JJ said:


> I am hearing a gentle click sound when powering on my Mojo 2 but not a loud click. It would be better if you would make a video and contact Chord support 👍



I personally find the click very enjoyable and satisfying, as opposed to the Benchmark HPA4 where you get relays clicking like crazy every time you adjust the volume.


----------



## kela66

Yes, the relay clicks louder than with M1, but I'm glad to hear it because then I know my headphones (and ears) are protected from the power-on voltage.


----------



## Rob Watts

mariopoli said:


> Ok but the volume for each headphone remains the same.



Correct - that's for two reasons - all my DACs have enough current delivery to drive 8 ohms, and the OP impedance is very low. So when you load it up with another headphone, there is still plenty of current delivery (and that delivery is very linear) plus the very low OP impedance means that the back EMF from one headphone wont' be noticed on the other headphone.

And 1 step on the volume control or tone controls is a 1dB change.



ubs28 said:


> Indeed, the Hugo 2 is ahead, not sure why some people even say the Mojo 2 is better.
> 
> I actually gained alot more respect for my Mojo 1 as the Mojo 2 sounds more like a Mojo 1.5 rather than a Mojo 2 next to it. Unless you like to EQ and crossfeed, the Mojo 2  was not really worth the upgrade to me. But then still, it is a very expensive EQ and crossfeed what you are buying then.
> 
> ...



I guess you can't please all of the people all of the time!

Under the hood it's a massive change - Mojo 1 used 33% of the FPGA, Mojo 2 is 98%, and all of the code handling the audio has been replaced.  To me in SQ terms it represents a huge improvement.

I should say that I do not do trivial updates in order to let Chord sell a few more products. Life is too short to waste time on this; for me to invest time in a new unit I require motivation - and that may be intellectual (solving problems like designing completely transparent EQ) or getting better sound quality for more musical enjoyment for myself. That's why my updated products are much longer periods than other companies - moreover, I absolutely do not need to update things in order to react to what other companies are doing.



jarnopp said:


> The taps and the Qutest has a 10 element pulse array vs Mojo/Mojo2 with 4 element. But, the discrete output stage of Mojo 1 and Qutest are the same:
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...official-thread.831345/page-987#post-14591223



Correct. The use of 10 elements rather than 4 is not a small change.



surfgeorge said:


> Thanks for that link…
> I am wondering which part of the output stage RW is referring to, since the Mojo has a capacitor in the signal path while the Hugo 2 and Quest use a “DC servo” if I remember correctly. The Hugo 2 is definitely vastly more detailed and transparent compared to the Mojo, especially when paired with the 2Go.
> Short take from me - Hugo 2 is quite a big improvement over Mojo 1, and Quest should be equal. I may but the Mojo 2 soon, I really want to know how close it gets to the Hugo 2…



In my mind (and physical locations) the DC coupling capacitor is part of the pulse array DAC side, the amplifier (which combines the I/V conversion, filtering and the discrete OP stage) is the other side of the analogue section.


----------



## leaky74

Anyone know if Van Nuys do an equivalent carry case for non L shaped connectors?


----------



## dsrk (Apr 4, 2022)

Rob Watts said:


> That's why my updated products are much longer periods than other companies - moreover, I absolutely do not need to update things in order to react to what other companies are doing.


It's really good and I like your policy.

DAPs running Android may need to be updated regularly but I don't thing DAC/AMPs need to be updated often unless absolutely necessary.


----------



## syazwaned

Can anyone compare Mojo 2 with JDS Element?


----------



## mariopoli (Apr 4, 2022)

Help!  My mojo2 is sending out random loud blasts of white noise. Its so loud it even scared my dog. I have Apple Music playing on my 2018, 15" Macd book Pro. Its connected by USB C to USB C 3ft cable to the Mojo. I am afraid of putting on the Grado GS3000e headphones on for fear its going to blast my eardrums again. The blast is startling you have to turn the music off for it to stop. This is rediculous and unacceptable. It has now happened to me 3 times in the last 15 hours.

Update: I am now using it on my iPhone and no problems. There must be an issue with the cables.


----------



## kanefsky (Apr 4, 2022)

mariopoli said:


> Help!  My mojo2 is sending out random loud blasts of white noise. Its so loud it even scared my dog. I have Apple Music playing on my 2018, 15" Macd book Pro. Its connected by USB C to USB C 3ft cable to the Mojo. I am afraid of putting on the Grado GS3000e headphones on for fear its going to blast my eardrums again. The blast is startling you have to turn the music off for it to stop. This is rediculous and unacceptable. It has now happened to me 3 times in the last 15 hours.
> 
> Update: I am now using it on my iPhone and no problems. There must be an issue with the cables.



USB-C cables are kind of a nightmare. A large percentage of USB-C cables are primarily for charging mobile devices and only have very limited data transfer capabilities. USB-C refers to the type of connector and the actual data transfer capabilities of the cable can range from USB 2.0 (480Kbps) up to Thunderbolt 3 or 4 (up to 40Gbps depending on length).  Different cables also have different abilities when it comes to charging and there are active and passive cables that can affect behavior as well. Cables for the most part are not marked (except for Thunderbolt cables) so it can be almost impossible to tell what the capabilities of a given cable are.


----------



## mariopoli (Apr 4, 2022)

kanefsky said:


> USB-C cables are kind of a nightmare. A large percentage of USB-C cables are primarily for charging mobile devices and only have very limited data transfer capabilities. USB-C refers to the type of connector and the actual data transfer capabilities of the cable can range from USB 2.0 (480Kbps) up to Thunderbolt 3 or 4 (up to 40Gbps depending on length).  Different cables also have different abilities when it comes to charging and there are active and passive cables that can affect behavior as well. Cables for the most part are not marked (except for Thunderbolt cables) so it can be almost impossible to tell what the capabilities of a given cable are.


The cables I am using are rated at 0.48 Gigabits Per Second. I only need a fraction of that capacity to listen to audio. 

Why would anyone need a cable faster than USB 2.0 for transmitting audio?


----------



## kanefsky (Apr 4, 2022)

mariopoli said:


> The cables I am using are rated at 0.48 Gigabits Per Second. I only need a fraction of that capacity to listen to audio.


I've never heard of a cable rated at 0.48Gbps.  Are you sure it's not 0.48Mbps (i.e. 480Kbps)?  Generally it will either be USB 2.0 (480Kbps), USB 3.0 or 3.1gen1 (5Gbps), USB 3.1gen2 (10Gbps), or Thunderbolt 3/4 (10-40Gbps depending on length).

Even if the cable is rated for something or another, I would still try a few different cables because sometimes all the different pieces (USB host, client, cable, hubs, other devices on the same bus, etc.) don't always play together nicely.  You could also try connecting to different ports or moving/removing other USB devices to see if that's a factor.  The Mac System Report tool (Apple Menu -> About This Mac -> System Report -> USB) will also give you a lot of info about how devices are connected and at what speed.


----------



## mienkuan

Provide some test findings that can solve the problem on my laptop.
*Symptom:*
On windows 10 or 11, playing above 96khz or DSD has noise.

*Workaround:*
Open the *System>Sound* page, keep it open or minimize it and don't close it, and set the Default Device to other devices.



Nick24JJ said:


> So, I got a response from Chord support regarding the white noise I've encountered twice on my Mojo 2, when connected to my Windows 11 laptop, and while listening to YouTube from my browser. Chord said that it was due to wrong settings. My settings are shown in this post.
> 
> From the screenshots of that post:
> As Chord said, _Mojo2 is not a DTS or Dolby decoder so these boxes should be unchecked. _And they added: _...realistically, I would lower the output sample rate too..._
> ...


----------



## dsrk

kanefsky said:


> I've never heard of a cable rated at 0.48Gbps.  Are you sure it's not 0.48Mbps (i.e. 480Kbps)?  Generally it will either be USB 2.0 (480Kbps), USB 3.0 or 3.1gen1 (5Gbps), USB 3.1gen2 (10Gbps), or Thunderbolt 3/4 (10-40Gbps depending on length).
> 
> Even if the cable is rated for something or another, I would still try a few different cables because sometimes all the different pieces (USB host, client, cable, hubs, other devices on the same bus, etc.) don't always play together nicely.  You could also try connecting to different ports or moving/removing other USB devices to see if that's a factor.  The Mac System Report tool (Apple Menu -> About This Mac -> System Report -> USB) will also give you a lot of info about how devices are connected and at what speed.


@mariopoli is right USB 2.0 supports 480Mbps not 480Kbps (jeez that's less than 1mb), even USB 1.0 support 12Mbps.


----------



## Stevko (Apr 5, 2022)

Maybe it is safest to buy a cable from Chord,fiio,iBasso etc. Since theyr all are made for audio.

edit: so the cable is good? windows messing it up?


----------



## kanefsky (Apr 5, 2022)

dsrk said:


> @mariopoli is right USB 2.0 supports 480Mbps not 480Kbps (jeez that's less than 1mb), even USB 1.0 support 12Mbps.



You're right -- I was just coming here to correct myself about mixing up K and M for USB 2.0.  I think all my other numbers were correct.  Sorry about that.  I just tested several cables of different capabilities and far as I can tell the Mojo 2 won't connect above that speed regardless of what kind of cable you use.

Still, I have run into issues with all the various flavors of USB-C cables and whenever I have an issue I usually try the cable that's supplied with the device and if that resolves the problem then I stick with that cable or try some other ones if I really need a different length or color or whatever.


----------



## mariopoli

kanefsky said:


> I've never heard of a cable rated at 0.48Gbps.  Are you sure it's not 0.48Mbps (i.e. 480Kbps)?  Generally it will either be USB 2.0 (480Kbps), USB 3.0 or 3.1gen1 (5Gbps), USB 3.1gen2 (10Gbps), or Thunderbolt 3/4 (10-40Gbps depending on length).
> 
> Even if the cable is rated for something or another, I would still try a few different cables because sometimes all the different pieces (USB host, client, cable, hubs, other devices on the same bus, etc.) don't always play together nicely.  You could also try connecting to different ports or moving/removing other USB devices to see if that's a factor.  The Mac System Report tool (Apple Menu -> About This Mac -> System Report -> USB) will also give you a lot of info about how devices are connected and at what speed.


USB 2.0 is 480 Mbps = 0.48Gbps.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB

I will try other cables.

I am now using a WiiM Mini connected with SPIDF to my Mojo2. I have Audirvana playing Qobuz at high resolution with no problems.


----------



## dsrk

kanefsky said:


> You're right -- I was just coming here to correct myself about mixing up K and M for USB 2.0.  I think all my other numbers were correct.  Sorry about that.


No problem at all, you did get rest of the numbers correct.


----------



## Kentajalli

mienkuan said:


> Provide some test findings that can solve the problem on my laptop.
> *Symptom:*
> On windows 10 or 11, playing above 96khz or DSD has noise.
> 
> ...


Most probably you are not using your DAC with WASAPI or ASIO protocols.
Download the driver from CHORD and install it, then on your player, make sure you use the Chord DAC in WASAPI or ASIO mode.
You also need to go to sound settings under windows and set your internal sound card as default.


----------



## Hyde00

While we're on the subject.  I haven't got my Mojo 2 yet (on the way) but once I get it, should I use usb c port for data or the micro b port or technically it shouldn't matter?

I know power we're stuck with micro b but just wondering for data to my PC, will there be a difference?


----------



## Kentajalli

Hyde00 said:


> While we're on the subject.  I haven't got my Mojo 2 yet (on the way) but once I get it, should I use usb c port for data or the micro b port or technically it shouldn't matter?


Won't matter. both go to same input chip.


Hyde00 said:


> I know power we're stuck with micro b but just wondering for data to my PC, will there be a difference?


USB audio is limited to USB 2 protocol, shape of the plug is irrelevent.


----------



## virgopunk

leaky74 said:


> Anyone know if Van Nuys do an equivalent carry case for non L shaped connectors?


That case is ridiculously overpriced!


----------



## mariopoli

Hyde00 said:


> While we're on the subject.  I haven't got my Mojo 2 yet (on the way) but once I get it, should I use usb c port for data or the micro b port or technically it shouldn't matter?
> 
> I know power we're stuck with micro b but just wondering for data to my PC, will there be a difference?


The USB-C port mechanical construction appears to be more robust and able to withstand vibration and number of insertions/removals better.


----------



## leaky74

virgopunk said:


> That case is ridiculously overpriced!



Oh yeah; their stuff is


----------



## Kentajalli (Apr 5, 2022)

mariopoli said:


> The USB-C port mechanical construction appears to be more robust and able to withstand vibration and number of insertions/removals better.


Actually I don't think so.
C type has 24 pins in a small space, so they are smaller ,so can break easier.
Micro usb has 5 pins, so it is bigger pins.
But micro usb is one sided, it means a  granny trying to force one in the wrong way, may break it more easily.😊 (reason why I use a right angle jack)
Type C is not, so if you have 90 degree jacks, can go either way.


----------



## Hyde00 (Apr 5, 2022)

lol thanks for the clarification on USB Micro B vs USB C.

Now I have a question regarding the intelligent charging.  To my understanding that Mojo 2 is able to run entirely from the USB port is that correct?

OR

Does it still run from battery except now it's smart enough to not charge when battery is full?

Asking because I plan to use it as desktop unit permanently.  Generally speaking battery degrades if it just sits there isn't it?  Was wondering if I should've got iFi Gryphon but for my use case might be good to go with Mojo 2 just for the intelligent battery thing.

Thanks!


----------



## elira

Hyde00 said:


> lol thanks for the clarification on USB Micro B vs USB C.
> 
> Now I have a question regarding the intelligent charging.  To my understanding that Mojo 2 is able to run entirely from the USB port is that correct?
> 
> ...


The documentation is not very clear, but as far as I understand, it charges to full, and then runs with USB power. Notice that the power port is different from the data port, so you need two cables.

Batteries degrade if they are kept at max charge for long periods of time, but apparently Mojo 2 doesn't charge the battery to max. For long term storage lithium batteries should be stored somewhere between 60% and 80%. Mojo 2 intelligent desktop mode doesn't seem to be ideal for the battery but in theory the battery should remain somewhat healthy.


----------



## Hyde00 (Apr 5, 2022)

elira said:


> The documentation is not very clear, but as far as I understand, it charges to full, and then runs with USB power. Notice that the power port is different from the data port, so you need two cables.
> 
> Batteries degrade if they are kept at max charge for long periods of time, but apparently Mojo 2 doesn't charge the battery to max. For long term storage lithium batteries should be stored somewhere between 60% and 80%. Mojo 2 intelligent desktop mode doesn't seem to be ideal for the battery but in theory the battery should remain somewhat healthy.


Yeah I read the manual too but it doesn't explain much.  I really wish they could've just released a desktop Mojo without the battery.

While I'm waiting for my Mojo 2 to arrive.  Considering desktop usage, is there anything in the similar price range that has similar sound?  Or Mojo 2 is pretty much my best bet at the moment?  Thanks!

*EDIT:*  LOL 1 or 2 pages back I learned that Mojo = Mobile Joy, never knew that.  Couldn't they just release a Dojo (Desktop Joy) or Sojo (Stationary Joy).


----------



## Chibs (Apr 5, 2022)

Hyde00 said:


> Yeah I read the manual too but it doesn't explain much.  I really wish they could've just released a desktop Mojo without the battery.
> 
> While I'm waiting for my Mojo 2 to arrive.  Considering desktop usage, is there anything in the similar price range that has similar sound?  Or Mojo 2 is pretty much my best bet at the moment?  Thanks!
> 
> *EDIT:*  LOL 1 or 2 pages back I learned that Mojo = Mobile Joy, never knew that.  Couldn't they just release a Dojo (Desktop Joy) or Sojo (Stationary Joy).








I'll take a Dojo!


----------



## mariopoli

Can anyone recommend a very efficient passive speaker the Mojo2 can drive?


----------



## mariopoli

Kentajalli said:


> Actually I don't think so.
> C type has 24 pins in a small space, so they are smaller ,so can break easier.
> Micro usb has 5 pins, so it is bigger pins.
> But micro usb is one sided, it means a  granny trying to force one in the wrong way, may break it more easily.😊 (reason why I use a right angle jack)
> Type C is not, so if you have 90 degree jacks, can go either way.


The type C is a little larger surface area than the Micro USB. If I wiggle both when they are seated to me the type C feels a little bit more secure.


----------



## pete321

mariopoli said:


> Help!  My mojo2 is sending out random loud blasts of white noise. Its so loud it even scared my dog. I have Apple Music playing on my 2018, 15" Macd book Pro. Its connected by USB C to USB C 3ft cable to the Mojo. I am afraid of putting on the Grado GS3000e headphones on for fear its going to blast my eardrums again. The blast is startling you have to turn the music off for it to stop. This is rediculous and unacceptable. It has now happened to me 3 times in the last 15 hours.
> 
> Update: I am now using it on my iPhone and no problems. There must be an issue with the cables.


Did you ever resolve this besides using your iphone, find a good cable? it happens when I plug my usb a cable into a usb c adapter into my m1 pro, so loud can probably give you hearing loss and probably break headphone drivers, I'm still using my 2012 macbook with usb a because I'm honestly scared of it ruining the only headphones I like and my hearing too.


----------



## jarnopp

mariopoli said:


> Can anyone recommend a very efficient passive speaker the Mojo2 can drive?


Omega Loudspeakers (https://omegaloudspeakers.com/) like the SAM.


----------



## Chibs

Quick question about EQ with Mojo 2. Lets say I alter EQ and have the Mojo in desktop mode, connected to my HP amp via 3.5mm to RCA. That EQ change still gets applied, right?


----------



## pete321

elira said:


> The documentation is not very clear, but as far as I understand, it charges to full, and then runs with USB power. Notice that the power port is different from the data port, so you need two cables.
> 
> Batteries degrade if they are kept at max charge for long periods of time, but apparently Mojo 2 doesn't charge the battery to max. For long term storage lithium batteries should be stored somewhere between 60% and 80%. Mojo 2 intelligent desktop mode doesn't seem to be ideal for the battery but in theory the battery should remain somewhat healthy.


It's cold as ice when the light is purple and mojo is off, so I think the battery is not being affected at all, mine just stays in that state now overnight as well when I'm not using it, because if you take it off mains for a second it takes like 20-30 mins even at max charger to go from blue to intelligent charge again, it's an annoyance, bad memories of mojo 1.


----------



## jarnopp

Chibs said:


> Quick question about EQ with Mojo 2. Lets say I alter EQ and have the Mojo in desktop mode, connected to my HP amp via 3.5mm to RCA. That EQ change still gets applied, right?


It’s not like TT2 switching from front HP output to independent rear outputs. Whatever settings you set are there regardless of if the unit enters desktop mode (removes battery from circuit) or not (is using battery).


----------



## Chibs (Apr 6, 2022)

jarnopp said:


> It’s not like TT2 switching from front HP output to independent rear outputs. Whatever settings you set are there regardless of if the unit enters desktop mode (removes battery from circuit) or not (is using battery).


That's awesome! I figured as much because it’s out of the 3.5. Nice to be able to tame brightness if need be. Thanks!


----------



## mariopoli

jarnopp said:


> Omega Loudspeakers (https://omegaloudspeakers.com/) like the SAM.


Those are very cool speakers. 94.5db at 8 Ohms. No crossover. Needs 2 watts.


pete321 said:


> Did you ever resolve this besides using your iphone, find a good cable? it happens when I plug my usb a cable into a usb c adapter into my m1 pro, so loud can probably give you hearing loss and probably break headphone drivers, I'm still using my 2012 macbook with usb a because I'm honestly scared of it ruining the only headphones I like and my hearing too.


I am using a WiiM Mini with a fiber optic cable to my mojo. Kind of terrified to connect a USB cable from my computer directly to the Mojo. This is ridiculous.


----------



## pete321 (Apr 6, 2022)

mariopoli said:


> I am using a WiiM Mini with a fiber optic cable to my mojo. Kind of terrified to connect a USB cable from my computer directly to the Mojo. This is ridiculous.


Yeah I've seen it on another forum and even discussed about mojo 1 although I never had that problem with my mojo 1, it is messed up listening in fear lol, I'm going to try using an audioquest dragontail adapter which is hopefully better built than the cheapo amazon stuff and my same cable that runs mojo 2 fine on my junky 2012 to play some headphones I don't care about far far away from my body for a few hours, if there's no zaps then maybe it's ok but yeah this should have been addressed.


----------



## iDesign (Apr 7, 2022)

kanefsky said:


> USB-C cables are kind of a nightmare. A large percentage of USB-C cables are primarily for charging mobile devices and only have very limited data transfer capabilities. USB-C refers to the type of connector and the actual data transfer capabilities of the cable can range from USB 2.0 (480Kbps) up to Thunderbolt 3 or 4 (up to 40Gbps depending on length).  Different cables also have different abilities when it comes to charging and there are active and passive cables that can affect behavior as well. Cables for the most part are not marked (except for Thunderbolt cables) so it can be almost impossible to tell what the capabilities of a given cable are.


This issue has absolutely nothing to do with USB-C cables. It is an issue in the USB firmware that affects all Chord DACs from the Mojo to the DAVE. The exact cause hasn't been identified and Chord’s official responses are wrong.


----------



## pete321 (Apr 6, 2022)

iDesign said:


> This issue has absolutely nothing to do with USB-C cables. It is an issue in the USB firmware that affects all Chord DACs from the Mojo to the DAVE. The exact cause hasn't been identified and Chrod's official responses are wrong.


Tried a few times on some throwaway phones not on my ears, sucker didn't get me this time, spotify couldn't make it very far without it going psycho though. I know it's not only an apple exclusive issue but it's definitely an m1 monterey involved issue as my intel macs are fine and this guys post describes the same thing with an unhelpful response from chord and moronic advice from apple (restart, safe mode).

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253476970

I'll try out the adapters he recommended as he seems to have found some workaround.


----------



## iDesign (Apr 6, 2022)

pete321 said:


> Tried a few times on some throwaway phones not on my ears, sucker didn't get me this time, spotify couldn't make it very far without it going psycho though. I know it's not only an apple exclusive issue but it's definitely an m1 monterey involved issue as my intel macs are fine and this guys post describes the same thing with an unhelpful response from chord and moronic advice from apple (restart, safe mode).
> 
> https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253476970
> 
> I'll try out the adapters he recommended as he seems to have found some workaround.


It also has absolutely nothing to do with the Intel or Arm processors and occurs with both. And Chord’s quoted response in the Apple thread is also wrong. The USB firmware Chord is using is riddled with problems and that’s where this issue rests.


----------



## pete321

iDesign said:


> It also has absolutely nothing to do with the Intel or Arm processors and occurs with both.


I dunno, I'm listening just fine on an intel catalina, plug it into my m1 and it's unusable. Could be an OS thing, ordered the adapter said helped him, hoping it works then I won't care what the reason is.


----------



## mariopoli

pete321 said:


> Yeah I've seen it on another forum and even discussed about mojo 1 although I never had that problem with my mojo 1, it is messed up listening in fear lol, I'm going to try using an audioquest dragontail adapter which is hopefully better built than the cheapo amazon stuff and my same cable that runs mojo 2 fine on my junky 2012 to play some headphones I don't care about far far away from my body for a few hours, if there's no zaps then maybe it's ok but yeah this should have been addressed.


The authorized Chord dealer I purchase the Mojo2 from today told me I need to use a "dongle" of some sort on my MacBook USBC output. He is probably one of the largest Audio dealers in the country. I am ordering an inexpensive USBC to USBA Female adapter from Amazon. 

Its criminal to sell a product that is known to be unsafe and can damage someones hearing as well as expensive headphones.


----------



## pete321

mariopoli said:


> The authorized Chord dealer I purchase the Mojo2 from today told me I need to use a "dongle" of some sort on my MacBook USBC output. He is probably one of the largest Audio dealers in the country. I am ordering an inexpensive USBC to USBA Female adapter from Amazon.
> 
> Its criminal to sell a product that is known to be unsafe and can damage someones hearing as well as expensive headphones.


I also ordered a otg type dongle, dragontail failed, someone reported official apple usb c to a fails, let me know if your adapter works when you get it, I'll post my results once I try it.


----------



## surfgeorge

iDesign said:


> This issue has absolutely nothing to do with USB-C cables. It is an issue in the USB firmware that affects all Chord DACs from the Mojo to the DAVE. The exact cause hasn't been identified and Chrod's official responses are wrong.


I have been using the Mojo 1 for more than 3 years and had the white noise issue several times, especially in the beginning.
I have been using the Meenova Lightning-microUSB cable. I always bought a pair of short and long cables.
The first pair I bought, the long cable had severe white noise issues and was replaced FOC. Then no issues for months, after which the white noise issue happened again a few times. Bought new cables and they worked flawlessly. After a few months, again one of the cables started to have white noise sometimes. Replaced again, no issue.

I am now using the Mojo only very rarely with the Meenova Lightning cable, mostly it is fed by a HiBy R3 and coax connection, but also with a regular USB cable, using Tidal and the Chord driver on a Windows laptop. I have not had any issues for many months.

Based on all those experiences I concluded that the white noise issue seems to be related to connection issues.
*But a request to Chord: please provide a safety feature to prevent the DACs from blasting white noise into our ears (or speakers)
This is really a painful, dangerous and frightening experience*


----------



## mariopoli

surfgeorge said:


> I have been using the Mojo 1 for more than 3 years and had the white noise issue several times, especially in the beginning.
> I have been using the Meenova Lightning-microUSB cable. I always bought a pair of short and long cables.
> The first pair I bought, the long cable had severe white noise issues and was replaced FOC. Then no issues for months, after which the white noise issue happened again a few times. Bought new cables and they worked flawlessly. After a few months, again one of the cables started to have white noise sometimes. Replaced again, no issue.
> 
> ...


Well stated and thank you. I think Chord Company will get the message now and do something about it.


----------



## Stevko

iDesign said:


> This issue has absolutely nothing to do with USB-C cables. It is an issue in the USB firmware that affects all Chord DACs from the Mojo to the DAVE. The exact cause hasn't been identified and Chrod's official responses are wrong.


So this is a firmware problem in Mojo2? Not possible to update firmware self!
considering Mojo2. But now I am not sure.


----------



## PANURUS

Stevko said:


> So this is a firmware problem in Mojo2? Not possible to update firmware self!
> considering Mojo2. But now I am not sure.


Mojo2 + Poly are save, the basic companions of the Grado fan.


----------



## Stevko

650euro for a streamer. I`d rather take my phone or pc for "free"


----------



## captblaze

Stevko said:


> 650euro for a streamer. I`d rather take my phone or pc for "free"


One thing Poly does well is that is keeps you from snapping a cable end off in your pocket while out and about


----------



## iDesign (Apr 6, 2022)

pete321 said:


> I dunno, I'm listening just fine on an intel catalina, plug it into my m1 and it's unusable. Could be an OS thing, ordered the adapter said helped him, hoping it works then I won't care what the reason is.


It’s partially covered in post 2,593 in this thread.


----------



## dsrk (Apr 6, 2022)

Mojo 2 is back in stock in India and I immediately pulled the trigger. Can't wait to test the UHD DSP!!!!


----------



## ubs28 (Apr 6, 2022)

pete321 said:


> I dunno, I'm listening just fine on an intel catalina, plug it into my m1 and it's unusable. Could be an OS thing, ordered the adapter said helped him, hoping it works then I won't care what the reason is.



Really? The Mojo 2 worked fine on my 16” M1 Max MacBook Pro. I believe I used a standard Apple adapter. 

Perhaps try reinstalling your M1 Mac?


----------



## Mangodango369

Anyone tried pairing mojo2 to ve8? Wondering if it is a good match.


----------



## kanefsky

Is the white noise issue unrelated to the volume setting when it occurs?  In other words, if I were listening at a very low volume setting on the Mojo 2 and the problem occurred, would the noise be just as loud as if I had been listening at max volume?


----------



## iDesign

kanefsky said:


> Is the white noise issue unrelated to the volume setting when it occurs?  In other words, if I were listening at a very low volume setting on the Mojo 2 and the problem occurred, would the noise be just as loud as if I had been listening at max volume?


Yes.


----------



## kanefsky

iDesign said:


> Yes.



Thanks.  I'm currently using my Mojo 2 with the optical input but I may test with some of my Macs using USB to see if I experience the problem.  Given the behavior, I'll probably run the analog output through a powered speaker with its own volume control to make sure it can't produce dangerously loud noises.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Apr 6, 2022)

To all the guys who have experienced this horrible white noise, I am with you all the way! I posted the response I got from Chord support in this message and in some previous messages of mine, when and how I first encountered this. Chord told me to mute all Windows sounds on my Windows 11 Pro HP laptop. I've done so and since then I've never encountered this horrifying and completely unacceptable white noise, *but *I am using my Mojo 2 very rarely, like 1 hour per week, or so. After reading some experiences here, I've decided to hook it on my laptop, via the provided USB cable, and let it play continuously for hours. YouTube, Amazon HD, Qobuz. I play on a low volume, even though I'm now reading that the white noise is irrelevant to volume...

I am hoping for the best. This device has cost me £550, so far, cause I've paid for the leather case and a 6-year guaranty, as well.

I *strongly *suggest to all those experiencing this noise to contact Chord support and report this issue. Myself, I've done it already. And next time I will encounter this, I will request, either a full refund or a full explanation and solution to this issue.

What a pity...


----------



## Kentajalli (Apr 6, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> To all the guys who have experienced this horrible white noise, I am with you all the way! I posted the response I got from Chord support in this message and in some previous messages of mine, when and how I first encountered this. Chord told me to mute all Windows sounds on my Windows 11 Pro HP laptop. I've done so and since then I've never encountered this horrifying and completely unacceptable white noise, *but *I am using my Mojo 2 very rarely, like 1 hour per week, or so. After reading some experiences here, I've decided to hook it on my laptop, via the provided USB cable, and let it play continuously for hours. YouTube, Amazon HD, Qobuz. I play on a low volume, even though I'm now reading that the white noise is irrelevant to volume...
> 
> I am hoping for the best. This device has cost me £550, so far, cause I've paid for the leather case and a 6-year guaranty, as well.
> 
> ...


Usually (on windows) if the usb cable is not substandard and you use Wasapi or ASIO mode on the player, it gives that player (whatever that maybe) exclusive access to the DAC , bypassing Windows sound mixer. so no need to mute anything on windows, and no white noise.
Issue is, not all software players allow you to choose Wasapi or Asio mode!
There is a work around though.
There is a multimedia player called jRiver .
It is probably the best audio player there is, with a vast number of plugins , similar to Roon, but you can buy it for a few Dollars for life.
jRiver among other things, installs a virtual sound card on your computer (Mac compatible ).
this virtual sound device, uses the jRiver sound engine, which is fully flexible with Parametric equalizers, room correction etc. and can be set to use Wasapi or Asio protocols, to connect to your DAC.
Since it shows up as a sound device under windows, you can simply play from any player (Spotify, YouTube Qobuz etc.) to it.
It could be bit-perfect or you can use plugins with it.
You simply make your internal sound card as default device and let windows play all its notification sounds to that.
Select jRiver for music playback, use its plugins (equalizers, upsampling, DSD streaming, blah blah) or just keep it bit-perfect (any bitrate and sampling frequency gets routed to DAC).
On Android, just use a good cable, and a player such as Neutron, that can take exclusive control of DAC.
With Neutron, I can play music direct to a DAC while take a call using phones speaker and microphone with no interference .
On Apple , well that's the forbidden fruit to me, I don't use it!! you are on your own.
No White noise.
The above works with any DAC, not just Chord's.


----------



## ubs28

Nick24JJ said:


> To all the guys who have experienced this horrible white noise, I am with you all the way! I posted the response I got from Chord support in this message and in some previous messages of mine, when and how I first encountered this. Chord told me to mute all Windows sounds on my Windows 11 Pro HP laptop. I've done so and since then I've never encountered this horrifying and completely unacceptable white noise, *but *I am using my Mojo 2 very rarely, like 1 hour per week, or so. After reading some experiences here, I've decided to hook it on my laptop, via the provided USB cable, and let it play continuously for hours. YouTube, Amazon HD, Qobuz. I play on a low volume, even though I'm now reading that the white noise is irrelevant to volume...
> 
> I am hoping for the best. This device has cost me £550, so far, cause I've paid for the leather case and a 6-year guaranty, as well.
> 
> ...



I guess you can also try buying the Chord Poly for the Mojo 2 and see if that also permanently fixes the “white noise”.

It might sound crazy, but the Mojo 2 did sound better in combination with Poly as an added benefit.


----------



## pete321

ubs28 said:


> Really? The Mojo 2 worked fine on my 16” M1 Max MacBook Pro. I believe I used a standard Apple adapter.
> 
> Perhaps try reinstalling your M1 Mac?


Maybe m1 pro/max fixed it, I have a 2021 m1 macbook pro, and there are drivers or wasapi etc on mac it's just recognized, and I like spotify with no exclusive mode, static withiin a minute or two everytime, I'll try a type 2 cable as rob watts suggested if my adapter doesn't work, not much point asking for a replacement form chord because I know it works fine on other computers and is part of their design.

Worst case I have to use my old computer.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Kentajalli said:


> Usually (on windows) if the usb cable is not substandard and you use Wasapi or ASIO mode on the player, it gives that player (whatever that maybe) exclusive access to the DAC , bypassing Windows sound mixer. so no need to mute anything on windows, and no white noise.
> Issue is, not all software players allow you to choose Wasapi or Asio mode!
> There is a work around though.
> There is a multimedia player called jRiver .
> ...


Excellent idea, thank you! Actually, I am already familiar with J River Media Center, I used to have it on my desktop computer. After a couple of months, when I will purchase my new desktop computer, J River will be my Media Center again! I did not know it had so many [audio] options.  It used to be an excellent solution for movies, together with madVR. I'm not up-to-date with how it has evolved, but I'm sure it is still great!


----------



## Nick24JJ

ubs28 said:


> I guess you can also try buying the Chord Poly for the Mojo 2 and see if that also permanently fixes the “white noise”.
> 
> It might sound crazy, but the Mojo 2 did sound better in combination with Poly as an added benefit.


The Chord Poly is too expensive and kind of outdated, IMO. Additionally, I've purchased the Mojo 2 as a desktop device + to listen to the Chord sound. I might get a Poly when its update/replacement will come out, depending from what will have to offer.  Even though, I don't think so because portable for me means the Qudelix-5K and/or the FiiO UTWS5. What baffles me is, how come no other company is not developing a UTWS5 or a FiiO BTA30 Pro, yet........


----------



## ubs28

pete321 said:


> Maybe m1 pro/max fixed it, I have a 2021 m1 macbook pro, and there are drivers or wasapi etc on mac it's just recognized, and I like spotify with no exclusive mode, static withiin a minute or two everytime, I'll try a type 2 cable as rob watts suggested if my adapter doesn't work, not much point asking for a replacement form chord because I know it works fine on other computers and is part of their design.
> 
> Worst case I have to use my old computer.



That is ofcourse a possibility that it was fixed with the M1 Max.

I guess the easiest test to do is go to a local Apple Store and try out the Mojo 2 on different machines there and see if it happens on all M1 Mac’s there.


----------



## kanefsky

As much as I like the Mojo 2, I would never want to use it with a computer unless it was capable of handling all sounds from the computer.  I might be using a variety of media player apps, streaming apps, listening to things through my web browser, etc. from one moment to the next.  Relatively subtle differences in sound quality wouldn't be worth the inconvenience of having to route sound to multiple interfaces, let alone the chance (however small) that I don't have the settings exactly right and my ears could be blasted by full-volume white noise at some random time.

Nevertheless, just out of curiosity I'm testing my Mojo 2 right now on an Intel-based Mac using an OWC Thunderbolt 4 cable with the headphone output connected to a powered speaker.  I have the Mojo 2 set to max volume and the speaker volume turned down so presumably any burst of white noise wouldn't be much louder than other sounds if it occurs.  Nothing so far.


----------



## ubs28

ubs28 said:


> That is ofcourse a possibility that it was fixed with the M1 Max.
> 
> I guess the easiest test to do is go to a local Apple Store and try out the Mojo 2 on different machines there and see if it happens on all M1 Mac’s there.



Btw, just checked a forum for music producers and people don’t seem to be talking about “white noise” there in combination with their M1 Mac’s. And music producers also use external audio interfaces / DAC’s.

So to me it looks clearly like a Chord issue, else it would be a widespread issue with other external equipment too.


----------



## pete321 (Apr 6, 2022)

ubs28 said:


> Btw, just checked a forum for music producers and people don’t seem to be talking about “white noise” there in combination with their M1 Mac’s. And music producers also use external audio interfaces / DAC’s.
> 
> So to me it looks clearly like a Chord issue, else it would be a widespread issue with other external equipment too.


it's definitely a chord issue, the thread I linked to someone was using a qutest, I've read about mojo 1 threads from years ago, can confirm mojo 2, and dave was also mentioned in this thread, it's in all their firmware.

luckily for me I'm the type of weirdo who keeps bags of old usb cables, I'm testing one from afar and so far so good, I think it has to be usb 2 old school strictly data, no usb 3 or quick charge shenanigans, even the cable that came with mojo 2 white noised, but I think that's for charging.


----------



## kanefsky

ubs28 said:


> Btw, just checked a forum for music producers and people don’t seem to be talking about “white noise” there in combination with their M1 Mac’s. And music producers also use external audio interfaces / DAC’s.
> 
> So to me it looks clearly like a Chord issue, else it would be a widespread issue with other external equipment too.



Issues like this are rarely the fault of just one device, or they would have been discovered and fixed before they were ever sold to the public.  Most of the time it's an issue with the way two or more different devices interact with each other, which makes it much more difficult to test every possible combination in advance.  On the other hand, one of the reasons Macs tend to be more reliable in general is because there are relatively few models to test with, versus PCs where the combinations of hardware and software are almost infinite.


----------



## pete321

iDesign said:


> It’s partially covered in post 2,593 in this thread.


I think I fixed it, thanks for mentioning that thread, found a good cable amongst a pile, no white noise attacks for an hour and a half using 3 different usb c adapters. Still will let it run a few more hours though to be sure.


----------



## ZappaMan

FYI, you can connect src dx to mojo via coax adapter … sounds nice.


----------



## Progisus

The best sound you can get from the Mojo is with a Poly and sdcard. Direct play from the sdcard is a marked improvement over usb, optical coax. Personally, I have a 1tb card loaded with 16fs 24bit PGGB’d files and the sound rivals my TT2/mscaler. Paired with Rob’s UHD DSP for difficult iem’s…. audio bliss on the go!


----------



## kanefsky

kanefsky said:


> Nevertheless, just out of curiosity I'm testing my Mojo 2 right now on an Intel-based Mac using an OWC Thunderbolt 4 cable with the headphone output connected to a powered speaker.  I have the Mojo 2 set to max volume and the speaker volume turned down so presumably any burst of white noise wouldn't be much louder than other sounds if it occurs.  Nothing so far.



I ran my Mojo 2 for eight hours or so using the OWC Thunderbolt 4 cable on my Mac using a variety of apps and also with the system notification sounds being routed to it. I did a lot of starting and stopping, switching between apps like Amazon Music and Roon, playing random Twitter videos, and extended periods of uninterrupted music playback and never experienced the white noise.

What I did realize after the eight hours is that not only doesn't it charge the battery from the USB-C port, but it can't even run in desktop mode off the USB-C port with a fully charged battery.  The battery had been draining the whole time and I had to plug in a micro-USB cable in addition to the USB-C cable to get it going again.  I guess I was a little confused by some of the descriptions of desktop mode and was thinking it could essentially bypass the battery when it's plugged into USB-C.  But bypassing the battery apparently only refers to drawing power from the dedicated micro-USB charging port while playing audio using one of the other USB ports.


----------



## iDesign

kanefsky said:


> What I did realize after the eight hours is that not only doesn't it charge the battery from the USB-C port, but it can't even run in desktop mode off the USB-C port with a fully charged battery.  The battery had been draining the whole time and I had to plug in a micro-USB cable in addition to the USB-C cable to get it going again.  I guess I was a little confused by some of the descriptions of desktop mode and was thinking it could essentially bypass the battery when it's plugged into USB-C.  But bypassing the battery apparently only refers to drawing power from the dedicated micro-USB charging port while playing audio using one of the other USB ports.


That is well covered in the included owners manual.


----------



## kanefsky

iDesign said:


> That is well covered in the included owners manual.



The manual isn't very explicit about it, which it probably should be since the assumption is that all USB ports can provide power to some extent (USB-C can send 100 watts to simultaneously power and charge a giant laptop while sending 6K video, dozens of channels of hi-res audio, and many other things all at the same time but obviously I don't expect that from the Mojo 2).  Even portable hard drives that include special cables that can draw power from two USB ports have almost always worked fine with a single USB port in my experience.

There are lots of headphone amps that can drive headphones reasonably well running off a single USB data port, and you even have things like the RME Babyface Pro FS that can not only drive headphones but do both A/D and D/A conversion, provide preamplification and phantom power for a couple microphones, mixing, parametric EQ,  reverb, delay, etc. all off a single USB 2.0 port.


----------



## Stevko

so the white noise only appear on pc\mac? And is ok with right cable and exclusive mode?
ios/android= OK?


----------



## joshnor713 (Apr 7, 2022)

I'm surprised to hear about the white noise thing. Have had the Mojo 1 for four years and Hugo 2 two years, used them with three different Windows PC's (and Android and iPhone) and never once heard this noise.

Only platform I haven't used them on is Mac.


----------



## Stevko

maybe because of new USB SW in Mojo2?


----------



## Jeffyue

kanefsky said:


> The manual isn't very explicit about it, which it probably should be since the assumption is that all USB ports can provide power to some extent (USB-C can send 100 watts to simultaneously power and charge a giant laptop while sending 6K video, dozens of channels of hi-res audio, and many other things all at the same time but obviously I don't expect that from the Mojo 2).  Even portable hard drives that include special cables that can draw power from two USB ports have almost always worked fine with a single USB port in my experience.
> 
> There are lots of headphone amps that can drive headphones reasonably well running off a single USB data port, and you even have things like the RME Babyface Pro FS that can not only drive headphones but do both A/D and D/A conversion, provide preamplification and phantom power for a couple microphones, mixing, parametric EQ,  reverb, delay, etc. all off a single USB 2.0 port.


I believe charging can only be done via USB A but not USB C port.


----------



## Scorpio1957

Jeffyue said:


> I believe charging can only be done via USB A but not USB C port.


----------



## Scorpio1957

Guys,

If you don’t have it here is the link for the Chord Mojo 2 in depth manual from their website.


https://chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Mojo-2-user-manual-V.1.1.pdf


----------



## Ivan Reis

I've had the Mojo for over 4 years and I've never had any issues with white noise.

I bought the Mojo 2 a week ago and today I was surprised by the white noise....

I was using it straight from my iPod Touch through the USB C/Lightning cable that came with my Lotoo Paw S1.

It was a terrifying noise and even more terrifying was the fear of having damaged the speakers of my Sennheiser IE900...

Luckily I had no problems with IE900.

All Ipod Touch sounds were off, as well as wifi and bluetooth.

I don't have any extra apps installed on the iPod Touch, even the original Apple apps that could be deleted I deleted.

I only use the Music app on Ipod Touch, to listen only to songs downloaded to the Ipod (to allow wi-fi and bluetooth off).

I don't know what could have caused the noise...

As I have the Chord Poly I will use the Mojo 2 with it to listen via AirPlay (which limits the audio quality) or through the songs recorded on my microSD card in the Poly (which give me full quality but is much less practical).

But this Mojo 2 problem is at least disappointing....

Does anyone know of any USB C/Lightning cable "immune" to this problem?

As there is no firmware update for the Mojo, I believe that this problem will never be solved...


----------



## headfry

Ivan Reis said:


> I've had the Mojo for over 4 years and I've never had any issues with white noise.
> 
> I bought the Mojo 2 a week ago and today I was surprised by the white noise....
> 
> ...


----------



## headfry (Apr 7, 2022)

I have M1 and M2 and have had the white noise issue with each, using with micro USB cable. Generally happens
in my case when the Mojo's USB connector gets accidentally dislodged. I'm quite sure the issue isn't with the Mojo 2 as I haven't had
the issue for weeks, since using my tablet for music playback instead of my Mac. It's really stable now, no noise!

I haven't used the USB C input as I don't have any good sounding USB-C cables, if one is
available I may switch (the Apple USB-C charging cable's works but doesn't sound as good as.....)
currently using my trusty Curious Hugo Link along with AQ JB and
Apple USB-C adapter to iPad Pro. As long as I don't move the Mojo 2 there is no issue with white noise.

Hopefully the issue will soon be resolved for you, however I'm quite sure it's not an issue that affects Mojo 2
in particular, it's been reported with other Chord DACS including Mojo 1, Qutest and Dave and other makes of
DAC's as well.


----------



## kumar402 (Apr 7, 2022)

I have never heard any white noise from my Mojo 1 and I have it since March 2016.

I don’t think it is common with Mojo 1 as it is with Mojo 2


----------



## scarfacegt

So i got the mojo 2 today,and it sounds fantastic,but i hear some distortion in the sound that come and go.Like the sound of the sparkling in a fireplace.Jitter? I use the cable that followed my samsung note 10 plus.Maybe i should get another cable?


----------



## kumar402

scarfacegt said:


> So i got the mojo 2 today,and it sounds fantastic,but i hear some distortion in the sound that come and go.Like the sound of the sparkling in a fireplace.Jitter? I use the cable that followed my samsung note 10 plus.Maybe i should get another cable?


Yes, that’s the packet drop. It may be cable related but most of the time source is the culprit.


----------



## headfry

scarfacegt said:


> So i got the mojo 2 today,and it sounds fantastic,but i hear some distortion in the sound that come and go.Like the sound of the sparkling in a fireplace.Jitter? I use the cable that followed my samsung note 10 plus.Maybe i should get another cable?


Yes that's worth a try, the Mojo 2 is incredibly transparent and sounds best with a good sounding cable. Or maybe it's RF?
In any case, if you can demo other cables I would recommend that.


----------



## surfgeorge

scarfacegt said:


> So i got the mojo 2 today,and it sounds fantastic,but i hear some distortion in the sound that come and go.Like the sound of the sparkling in a fireplace.Jitter? I use the cable that followed my samsung note 10 plus.Maybe i should get another cable?


I know that sound from the Mojo 1 and even the Hugo2Go.
My M1 is stacked with a HiBy R3 DAP and when I activate Wi-Fi on the R3 I get the noise, even when I disconnect the cable between the units (Crackling for 1-2 seconds at regular intervals)

Recently I was traveling with the Hugo2Go and in a meeting room I got the same sound even though I was using the SD card as source.
It is some kind of RFI, but seems airborne, not transmitted through the cable. Check for strong signal sources nearby and try putting the Mojo in different places.


----------



## scarfacegt

kumar402 said:


> Yes, that’s the packet drop. It may be cable related but most of the time source is the culprit.


Tnx for the help 😊I use note 10 plus and qobuz.Maybe i can try the usb audio player pro  app.I had it a long time ago. 😊


----------



## Sa700

I currently have M17 as my player for both IEM’s and full size can. Is it worth getting the mojo 2 for just the iem (to pair it with my phone, on the go)? Or should I just stick with my current setup


----------



## kumar402

Sa700 said:


> I currently have M17 as my player for both IEM’s and full size can. Is it worth getting the mojo 2 for just the iem (to pair it with my phone, on the go)? Or should I just stick with my current setup


That’s a tricky question. M17 is heavy but carrying Mojo with phone is not great either and SQ wise it may be a side-grade. One will not outclass other but will just offer another flavor of sound.


----------



## mariopoli

My Mojo2 has gone crazy. I am now playing Apple Music from my Mabook pro. The Mac says  44khz and the Mojo light is green (96khz) and the music is playing  playing around twice as fast as it should. This is messed up.


----------



## pete321 (Apr 8, 2022)

mariopoli said:


> My Mojo2 has gone crazy. I am now playing Apple Music from my Mabook pro. The Mac says  44khz and the Mojo light is green (96khz) and the music is playing  playing around twice as fast as it should. This is messed up.


try to change it back to 44khz through applications, utilities, audio midi setup.

wrong sample rates will cause speed up or slow down, I found that out once, familiar songs were like slightly off but just barely, knew something was either wrong with dac or my brain lol then I learned about that. Had the rate wrong.


----------



## Kentajalli

mariopoli said:


> My Mojo2 has gone crazy. I am now playing Apple Music from my Mabook pro. The Mac says  44khz and the Mojo light is green (96khz) and the music is playing  playing around twice as fast as it should. This is messed up.


Is it me, or is it that with most issues with Chord Dacs the common denominator is "Apple"!
Damn thing has incompatibility engraved in its every fibre of being. (I mean Apple products)
Chord dacs have almost no issues with Android or Windows, the ones that are , are mostly bad setup.


----------



## headfry

Kentajalli said:


> Is it me, or is it that with most issues with Chord Dacs the common denominator is "Apple"!
> Damn thing has incompatibility engraved in its every fibre of being. (I mean Apple products)
> Chord dacs have almost no issues with Android or Windows, the ones that are , are mostly bad setup.


Funny, I've had no particular issues with my Apple products and Chord Dacs.


----------



## rwelles

headfry said:


> Funny, I've had no particular issues with my Apple products and Chord Dacs.


+1 

I've been using Chord DACs since the Mojo OG was released in the States. Always with Apple products. Never had an OS issue. Now there are limitations of macOS, such as the need to utilize the Audio Midi Setup app to change the sample rate. Of course, there are any number of software solutions to this issue.


----------



## Kentajalli

headfry said:


> Funny, I've had no particular issues with my Apple products and Chord Dacs.


Lucky you.
But I said, _when there is ......_


----------



## kanefsky (Apr 8, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> Is it me, or is it that with most issues with Chord Dacs the common denominator is "Apple"!



I'm not sure your premise is correct, since most of the advice I've seen posted here for avoiding problems has been Windows-specific (WASAPI vs ASIO drivers, exclusive mode, bypassing the mixer, muting notifications, limiting yourself to certain applications, etc.).

To the extent you see Apple users having issues, it could be because the issues aren't OS-specific (e.g. the bad or loosely-connected cable theory) or because a disproportionate number of Chord users are Apple users.  There's a certain similarity in philosophy between Chord and Apple products, whereas I can imagine Windows users being more likely to be attracted to products with more bang for the buck (e.g. Topping).


----------



## sparkofinsanity

Kentajalli said:


> Is it me, or is it that with most issues with Chord Dacs the common denominator is "Apple"!
> Damn thing has incompatibility engraved in its every fibre of being. (I mean Apple products)
> Chord dacs have almost no issues with Android or Windows, the ones that are , are mostly bad setup.


I’ve never been in a studio with anything but Apple computers. The same for every creative job out there (except 3D). And compatibility is 100% the reason for that.


----------



## TiborM

@Rob Watts Hello, I´d like to ask you, is it possible to implement L R balance control into Mojos DSP please? Or does it have it already? I cannot be the only one here with damaged hearing and it is hard to find anything ... If you can do it, that will be a welcome help for many!  thank you


----------



## dsrk

Received Mojo 2 yesterday, it's really fun playing with the buttons and all.

White Noise:
I don't have any issues if I am using optical in but I am really frustrated with the white noise when using USB with my FiiO M11 Pro or PC. It's really annoying, it's random and only occurs when changing tracks.

Is this issue only with certain units? If that is the case, I will try to replace it with another unit.


----------



## iDesign (Apr 9, 2022)

dsrk said:


> White Noise:
> I don't have any issues if I am using optical in but I am really frustrated with the white noise when using USB with my FiiO M11 Pro or PC. It's really annoying, it's random and only occurs when changing tracks.
> 
> Is this issue only with certain units? If that is the case, I will try to replace it with another unit.


Incredible, another report. Chord has a real problem and it’s one of the many reasons I have always said they should support firmware updates/upgrades for all of their DACs.


----------



## pete321 (Apr 9, 2022)

dsrk said:


> Received Mojo 2 yesterday, it's really fun playing with the buttons and all.
> 
> White Noise:
> I don't have any issues if I am using optical in but I am really frustrated with the white noise when using USB with my FiiO M11 Pro or PC. It's really annoying, it's random and only occurs when changing tracks.
> ...


try every cable you have lying around first before replacement (cans off your head), I found a usb 2 cable that fixed it for me (harder to find these days), maybe audiophile cables like audioquest are usb 2 spec, they should be I think.

Usb 3 and c cables are related to this issue I think, especially while competing with the mains if you're desktop mode or charging, they have properties that cause the white noise which I think is serious enough to damage the mojo itself, headphones or your hearing.

I'm not an expert but all I can give is my experience that a really old cable fixed my issue from unusable white noise within seconds of a track playing to working fine. Of course there are many variables so I can't guarantee anything, using male female otg adapters have also been suggested, I bought an Anker one but haven't tested because I don't want to bother but they're cheap option to try.


----------



## iDesign (Apr 9, 2022)

pete321 said:


> try every cable you have lying around first before replacement (cans off your head), I found a usb 2 cable that fixed it for me (harder to find these days), maybe audiophile cables like audioquest are usb 2 spec, they should be I think.
> 
> Usb 3 and c cables are related to this issue I think, especially while competing with the mains if you're desktop mode or charging, they have properties that cause the white noise which I think is serious enough to damage the mojo itself, headphones or your hearing.
> 
> I'm not an expert but all I can give is my experience that a really old cable fixed my issue from unusable white noise within seconds of a track playing to working fine. Of course there are many variables so I can't guarantee anything, using male female otg adapters have also been suggested, I bought an Anker one but haven't tested because I don't want to bother but they're cheap option to try.


It has absolutely nothing to do with the cable. It happens with all Chord DACs because they share the same USB firmware.


----------



## pete321

iDesign said:


> It has absolutely nothing to do with the cable. It happens with all Chord DACs because they share the same USB firmware.


I get that it's a problem with all chord firmwares, but that doesn't mean there aren't solutions people can try, I fixed my macbook playback by using a different cable usb data input, literally the only change I made, so, I think people should try any solution they can rather than wait for chord to issue fixes as they seem to want to pretend this issue doesn't exist.


----------



## iDesign

The only cable that will solve the issue for now is an optical cable.


----------



## pete321

iDesign said:


> The only cable that will solve the issue for now is an optical cable.


optical worked for me as well, just didn't like it, but yeah, I think it's safe.


----------



## vlach

pete321 said:


> optical worked for me as well, just didn't like it, but yeah, I think it's safe.


Out of curiosity, why didn't you like the optical cable?


----------



## realmassy

FWIW  I’ve been using my Mojo 2 for a month or so (and it’s my first Chord product) and I had no white noise issue whatsoever, either connected to an iPad pro or a Macbook pro Intel or a Mac mini M1, via generic USB C cable. I mostly use Qobuz or Roon


----------



## pete321 (Apr 9, 2022)

vlach said:


> Out of curiosity, why didn't you like the optical cable?


Because to get optical out of my macbook I had to use this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QFYNB7Y?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details which takes up one of my 2 thunderbolt ports, the sound was pretty much the same because I used a cheap 10 dollar cable, and I don't want to start buying glass cables and all that I just wanted to see if I could notice a difference, my ears are pretty lousy anyway I probably couldn't appreciate it even if I bought the best glass cable, finally my preferred desktop mode charge cable is L shaped and blocks the optical jack on the mojo so I'd have to buy another one.


----------



## dsrk

iDesign said:


> It has absolutely nothing to do with the cable. It happens with all Chord DACs because they share the same USB firmware.


You are right. 
It's not the cable, I have just tried every cable that is in my house including the cable that came with Mojo 2.

They all have white noise. So I can't use USB anymore, I have to order a coaxial cable for FiiO M11 Pro now. Jeez...this sucks man.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Apr 9, 2022)

dsrk said:


> You are right.
> It's not the cable, I have just tried every cable that is in my house including the cable that came with Mojo 2.
> 
> They all have white noise. So I can't use USB anymore, I have to order a coaxial cable for FiiO M11 Pro now. Jeez...this sucks man.


I am sorry this happens to you, as well 😥
Have you reported this to Chord support?
Please, email them with as much details as you can and repost here their response. It is important that they know and that we know what they say about this.

Since I've muted Windows Sounds on my Windows 11 Pro laptop, I haven't experienced the dreadful white nose again. But I haven't used my Mojo 2 much. Today and tomorrow I am going to leave it playing on its own the entire day.

One last thing, for what it's worth. I've received my ddHiFi DJ35A adapter and I am expecting one more + one of these. All of my IEM cables are 2.5mm so I need it. What I've observed is that if I will gently rotate it, while playing a song, I am getting a soft "chk-chk" noise, not loud but it can be heard. This doesn't have to do with the Mojo, I'm getting the same on my Qudelix-5K and even when plugging it on my phone. I wasn't expecting this, and I do not get this noise when connecting (and gently rotating) my 2.5mm cables directly. No worries, the music plays fine. Does anyone have any similar experience with such adapters?


----------



## daniel2022 (Apr 9, 2022)

daniel2022 said:


> Thanks you all for the help. I submitted a video to Chord Electronics.



Chord support was great and very quick in answering my question. The representative confirm it is a normal sound and is no issue. Very happy with how quick they answer my question and review the video.

By the way, any of you have experienced, that the sound is better after the Mojo 2 is on and plays for a while? Or is simply some kind of bias I have?


----------



## scarfacegt

Just a quick question.If you should forgett that the mojo 2 are using micro usb for charging,and puts a usb c wall charger  in it.Will it be broken then?


----------



## dsrk (Apr 9, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> I am sorry this happens to you, as well 😥
> Have you reported this to Chord support?
> Please, email them with as much details as you can and repost here their response. It is important that they know and that we know what they say about this.
> 
> ...


No, I haven't thought about it as of now. I am not going to use USB much anyways, I thought of using the USB just for my FiiO M11 Pro but I am going to get coaxial cable for it.

I will take some time but will definitely report this to Chord. I will post their response here.

My daily portable setup is this (Cowon PM2 optical out to Mojo 2 optical in). The short optical cable I bought doesn't work so I sent it for replacement. Until then I have to live with the 1 meter long cable.


----------



## miketlse

scarfacegt said:


> Just a quick question.If you should forgett that the mojo 2 are using micro usb for charging,and puts a usb c wall charger  in it.Will it be broken then?


Not if it is wired internally similarly to the Mojo1. For that, two of the pins carry the data signal, and from the other 2 pins the 5V VBUS pin is just used to switch the USB port electronics on (and is not connected to the battery charging/power circuitry). Rob has described it in some of his other M1 posts.


----------



## scarfacegt

miketlse said:


> Not if it is wired internally similarly to the Mojo1. For that, two of the pins carry the data signal, and from the other 2 pins the 5V VBUS pin is just used to switch the USB port electronics on (and is not connected to the battery charging/power circuitry). Rob has described it in some of his other M1 posts.


Tnx for the help.I accidently connected the usb c charger on it the first time.But it was only a few seconds.And then i remember it must be charged with usm micro. 😅


----------



## kumar402

dsrk said:


> You are right.
> It's not the cable, I have just tried every cable that is in my house including the cable that came with Mojo 2.
> 
> They all have white noise. So I can't use USB anymore, I have to order a coaxial cable for FiiO M11 Pro now. Jeez...this sucks man.


This should be unacceptable for a DAC that is supposed to be transportable. Get a replacement unit for this white noise issue. May be that will force chord to look into it more seriously.


----------



## mariopoli

pete321 said:


> Because to get optical out of my macbook I had to use this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QFYNB7Y?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details which takes up one of my 2 thunderbolt ports, the sound was pretty much the same because I used a cheap 10 dollar cable, and I don't want to start buying glass cables and all that I just wanted to see if I could notice a difference, my ears are pretty lousy anyway I probably couldn't appreciate it even if I bought the best glass cable, finally my preferred desktop mode charge cable is L shaped and blocks the optical jack on the mojo so I'd have to buy another one.


The USB to SPIDF adapter looks like the way to go if you are using a MacBook.


----------



## Kentajalli

dsrk said:


> You are right.
> It's not the cable, I have just tried every cable that is in my house including the cable that came with Mojo 2.
> 
> They all have white noise. So I can't use USB anymore, I have to order a coaxial cable for FiiO M11 Pro now. Jeez...this sucks man.


Are you using any upsampling or "all to dsd" ?


----------



## sparkofinsanity (Apr 9, 2022)

kumar402 said:


> This should be unacceptable for a DAC that is supposed to be transportable. Get a replacement unit for this white noise issue. May be that will force chord to look into it more seriously.


Blast my ears and threaten my livelihood and a replacement unit would be their smallest problem. I have not had any issues with my Mojo 1 though.


----------



## kanefsky

mariopoli said:


> The USB to SPIDF adapter looks like the way to go if you are using a MacBook.



It kind of defeats the purpose of having such a small, elegant device if you need multiple cables and adapters to use it.  That was one of the most groundbreaking things about the original iPod (other than the storage capacity) -- it just had a single (Firewire) port which was used both for charging and data transfer.  That's one of the best features of Firewire, USB and its successors (although the lack of standardization with USB makes it a little bit of a mess).

Even ethernet has adopted that approach.  Things like security cameras, some ethernet switches, and many other devices can be powered over their ethernet cables from hundreds of feet away without requiring a separate power cable. That includes some pro audio devices like the Hear Technologies M8RX which is a personal monitor mixer and headphone amp that transmits both audio (Dante protocol) and power over a single ethernet cable.


----------



## dsrk

kumar402 said:


> This should be unacceptable for a DAC that is supposed to be transportable. Get a replacement unit for this white noise issue. May be that will force chord to look into it more seriously.


Yes, I just raised a return request with headphonezone.in. I tested this again and it only happens when switching between high resolution tracks and normal tracks.

With switching between normal tracks, there is no white noise.


----------



## miketlse

dsrk said:


> Yes, I just raised a return request with headphonezone.in. I tested this again and it only happens when switching between high resolution tracks and normal tracks.
> 
> With switching between normal tracks, there is no white noise.


This has been explained many times over the past few years on the chord head-fi threads. Check the explanations by @Rob Watts . If two consecutive tracks have different data rates, then the FPGA is being to asked to process data which contains two different data rates, and the result is the white noise. I think the solution was to select the music player app settings for 'mute the start of tracks', but that is not ideal for lovers of classical music.


----------



## Derivative

pete321 said:


> I get that it's a problem with all chord firmwares, but that doesn't mean there aren't solutions people can try, I fixed my macbook playback by using a different cable usb data input, literally the only change I made, so, I think people should try any solution they can rather than wait for chord to issue fixes as they seem to want to pretend this issue doesn't exist.


I also has the issue when I first received the Mojo 2.

I am using a windows 10 laptop, and a fairly basic USB A to C cable for the data into the Mojo

After some trial and error the following seems to have solved it:
- Wasapi exclusive mode for Qobuz
- Fixing the default format in shared mode to 24bit / 48kHz, in the sound control panel (this then applies to things like Spotify or YT)

What I think this does is eliminate the mismatch in bit rate / frequency that I suspect is behind the issue. 
I also have windows notifications all turned off but that was always the case for me as I can't stand them.

No white noise or packet dropping in a couple dozen hours of listening now... fingers crossed it lasts.


----------



## Derivative

On another note, been listening to my LCD-2C through the Mojo 2 and using the EQ to lift the upper mids (3Khz+). Just lovely, works so well and the Audezes feel so full and rich now...  loving the sound this little machine delivers.


----------



## kumar402

I 


miketlse said:


> This has been explained many times over the past few years on the chord head-fi threads. Check the explanations by @Rob Watts . If two consecutive tracks have different data rates, then the FPGA is being to asked to process data which contains two different data rates, and the result is the white noise. I think the solution was to select the music player app settings for 'mute the start of tracks', but that is not ideal for lovers of classical music.


never had such issue with Mojo 1 and I play via Roon radio so tracks with various sample rates are played


----------



## Kentajalli

dsrk said:


> Yes, I just raised a return request with headphonezone.in. I tested this again and it only happens when switching between high resolution tracks and normal tracks.
> 
> With switching between normal tracks, there is no white noise.


It just doesn't like your player. I am not defending Chord! they should have fixed this long ago, but compatibility with everything is nigh impossible.
FWIW, My Huawei android phone with DIY cabling, never misses a beat - no white noise.
Hi-res to normal to DSD - no issues.
That is with Mojo Classic, Mojo2 and Hugo2.


----------



## headfry (Apr 9, 2022)

kumar402 said:


> I
> 
> never had such issue with Mojo 1 and I play via Roon radio so tracks with various sample rates are played


I've had the issue with Mojo OG, for the same reason that I've had it with Mojo 2 - the micro-USB connector getting bumped loose (of course, there could be other reasons I'm detailing my experience). Since setting up my Mojos on a desktop, careful not to move/bump either Mojo there's been no interruptions nor white noise. Based on my two units, it isn't particular to the M2 at all. Still think that micro-USB was an unfortunate USB connector, Chord would have done better IMO with mini-USB, which is a much stronger and more stable connection due to the larger connector/deeper fit.

Still surprised to read that it can happen with a USB-C cable, that's the best USB connector IMO in common use in terms of being physically secure and stable.


----------



## vlach

mariopoli said:


> The USB to SPIDF adapter looks like the way to go if you are using a MacBook.


Why not just use the optical output from the macbook with a regular optical cable?


----------



## kanefsky

vlach said:


> Why not just use the optical output from the macbook with a regular optical cable?



Apple dropped the optical output on macbooks years ago.


----------



## ubs28 (Apr 9, 2022)

Just buy the Chord Poly. That will fix the problem most likely with the Mojo 2.

Unless someone here confirms the same crap happens also with the Poly + Mojo 2?


----------



## pete321

ubs28 said:


> Just buy the Chord Poly. That will fix the problem most likely with the Mojo 2.
> 
> Unless someone here confirms the same crap happens also with the Poly + Mojo 2?


Is poly wireless/sd only or can it accept input from sources like computers, as well would poly work in desktop mode with a mojo 2 if they're both getting charged?

Seems like a very expensive ipod otherwise.


----------



## ubs28 (Apr 9, 2022)

pete321 said:


> Is poly wireless/sd only or can it accept input from sources like computers, as well would poly work in desktop mode with a mojo 2 if they're both getting charged?
> 
> Seems like a very expensive ipod otherwise.



If protecting your ears is worth less than $500, then sure go ahead and risk damaging your ears with blasts of white noise. Not my problem in the end.


----------



## vlach

kanefsky said:


> Apple dropped the optical output on macbooks years ago.


I was not aware of that, thank you.


----------



## pete321 (Apr 9, 2022)

ubs28 said:


> If protecting your ears is worth less than $500, then sure go ahead and risk damaging your ears with blasts of white noise. Not my problem in the end.
> 
> I would personally not use the Mojo 2 with a PC or Mac when this issue has been documented quite clearly.


I'm not giving chord more money to play limited files from an sd card like it's 20 years ago or wirelessly which sounds worse than cables, people buy mojo 2 for desktop mode, not to charge two devices, as I've said before the white noise can be fixed with proper cables/adapters, you just have to keep trying things until you find a setup that works.


----------



## ubs28 (Apr 9, 2022)

pete321 said:


> I'm not giving chord more money to play limited files from an sd card like it's 20 years ago or wirelessly which sounds worse than cables, people buy mojo 2 for desktop mode, not to charge two devices, as I've said before the white noise can be fixed with proper cables/adapters, you just have to keep trying things until you find a setup that works.



FYI, cables sounds inferior than wireless. Not sure where you get this idea from. Unless you get a very well optimized setup that eliminates all noise from USB.


----------



## pete321

ubs28 said:


> FYI, cables sounds inferior than wireless. Not sure where you get this idea from. Unless you get a very well optimized setup that eliminates all noise from USB.


personal experience and google? bluetooth/wifi isn't beating a high quality chain.


----------



## ubs28 (Apr 9, 2022)

pete321 said:


> personal experience and google? bluetooth/wifi isn't beating a high quality chain.



What experience? What did you test? And who on Google?

I have a fully optimized USB setup which I have for the Chord Dave and I moved this to the Hugo 2 as an experiment. And this fully optimized setup on the Hugo 2 basically came close enough to the Chord 2Go + Hugo 2. Without this optimized setup, the Chord 2 Go + Hugo 2 sounded better than the Hugo 2 standalone.

With wired, best you can do is sound the same as wireless.

And to be honest, I wasn’t that impressed by the Mojo 2 straight out of my 16” M1 Max MacBook Pro. It was when I put the Poly on that it sounded ok.


----------



## pete321

ubs28 said:


> What experience? What did you test? And who on Google?
> 
> I have a fully optimized USB setup which I have for the Chord Dave and I moved this to the Hugo 2 as an experiment. And this fully optimized setup on the Hugo 2 basically came close enough to the Chord 2Go + Hugo 2. Without this, the Chord 2 Go + Hugo 2 sounded better than the Hugo 2 standalone.
> 
> With wired, best you can do is sound the same as wireless.


wireless is interfering with the 10 million other signals floating around your house, just google wireless vs wired quality and you will find every article saying wired sounds better, anyway, don't want a piss war, if you like wireless that's fine for you.


----------



## ubs28

pete321 said:


> wireless is interfering with the 10 million other signals floating around your house, just google wireless vs wired quality and you will find every article saying wired sounds better, anyway, don't want a piss war, if you like wireless that's fine for you.



Well, I don’t rely on “articles” which are mostly shills. I use my ears and I do my own tests.


----------



## kanefsky

ubs28 said:


> FYI, cables sounds inferior than wireless. Not sure where you get this idea from. Unless you get a very well optimized setup that eliminates all noise from USB.



Noise over USB is nothing compared to the noise over wireless frequencies.  But in both cases the noise is eliminated by the receiving circuitry so you can usually get bit-perfect transmission using error correction (or retransmission in the worst case).  However the bandwidth of the most common wireless protocol (Bluetooth) is limited so "bit perfect" Bluetooth is still a lossy version of the original even with the highest quality codec (LDAC).  Even with Airplay over wi-fi it's usually lossy although lossless is possible if configured correctly.

The biggest issues with wireless for me are that it's less reliable in terms of always being connected (not just for one listening session but over days, weeks, months) and also that it has a lot of latency which makes it unusable for things like movies, games, playing digital instruments (e.g. piano), etc.


----------



## ubs28 (Apr 9, 2022)

kanefsky said:


> Noise over USB is nothing compared to the noise over wireless frequencies.  But in both cases the noise is eliminated by the receiving circuitry so you can usually get bit-perfect transmission using error correction (or retransmission in the worst case).  However the bandwidth of the most common wireless protocol (Bluetooth) is limited so "bit perfect" Bluetooth is still a lossy version of the original even with the highest quality codec (LDAC).  Even with Airplay over wi-fi it's usually lossy although lossless is possible if configured correctly.
> 
> The biggest issues with wireless for me are that it's less reliable in terms of always being connected (not just for one listening session but over days, weeks, months) and also that it has a lot of latency which makes it unusable for things like movies, games, playing digital instruments (e.g. piano), etc.



Not what I am hearing. USB is really bad, worse than wireless. Unless you full optimize the USB setup, than you can get really close to it.

What bandwidth are you talking about? I can stream (wireless) 4K BluRay movies in Hi-Res 7.1 surround sound to my 4K TV setup without breaking a sweat. Audio formats like DSD 512 streams wirelessly without breaking a sweat too. The world of wireless streaming is not about Bluetooth and Airplay only.

If you got reliability problems, then buy a better network really. Audio requires very little bandwidth. I do streaming of full blown BluRay movies without any issues.

And yes, for music production and professional gaming you should never use streaming due to latency. That is pretty much a given. But I don’t think people buy a Mojo 2 for music production or professional gaming.


----------



## iDesign

ubs28 said:


> With wired, best you can do is sound the same as wireless.


It’s a tie, they both lose.


----------



## Ivan Reis

ubs28 said:


> Not what I am hearing. USB is really bad, worse than wireless. Unless you full optimize the USB setup, than you can get really close to it.
> 
> What bandwidth are you talking about? I can stream (wireless) 4K BluRay movies in Hi-Res 7.1 surround sound to my 4K TV setup without breaking a sweat. Audio formats like DSD 512 streams wirelessly without breaking a sweat too. The world of wireless streaming is not about Bluetooth and Airplay only.
> 
> ...


The Poly is connected to the Mojo via USB....


----------



## ubs28 (Apr 9, 2022)

Ivan Reis said:


> The Poly is connected to the Mojo via USB....



You think a streamer like a Poly has the same RFI noise via USB as a MacBook Pro via USB? Not all USB connections are the same.

However it could be interesting to see what happens if you try to optimize the USB connection of the Poly. Maybe I will do this experiment 1 day.


----------



## kanefsky (Apr 9, 2022)

ubs28 said:


> Not what I am hearing. USB is really bad, worse than wireless. Unless you full optimize the USB setup, than you can get really close to it.
> 
> What bandwidth are you talking about? I can stream (wireless) 4K BluRay movies in Hi-Res 7.1 surround sound to my 4K TV setup without breaking a sweat. Audio formats like DSD 512 streams wirelessly without breaking a sweat too. The world of wireless streaming is not about Bluetooth and Airplay only.
> 
> ...



I would like to see a blind test where you can distinguish the same bitstream over USB versus wireless, assuming nothing on either side is seriously misconfigured.

By reliability I'm talking about the way wireless connections are setup and torn down when devices are turned on and off.  There's a negotiation process and generally a wirelessly-connected audio interface doesn't reconnect as quickly and reliably every time you want to use it as a device that's wired into your system.

I bought the Mojo 2 to use as an audio interface for my computer, which means it needs to work for all audio and with near zero latency.  Not just for passively listening to music albums.


----------



## headfry

Ivan Reis said:


> The Poly is connected to the Mojo via USB....


I was originally using the supplied micro-USB charge cable for signal with Mojo 1 and it sounded mediocre,
as soon as I upgraded to AQ JB together with a Curious Hugo Link ($125 CAD used) it then sounded amazing,
currently using with Mojo 2.

Whenever someone criticizes the Mojo's sound I like to ask them what cable they were using, generally
it's a generic one...no wonder it sounded disappointing compared with their cheaper DAC.


----------



## ubs28 (Apr 9, 2022)

kanefsky said:


> I would like to see a blind test where you can distinguish the same bitstream over USB versus wireless, assuming nothing on either side is seriously misconfigured.
> 
> By reliability I'm talking about the way wireless connections are setup and torn down when devices are turned on and off.  There's a negotiation process and generally a wirelessly-connected audio interface doesn't reconnect as quickly and reliably every time you want to use it as a device that's wired into your system.
> 
> I bought the Mojo 2 to use as an audio interface for my computer, which means it needs to work for all sources of audio, not just when I want to listen to music albums.



Well, in the end, it is about what you hear right, not what I hear. If you cannot hear a difference, then that is what is most important to you.

If that is what you mean by reliability, then yes.  The reconnection is indeed slower than wired when you try to "pair" it.

If you want to use the Mojo 2 as an audio interface, then indeed don't use it with the Poly, as you need as low latency as possible. But most people don't buy a Mojo 2 as an audio interface really, and a Poly + Mojo 2 makes more sense for them imo.


----------



## kanefsky

ubs28 said:


> You think a streamer like a Poly has the same RFI noise via USB as a MacBook Pro via USB? Not all USB connections are the same.



It's funny that you think that radio frequency interference is more of an issue over USB than it is over actual radio frequencies.  They call it that for a reason


----------



## ubs28

kanefsky said:


> It's funny that you think that radio frequency interference is more of an issue over USB than it is over actual radio frequencies.  They call it that for a reason



I don't "think" it. I hear it with my ears. The Poly + Mojo and MacBook Pro + Mojo sound different.


----------



## ubs28 (Apr 9, 2022)

But in any case, seems the conclusion is that people don't want to buy the Chord Poly to protect their ears from the white noise blast with an additional sound quality improvement for what ever reason.

Guess people will continue to use the Mojo 2 stacked or hooked directly to their computer risking their ears in the process.


----------



## kanefsky

ubs28 said:


> Well, in the end, it is about what you hear right, not what I hear. If you cannot hear a difference, then that is what is most important to you.
> 
> If that is what you mean by reliability, then yes.  The reconnection is indeed slower than wired when you try to "pair" it.
> 
> If you want to use the Mojo 2 as an audio interface, then indeed don't use it with the Poly, as you need as low latency as possible. But most people don't buy a Mojo 2 as an audio interface really, and a Poly + Mojo 2 makes more sense for them imo.



That's the typical "emperor has no clothes" type of response when someone claims to hear something that they can't prove that they can hear.

I'm not just talking about slower connections but the whole unreliability of pairing in the first place.  The pairing often doesn't stick so you constantly have to worry about whether you're connected to the right device or not.  With a wired interface you plug it in once and it just works forever.

Considering the number of people talking about the desktop mode of the Mojo 2 here, I think a lot of people want to connect it to their computers as an audio interface and don't necessarily want to mess with multiple interfaces depending on what type of content they're listening to.


----------



## ubs28

kanefsky said:


> That's the typical "emperor has no clothes" type of response when someone claims to hear something that they can't prove that they can hear.
> 
> I'm not just talking about slower connections but the whole unreliability of pairing in the first place.  The pairing often doesn't stick so you constantly have to worry about whether you're connected to the right device or not.  With a wired interface you plug it in once and it just works forever.
> 
> Considering the number of people talking about the desktop mode of the Mojo 2 here, I think a lot of people want to connect it to their computers as an audio interface and don't necessarily want to mess with multiple interfaces depending on what type of content they're listening to.



I can proof what I hear. But you expect me to make a youtube video for you to "proof" something to you. Do you really expect people here to do this for you? I think you might have to lower your expectations.

And really, Mojo 2 is not a desktop device, it is a mobile device to be used on the go.


----------



## kanefsky (Apr 9, 2022)

ubs28 said:


> Guess people will continue to use the Mojo 2 stacked or hooked directly to their computer risking their ears in the process.



Well in my case I will just go back to using my RME ADI-2 DAC FS for my computers (I have a few of them).  RME focuses on both good digital interface (Firewire, USB, AVB, Dante, Thunderbolt) engineering as well as good DAC, ADC, headphone amplification, parametric EQ, etc.  I really couldn't use the Mojo 2 on my computers anyway because I need to be able to switch easily between powered monitor speakers and headphones, which the RME can easily do with its balanced line outputs in addition to headphone amp.

I got the Mojo 2 mainly to use on my Kickr exercise bike where I wear IEMs and watch movies, TV, or listen to music while I'm riding.  I only have a very small surface in front of me there (for water bottle, towel, IEMs, headphone amp) so having an extremely compact device is essential.  It's also a good distance from my AV system so I'm using a TOSLINK cable to connect and there's no worry about the white noise issue.

For truly on-the-go use I use a Qudelix 5K.  The Mojo 2 (even without the Poly) is too big to use with a phone IMHO.  The Qudelix is much more portable with a built-in clip, supports Bluetooth as well as USB-C (without requiring a second charging cable), has parametric EQ, supports balanced headphone connections, etc.


----------



## kanefsky

ubs28 said:


> I can proof what I hear. But you expect me to make a youtube video for you to "proof" something to you. Do you really expect people here to do this for you? I think you might have to lower your expectations.
> 
> And really, Mojo 2 is not a desktop device, it is a mobile device to be used on the go.



So you've done a properly-designed, double-blind experiment?  You can't trust your own memory of what you think sounds better without that.  Studies prove that time and again.  Eyewitnesses to crimes give highly inaccurate descriptions of what they saw more often than not, for example.  Our minds are influenced by so many things besides what we're actually hearing and the exact same thing may sound different to you from one moment to the next.


----------



## Ivan Reis

ubs28 said:


> Well, in the end, it is about what you hear right, not what I hear. If you cannot hear a difference, then that is what is most important to you.
> 
> If that is what you mean by reliability, then yes.  The reconnection is indeed slower than wired when you try to "pair" it.
> 
> If you want to use the Mojo 2 as an audio interface, then indeed don't use it with the Poly, as you need as low latency as possible. But most people don't buy a Mojo 2 as an audio interface really, and a Poly + Mojo 2 makes more sense for them imo.


I have Poly, and, to my ears, the only situation where Poly+Mojo is sonically better than USB+Mojo is when I listen to songs that are recorded on my MicroSD inside Poly (with Poly's Airplane option enabled ) but this is often less practical than USB+Mojo.

Streaming Poly+Mojo over Wi-Fi is sonically inferior to USB+Mojo.

Bluetooth doesn't even speak...


----------



## Nick24JJ

So, I've had a bit more time to listen to my Mojo 2 today. I've listened using Foobar2000 and J River Media Center (trial) for some time, and it also played on its own for a few hours. No white noise. After listening with the players, I've decided to listen to some Amazon Music, Qobuz and YouTube, from the desktop apps and my browser respectively, on my Win 11 Pro HP laptop. I am using the Chord driver, Windows Sounds muted, WASAPI exclusive in Qobuz. 

Whereas until yesterday it was playing fine, no issue at all, today I started hearing a scratching sound. I had to go into Sound settings and set it to 96kHz, as shown in the attached screenshot. Until yesterday it was playing fine, excellent, set to 192kHz. Today, all of the sudden, I got this screetching sound, and I had to lower the setting. The result is shown in my other screenshot. 

Initially, I thought it was the provided USB cable I am still using, so I replaced it with my own USB-C cable. It was the sample rate, though.

Can anyone tell me how is it possible that until yesterday it was working perfectly while set to 192kHz, but today it started to "screetch"?
Can anyone tell me what the f..ck is going on with this device?

Kindly.


----------



## Slim1970

This may be the best portable combo I've had the pleasure of owning and listening too. The Mojo 2 is brilliant with the C9.


----------



## Kentajalli (Apr 10, 2022)

.


----------



## flyte3333

dsrk said:


> Received Mojo 2 yesterday, it's really fun playing with the buttons and all.
> 
> White Noise:
> I don't have any issues if I am using optical in but I am really frustrated with the white noise when using USB with my FiiO M11 Pro or PC. It's really annoying, it's random and only occurs when changing tracks.
> ...



Everybody with white noise blast - are you all reporting this to Chord officially?

Don't assume they are reading this thread. Don't assume Rob is passing the message on.

Report it officially via Chord website. You can even point their Support to other posts on this thread.

This has been a reported issue since Mojo 1


----------



## iDesign

flyte3333 said:


> Everybody with white noise blast - are you all reporting this to Chord officially?
> 
> Don't assume they are reading this thread. Don't assume Rob is passing the message on.
> 
> ...


John Franks is reading this thread.


----------



## flyte3333

iDesign said:


> John Franks is reading this thread.



Don't assume he reads every post.

No harm to report here but report it officially to their Support. You can even point their support to specific other posts in this thread. 

But the right process is to do it officially.


----------



## pete321

flyte3333 said:


> Don't assume he reads every post.
> 
> No harm to report here but report it officially to their Support.


If they could have fixed it, it would been done between mojo 1 and mojo 2 because people were posting about it for years, to be honest it's probably around 1% of users experience it or else it would be a major problem for them.


----------



## mariopoli

Here is what I have learned so far with the white noise problem when connecting a Mac to a MOJO 2:


Apple Music - No exclusive mode available on Mac. Bit rates on many albums vary track to track from High Res. to MP3. You have to go into audio midi manually and change the setting for the correct bit rate on the computer to get the correct color light on the MOJO 2 for each new track that has a change in bitrate. A total pain. To make matters worse if you use a straight USB-C to USB-C cable if you don't correct the bit rate before the track starts you may get blasted with white noise. If I use a dongle adapter (USB-C to female USB adapter) then instead of white noise I get music playing at the wrong speed. 

Audirvana with Tidal or Qobuz - Works great

Tidal - Works great when on Exclusive mode.


----------



## pete321 (Apr 9, 2022)

mariopoli said:


> Here is what I have learned so far with the white noise problem when connecting a Mac to a MOJO 2:
> 
> 
> Apple Music - No exclusive mode available on Mac. Bit rates on many albums vary track to track from High Res. to MP3. You have to go into audio midi manually and change the setting for the correct bit rate on the computer to get the correct color light on the MOJO 2 for each new track that has a change in bitrate. A total pain. To make matters worse if you use a straight USB-C to USB-C cable if you don't correct the bit rate before the track starts you may get blasted with white noise. If I use a dongle adapter (USB-C to female USB adapter) then instead of white noise I get music playing at the wrong speed.
> ...


I play my local (if you have them) files with audirvana and it changes the bitrate fine and exclusive, no lag between changes either. This is easiest once you want to listen to your favorites and not a streaming library.

About tidal, isn't mqa not supported by mojo, or does audirvana do something to correct on the fly? My limited testing of tidal online it wasn't working well and songs were cutting off as they loaded and it changed to the (wrong) sample rate on mqas.

Amazon music is a joke I found, besides their terrible ui, they just tell you your track is playing at a certain setting where clearly the lights on the mojo say otherwise.

I just use spotify 44 to explore, audirvana for winners, online high-res is kind of a mess I found with songs of all different quality, maybe spotify hifi will get it right and make every song the same.


----------



## dsrk

ubs28 said:


> FYI, cables sounds inferior than wireless. Not sure where you get this idea from. Unless you get a very well optimized setup that eliminates all noise from USB.


You are upsetting so many people who invested in so many $$$ in cables😆


----------



## flyte3333 (Apr 10, 2022)

pete321 said:


> If they could have fixed it, it would been done between mojo 1 and mojo 2 because people were posting about it for years, to be honest it's probably around 1% of users experience it or else it would be a major problem for them.


The main point - if you experience the issue, report it to Chord the proper way. 

Don't rely on forum threads to hope they catch the issue.

Then Chord can decide on actual numbers and what to do about it, if anything.


----------



## pete321

flyte3333 said:


> The main point - if you experience the issue, report it to Chord the proper way.
> 
> Don't rely on forum threads to hope they catch the issue.
> 
> Then Chord can decide on actual numbers and what to do about it, if anything.


here's their response, they blame Apple.

_The M1 Air we have for testing is glitching with a DAC attached... and when playing through its own speakers. My M1 iPad Pro is not affected at all. The issue seems to be Monterey. _

*Ed S.*_ / Customer Support_

*Chord Electronics Ltd.*_ 

The Pumphouse, Farleigh Bridge 

United Kingdom_


----------



## flyte3333

pete321 said:


> here's their response, they blame Apple.
> 
> _The M1 Air we have for testing is glitching with a DAC attached... and when playing through its own speakers. My M1 iPad Pro is not affected at all. The issue seems to be Monterey. _



That is wrong. There are reports of white noise blast for various Chord DACs on this forum, pre-dating Monterey.

And how does that explain using Linux (USB Audio Class 2 compliant) sources?


----------



## pete321

flyte3333 said:


> That is wrong. There are reports of white noise blast for various Chord DACs on this forum, pre-dating Monterey.
> 
> And how does that explain using Linux (USB Audio Class 2 compliant) sources?


I know, I'm just showing what a customer service rep said when somebody compained about their qutest, it's just an unfortunate situation on an otherwise good company in my opinion. I advise people to use optical or coax, different cables, adapters, ddcs, whatever they can to get it working for them if your dac is white noising, I'm happy with my mojo 2, the desktop mode and dsp were worth it to me to upgrade and I got lucky finding a cable for my mac and if that poops out I'll use optical.


----------



## iDesign (Apr 10, 2022)

pete321 said:


> here's their response, they blame Apple.
> 
> _The M1 Air we have for testing is glitching with a DAC attached... and when playing through its own speakers. My M1 iPad Pro is not affected at all. The issue seems to be Monterey. _
> 
> ...


The Chord team needs to take a moment and reflect on their customer support and consider how it affects the brand. It is an issue that has persisted for many years, dating as far back as their relationship with Bluebird Music and it became a flashpoint with the advent of the Poly in 2017. Chord has lazily cut and pasted the same disingenuous reply to customers which fails to acknowledge that the problem is present across Android, Apple, Linux, and Windows devices-- its not all of them, its _you. _There is no excuse for it because members of the Chord team have consistently appeared in the "Users who are viewing this thread" section at the bottom of this page so they're willfully choosing the wrong path of customer support.


----------



## Rob Watts

TiborM said:


> @Rob Watts Hello, I´d like to ask you, is it possible to implement L R balance control into Mojos DSP please? Or does it have it already? I cannot be the only one here with damaged hearing and it is hard to find anything ... If you can do it, that will be a welcome help for many!  thank you


Sorry to hear about your damaged hearing. Unfortunately, there is no balance control on Chord DACs - the reason balance controls used to be necessary is analogue volume controls were never perfectly matched, so you needed balance to correct for the volume control - but this is of course is not needed with digital controls.

You are the first poster to ask for such a feature, so it's not something that we have considered. But if there is a demand for a balance control, it's something I could add to future products.


----------



## Progisus

Re: white noise which happens on sample rate change intermittently. If you are using roon try experimenting with resync delay. I am using 3000 msec and it has significantly reduced the incidence. On my TT2 I use an src-dx which converts the usb to dual bnc. This allows for high sample rates which optical does not. It uses a different usb chipset and totally eliminates the problem. Hope this helps some.


----------



## magicalmouse

Rob Watts said:


> You are the first poster to ask for such a feature, so it's not something that we have considered. But if there is a demand for a balance control, it's something I could add to future products.


Thank you, it would be really useful as there are may of us that would welcome a balance control - i only know of one headphone amplifier with this.

d


----------



## dsrk

I have decided not to return my Mojo 2 for now as I have found a workaround to get rid of the white noise. I have disabled direct USB access on Neutron and I don't hear the white noise anymore.


----------



## rkt31

dsrk said:


> I have decided not to return my Mojo 2 for now as I have found a workaround to get rid of the white noise. I have disabled direct USB access on Neutron and I don't hear the white noise anymore.


With uapp I never heard white noise even with direct USB out.


----------



## daniel2022

Hi, I entered this forum to ask about a good DAC pairing with my SE846. I know it is a relatively old design and has been already many years in the market, but for me they are wonderful and wanted to have them for years. After the nice advise from users here, I bought the Mojo 2, which I love.

Now I am thinking of buying an additional headphone for home listening, that I probably could travel with (not to listen while flying, for it there is the se846, but to listen in Hotels and my second homeplace). It is not a 100% requirement, since I am happy with my SE846 for portability.

How would the Focal Stellia pair with the Mojo 2? If I have to buy a new DAC/amp for the stellia, would prefer to go with the Senn HD800s+HDV 820 combo (I had a HD800 and like the sound but got fatigued, but this problem I think was solved or at least improved with the HD800s).

Your comments are appreciated.


----------



## dsrk

rkt31 said:


> With uapp I never heard white noise even with direct USB out.


UAPP became worse for my use case with the latest update. So, I am not using it anymore.


----------



## rocketron

How about HD800s with your Mojo 2 then maybe add a Woo Audio WA8 or Caying C9 ?


----------



## daniel2022 (Apr 10, 2022)

rocketron said:


> How about HD800s with your Mojo 2 then maybe add a Woo Audio WA8 or Caying C9 ?



Thanks, I will give a look to those options!

Edit: Wow! a portable tube amp 😍, range 8 - 600 ohms.


----------



## rocketron

The Woo Audio WA8 sounds lovely with the HD800S.
👍


----------



## shabta

I have the mojo 2, uapp on a galaxy note phone, 64 Audio u12t. No static, surprisingly wonderful sound. My earphones sound the best I have heard them thus far.


----------



## rkt31

dsrk said:


> UAPP became worse for my use case with the latest update. So, I am not using it anymore.


How ?


----------



## dsrk

rkt31 said:


> How ?


I shuffle a large playlist and when shuffled it is not sorting album wise anymore. Sometimes I want to listen to the next track from the same album and it doesn't work anymore which is frustrating for me and I gave up on UAPP.

And the great thing about Neutron is that you can search within the now playing list.


----------



## rkt31

dsrk said:


> I shuffle a large playlist and when shuffled it is not sorting album wise anymore. Sometimes I want to listen to the next track from the same album and it doesn't work anymore which is frustrating for me and I gave up on UAPP.
> 
> And the great thing about Neutron is that you can search within the now playing list.


Uapp is surity of bit perfect transfer to your dac. Try hiby player also.


----------



## dsrk

rkt31 said:


> Uapp is surity of bit perfect transfer to your dac. Try hiby player also.


Yes, it sounds great with bit perfect enabled on UAPP and EQ on Mojo. I reported it to UAPP and gave a negative rating but no response from them unfortunately.

It's been a while since I tried Hiby player, I will give it a try.


----------



## tonedeafmelomaniac

Does that white noise issue manifest on Android devices?


----------



## mustu

Hi guys can you post some pictures of your mojo 2 please


----------



## meomap

mustu said:


> Hi guys can you post some pictures of your mojo 2 please


Here you go.


----------



## mustu

meomap said:


> Here you go.


Thanks yikes did you scratch the o on the laser or it’s like that ? 

Please can you send a clear picture where the chord logo is from front… cheers thank you in advance


----------



## Alan Billington

mustu said:


> Hi guys can you post some pictures of your mojo 2 please


There you go 👍


----------



## rocketron

👍


----------



## utdeep

Not interested in buying the Poly, but what is the smallest decent portable device that I can use with the Mojo that would give me access to Apple Music? Is it the Hiby M3 or Fiio M6?


----------



## Slim1970

utdeep said:


> Not interested in buying the Poly, but what is the smallest decent portable device that I can use with the Mojo that would give me access to Apple Music? Is it the Hiby M3 or Fiio M6?


You just need something that is Airplay compatible since you don't want to use a Poly. I'm drawing blanks trying to think about another portable device with Airplay. To be honest, I'm not sure there is a better portable attachment than the Poly that allows you access to Airplay. It works great with the Mojo 2.


----------



## gonintendo

Slim1970 said:


> You just need something that is Airplay compatible since you don't want to use a Poly. I'm drawing blanks trying to think about another portable device with Airplay. To be honest, I'm not sure there is a better portable attachment than the Poly that allows you access to Airplay. It works great with the Mojo 2.


Yeah if you want lossless it’ll probably have to be an old iPhone SE or a poly


----------



## Slim1970

gonintendo said:


> Yeah if you want lossless it’ll probably have to be an old iPhone SE or a poly


Yep, I can't think of any other way to accomplish what @utdeep want's to do.


----------



## mustu

Alan Billington said:


> There you go 👍


Hi sorry please can you send one without the case? I just want to see the chord logo are where it tapers I feel that mines off


----------



## gonintendo

Slim1970 said:


> Yep, I can't think of any other way to accomplish what @utdeep want's to do.


Actually it seems like they might’ve added support on android recently, my bad!


----------



## Slim1970

gonintendo said:


> Actually it seems like they might’ve added support on android recently, my bad!


Cool, but can you play it wirelessly? I think this is what he's looking for. This will still require a direct connection to the Mojo 2.


----------



## Progisus

utdeep said:


> Not interested in buying the Poly, but what is the smallest decent portable device that I can use with the Mojo that would give me access to Apple Music? Is it the Hiby M3 or Fiio M6?


iPod Touch with usb to mojo works for me.


----------



## mustu

mustu said:


> Hi sorry please can you send one without the case? I just want to see the chord logo are where it tapers I feel that mines off


----------



## dsrk (Apr 12, 2022)

@mustu


----------



## mustu

dsrk said:


> @mustu


Thanks so much… I see yours are not similar as well… I am talking about the tapering on both sides of the chord logo.


----------



## dsrk

Last night I was listening to Mojo 2 connected to my PC and the battery ran out. So, it's drawing power from battery.

When the intelligent desktop mode is on, does it still draw power from the battery or USB (micro or type c)?


----------



## Nick24JJ

dsrk said:


> Last night I was listening to Mojo 2 connected to my PC and the battery ran out. So, it's drawing power from battery.
> 
> When the intelligent desktop mode is on, does it still draw power from the battery or USB (micro or type c)?


You need two cables, connected at the same time, one for charging and one for listening to music.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Apr 12, 2022)

mustu said:


> Hi guys can you post some pictures of your mojo 2 please


I wish the logo and the button signs were more distinct. When I first looked at my Mojo 2, I thought it had an issue because they were barely visible. I took a picture, under strong light, and emailed Chord support. They said it is normal, it is like that. I should have taken more pictures to send them. Anyways, to me, they are barely visible. In the pictures here and in the reviews, the logo and the button signs appear as clearly visible but in reality they are very faint. I might post a couple of pics later today.


----------



## dsrk

Nick24JJ said:


> You need two cables, connected at the same time, one for charging and one for listening to music.


Got it, thanks.
It draws the power from the charging USB cable but bypassing battery to protect it from overcharging.


----------



## dsrk (Apr 12, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> I wish the logo and the button signs were more distinct. When I first looked at my Mojo 2, I thought it had an issue because they were barely visible. I took a picture, under strong light, and emailed Chord support. They said it is normal, it is like that. I should have taken more pictures to send them. Anyways, to me, they are barely visible. In the pictures here and in the reviews, the logo and the button signs appear as clearly visible but in reality they are very faint.


Yes, they are barely visible and before I got used to it I was going under the light to find what is the power button and the menu button very often.

I now got used to it and fixed my brain that right side is power and volume up button.


----------



## Hyde00 (Apr 12, 2022)

Hey guys I got my Mojo 2!

First impression!  A bit underwhelming........ LOL.  Am I crazy?  Maybe from what I've read I was expecting warm and forward vocal.  But it's not particularly warm or particularly forward.  Maybe I was thinking Mojo 1 sound signature but Mojo 2 is tuned more reference.

Though I also found it not particularly wide either in terms of sound stage, I have crossfeed off though.  I find crossfeed pretty subtle on Mojo 2 I might need to experiment it with it more.

Or could it be poor pairing with my Hifiman R7DX (16 Ohm)?  Though I tried it on my Denon D5200 (24 Ohm) and had similar results.  Maybe I just have poor taste by using Dragonfly Red for too long LOL.


----------



## mustu

Apart from the chord case what premium cases are there for the mojo2 and poly combo. No budget.


----------



## headfry (Apr 12, 2022)

Hyde00 said:


> Hey guys I got my Mojo 2!
> 
> First impression!  A bit underwhelming........ LOL.  Am I crazy?  Maybe from what I've read I was expecting warm and forward vocal.  But it's not particularly warm or particularly forward.  Maybe I was thinking Mojo 1 sound signature but Mojo 2 is tuned more reference.
> 
> ...


May I ask what cable you're using? I found using a generic USB cable didn't cut it for me in terms of sq, YMMV.

It can take a while for the Chord specialness to be appreciated, it should sound miles better than a Dragonfly Red

Also, I suggest trying crossfeed on the lowest setting...I find little audible difference but I think
it "feels" different. After listening for a few songs, try with crossfeed off. On some older
recordings (some from the mid 60's, such as Tomorrow Never Knows on Revolver),
I move crossfeed to green for a nicer listen.


----------



## utdeep

An - I don’t care about apple airplay.  Just looking for the smallest source that can play lossless Apple Music.  Any suggestions?  For example Hiby R3 or Fiio M6 might work, but they are a little old.


----------



## Chibs

utdeep said:


> An - I don’t care about apple airplay.  Just looking for the smallest source that can play lossless Apple Music.  Any suggestions?  For example Hiby R3 or Fiio M6 might work, but they are a little old.


You'll want an apple device to play Apple lossless. So I guess ipod touch is their smallest. 
Apple lossless will only work through their ios and ipad os devices unfortunately. Not even their Mac OS will be bit perfect.


----------



## someyoungguy

mustu said:


> Apart from the chord case what premium cases are there for the mojo2 and poly combo. No budget.


I asked Dignis the other day and they confirmed they are working on a mojo2+poly case. Their Mojo2-only case is about to come out, and the combined Poly case is in the works. No idea when it will be available yet.


----------



## Hyde00

headfry said:


> May I ask what cable you're using? I found using a generic USB cable didn't cut it for me in terms of sq, YMMV.
> 
> It can take a while for the Chord specialness to be appreciated, it should sound miles better than a Dragonfly Red
> 
> ...


LOL indeed I am using some generic UGREEN USB C to USB A Cable.

I don't have any fancy cable at hand I might try to see if I have other cables later.

But yes I did notice however crossfeed on vs off where on feels a little bit more natural.  I might try it with lowest setting first as you said.

Will report back later, thanks!


----------



## utdeep

Chibs said:


> You'll want an apple device to play Apple lossless. So I guess ipod touch is their smallest.
> Apple lossless will only work through their ios and ipad os devices unfortunately. Not even their Mac OS will be bit perfect.



Apple Lossless works on Android devices too since July of 2021.  Where are you getting this from?  I currently use a Cayin N6ii.  If my Macbook Pro is not bit-perfect for Apple Music, it still sounds great to me.

I just want a small player (smaller than an iPod Touch) that I can pair with the Mojo 2.


----------



## Kentajalli

utdeep said:


> Apple Lossless works on Android devices too since July of 2021.  Where are you getting this from?  I currently use a Cayin N6ii.  If my Macbook Pro is not bit-perfect for Apple Music, it still sounds great to me.
> 
> I just want a small player (smaller than an iPod Touch) that I can pair with the Mojo 2.


A two year old, used Android phone with no sim card , all bloatware removed or uninstalled, in plane mode, with wifi turned on!
For little money, you get:
- Hires large touchscreen
- Large storage capacity if you put a card in, for your downloaded stuff.
- Any streaming service you care to join in.
No?


----------



## Chibs

utdeep said:


> Apple Lossless works on Android devices too since July of 2021.  Where are you getting this from?  I currently use a Cayin N6ii.  If my Macbook Pro is not bit-perfect for Apple Music, it still sounds great to me.
> 
> I just want a small player (smaller than an iPod Touch) that I can pair with the Mojo 2.


Wow, news to me. Thanks for replying and letting me know. I’m honestly surprised!!


----------



## utdeep

Kentajalli said:


> A two year old, used Android phone with no sim card , all bloatware removed or uninstalled, in plane mode, with wifi turned on!
> For little money, you get:
> - Hires large touchscreen
> - Large storage capacity if you put a card in, for your downloaded stuff.
> ...


Suddenly - the Unihertz jelly 2 is a lot more appealing.  Great idea!


----------



## Hyde00

headfry said:


> May I ask what cable you're using? I found using a generic USB cable didn't cut it for me in terms of sq, YMMV.
> 
> It can take a while for the Chord specialness to be appreciated, it should sound miles better than a Dragonfly Red
> 
> ...


LOL I found out what the issue is....... I'm dumb....... I mean I knew about this but I just forgot about this.

I don't know if this speaks true for everyone but..... when I have multiple audio device plugged in they tend to gimp each other's performance.  I had Dragonfly Red and Mojo 2 both plugged in, what I noticed is that it tend to make it sound "dull".  The moment I unplug Dragonfly Red or turn off Mojo 2 then the other device almost sound like it's "woken up", better treble better sound stage and everything just sound alive.

So I was trying to A/B Dragonfly Red and Mojo 2 so as a result they both sounded terrible LOL.  So now I unplug Dragonfly Red or turn off Mojo 2 when testing.  I remember this happened when I had Playmate 2 but then I forgot about it.

In any case, right now running crossfeed on lowest setting.  Also bump the low treble shelf by +1 and high treble by +1 then it sounds good now.  

Though still don't sound as wide as I thought but otherwise so far so good.

But do you guys find that since each tick of EQ is +1/-1 db, so it can start to sound out of wack very fast.  I'm surprised they allow up to +9/-9 db.  I mostly hover around +1/-1 db or +2/-2 db range and never go higher.


----------



## Hyde00

Oh also since I'm plug it in permanently as desktop mode, anyone wish the + and - buttons are reversed so when oriented towards you (3.5mm jack towards you) the + would be at the top and - would be at bottom?  Right now it's reversed, it's not a big issue just slightly annoying.......

Also the buttons are pretty loose so when you flip Mojo 2 upside down you can hear it falling lol.  Just me being OCD lol.....


----------



## rkt31

Any old Android phone with right angled short usb cable is a best transport. Uapp has tidal and qobuz login and uapp can also transfer first stage unfolded bit perfect mqa to mojo 2. I used to use a short silver usb cable with two ferrite clips and stack the phone over mojo. But currently I don't have an unused Android phone so using xduoo X10 optical out as source.


----------



## Menkau-ra

Where can I buy Mojo2 in US?


----------



## amarkabove

Hyde00 said:


> Oh also since I'm plug it in permanently as desktop mode, anyone wish the + and - buttons are reversed so when oriented towards you (3.5mm jack towards you) the + would be at the top and - would be at bottom?  Right now it's reversed, it's not a big issue just slightly annoying.......
> 
> Also the buttons are pretty loose so when you flip Mojo 2 upside down you can hear it falling lol.  Just me being OCD lol.....


That would make the volume up button on the bottom and the down button at the top when in a pocket though.


----------



## Kentajalli

amarkabove said:


> That would make the volume up button on the bottom and the down button at the top when in a pocket though.


Use a right angle headphone jack.


----------



## Hyde00

amarkabove said:


> That would make the volume up button on the bottom and the down button at the top when in a pocket though.


Ahhhh I guess it's all depends on usage / perspective eh?


----------



## Kentajalli

rkt31 said:


> Any old Android phone with right angled short usb cable is a best transport. Uapp has tidal and qobuz login and uapp can also transfer first stage unfolded bit perfect mqa to mojo 2. I used to use a short silver usb cable with two ferrite clips and stack the phone over mojo. But currently I don't have an unused Android phone so using xduoo X10 optical out as source.


Why Short!
mine is three feet long, keeps the noisy phone away.


----------



## captblaze

Menkau-ra said:


> Where can I buy Mojo2 in US?


here are 3 in no particular order:

TTVJ
Music Direct
Moon Audio

there are more, but this should get you what you look for


----------



## rkt31

Kentajalli said:


> Why Short!
> mine is three feet long, keeps the noisy phone away.


So you don't use mojo 2 during walk ? 😄


----------



## Kentajalli (Apr 13, 2022)

rkt31 said:


> So you don't use mojo 2 during walk ? 😄


No longer have it, but I have explained my reasons before.
A chunky mojo, rubber strapped to a player, covering the screen,  weighing a pound , and not fit in any of my pockets, is not my idea of fun.
I keep (kept!) Mojo in my jacket top pocket, a thin USB connected to my phone in my side pocket.
I don't need to access Mojo, but my phone , I could take it out, change tracks, read emails or even answer or make a call.
A longer thin USB cable makes much more sense to me.


----------



## pete321 (Apr 13, 2022)

I don't get the tidal love, mqa doesn't work with chord and puts the sample rate to 88khz last I tried, does ipados or ios play apple music bitperfect with proper mojo lights? That alac sound weird or like other high res streams? Needed a new ipad anyway but waiting for ipad pro 2022.


----------



## ducnsh

pete321 said:


> I don't get the tidal love, mqa doesn't work with chord and puts the sample rate to 88khz last I tried, does ipados or ios play apple music bitperfect with proper mojo lights? That alac sound weird or like other high res streams? Needed a new ipad anyway but waiting for ipad pro 2022.


ios transfer bit perfect with both Tidal and Apple Music, I have used them for Mojo V1 and Hugo2 (iPhone 13 Pro, SE 2020 and iPhone 6s) and of course, Chord's light is in the right colour according to music file.


----------



## pete321 (Apr 13, 2022)

ducnsh said:


> ios transfer bit perfect with both Tidal and Apple Music, I have used them for Mojo V1 and Hugo2 (iPhone 13 Pro, SE 2020 and iPhone 6s) and of course, Chord's light is in the right colour according to music file.


oh that makes sense all the tidal chord talk, they need to fix their desktop apps, but I read Rob Watts hates mqa or something, it supports full definition of files? also do you notice any difference sonically apple high res vs tidal? I liked tidals ui the best besides spotify it's basically a spotify copy but the mqa tracks were messed up when I tried it, expensive too, maybe if it worked perfect on an ipad attached to my macbook and mojo it would be worth trying in the future unless spotify hifi will be better.

Good to know the lights are correct with apple music ios, it's solid and affordable.


----------



## ducnsh

pete321 said:


> oh that makes sense all the tidal chord talk, they need to fix their desktop apps, but I read Rob Watts hates mqa or something, it supports full definition of files? also do you notice any difference sonically apple high res vs tidal? I liked tidals ui the best besides spotify it's basically a spotify copy but the mqa tracks were messed up when I tried it, expensive too, maybe if it worked perfect on an ipad attached to my macbook and mojo it would be worth trying in the future unless spotify hifi will be better.
> 
> Good to know the lights are correct with apple music ios, it's solid and affordable.


I only use Tidal when connect to my PC because Apple Music on windows does not have hi-res. With iPhone I always use Apple Music, the quality is better than Tidal but it does not mean that Tidal is bad, Apple Music just better. Tidal application (on both iOs and Windows) unfold 2x before send it bit-perfect to Chord products.


----------



## pete321

ducnsh said:


> I only use Tidal when connect to my PC because Apple Music on windows does not have hi-res. With iPhone I always use Apple Music, the quality is better than Tidal but it does not mean that Tidal is bad, Apple Music just better. Tidal application (on both iOs and Windows) unfold 2x before send it bit-perfect to Chord products.


cool didn't know any of that, I think I'll give apple music another try with ios.


----------



## evhvis

ducnsh said:


> I only use Tidal when connect to my PC because Apple Music on windows does not have hi-res. With iPhone I always use Apple Music, the quality is better than Tidal but it does not mean that Tidal is bad, Apple Music just better. Tidal application (on both iOs and Windows) unfold 2x before send it bit-perfect to Chord products.


Unfolded MQA is bit-perfect unfolded MQA, but not the same as a non-mqa high res file of the same sample rate and bit depth or a raw MQA file before it is folded. MQA folding is a lossy/destructive packaging technique so your only gain would be if the MQA DSPs improves the sound. Personally I prefer high-res to MQA when both have the same final sample rate and agree with rob watts that MQA is unnecessary which is why I use Qobuz instead of Tidal as it delivers on all platforms.


----------



## SRKRAM

kornel221 said:


> Hi ,
> 
> Just have a quick question .
> 
> ...


I just picked up a set of AKG K702s on a whim for next to nothing. My other headphones are Denon D9200s and LCD-X 2021.
I'm sure that quite a lot has already been written about the Mojo OG vs the 2, but I'm quite enjoying the K702s with about +6dB of bass shelf on the Mojo 2. With this set up I find that it isn't necessary to listen very loud to really enjoy the music either.


----------



## raymondkerr

I have a Mojo 2 and have been trying to connect it to a iBasso DX200.  I have tried USB C otg cable from the DX200 to the mojo 2 but get no connection.  I have a 3.5mm S/PDIF on the dx200 and COAX 3.5mm on the mojo 2, but no cable to try it yet.  I heard some on a previous thread mention that the DX200 has issues using USB to connect to external DACs and it is best to use the S/PDIF connection, can anyone confirm this ?


----------



## ryanhart72

I ordered Mojo 2 from my local dealer three weeks ago, with a 50% down payment. Called today to check on order status and was told to expect at least 2 more months lead time. Is everyone else seeing a similar delivery timeframe?


----------



## mnp75 (Apr 14, 2022)

For anyone still looking for a short Lightning–USB-C cable in Europe, can highly suggest this one:

https://fiio-shop.de/en/1168/ddhifi-mfi06l

Actually in stock unlike some of the cheaper Fiios, ships super fast with delivery included in the price. And the cable itself is really high quality and works perfectly connecting my iPhone X to Mojo 2 for on-the-go listening – without the bulky camera connect adapter from Apple.


----------



## Nick24JJ

ryanhart72 said:


> I ordered Mojo 2 from my local dealer three weeks ago, with a 50% down payment. Called today to check on order status and was told to expect at least 2 more months lead time. Is everyone else seeing a similar delivery timeframe?


I don't know in which country you live but I've ordered my Mojo 2 one evening and on the next day, in the afternoon, it was brought to my house.


----------



## Chibs

mnp75 said:


> For anyone still looking for a short Lightning–USB-C cable in Europe, can highly suggest this one:
> 
> https://fiio-shop.de/en/1168/ddhifi-mfi06l
> 
> Actually in stock unlike some of the cheaper Fiios, ships super fast with delivery included in the price. And the cable itself is really high quality and works perfectly connecting my iPhone X to Mojo 2 for on-the-go listening – without the bulky camera connect adapter from Apple.


Thank you!! Bought an other one of Fiio's cables and got sound hiss blasting in my ear.


----------



## ryanhart72

Nick24JJ said:


> I don't know in which country you live but I've ordered my Mojo 2 one evening and on the next day, in the afternoon, it was brought to my house.


I am in the United States, Atlanta, GA.


----------



## pete321

Don't want to open a can of worms but anyone notice improvements using audiophile cables for the usb signal? Thinking of finishing my chain with audioquest cinnamon but I could be lighting $100 on fire, any 'definitely noticed difference' anecdotes about mojo 1 and 2 appreciated.


----------



## ryanhart72

ryanhart72 said:


> I am in the United States, Atlanta, GA.


If it helps anyone, I called TTVJ and ordered the last Mojo 2 they currently have in stock. I also called Music Direct and they have units in stock. My local dealer refunded the 50% down payment I made a few weeks ago.


----------



## RPJ12 (Apr 15, 2022)

I just ordered a mojo 2 and I’m very excited. But now that I’ve read this thread I’m pretty concerned. I listen to Apple Music set to High Res Lossless on my 2018 intel MBP and my iPhone 12 Pro max. I listen to high res playlists that can go from one rate to another depending on the track. Am I understanding correctly that I will get the deafening white noise issue when these track sample rates change, thus making the mojo 2 worthless for my usage? is the mojo 1 the same? If so, that is extremely unfortunate and I’m gonna be really bummed out. For such an expensive and well regarded piece of equipment, that seems unacceptable. Is there a work around? Is it fixable through update? If it’s all true I guess I’ll be holding on to the Cayin RU6 which I love but was going to return to pay for the mojo 2.


----------



## headfry (Apr 15, 2022)

RPJ12 said:


> I just ordered a mojo 2 and I’m very excited. But now that I’ve read this thread I’m pretty concerned. I listen to Apple Music set to High Res Lossless on my 2018 intel MBP and my iPhone 12 Pro max. I listen to high res playlists that can go from one rate to another depending on the track. Am I understanding correctly that I will get the deafening white noise issue when these track sample rates change, thus making the mojo 2 worthless for my usage? is the mojo 1 the same? If so, that is extremely unfortunate and I’m gonna be really bummed out. For such an expensive and well regarded piece of equipment, that seems unacceptable. Is there a work around? Is it fixable through update? For such an expensive and well regarded piece of equipment, that seems unacceptable. If it’s all true I guess I’ll be holding on to the Cayin RU6 which I love but was going to return to pay for the mojo 2.


in my use at least Mojo 1 and 2 are the same for this issue.

In my experience what you've described isn't the issue, .....if it was the Mojo would never
have been successful as it would have been recognized as a defective product.
What caused the white noise for me - and was never
deafening as I don't listen at a loud level - was the micro USB connector getting dislodged/losing contact.

This is based on using Mojo 1 for five years, and Mojo 2 for 7 weeks. Of course there
may be another/other reasons but this has been my experience.

Changing the rate never caused the white noise for me.

Once I was careful not to move the Mojo while in use, all was well. In IOS
the track sample rate changes automatically, Mac OS currently doesn't.
I'm now using Mojo 2 and sometimes Mojo 1 with my iPad Pro.

IOS does support auto-rate switching, however the Mac doesn't....
in order for higher rate tracks to play at that rate it can be changed manually in Audio Midi Setup,
otherwise it will be resampled at the rate in AMS. This is the same for Amazon Music,
the only service that I've used that auto changes the track's rate on Mac is Tidal,
which I no longer use to due to price.

Now that I've explained the above, I'm hoping you'll find as much listening joy with Mojo 2 as I'm
experiencing as are many others here. When partnered well it can produce
absolute magic, it's very special IMO. Your use and your ears will tell if it's right for you.


----------



## RPJ12

headfry said:


> in my use at least Mojo 1 and 2 are the same for this issue.
> 
> In my experience what you've described isn't the issue, .....if it was the Mojo would never
> have been successful as it would have been recognized as a defective product.
> ...


Thanks! That’s good to hear about the white noise and track changing. It has always been a bit frustrating having to change sample rate on the MacBook. I wish they would fix that so it was seem less like iOS. 

Now it’s a bit of concern as well if you have to be careful to not move it while listening. That seems to make it less mobile. Not that someone should be going for a run with it, but moving across the house or transporting it while listening seems like it would be part of the mobile experience for its intended use. Maybe I’m wrong.


----------



## ChrisGB

A quick heads up for anyone in the UK. Audio T are running a trade in promotion with up to £150 for a Mojo 1 if traded against a Mojo 2. I'd think the Mojo 1 would be worth more, but the deal could suit some.


----------



## Kentajalli

I have an android phone with Neutron player installed.
On Neutron you can upsample (X2, X4 ...) . Doing so mid play any track, or going from one track to next, *does not send Mojo into white noise!*
similarly on my windows laptop with jRiver player, nothing bad happens.
Only upsampling to DSD or to above 700 kHz , _sometimes _can trigger white noise.
Now it should never go into white noise, but on my gear (Mojo Mojo2 Hugo2) is a rarity .
I do not have any Apple gear.


----------



## shabta

RPJ12 said:


> Thanks! That’s good to hear about the white noise and track changing. It has always been a bit frustrating having to change sample rate on the MacBook. I wish they would fix that so it was seem less like iOS.
> 
> Now it’s a bit of concern as well if you have to be careful to not move it while listening. That seems to make it less mobile. Not that someone should be going for a run with it, but moving across the house or transporting it while listening seems like it would be part of the mobile experience for its intended use. Maybe I’m wrong.


I pick my android phone up and move it and the mojo 2 around the house without any noise.


----------



## jarnopp

pete321 said:


> Don't want to open a can of worms but anyone notice improvements using audiophile cables for the usb signal? Thinking of finishing my chain with audioquest cinnamon but I could be lighting $100 on fire, any 'definitely noticed difference' anecdotes about mojo 1 and 2 appreciated.


I think you’d be wasting $$. In my opinion, you can avoid the hiss and get the best sound with optical, so any decent optical cable and one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VSFBT82/


----------



## amarkabove

headfry said:


> in my use at least Mojo 1 and 2 are the same for this issue.
> 
> In my experience what you've described isn't the issue, .....if it was the Mojo would never
> have been successful as it would have been recognized as a defective product.
> ...


FYI The auto-rate switching isn't a Mac OS issue but rather an Apple Music one. Amazon Music has the same option as Tidal to activate an Exclusive Mode (Or at least it did back when I used it) which will switch the rate as needed.


----------



## amarkabove

RPJ12 said:


> Thanks! That’s good to hear about the white noise and track changing. It has always been a bit frustrating having to change sample rate on the MacBook. I wish they would fix that so it was seem less like iOS.
> 
> Now it’s a bit of concern as well if you have to be careful to not move it while listening. That seems to make it less mobile. Not that someone should be going for a run with it, but moving across the house or transporting it while listening seems like it would be part of the mobile experience for its intended use. Maybe I’m wrong.


When I first hooked mine up to my M1 MBP I was getting the white noise issue but it turned out to be the cable. I had to go thru a few of them to find one that didn't produce the noise, but once I did I've been able to move around the house as needed with it still attached and no noise issues.


----------



## pete321

Will an ipad be able to always on charged and play mojo at the same time? They only have one port so I'd have to get an adapter with power charge in, usb 3 (type 2 cable) out to the mojo but I dunno this sounds like recipe for disaster given how sensitive mojo is to current/interference.

Want to try bitperfect ios apple music but only 1 port so I think this might be only way, real dumb they have 1 port on ipad pros that can cost $2k.


----------



## Hyde00

pete321 said:


> Will an ipad be able to always on charged and play mojo at the same time? They only have one port so I'd have to get an adapter with power charge in, usb 3 (type 2 cable) out to the mojo but I dunno this sounds like recipe for disaster given how sensitive mojo is to current/interference.
> 
> Want to try bitperfect ios apple music but only 1 port so I think this might be only way, real dumb they have 1 port on ipad pros that can cost $2k.


Uh you might need a USB hub for iPad but otherwise I just use my Mojo 2 to my PC (data cable) with power cable plug into a iPod charger directly into the wall and I haven't had any interference so far.

Sorry is this what you're asking?


----------



## pete321

Hyde00 said:


> Uh you might need a USB hub for iPad but otherwise I just use my Mojo 2 to my PC (data cable) with power cable plug into a iPod charger directly into the wall and I haven't had any interference so far.
> 
> Sorry is this what you're asking?


well phones and ipads only have one port, so you can plug your mojo in or charge it, but I want to do both, are you saying you use a wallwart with a usb addition that you plug your mojo into and charge?


----------



## headfry

pete321 said:


> Will an ipad be able to always on charged and play mojo at the same time? They only have one port so I'd have to get an adapter with power charge in, usb 3 (type 2 cable) out to the mojo but I dunno this sounds like recipe for disaster given how sensitive mojo is to current/interference.
> 
> Want to try bitperfect ios apple music but only 1 port so I think this might be only way, real dumb they have 1 port on ipad pros that can cost $2k.


I make sure the iPad Pro is sufficiently charged before listening. Yeah they cost a lot but the iPad Mini and iPad Air are quite a bit less and I'm sure either would work equally well.


----------



## pete321 (Apr 15, 2022)

headfry said:


> I make sure the iPad Pro is sufficiently charged before listening. Yeah they cost a lot but the iPad Mini and iPad Air are quite a bit less and I'm sure either would work equally well.


yeah I needed an ipad pro in general, ipad air is a good value, I'm not big on batteries most of my devices are always plugged in, guess I can try a hub and if it doesn't work just use the battery, hopefully apple gets bitperfect for mac or spotify hifi comes out this century.


----------



## Chris Kaoss

A power bank is a nice addition to your need, i think.


----------



## Hyde00

pete321 said:


> yeah I needed an ipad pro in general, ipad air is a good value, I'm not big on batteries most of my devices are always plugged in, guess I can try a hub and if it doesn't work just use the battery, hopefully apple gets bitperfect for mac or spotify hifi comes out this century.


Yeah sorry I mean like a hub then plug the Mojo data into the hub and Mojo power into another charger (if you're worried about interference).

Those hub usually has one port strictly for charging. You just might end up with a lot of wires.... Unfortunately......


----------



## pete321

Hyde00 said:


> Yeah sorry I mean like a hub then plug the Mojo data into the hub and Mojo power into another charger (if you're worried about interference).
> 
> Those hub usually has one port strictly for charging. You just might end up with a lot of wires.... Unfortunately......


yeah that should work, my mojo power is going to a wall wart anyway right now, not much would change except I'd stick the usb data into a ipad hub. I'll consider it. By the time 2021 ipad pros go down to a more reasonable rate or the new one comes out (towards end of the year) things might have changed alot as far as streaming services so might not be necessary.


----------



## Hyde00

I also posted this in the 3.5 mm dongle dac thread but.......

Anyone has compared Mojo 2 to xDuoo Link2 Bal by any chance?

Currently enjoying Mojo 2 but miss a few convenience factors that come with dongle dacs.  Wondering if I should pick up xDuoo Link2 Bal.  Thanks!


----------



## pete321

came across an old interview about mojo 1 with Rob Watts.

_I am getting rather different sound from coax and USB inputs with the latter sounding better, what’s the reason for this?_

It’s complicated and depends upon a number of factors - principally the amount of RF noise injected into the Mojo, and the amount of correlated noise that gets in. It will depend upon the source device as to which sounds best. My preference is optical, as this has the smoothest sound quality and best depth, as it does not suffer from both of the aforementioned problems.

So he likes optical himself, I kind of want a lifatec optical, anyone think it will make a difference? My mojo 2 sounds fine now usb but anything to improve I'd try.


----------



## scarfacegt

How good is the poly using bluetooth and spotify/qobuz?  I just got an mojo 2,and wondering if i should save for an poly.I have the fiio btr5 (wich im going to keep for iems,because of the portability/small design) and also i got the ifi xcan.I might sell the xcan and save for the poly.


----------



## Droffen

You can’t  send music data via bluetooth to poly , only via Airplay


----------



## scarfacegt

Droffen said:


> You can’t  send music data via bluetooth to poly , only via Airplay


So it cant work as an normal bluetooth device like btr5/xcan?


----------



## Droffen

scarfacegt said:


> So it cant work as an normal bluetooth device like btr5/xcan?


Correct
You have to create a wifi hotspot (either on your Poly or your phone) and then can send the music from phone to the Poly over wifi.


----------



## Nick24JJ

pete321 said:


> came across an old interview about mojo 1 with Rob Watts.
> 
> _I am getting rather different sound from coax and USB inputs with the latter sounding better, what’s the reason for this?_
> 
> ...


I am interested in this, as well.

Which input do you guys prefer for connecting with a computer? Optical, Coaxial, USB-C or Micro-USB? I am referring to connecting with a laptop or desktop [Windows] computer.


----------



## captblaze

Nick24JJ said:


> I am interested in this, as well.
> 
> Which input do you guys prefer for connecting with a computer? Optical, Coaxial, USB-C or Micro-USB? I am referring to connecting with a laptop or desktop [Windows] computer.


Convenience USB-C, Optical if I am looking for the best option in my setup (s)


----------



## Billyak

Droffen said:


> You can’t  send music data via bluetooth to poly , only via Airplay


You can Bluetooth music to the poly.


----------



## dsrk

It's been 8 days, all I can say is that Mojo 2 does live up to it's name.

First of all big KUDOS to @Rob Watts for creating such a wonderful device, it's my first Chord product and a great one too.

I was not that excited when it was announced that it was not up to the 2022 standards (micro USB, no Bluetooth etc...), high price and all. But they all faded away fast when I started using the device. It's really fun playing with the buttons and good exercise for the brain

@rkt31, you are right. I thought you are hyping this but you are right. It powers HD6XX and LCD2C without any problems probably better than any portable DAC/AMPs 'with much higher output power' I have tried up until now. Selling my desktop gear...I am thinking of that but I will give it sometime.

The sound is neutral, it's the best place to start EQing. UHD DSP is excellent probably the best implementation of EQ ever IMO. iFi xBass hits a little harder but sometimes it's too much bass and UHD DSP (Bass) easily takes the crown, no contest there.

Crossfeed is very subtle, it brings the stage to the front just a little. Works well with a few recordings.

All my sound impressions are with EQ on, so take it with a grain of salt.

Mojo 2 sounds different than anything I heard till now, it's mostly neutral but with a hint of warmth. It has enough sparkle at the top but never gets brighter or harsh.  The vocals out of HD6XX are amazing without souding peaky and it's a hard thing to pull off. I am really loving this pairing better than LCD2C and Blessing 2. All my previous DAC/AMPs (XD-05 Plus, xCan, MT602) had hard time pulling the bass out of LCD2C but Mojo 2 with much less power output achieves this easily. I would say it almost reaches the level of my desktop stack SMSL SU-9 & A30 Pro (not exaggerating, this is real deal). 

The white noise issue was disturbing at first but I got it over quickly.

It's priced reasonably in India, so it's no brainer for anyone looking for a portable DAC/AMP. If bluetooth is not a must for you, I would say it is easily the best portable DAC/AMP available in the market right now IMO.


----------



## Droffen

Billyak said:


> You can Bluetooth music to the poly.


So sorry, Interpreted the manual  in a wrong way. Was thinking that Bluetooth is for communication with GoFigure app only
You can use Poly with Bluetooth for music, but I haven’t done it so far.


----------



## scarfacegt

Then i might sell the xcan,and save for poly 😊 So i can use it with bluetooth from my 4k bluray player for series/movies,and bluetooth from my phone,when i dont want many cables all over the place.


----------



## Menkau-ra

Did anybody test Mojo2 with HD8xx?


----------



## shabta

I'm away from home until Wednesday, I can try that out after I get back.


----------



## tonedeafmelomaniac

Droffen said:


> Correct
> You have to create a wifi hotspot (either on your Poly or your phone) and then can send the music from phone to the Poly over wifi.


Do I need to use third party apps to do it?


----------



## rkt31 (Apr 18, 2022)

dsrk said:


> It's been 8 days, all I can say is that Mojo 2 does live up to it's name.
> 
> First of all big KUDOS to @Rob Watts for creating such a wonderful device, it's my first Chord product and a great one too.
> 
> ...


Great, your smsl dac may be good in measurements and as should be mojo 2 too but readymade chip based dacs, despite very good measurements can't pull of the trick of "singer being infront of you, locked in centre and music all around you" , because mojo 2 has more number of taps, creating the transients more accurately. After a limit of number of taps the measurements may not change but brain is more sensitive for transients accuracy than what can be measured. That's why mojo 2 is able to project more realistic image of singers and musicians.


----------



## Droffen (Apr 18, 2022)

tonedeafmelomaniac said:


> Do I need to use third party apps to do it?


I can speak for Apple devices only.

You don’t need a 3rd party app for sending the music from certain music/podcast apps to Poly as it’s recognized as an Airplay device.

You need a 3rd party app to access the songs on the micro SD card in the Poly.


----------



## mienkuan

Nick24JJ said:


> So, I've had a bit more time to listen to my Mojo 2 today. I've listened using Foobar2000 and J River Media Center (trial) for some time, and it also played on its own for a few hours. No white noise. After listening with the players, I've decided to listen to some Amazon Music, Qobuz and YouTube, from the desktop apps and my browser respectively, on my Win 11 Pro HP laptop. I am using the Chord driver, Windows Sounds muted, WASAPI exclusive in Qobuz.
> 
> Whereas until yesterday it was playing fine, no issue at all, today I started hearing a scratching sound. I had to go into Sound settings and set it to 96kHz, as shown in the attached screenshot. Until yesterday it was playing fine, excellent, set to 192kHz. Today, all of the sudden, I got this screetching sound, and I had to lower the setting. The result is shown in my other screenshot.
> 
> ...


Also, you can open the following "system>sound" screen, don't close it, you can minimize it, maybe there will be no noise.


----------



## KelFab

Hi there, I just bought a Mojo2 a few weeks ago and i appreciate it a lot, it's really a great portable dac !

It's even better with the Poly. I had hard time configuring the Poly at the begining (mostly due to average Wifi network and Roon constant dropouts) but in fact now since network gear upgrade and last Roon update it's fine.

For the moment i onIy used the MojoPoly combo inside house with HD600 / SR352x and Focal Radiance and now that it's nearly flawless it's a real joy to use.

I played a bit with eq and it's a great feature, trying to change / compensate the sonic signature of some headphones is fun.

So for the moment i'm glad i bought the combo MojoPoly, and for those having only the Mojo alone, i recommend you to try the Poly if you can.


----------



## headfry (Apr 18, 2022)

KelFab said:


> Hi there, I just bought a Mojo2 a few weeks ago and i appreciate it a lot, it's really a great portable dac !
> 
> It's even better with the Poly. I had hard time configuring the Poly at the begining (mostly due to average Wifi network and Roon constant dropouts) but in fact now since network gear upgrade and last Roon update it's fine.
> 
> ...


Congrats on the Mojo 2!

I don't have the Poly but I've been saying that the cable can be really important for best sq; while I'm
sure an SD card Poly playback is even somewhat better my AQ Jitterbug/Curious Hugo Link sounds excellent
to me; a night and day upgrade from the generic USB I was using (the Hugo Link was bought used and only cost me CAD $125).

...Poly sounds even better no doubt!

Also, I find it enjoyable trying the crossfeed on minimum (red), listening for a while, then try turning it off and listen some more to compare. I find it gives a nice subtle
boost center for headphone listening, of course on some older recordings going to green
can be excellent sounding.


----------



## rlanger

Has anyone gone from M1 + Sundara to M2 + Edition XS? 

I'm using Sundara and recently picked an OG Mojo since my XDuoo XD-05 BAL (also a great little amp/dac) had to be sent back to China for service. I had been considering stepping up from Sundara to EXS, but since getting the Mojo, I'm also intrigued by the Mojo 2, especially the EQ features.

So my question is if you have gone from M1 + Sundara to M2 + Edition XS and could only upgrade one of the two, which would you choose? EXS or M2?


----------



## Kentajalli

rlanger said:


> Has anyone gone from M1 + Sundara to M2 + Edition XS?
> 
> I'm using Sundara and recently picked an OG Mojo since my XDuoo XD-05 BAL (also a great little amp/dac) had to be sent back to China for service. I had been considering stepping up from Sundara to EXS, but since getting the Mojo, I'm also intrigued by the Mojo 2, especially the EQ features.
> 
> So my question is if you have gone from M1 + Sundara to M2 + Edition XS and could only upgrade one of the two, which would you choose? EXS or M2?


Depends what matters to you the most.
Mojo classic is capable, can drive EDXS . EDXS is Sundara on steroids, just about everything is more and better.
EDXS is also better at imaging! and here is where you would benefit from M2. Also bass definition is better on M2.
M2 other facilities (EQ, crossfeed etc.) were wasted on me, but you may really need them.
If I were you, since you just got your Mojo, I would get the EDXS , since it hardly requires any EQ, I would sell the Sundara and save for M2.
Now if you could stretch to a used Hugo2 ......


----------



## rlanger

Kentajalli said:


> If I were you, since you just got your Mojo, I would get the EDXS , since it hardly requires any EQ, I would sell the Sundara and save for M2.
> Now if you could stretch to a used Hugo2 ......


Yeah, I think that's probably good advice.  

I would love the Hugo 2 but I don't think I have the space. Here's my setup:


----------



## ubs28 (Apr 19, 2022)

pete321 said:


> yeah I needed an ipad pro in general, ipad air is a good value, I'm not big on batteries most of my devices are always plugged in, guess I can try a hub and if it doesn't work just use the battery, hopefully apple gets bitperfect for mac or spotify hifi comes out this century.



Why not get the magic keyboard? Then you get 2 ports. Then you can charge the iPad Pro and use the Mojo 2 at the same time.

It makes the iPad Pro also a much more capable device (imo).


----------



## pete321

ubs28 said:


> Why not get the magic keyboard? Then you get 2 ports. Then you can charge the iPad Pro and use the Mojo 2 at the same time.
> 
> It makes the iPad Pro also a much more capable device (imo).


Didn't know it added a charging port so that's useful information, $pensive though, I kind of wanted to clip it to the side of my macbook so wouldn't really need the keyboard, might get a cheaper mini to clip or something if it's just for apple music to mojo 2, not even sure I'll like it I'm pretty spotify cult, I like the extra boom they have on loud mode, even audirvana doesn't match it bitperfect high-res local files, some kind of effect they have, so I play my locals through spotify, wish they would hurry up.


----------



## KelFab (Apr 19, 2022)

rlanger said:


> Yeah, I think that's probably good advice.
> 
> I would love the Hugo 2 but I don't think I have the space. Here's my setup:



I think you’ll have the space for a Hugo 2

Sorry i can't figure how to post img for the moment maybe because i'm a newly registered user 

But you can see here without Poly. 

And here with Poly.

If you put it the way i took the picture i think it'll fit your desk.

IMO there's more than a question of space between Mojo2 and Hugo 2


----------



## rlanger

KelFab said:


> I think you’ll have the space for a Hugo 2
> 
> Sorry i can't figure how to post img for the moment maybe because i'm a newly registered user
> 
> ...


OMG, I hate you! 👿


----------



## Droffen

KelFab said:


> I think you’ll have the space for a Hugo 2
> 
> Sorry i can't figure how to post img for the moment maybe because i'm a newly registered user
> 
> ...




And here Hugo 2go and M2Poly


----------



## KelFab

rlanger said:


> OMG, I hate you! 👿



I think if you can push a little bit your laptop to the right there will be enough space for a Chord Dave turned by 90°   🤣


----------



## Dimitris

How does the sound compare between Mojo2 and Hugo2? I tried upgrading from Mojo to Hugo 2 and I really didn't like the sound coming out of the Hugo. Way too much fatiguing detail and hifi sound.


----------



## KelFab

Less layered / detailed, a bit more warm, more easy listening / less fatiguing. Soundstage less wide.

I like a lot the Hugo 2 but cannot listen to it during very long sessions as with the Mojo 2, which i could listen to nearly all day.

IMHO it deserves a try.


----------



## ChrisGB (Apr 19, 2022)

I went from Mojo 2 to Hugo2. The Mojo 2 had appreciably less detail, but also a very nice fluidity that made it an easy listen and not fatiguing.

Having said that though, I don't find the Hugo 2 fatiguing either. There's more going on, but still the fluidity. Maybe partnering equipment will be a big factor.


----------



## iDesign (Apr 19, 2022)

Dimitris said:


> How does the sound compare between Mojo2 and Hugo2? I tried upgrading from Mojo to Hugo 2 and I really didn't like the sound coming out of the Hugo. Way too much fatiguing detail and hifi sound.


With respect to Mojo vs Mojo 2, I still find the original to be more dynamic and has pleasing tonality. Applying +2db at 125Hz brings the two closer together but the original but the Mojo still has a charm about it.


----------



## ubs28 (Apr 19, 2022)

Mojo 2 = Mojo 1 that tries to sound like a Hugo 2, but still sounding like a Mojo 1 at the same time.

Hugo 2 = a better version of the Mojo 2.

So if someone really hated the Hugo 2, you might want to stick to the Mojo 1.


----------



## Kentajalli

Mojo classic is a classic! it has magic.
compared to many rivals that came out in the last couple of years, still a winner.
At eBay prices with people desperate to sell  it is an absolute steal.
But current owners of Mojo classic are dying to upgrade, can't blame them.
I am saying if one is _new _to Chord, go and have a Mojo classic and count your lucky stars (@£200).
If you are not new, then M2 is still good value , improves on M1 and has FUN features!
After all M2 was meant for existing Mojo owners primarily!
Hugo2 takes a week of getting used to, once you do, there is no going back.


----------



## RPJ12

Kentajalli said:


> Mojo classic is a classic! it has magic.
> compared to many rivals that came out in the last couple of years, still a winner.
> At eBay prices with people desperate to sell  it is an absolute steal.
> But current owners of Mojo classic are dying to upgrade, can't blame them.
> ...


Im new to Mojo and found a Mojo 2 that arrives tomorrow!! Should I compare with an original Mojo and see if the price difference is worth it or just enjoy the Mojo 2? Do they sound totally different where someone may enjoy one over the other?


----------



## iDesign

RPJ12 said:


> Im new to Mojo and found a Mojo 2 that arrives tomorrow!! Should I compare with an original Mojo and see if the price difference is worth it or just enjoy the Mojo 2? Do they sound totally different where someone may enjoy one over the other?


Compare the two and see if you can justify the cost based on what you hear and your needs.


----------



## Dimitris

Try both and stick to what your ears are telling you. I had mojo 1 and bought Hugo 2. I used it for a month and just couldn’t tolerate its sound. I sold it and went back to mojo 1.


----------



## ChrisGB

Kentajalli said:


> Hugo2 takes a week of getting used to, once you do, there is no going back.


I suspect that some find the change in sonic transparency to be a bit much going from Mojo to Hugo 2. What I found was that the extra resolution (over Mojo 2) pushed previously unnoticed details and nuances into view on recordings I knew well. While initially distracting, once the "novelty" wore off, the realization dawns that the musicians and producers put all this stuff in the music to be heard!

I can understand reasons why some may not like it though, but I'd agree that once you are used to it, there is no going back.


----------



## Kentajalli

RPJ12 said:


> Im new to Mojo and found a Mojo 2 that arrives tomorrow!!


Was it lost?
They are freely available , even on Amazon UK.
Unless you mean on eBay and cheaper!


RPJ12 said:


> Should I compare with an original Mojo and see if the price difference is worth it or just enjoy the Mojo 2? Do they sound totally different where someone may enjoy one over the other?


Just enjoy it.
Don't think too much about it, it is lovely.
And No to your question , you love one, you love em all.


----------



## Kentajalli

Dimitris said:


> Try both and stick to what your ears are telling you. I had mojo 1 and bought Hugo 2. I used it for a month and just couldn’t tolerate its sound. I sold it and went back to mojo 1.


Good advice, +1
always trust your ears, but not immediately !


----------



## pete321

Mojo 1 does have a certain charm, I think I'll keep it rather than fire sale it, but listening and knowing it's close to 4 hours of charge time, no thanks, mojo 2 is worth every penny for that purple light alone.


----------



## RPJ12 (Apr 19, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> Was it lost?
> They are freely available , even on Amazon UK.
> Unless you mean on eBay and cheaper!
> 
> ...


Im in the US and Mojo 2 isn't as readily available.Lots of preorders, back ordered or "more coming" from the retailers, but I found a place that had them in stock.. As far as Mojo 1. There are plenty on eBay and few on Amazon as well.


----------



## Kentajalli

iDesign said:


> Compare the two and see if you can justify the cost based on what you hear and your needs.


I would say No!
they are both good, its like comparing one girlfriend to another girlfriend .
You want both!
when you are with one, you are thinking of the other one, its distracting . . .


----------



## RPJ12

How would you all describe the sonic differences between M1 and M2? I guess I could search through this thread for comparisons.


----------



## Kentajalli

RPJ12 said:


> How would you all describe the sonic differences between M1 and M2? I guess I could search through this thread for comparisons.


M2 is more dry/colder sounding if you must compare.
M2 has better bass resolution, and slightly better sound stage.
M2 has fun features.
about it I think.


----------



## KelFab (Apr 19, 2022)

Agree with @Kentajalli
I also find the M2 to be more neutral / natural sounding than the M1 and with more details.
For me there’s a bit of Hugo 2‘s capacity of giving some kind of palpability, realism, presence to the atmosphere, instruments, voices, … into the M2.


----------



## RPJ12

KelFab said:


> Agree with @Kentajalli
> I also find the M2 to be more neutral / natural sounding than the M1 and with more details.
> For me there’s a bit of Hugo 2‘s capacity of giving some kind of palpability, realism, presence to the atmosphere, instruments, voices, … into the M2.


Thanks! Do you find the M2 “relaxing” still or does it require your attention? Does the M1 come off as smoother?

I will be comparing the M2 to the Cayin RU6 and the XDuoo Link 2 Bal. I will probably keep the XDuoo bc of its functionality for pocket portable use and price. I like how I can control the volume from my iPhone and Apple Watch while working outside or running.

The RU6 is much warmer and analogue sounding than the XDuoo and I like it a lot so I’m anxious to see how I feel about the M2 compared to it bc monetarily wise I can/should only keep one. So I’m looking for something to go with the XDuoo.


----------



## Hyde00

Anyone has any comment regarding the crossfeed function?

I initially was making zero crossfeed but it felt super flat, so I used the lowest level and it got better, but still feel flat.  Now trying the medium setting..... but.........

Is it me or Mojo 2 is just somewhat flat sounding device or do I have to crank crossfeed to max?

Which is odd because the review I read keep saying deep sound stage but it just feels very close to your head....... am I doing it wrong?


----------



## iDesign (Apr 19, 2022)

Hyde00 said:


> Anyone has any comment regarding the crossfeed function?
> 
> I initially was making zero crossfeed but it felt super flat, so I used the lowest level and it got better, but still feel flat.  Now trying the medium setting..... but.........
> 
> ...


Agreed with the comments about the Mojo 2 being flat sounding and dry. I engaged the three levels of cross feed but felt it was best set to off. Its the first Chord product I’m not impressed by.


----------



## KelFab (Apr 19, 2022)

RPJ12 said:


> Thanks! Do you find the M2 “relaxing” still or does it require your attention? Does the M1 come off as smoother?
> 
> I will be comparing the M2 to the Cayin RU6 and the XDuoo Link 2 Bal. I will probably keep the XDuoo bc of its functionality for pocket portable use and price. I like how I can control the volume from my iPhone and Apple Watch while working outside or running.
> 
> The RU6 is much warmer and analogue sounding than the XDuoo and I like it a lot so I’m anxious to see how I feel about the M2 compared to it bc monetarily wise I can/should only keep one. So I’m looking for something to go with the XDuoo.



When I had the M1 a few years ago, I found that the sound was warm and pleasant but I also felt that something was missing. Then I bought the Hugo 2 and … OMG another world !

but … for some reason I cannot listen to it all day long, as said earlier even after playing with crossfeed and / or filters, maybe too analytical or too cold, I don’t know. However it’s still a real joy to listen to it for short sessions that’s why I still have it.

Now with the M2 when I take a break and put the headphones off my head for some reason I‘m thinking of the next moment when I will put them on again, the joy is here 😀. I find it‘s a good compromise between the M1 and the Hugo 2, anyway for me. I know that there’s some resolution / atmosphere / depth missing compared to the Hugo 2 but that doesn‘t bother me as much as it did with the M1.

Don‘t know if that help you but I think the better opinion you can get is your own by listening to the M2, I think it’s worth it.

And btw the EQ feature on the M2 works well when you understand how (by combining EQ settings using the excel tool to approach the response you want from it).


----------



## WorksUnit

So... tried to reframe thoughts about the OG and Mojo2 by not listening to either of them for a few weeks...
I was surprised how much I enjoyed the sense of intimacy with the OG given certain pairings.
Then again, the Mojo2 is a slightly more lateral, textured plane of sound. 

The more complete device is the Mojo2 for a couple of reasons IMHO. To wit:

1. The EQ and crossfeed really add value for owners with 1 or 2 Headphones / Hearing loss at certain freqs. Super inclusive playground within these parameters.
2. Desktop charging Mode....no more looking at the red light of pain as you have just stumbled across another new track!


----------



## KelFab (Apr 19, 2022)

Hyde00 said:


> Anyone has any comment regarding the crossfeed function?
> 
> I initially was making zero crossfeed but it felt super flat, so I used the lowest level and it got better, but still feel flat.  Now trying the medium setting..... but.........
> 
> ...



I find the M2 has a relatively wide soundstage (right / left) but lacks a bit in depth.

Regarding the crossfeed I feel I gain a little depth by using it but loose some width and instruments separation, and it also seems to emphasis a bit the mids.

If i remember well Rob Watts said that depth is one of the most difficult thing to reconstruct with dacs and that was one of the purpose of the M scaler.

When will we have a portable M scaler ? 😀


----------



## WorksUnit

Hyde00 said:


> Anyone has any comment regarding the crossfeed function?
> 
> I initially was making zero crossfeed but it felt super flat, so I used the lowest level and it got better, but still feel flat.  Now trying the medium setting..... but.........
> 
> ...



What are you using with Mojo2?


----------



## RPJ12

KelFab said:


> When I had the M1 a few years ago, I found that the sound was warm and pleasant but I also felt that something was missing. Then I bought the Hugo 2 and … OMG another world !
> 
> but … for some reason I cannot listen to it all day long, as said earlier even after playing with crossfeed and / or filters, maybe too analytical or too cold, I don’t know. However it’s still a real joy to listen to it for short sessions that’s why I still have it.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the response. I’ll be using this with 64audio A12ts (which I love). 

I’ve been neurotic about which Mojo to get. And I’m hoping I can get the M2 and not think about the M1 and have fear of missing out or something. If the M1 sounds a bit congested or veiled then I think I’ll be happy with the M2. My concern is that it will be too analytical or cold and clear and not allow me to enjoy the music but just focus on all the details. I need a good in between of smooth analogue and spaciousness and detail.


----------



## iDesign (Apr 19, 2022)

I have the U12t and much prefer them with the Mojo. I added +2db at 125Hz per Rob Watts’ suggestion but I find the original Mojo to be more dynamic, and for the lack of a better word, _puchy. _


----------



## jarnopp

RPJ12 said:


> Thanks for the response. I’ll be using this with 64audio A12ts (which I love).
> 
> I’ve been neurotic about which Mojo to get. And I’m hoping I can get the M2 and not think about the M1 and have fear of missing out or something. If the M1 sounds a bit congested or veiled then I think I’ll be happy with the M2. My concern is that it will be too analytical or cold and clear and not allow me to enjoy the music but just focus on all the details. I need a good in between of smooth analogue and spaciousness and detail.


You should be good with Mojo 2. I have both, and still consider OG Mojo the best audio value of my life. But Mojo 2 sounds more detailed and more dynamic, but not as forward as Mojo 1, and more forward than TT2, so somewhere 8n between, but all with the same tonality (unlike Hugo 2, from my way back memory). 

Add to that: crossfeed, DSP, and desktop mode.


----------



## rkt31 (Apr 19, 2022)

Crossfeed actually reduces depth cues by mixing L and R contents with or without certain phase changes and brings music in front of you specially for L R type recordings. Algorithm of crossfeed used by different manufacturers is also different hence different effects. Headphones because of placement of drivers directly towards ears can't project image in front of you like speakers except in binaural recordings. So a dac with good depth perception sounds more "all around you " because that's what is headphones can do. Problem comes when there is little music in centre and everything is on left or right which is not natural and similar to day to day situations or live music perceived by brain. Adding crossfeed reduces this L R effect and makes easier for brain perception. To me mojo 2 and other chord dac's trait is locking of vocals in centre as per the recording, as if the singer is in front of you and music going all around you. This locking of vocals in centre is possible because of better transients reproduction, least distortion, least crosstalk etc.


----------



## Hyde00

Kentajalli said:


> M2 is more dry/colder sounding if you must compare.
> M2 has better bass resolution, and slightly better sound stage.
> M2 has fun features.
> about it I think.


Damn I suspect for my preference I probably would like M1 more, M2 to me sounds good but also nothing really stands out?  Oh though piano sound do sound really good.  But otherwise it feels like beauty pageant, everything's perfect at the same time nothing stands out.


RPJ12 said:


> Thanks! Do you find the M2 “relaxing” still or does it require your attention? Does the M1 come off as smoother?
> 
> I will be comparing the M2 to the Cayin RU6 and the XDuoo Link 2 Bal. I will probably keep the XDuoo bc of its functionality for pocket portable use and price. I like how I can control the volume from my iPhone and Apple Watch while working outside or running.
> 
> The RU6 is much warmer and analogue sounding than the XDuoo and I like it a lot so I’m anxious to see how I feel about the M2 compared to it bc monetarily wise I can/should only keep one. So I’m looking for something to go with the XDuoo.


I actually previously had Cayin RU6 then sold it later due to bass feels kind of soft?  And there is sub bass roll off and treble roll off.  Just couldn't get over it despite it being the most analogue sounding.

I currently have M2 at hand and xDuoo Link2 Bal on the way.  But I'm curious to know your impression on xDuoo Link2 Bal vs M2.  


iDesign said:


> Agreed with the comments about the Mojo 2 being flat sounding and dry. I engaged the three levels of cross feed but felt it was best set to off. Its the first Chord product I’m not impressed by.


Yeah the biggest surprise to me is that it feels like everything is on the same layer?  Like they occupy the same space and there's not enough "air", "layer", "soundstage"?


WorksUnit said:


> So... tried to reframe thoughts about the OG and Mojo2 by not listening to either of them for a few weeks...
> I was surprised how much I enjoyed the sense of intimacy with the OG given certain pairings.
> Then again, the Mojo2 is a slightly more lateral, textured plane of sound.
> 
> ...


I think the most important feature for me is probably Desktop mode.  Which basically means I have to use M2 but I still think I probably would like the sound of M1 better for my preference.  If only M1 has Desktop mode.....


WorksUnit said:


> What are you using with Mojo2?


Hifiman R7DX, but I also tried Denon D5200 on it too but feels like similar results.


----------



## iDesign

Hyde00 said:


> Yeah the biggest surprise to me is that it feels like everything is on the same layer?  Like they occupy the same space and there's not enough "air", "layer", "soundstage"?


I completely agree and your other posts mirror my thoughts exactly.


----------



## headfry (Apr 20, 2022)

Hyde00 said:


> Anyone has any comment regarding the crossfeed function?
> 
> I initially was making zero crossfeed but it felt super flat, so I used the lowest level and it got better, but still feel flat.  Now trying the medium setting..... but.........
> 
> ...





Hyde00 said:


> Anyone has any comment regarding the crossfeed function?
> 
> I initially was making zero crossfeed but it felt super flat, so I used the lowest level and it got better, but still feel flat.  Now trying the medium setting..... but.........
> 
> ...


I've talked about crossfeed, I often like to put crossfeed on minimum for a while,
then after some time switch back and listen some more. Minimal crossfeed can add
more weight and punch, it's subtle but detectable. On some older recordings I often go up to green, especially with my IEM's.

...in what way(s) does M2 sound flat?

I have both the OG and the M2, in my opinion the M2 is about twice as good subjectively as long as you're OK with the relatively compact soundstage...both Mojo's are the same in that respect....In no way to I find the sound of OG better. For me, the M2 takes the OG's sound then improves the detail, precision, texture, especially in the bass/midbass, where the OG sounds somewhat smoothed over by comparison. The bottom to top improved detail and precision gives the M2 an extremely coherent and musical sound. It just sounds right to me. In my system the M2 sounds overall obviously better, and that's without the DSP functions. I did however find that improving the quality of cable over a generic USB made a world of difference with either unit, with a generic USB to me they both sound very lacking to put it mildly. I went from a charging cable to an AQ Jitterbug and Curious Hugo Link, which to my ears transforms either units into another ball park. The Curious is one of my most cherished purchases, it was a really good buy as I bought it used.

The layering/depth of the Mojo 2 is to me superb considering its price, as is the overall sound/musical experience. The PRAT - pace, rythm, attack and timing...is also best in class IMO.

In no way does the M2 sound flat or boring, for me it's the opposite.
Nor is it "thin" sounding in my setup, to me it just sounds amazing.
And this is after having used the M1 for five years; the M2 is to me a
fully successful upgrade and brings the OG right up to date; expensive
but fully worth it to me. I have no interest in upgrading the DAC nor anything else.

....What cable/other equipment are you using with the Mojo 2?


----------



## Hyde00 (Apr 20, 2022)

headfry said:


> I've talked about crossfeed, I often like to put crossfeed on minimum for a while,
> then after some time switch back and listen some more. Minimal crossfeed can add
> more weight and punch, it's subtle but detectable. On some older recordings I often go up to green, especially with my IEM's.
> 
> ...


PC + UGREEN USB C cable (LOLLL) + Hifiman R7DX (have also tried Denon D5200) + random mini USB B cable for power + Apple iPad charger (for desktop mode).

So you could be right about my generic cables LOL.

Ignore the ugly red cloth LOL.


----------



## Slim1970

headfry said:


> I've talked about crossfeed, I often like to put crossfeed on minimum for a while,
> then after some time switch back and listen some more. Minimal crossfeed can add
> more weight and punch, it's subtle but detectable. On some older recordings I often go up to green, especially with my IEM's.
> 
> ...


This is how I hear the Mojo 2 as well. There is nothing flat about its sound. It’s just as lively and dynamic as ever.


----------



## Hyde00 (Apr 20, 2022)

Slim1970 said:


> This is how I hear the Mojo 2 as well. There is nothing flat about its sound. It’s just as lively and dynamic as ever.


lol sorry to clarify, I think I mean mostly the layering / stage felt a bit flat.

Tonality wise I guess balanced is probably the more correct word, my bad.

And as headfry said maybe it's my cable "with a generic USB to me they both sound very lacking to put it mildly" as how he put it.

(yes I am using generic USB C cable)

*EDIT:*  Oh god I just experienced the "white noise of death" for the first time on my Mojo 2.  I think it's been talked about few pages back where it suddenly just turned to a lot of white noises, only solution is to turn it off and turn it back on again.


----------



## Slim1970 (Apr 20, 2022)

Hyde00 said:


> lol sorry to clarify, I think I mean mostly the layering / stage felt a bit flat.
> 
> Tonality wise I guess balanced is probably the more correct word, my bad.
> 
> ...


Oh no! I haven’t experienced any white noise and I hope I don’t. Compared to other devices in its price range the Mojo 2 beats them all in layering, staging, 3D dimensional sound. It’s only when you compare them other Chord DAC’s and full sized components they you can hear it’s performance limitations. Which makes the Mojo 2 quite remarkable.


----------



## Nostoi

Anyone looking for a pair of headphones that synergises well with Mojo 2, look no further than Audio-Technica ATH-WP900 - tremendously dynamic with a very engaging timbre, and the Mojo 2 seems to level-up the WP900's technical performance.  I continued to be very impressed with Mojo 2. Quite a notable upgrade to Mojo OG if you ask me.


----------



## TheFrator

Slim1970 said:


> Compare to other devices in its price range the Mojo 2 beat them all in layering, staging, 3D dimensional sound.


Do you (or anyone else) have a comparison to the iFi Gryphon? I had the Gryphon for a few weeks and was pretty underwhelmed by it.


----------



## KelFab

Nostoi said:


> Anyone looking for a pair of headphones that synergises well with Mojo 2, look no further than Audio-Technica ATH-WP900 - tremendously dynamic with a very engaging timbre, and the Mojo 2 seems to level-up the WP900's technical performance.  I continued to be very impressed with Mojo 2. Quite a notable upgrade to Mojo OG if you ask me.



I see that you have the ie 900. How does it pairs with Mojo 2 ?


----------



## Slim1970

TheFrator said:


> Do you (or anyone else) have a comparison to the iFi Gryphon? I had the Gryphon for a few weeks and was pretty underwhelmed by it.


No, but I did want to tryout the Gryphon. I no longer have that urge, haha


----------



## TheFrator

Slim1970 said:


> No, but I did want to tryout the Gryphon. I no longer have that urge, haha


Your mileage will vary of course but I couldn't discern a substantial difference between the Gryphon and my apple dongle when listening to my IEMs. I also didn't try driving any of my headphones on the Gryphon because that's not the use case I am after.


----------



## Nostoi

KelFab said:


> I see that you have the ie 900. How does it pairs with Mojo 2 ?


*Very* well. Another fantastic combo. Can't recommend it enough. IE900 and WP900 are my go-to on the Mojo 2. Both are very punchy and resolving. Prior to this, the R2R module on Cayin's N6ii was my portable set-up, but Mojo 2 outclasses it for dynamics and sheer musical enjoyment.


----------



## Slim1970

TheFrator said:


> Your mileage will vary of course but I couldn't discern a substantial difference between the Gryphon and my apple dongle when listening to my IEMs. I also didn't try driving any of my headphones on the Gryphon because that's not the use case I am after.


Wow, that’s a huge statement. They are engineered so differently. The Gryphon on paper should be the much better device and by a large margin.


----------



## amarkabove

Hyde00 said:


> lol sorry to clarify, I think I mean mostly the layering / stage felt a bit flat.
> 
> Tonality wise I guess balanced is probably the more correct word, my bad.
> 
> ...


That white noise could also be related to your generic USB cable. It was for me.


----------



## TheFrator

Slim1970 said:


> Wow, that’s a huge statement. They are engineered so differently. The Gryphon on paper should be the much better device and by a large margin.


I know :/ . Which is why I made sure to say that your mileage will vary from mine. I've never heard a Chord product and the Mojo 2 won't break the bank (too much haha) and it would fill the use case left behind by the Gryphon.


----------



## Hyde00 (Apr 20, 2022)

amarkabove said:


> That white noise could also be related to your generic USB cable. It was for me.


Ah more reason for me to get a nice cable then, time to search for good usb c to usb a cable.

*EDIT:*  Also I might need more testing but.......... I suspect Mojo 2 sound better running off battery.  I've been using desktop mode aka run off Apple iPad charger.  Manual reads any charger with 2A will do, the iPad charger output 2.1A.  Again it could be all in my head need to test more.

*EDIT2:*  Ok maybe it is in my head, I mean it shouldn't have a difference in theory since the battery and USB both run through the power regulator first before going into Mojo 2.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Nostoi said:


> Anyone looking for a pair of headphones that synergises well with Mojo 2, look no further than Audio-Technica ATH-WP900 - tremendously dynamic with a very engaging timbre, and the Mojo 2 seems to level-up the WP900's technical performance.  I continued to be very impressed with Mojo 2. Quite a notable upgrade to Mojo OG if you ask me.


Thank you, Sir! How does this headphone sound with Electronic music, please? 
(I mean with Trance, Vocal Trance, Progressive, Techno, and the rest)


----------



## RPJ12

I just got the Mojo 2! Damn its good! I notice a much bigger difference in sound when adjusting the shelf EQ's more so than than just the lower bass and upper treble. I have to focus on the change when I adjust the lower bass. The upper treble is a bit more noticeable though. It could be my hearing and obviously it isn't as drastic as the shelf eqs. So far I am very impressed. I think the Cayin RU6 is going back. While I love the analogue sound, the M2 is much better with detail. The soundstage on theXDuoo Link2 BAL is wider but the detail and musicality of the M2 is on a different level. I think they will make a good pairing. Im a noob in the audiophile game so my descriptions and understanding of EQ is a bit naive but I appreciate all the feedback Ive been getting and following this thread. Ill add more thoughts later but so far Im very happy!


----------



## KelFab

@RPJ12 that helped me to adjust EQ to aproach the result i want :



jarnopp said:


> If it helps anyone, I created an Excel sheet to play around with and predict the DSP effects. Try it and feel free to make improvements to the factors I used, which I tried many best to estimate from Rob's PDFs (in the Watts Up thread).
> 
> https://mega.nz/file/SzgG0JJQ#WHIJKWvgsmMXA9JRKiA1uf_Ggq0UfaUEoRsmoXnnK_Q
> 
> ...


----------



## surfgeorge

Hyde00 said:


> Ah more reason for me to get a nice cable then, time to search for good usb c to usb a cable.
> 
> *EDIT:*  Also I might need more testing but.......... I suspect Mojo 2 sound better running off battery.  I've been using desktop mode aka run off Apple iPad charger.  Manual reads any charger with 2A will do, the iPad charger output 2.1A.  Again it could be all in my head need to test more.
> 
> *EDIT2:*  Ok maybe it is in my head, I mean it shouldn't have a difference in theory since the battery and USB both run through the power regulator first before going into Mojo 2.


I am using an iPad charger for the Chord Hugo 2 and can very clearly hear a buzzing noise when the charger is connected, therefore I disconnect the charger for listening.
Another factor that influences the SQ is the quality of the digital signal, and that is clear on both my Mojo 1 and Hugo 2.
If possible, test the optical input, it‘s a good reference for a clean signal. Darker background, better soundstage depth and layering, clean and smooth. A really clean USB signal should not sound brighter or flatter.


----------



## Hyde00

surfgeorge said:


> I am using an iPad charger for the Chord Hugo 2 and can very clearly hear a buzzing noise when the charger is connected, therefore I disconnect the charger for listening.
> Another factor that influences the SQ is the quality of the digital signal, and that is clear on both my Mojo 1 and Hugo 2.
> If possible, test the optical input, it‘s a good reference for a clean signal. Darker background, better soundstage depth and layering, clean and smooth. A really clean USB signal should not sound brighter or flatter.


Thanks for the suggestion!  I'll look into this!

Damn should've kept my W2 and W2-131 around for optical out.  I sold both to my friend.


----------



## RPJ12

What charging block are you all using?


----------



## Hyde00

RPJ12 said:


> What charging block are you all using?


https://www.apple.com/ca/shop/produ...86035e1f8bfdf56cebb8b2f96d52a1f2d414303da41f4

I'm just using Apple iPad charger.  Manual reads anything with minimum 2A will do.  Just make sure you read the specs some phone chargers are usually like 1A.  iPad chargers are typically 2.1A.

If you want to be super exact then Grace Design also sells 2A charger.

https://gracedesign.com/product/m9xx-usb-power-supply


----------



## KelFab (Apr 20, 2022)

I encourage to consider a Chord Poly to avoid headaches about connection issues 

Btw it could bring some headaches for Poly's configuration but only once


----------



## Nostoi

Nick24JJ said:


> Thank you, Sir! How does this headphone sound with Electronic music, please?
> (I mean with Trance, Vocal Trance, Progressive, Techno, and the rest)


I don't listen to much of that music, but stuff with an EDM vibe - Ulver/Massive Attack/various soundtracks - all sound great. Anything that is energetic with ample sub/mid-bass excels on WP900.


----------



## Rebel Chris

My Mojo2 runs really fast out of juice. Does it charge my phone when I use it (battery indicator of my Pixel says no)?


----------



## HONEYBOY (Apr 20, 2022)

Nostoi said:


> *Very* well. Another fantastic combo. Can't recommend it enough. IE900 and WP900 are my go-to on the Mojo 2. Both are very punchy and resolving. Prior to this, the R2R module on Cayin's N6ii was my portable set-up, but Mojo 2 outclasses it for dynamics and sheer musical enjoyment.


Agreed the IE900 are a fantastic pairing with the Mojo 2. When trying to assess the differences between Mojo 1 vs Mojo 2 the transducers inevitably play an integral role. With my IE 900, the Sennheiser HD6XX and especially the Sony IER-Z1R I hear a very obvious improvement in resolution, cleaner transients, bass definition, instrument separation, depth, and overall transparency and dynamism. There is a wholistic improvement in realism with the Mojo 2.  With the U12T there is an improvement, but I personally discern this improvement as rather subtle.

I at times connect both Mojo and Mojo 2 to a dCS Network Bridge and I have found that the improvements it makes to the Mojo to be quite remarkable. The difference it makes with Mojo is far larger than the difference it makes with the Mojo 2 and I am tempted to say that this is because it has less work to do for the Mojo 2 with its already higher level of audio fidelity.


----------



## RPJ12

KelFab said:


> @RPJ12 that helped me to adjust EQ to aproach the result i want :


THIS IS AWESOME! THANKS!!


----------



## KelFab (Apr 20, 2022)

RPJ12 said:


> THIS IS AWESOME! THANKS!!



Some websites helped me also with their Headphones / iems graphs like this one : https://crinacle.com/rankings/headphones/ for headphones or https://crinacle.com/rankings/iems/ for iems.

By example:

> Focal Radiance : https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/focal-radiance/
> HD600 : https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/sennheiser-hd600/
> ie800 : https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/sennheiser-ie800/

By combining the graphs for a Headphone on this website with the excel tool (Here) you can try to modulate the audio response to suit your preferences and / or to try to compensate some Headphone peaks or lacks in some frequencies.


----------



## Hyde00

So I've been using it as desktop unit and it's been fine, but it just occur to me that Mojo 2 runs a little bit warm.

Is it ok to keep it on ALL DAY?  I turn my computer on in the morning and leave it on until when I go to sleep then I turn it off.


----------



## Lyssky

Is there a sampling rate standard that we should set in iMac Audio/MIDI settings when listenin through Tidal? 
Mine is set to 44.100 Hz now. Should I raise it?


----------



## Menkau-ra

Did anybody try Mojo2 with Arya Stealth?


----------



## pete321

Hyde00 said:


> So I've been using it as desktop unit and it's been fine, but it just occur to me that Mojo 2 runs a little bit warm.
> 
> Is it ok to keep it on ALL DAY?  I turn my computer on in the morning and leave it on until when I go to sleep then I turn it off.


Mine is on 24/7, been that way for the last month or so, plug into the computer it gets a bit warm during usage but not hot, same as mojo 1, when I turn computer off, the mode button is just purple and it's not warm at all.


----------



## Hyde00

pete321 said:


> Mine is on 24/7, been that way for the last month or so, plug into the computer it gets a bit warm during usage but not hot, same as mojo 1, when I turn computer off, the mode button is just purple and it's not warm at all.


OHHHHHH I usually just manually turn it off when I turn off my computer, but it's smart enough to detect no signal and turn itself into standby mode?

That makes it easier, I should try it tonight.  Thanks!


----------



## pete321 (Apr 21, 2022)

Hyde00 said:


> OHHHHHH I usually just manually turn it off when I turn off my computer, but it's smart enough to detect no signal and turn itself into standby mode?
> 
> That makes it easier, I should try it tonight.  Thanks!


np, just unplug the data usb leave mains in, turn off power and mode will go purple and its cold so I don't think it's causing any harm to battery.


----------



## vlach

pete321 said:


> np, just unplug the data usb leave mains in, turn off power and mode will go purple and its cold so I don't think it's causing any harm to battery.


Why unplug the data USB cable?


----------



## pete321

vlach said:


> Why unplug data the USB cable?


well you probably don't have to if the pc is off, same thing should happen when pc power goes off, I use on my laptop that I turn off and put away at night, so I unplug data obviously and put the mojo seperate.


----------



## miketlse

Nick24JJ said:


> I am interested in this, as well.
> 
> Which input do you guys prefer for connecting with a computer? Optical, Coaxial, USB-C or Micro-USB? I am referring to connecting with a laptop or desktop [Windows] computer.


Sorry it has taken me a few days to reply.
Here is my experience with Mojo1. As a result I have since then used optical as my preferred input.
The brightness of some usb inputs is very seductive to many owners.
I prefer to use optical and get nearer to the original music.
This is not a criticism of anyone, many owners prefer the slightly brighter usb input, and ultimately it is their wallets so they have the right to choose.
No one solution can be the 'ultimate' for everyone.


----------



## rwelles

Lyssky said:


> Is there a sampling rate standard that we should set in iMac Audio/MIDI settings when listenin through Tidal?
> Mine is set to 44.100 Hz now. Should I raise it?


It's best to useful an app that overrides Audio/MIDI Setup, such as Audirvana, Roon Apple Music. Otherwise, it's best to set AMS to match the rate for music playing.


----------



## Lyssky (Apr 21, 2022)

Doesn’t Tidal override?
I don’t really see the rate of Tidal songs and don’t know what number to set up. I listen at HiFi quality.
(Btw I once experienced the white noise on my iMac. I use a good quality usb c to usb c cable)


----------



## Nick24JJ

miketlse said:


> Sorry it has taken me a few days to reply.
> Here is my experience with Mojo1. As a result I have since then used optical as my preferred input.
> The brightness of some usb inputs is very seductive to many owners.
> I prefer to use optical and get nearer to the original music.
> ...


Thank you very much! Please, suggest me a good optical cable


----------



## pete321

I tried optical, it did feel a bit cleaner, but missing some of the bass oomph that I got from usb, more clean and clinical, maybe it was because I was using a different laptop and spotify version, but I think I'll eventually end up with a high qual optical setup and not a crap 10 dollar cable.


----------



## 529128

KelFab said:


> I encourage to consider a Chord Poly to avoid headaches about connection issues
> 
> Btw it could bring some headaches for Poly's configuration but only once


How do you find the combo’s working? I really want Poly but I am a bit hesitant as I had severe problems, probably related to wifi-connection, with the poly and the og Mojo.


----------



## KelFab (Apr 21, 2022)

henrikgadegaard said:


> How do you find the combo’s working? I really want Poly but I am a bit hesitant as I had severe problems, probably related to wifi-connection, with the poly and the og Mojo.



It works nicely. I found the synergy of both really enjoyable. The sound is great and better than with all the usb cables I tried (I haven’t tried optical as I won’t use it in my setting).

I had troubles first with Roon and with my wifi. The problems with both have been resolved quickly with a Roon release last week and an upgrade in my wifi gear as I was only using my ISP box as a wifi router and its 2.4 GHz band is really poor (the Poly only works on this band when using wifi). I bought a wifi mesh kit and that solved my wifi issues.

Using it as a Roon endpoint is a great plus for me as I like and use Roon a lot.

It’s great to be able to move around with only the MojoPoly in the pocket and not the phone / adapter / usb cable combo attached to it.

By example you can start a playlist on your phone on Roon / Qobuz / Tidal or on the sd with card using Rigelian and then forget about your phone as long as you stay within you home wifi’s  network reach (thanks to Roon endpoint or Airplay) and only carry the MojoPoly in your pocket at home (eventually using your Apple Watch to pause if the app used is compatible) and that with a better sound than with an usb cable (at least those i tried).

One week ago with the troubles I had I wouldn’t have said that but now for me I wouln‘t consider Mojo 2 without Poly anymore.


----------



## Hyde00

pete321 said:


> I tried optical, it did feel a bit cleaner, but missing some of the bass oomph that I got from usb, more clean and clinical, maybe it was because I was using a different laptop and spotify version, but I think I'll eventually end up with a high qual optical setup and not a crap 10 dollar cable.


Lol I don't even have a usb to optical converter let alone $10 optical cable.

Is there any good one since my computer don't have optical out. Or do I need to hunt down the elusive Schiit Eitr, was looking for one a long time ago when I had Modi Multibit but have since sold it.

Though it sounds much cheaper to just stick with usb..... Lol.


----------



## someyoungguy

I see the Dignis case is now available for sale: http://www.dignisdesign.com/product/laetus-ii-chord-mojo2-case/316/


----------



## Hyde00

pete321 said:


> np, just unplug the data usb leave mains in, turn off power and mode will go purple and its cold so I don't think it's causing any harm to battery.


Nevermind just tested I think we still have to turn off Mojo manually, was hoping it would go into standby when source signal is off.

But when I turned off my computer Mojo is still on, then I turned it off then it goes into purple mode.

Not a huge deal I guess just thought would be convenient if I never have to touch the power button lol.


----------



## shabta

Menkau-ra said:


> Did anybody test Mojo2 with HD8xx?


I had a chance to try out the Chord Mojo2 with both the HD800 and S (sorry not the xx). I was surprised to find that it works actually pretty decently. Amplification-wise, I find that a number of tube amps are a better match. But if you were going on a trip and wanted to bring an HD800 series along, it's a credible solution. You get the benefits of the Mojo 2 Dac, and the ability to eq the sound. The amp powers the headphone to any safe volume and the performance is within the usual character of the headphone. 

I wouldn't want it as a sole DAC/AMP solution, but I've yet to find one of those for these headphones anyway. But for travel for example, it is pretty good.


----------



## kela66

Hyde00 said:


> Nevermind just tested I think we still have to turn off Mojo manually, was hoping it would go into standby when source signal is off.
> 
> But when I turned off my computer Mojo is still on, then I turned it off then it goes into purple mode.
> 
> Not a huge deal I guess just thought would be convenient if I never have to touch the power button lol.


According to manual, it does.


----------



## Hyde00

kela66 said:


> According to manual, it does.


LOL ah ok I didn't wait for 10 minutes I waited for 10 seconds. My bad, thanks for clarifying!


----------



## amigastar

Sorry if it's been asked, but i have the mojo 2 and connected via USB-C to my PC, how do i get the DAC into Intelligent Desktop Mode?


----------



## KelFab (Apr 22, 2022)

amigastar said:


> Sorry if it's been asked, but i have the mojo 2 and connected via USB-C to my PC, how do i get the DAC into Intelligent Desktop Mode?



The USB-C port is only here for audio transmission purpose, it doesn't charge the battery at all.

If you want to get the Mojo into desktop mode you'll need to have its micro USB charge port (the one on the right) plugged.

When constantly on charge, it will automatically switch to desktop mode some moment after being fully charged (purple bettery status light)


----------



## amigastar (Apr 22, 2022)

KelFab said:


> The USB-C port is only here for audio transmission purpose, it doesn't charge the battery at all.
> 
> If you want to get the Mojo into desktop mode you'll need to have its micro USB charge port (the one on the right) puggued.


OK, thank you.
and can i still listen through USB-C while connecting the dac with micro USB or should i abandon USB-C anyways?


----------



## KelFab

amigastar said:


> OK, thank you.
> and can i still listen through USB-C while connecting the dac with micro USB or should i abandon USB-C alltogether?



Yes, there's no link between the USB port for charging and those for audio.


----------



## Hyde00 (Apr 22, 2022)

amigastar said:


> Sorry if it's been asked, but i have the mojo 2 and connected via USB-C to my PC, how do i get the DAC into Intelligent Desktop Mode?


You need to have 2 cables, 1 for data 1 for power.

1. the data cable is the usb c cable you already have, so for data you're good.
2. the power cable is the micro b usb cable look for the socket with battery symbol.

Once it's charged to full the light under the power plug will go from blue to purple, once it's purple you're in intelligent desktop mode.  

*EDIT:*  Ops it's been answered while I was typing lol.


----------



## amigastar (Apr 22, 2022)

Ok, so I've connected a Micro USB cable but the light under the Micro Usb cable is green and the menu button is white grayish?
The + and - buttons are yellow and the power button is red.


----------



## Hyde00

amigastar said:


> Ok, so I've connected a Micro USB cable but the light under the Micro Usb cable is green and the menu button is white grayish?
> The + and - buttons are yellow and the power button is red.


Green is 40% to 75% battery, Blue is 75% to 100% battery, then next is Purple which is intelligent charging.

Menu button white greyish is maximum charging (as in if you're able to supply enough power, in your case yes).

So you're good, now just let it charge it will eventually get to Purple.


----------



## amigastar

Hyde00 said:


> Green is 40% to 75% battery, Blue is 75% to 100% battery, then next is Purple which is intelligent charging.
> 
> Menu button white greyish is maximum charging.
> 
> So you're good, now just let it charge it will eventually get to Purple.


Ah nice, many thanks


----------



## KelFab

@amigastar all of these informations (and a lot more !) are written in the manual, you can get it on Chord website HERE.

RTFM


----------



## Hyde00

amigastar said:


> Ah nice, many thanks


lol np!  Yeah Mojo 2 color coding has been....... confusing............ all the colors and buttons LOL.

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Mojo-2-user-manual-V.1.1.pdf

Here is the manual if you ever need to refer to it.  

Though I really wish they had a LCD screen LOL.

*EDIT:*  Oh god you beat me to it again LOL.


----------



## amigastar (Apr 22, 2022)

KelFab said:


> @amigastar all of these informations (and a lot more !) are written in the manual, you can get it on Chord website HERE.
> 
> RTFM


Yeah, you're right. I've looked up the manual and the colors are making more sense now than before. I mean i've read the manual but didn't understand it still, but slowly it makes sense.


----------



## KelFab

Hyde00 said:


> lol np!  Yeah Mojo 2 color coding has been....... confusing............ all the colors and buttons LOL.
> 
> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Mojo-2-user-manual-V.1.1.pdf
> 
> ...



LOL was first again


----------



## KelFab (Apr 22, 2022)

Anybody tried the Senns ie 600 with Mojo 2 ? How does it pairs ? And compared to the ie 900 ?

Crinacle find the ie 600 better than the ie 900, particularly in the high medium zone, see here :



It seems quite interresting ...

Damn, I just bought the ie 900 before having seen this review, it'll arrive tomorrow  ... so i'm curious to hear other opinions !

btw thanks @crinacle for your work, greatly appreciated !


----------



## miketlse

Nick24JJ said:


> Thank you very much! Please, suggest me a good optical cable


This might not be the type of response you were expecting, but please bear with my explanation.

Like quite a few of the early owners of the Mojo, I tried kabeldirect optical cables and was impressed to discover a cheap brand of cable, which helped contribute to great sound quality. Several years down the road, we still recommend that new owners try kabeldirect, before rushing to spend hundreds/thousands of euros on expensive branded cables.
Kabeldirect is still my daily cable, but on the rare occasions when I use my Hugo2 to listen to my downstairs speaker system (source a bluray drive connected by Hugo2 optical cable) to listen to jazz CDs, the sound quality is so good that I do wonder why I would ever need a more expensive cable.

Yes some owners insist on posting that expensive cables are needed, but I always wonder if they practice the type of good housekeeping described in this post:
I remain convinced that many owners would rather spend money on more expensive cables, before even checking:

whether their current cable is missing an end cap
whether the cable end would benefit from a few minutes polishing
whether they have coiled their cable with a tight bend radius, ensuring that a lot of light is lost through the fibre walls, and the square wave becomes a more blurred shape.
If one day I do treat myself to a more expensive cable, I think I would limit the cost to a cable containing medical grade glass fibre.


----------



## amarkabove

Lyssky said:


> Is there a sampling rate standard that we should set in iMac Audio/MIDI settings when listenin through Tidal?
> Mine is set to 44.100 Hz now. Should I raise it?


You should have Tidal set to exclusive mode in which case the sampling rate setting in Audio/MIDI settings is irrelevant.


----------



## RPJ12

amarkabove said:


> You should have Tidal set to exclusive mode in which case the sampling rate setting in Audio/MIDI settings is irrelevant.


Do we need to change it per song/album with Apple Music on a Mac?


----------



## ardbeg1975

RPJ12 said:


> Do we need to change it per song/album with Apple Music on a Mac?


Last I checked yes. iOS auto adjusts but MacOS does not with Apple Music. Dedicated apps for other services like Tidal, Roon, and Qobuz in MacOS do but not Apple Music.


----------



## RPJ12 (Apr 23, 2022)

Recommendations for headphones to pair with Mojo 2. HD600, HD650, HD6xx or ATH-R70x? Or any others in that price range? I currently only use my 64audio A12ts CIEMs and this will be my first set of quality headphones. Thanks!!


----------



## rlanger

RPJ12 said:


> Recommendations for headphones to pair with Mojo 2. HD600, HD650, HD6xx or ATH-R70x? Or any others in that price range? I currently only use my 64audio A12ts. Thanks!!


Hifiman Sundara.


----------



## vlach (Apr 23, 2022)

RPJ12 said:


> Recommendations for headphones to pair with Mojo 2. HD600, HD650, HD6xx or ATH-R70x? Or any others in that price range? I currently only use my 64audio A12ts CIEMs and this will be my first set of quality headphones. Thanks!!


Grado RS2e with G-pads for massive soundstage.  Low impedance, easy load. Tremendous value.


----------



## RPJ12 (Apr 23, 2022)

Anyone else feel like the Mojo 2 logo should be the other way around to face towards the button labels? I naturally want  - on the left and + on the right. I get confused when I turn it the other way.


----------



## vlach

RPJ12 said:


> Anyone else feel like the Mojo 2 logo should be the other way around to face towards the button labels? I naturally want + on the right and - on the left and I get confused when I turn it the other way.


Agreed.


----------



## RPJ12

vlach said:


> Agreed.


I think Ill have to return it then 🤣


----------



## jhnpennington

RPJ12 said:


> I think Ill have to return it then 🤣


I’ve only got one real gripw with the Mojo 2. It’s the auto power off after 10 minutes of no signal feature. I use it in a hifi system and it’s a pain in the backside. It seems a lost opportunity with the intelligent battery charging (disconnecting the battery when fully charged) that it also doesn’t allow permanent power on.


----------



## miketlse

jhnpennington said:


> I’ve only got one real gripw with the Mojo 2. It’s the auto power off after 10 minutes of no signal feature. I use it in a hifi system and it’s a pain in the backside. It seems a lost opportunity with the intelligent battery charging (disconnecting the battery when fully charged) that it also doesn’t allow permanent power on.


Permanent power on whilst playing no music, is not a very environmentally friendly mindset.


----------



## jhnpennington

miketlse said:


> Permanent power on whilst playing no music, is not a very environmentally friendly mindset.


What about for a Qutest, or any other hifi component for that mattter?


----------



## miketlse

jhnpennington said:


> What about for a Qutest, or any other hifi component for that mattter?


So you adopt the 'whatabout' style of debate, in order to distract from the strengths/weaknesses of a point of view.


----------



## jhnpennington

Not prepared to waste my time with an argumentative little man. Bye.


----------



## KelFab (Apr 23, 2022)

RPJ12 said:


> Recommendations for headphones to pair with Mojo 2. HD600, HD650, HD6xx or ATH-R70x? Or any others in that price range? I currently only use my 64audio A12ts CIEMs and this will be my first set of quality headphones. Thanks!!



It's hard to recommand because it's a question of taste but for me i still haven't found better than the hd600 and his brothers (hd650 / hd660 / hd6xx) in the hd600 price range.

But i also haven't tried all existing headphones in this price range, like the previously mentionned Hifiman Sundara by example. Someone tired both hd600 / Sundara and can give his pov ?

Personnaly I had the hd600 / hd650 and hd660 and definitely prefer the hd600 so only kept this one. It‘s a personal choice based on my taste, others could prefer another one of the group for their personal taste.

The hd600 works well with Mojo 2, I use this combo a lot.

But depending on the current mood and / or kind of music, I also like switching between headphones in my collection (but they nearly all are in an upper price league than the hd600), I haven’t “one that rule them all”.

That's one of the reason that could make this hobby “a bit” expensive


----------



## dsrk (Apr 23, 2022)

KelFab said:


> It's hard to recommand because it's a question of taste but for me i still haven't found better than the hd600 and his brothers (hd650 / hd660 / hd6xx) in the hd600 price range.
> 
> But i also haven't tried all existing headphones in this price range, like the previously mentionned Hifiman Sundara by example. Someone tired both hd600 / Sundara and can give his pov ?
> 
> ...


I agree, it's all about taste and preferences. Your best sounding headphone can be worst sounding for me.

@RPJ12
HD6XX headphones warmer and forward vocal sounding but it's hard to find a better alternative if you into mids and vocals. HD6XX pairs excellent with Mojo 2 with a little bit of EQ, it's best pairing for me.


----------



## miketlse

RPJ12 said:


> Recommendations for headphones to pair with Mojo 2. HD600, HD650, HD6xx or ATH-R70x? Or any others in that price range? I currently only use my 64audio A12ts CIEMs and this will be my first set of quality headphones. Thanks!!


The experience with the Mojo 1 was that it had great synergy with many brands/models of headphones.
It was impossible to name just one headphone that was the best for all owners, music types, preferences, etc.
The best that owners could do was to propose a short-list of good headphones that in an ideal world should be demoed by the OP, and they can then choose the one they prefer and can afford.

Perhaps things are slightly easier for the Mojo 2, because the OP could choose a not quite perfect headphone, but then correct the frequency response.

Anyway returning to the Mojo 1, I remember that Sennheiser, Beyer, Oppo, Focal were often mentioned, but some of the models (eg Oppo) will no longer be in production.


----------



## Slim1970

RPJ12 said:


> Anyone else feel like the Mojo 2 logo should be the other way around to face towards the button labels? I naturally want  - on the left and + on the right. I get confused when I turn it the other way.


Yes, it’s one of those odd things that I find myself doing with the Mojo 2. I want the wording facing towards me but it puts the buttons in the rear.


----------



## Hyde00

RPJ12 said:


> Anyone else feel like the Mojo 2 logo should be the other way around to face towards the button labels? I naturally want  - on the left and + on the right. I get confused when I turn it the other way.


Lol I asked the same thing a few pages back. I think they said it's so when it's in your pocket it's correct?

But I use it as desktop unit so it's pretty much upside down.

For my use case definitely would prefer other away around lol.


----------



## jarnopp

RPJ12 said:


> Recommendations for headphones to pair with Mojo 2. HD600, HD650, HD6xx or ATH-R70x? Or any others in that price range? I currently only use my 64audio A12ts CIEMs and this will be my first set of quality headphones. Thanks!!


If you need isolation, I would not hesitate to recommend the DCA Aeon 2 Noire.  They pair great and are very comfortable and travel friendly for a full-sized can. A bit more than an HD600 though.  There is a model on Drop that is similar, but I haven’t heard it.


----------



## Ivan Reis

KelFab said:


> Anybody tried the Senns ie 600 with Mojo 2 ? How does it pairs ? And compared to the ie 900 ?
> 
> Crinacle find the ie 600 better than the ie 900, particularly in the high medium zone, see here :
> 
> ...




I have the IE900 and I think it's spectacular.

I've never listened to the IE600, but from all the comparisons I've read, it's well below the IE900 in terms of sound performance.

Really the IE600 has higher mids (in the 3Khz range) than the IE900, but then the Mojo 2 is perfect for the IE900, just use the Mojo 2 equalizer and everything is wonderful!


----------



## KelFab

Ivan Reis said:


> I have the IE900 and I think it's spectacular.
> 
> I've never listened to the IE600, but from all the comparisons I've read, it's well below the IE900 in terms of sound performance.
> 
> Really the IE600 has higher mids (in the 3Khz range) than the IE900, but then the Mojo 2 is perfect for the IE900, just use the Mojo 2 equalizer and everything is wonderful!



I just received my ie900 today. I listened to them during one hour after spending some time trying to find better tips for me among the ones provided.

The first impression is very good but seems to be very fit dependant with the tips used. I’m not sure I have found the best ones for me for the moment.

Do you use some EQ with them ?


----------



## Nick24JJ

miketlse said:


> This might not be the type of response you were expecting, but please bear with my explanation.
> 
> Like quite a few of the early owners of the Mojo, I tried kabeldirect optical cables and was impressed to discover a cheap brand of cable, which helped contribute to great sound quality. Several years down the road, we still recommend that new owners try kabeldirect, before rushing to spend hundreds/thousands of euros on expensive branded cables.
> Kabeldirect is still my daily cable, but on the rare occasions when I use my Hugo2 to listen to my downstairs speaker system (source a bluray drive connected by Hugo2 optical cable) to listen to jazz CDs, the sound quality is so good that I do wonder why I would ever need a more expensive cable.
> ...


Thank you very much for the detailed replies and for the links you provide! Would this one be a good start for me, you think?


----------



## Ivan Reis

KelFab said:


> I just received my ie900 today. I listened to them during one hour after spending some time trying to find better tips for me among the ones provided.
> 
> The first impression is very good but seems to be very fit dependant with the tips used. I’m not sure I have found the best ones for me for the moment.
> 
> Do you use some EQ with them ?



Yes, with the configuration below:

20hz = +1
125hz = -1
3000hz = +3
20000hz = -9


----------



## miketlse

Nick24JJ said:


> Thank you very much for the detailed replies and for the links you provide! Would this one be a good start for me, you think?


Yes, thats the same range as the cable i am using to connect my PC to Mojo 1 and/or Hugo 2. I have a couple more in longer lengths, to connect to the downstairs tv optical output.


----------



## deafLovesMusic

RPJ12 said:


> Recommendations for headphones to pair with Mojo 2. HD600, HD650, HD6xx or ATH-R70x? Or any others in that price range? I currently only use my 64audio A12ts CIEMs and this will be my first set of quality headphones. Thanks!!


Great experiences here with these two headphones paired with Mojo2 :

Austrian Audio Hi-X65 (open)
Austiran Audio Hi-X60 (closed)


----------



## Progisus (Apr 23, 2022)

Deleted… Pocket Post


----------



## Lyssky

amarkabove said:


> You should have Tidal set to exclusive mode in which case the sampling rate setting in Audio/MIDI settings is irrelevant.


Thanks, though when I set the sound output to Mojo in Tidal, it doesn't offer me further options such as exclusive mode. I don't know why.


----------



## Lyssky

Ivan Reis said:


> Yes, with the configuration below:
> 
> 20hz = +1
> 125hz = -1
> ...


wow, -9 for 20k? What gives?


----------



## Lyssky

Btw, I know it's been said before but I need to write anyway; This device has an incredible dynamism, coupled with LCD-XC, the bass hits and pulsates.


----------



## Slim1970

Lyssky said:


> Btw, I know it's been said before but I need to write anyway; This device has an incredible dynamism, coupled with LCD-XC, the bass hits and pulsates.


Glad you took the plunge to get one. I knew you’d like it


----------



## Ivan Reis

Lyssky said:


> wow, -9 for 20k? What gives?



It's necessary because, to compensate for the Pina Gain that the IE900 doesn't have, when I increase +3 at 3000hz I need to decrease a lot at 20000hz or it will generate an increase also between 6000hz and 8000hz that will make the IE900 very bright.

In the end the cut at 20000hz is much lower than -9


----------



## Lyssky

Slim1970 said:


> Glad you took the plunge to get one. I knew you’d like it


Me too. I can see why people who has all those expensive systems still like the Mojo. I think it's because it makes the music sound charismatic like you can always trust the Mojo


----------



## pete321 (Apr 23, 2022)

Hyde00 said:


> Lol I don't even have a usb to optical converter let alone $10 optical cable.
> 
> Is there any good one since my computer don't have optical out. Or do I need to hunt down the elusive Schiit Eitr, was looking for one a long time ago when I had Modi Multibit but have since sold it.
> 
> Though it sounds much cheaper to just stick with usb..... Lol.


I bought this, good for laptops with usb c out
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QFYNB7Y?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
I haven't tried audirvana so I don't know if it supports bit perfect switching on its own but I think it does, the mojo 2 lights change when I change sample rate and dsp works, so it's getting through to the mojo, at least I am comfortable there won't be static attacks with it, but for now I'm using usb on my old computer and I think it sounds a bit 'dirtier' but adds a bit of bass compared to the cleaner optical, when I switch to my m1 I'll probably buy a good optical cable as an option with that dongle but depends which I like more, might stick with usb.


----------



## Slim1970

Lyssky said:


> Me too. I can see why people who has all those expensive systems still like the Mojo. I think it's because it makes the music sound charismatic like you can always trust the Mojo


The Mojo’s expanded name say it all “Mobile Joy”. It’s definitely that!


----------



## scarfacegt

When i used my samsung s7+ tablet with usb audio player pro and qobuz,the noise/disstortion i had dissepeared.No problem with that now.I had problem with that on my note 10+ phone.But maybe i should try the Uapp on that to 😊

I also had to use the Uapp app to play hirez from qobuz to mojo from the tab with usb-c cable


----------



## PhilW

I'll just leave this here. We can now offer a lightning to USB C cable that works with the incredible Mojo 2. Bye Bye camera kit 

https://www.audioconcierge.co.uk/portfolio/chord-mojo-lightning-cable-mfi06/


----------



## rocketron

Never had a problem with any ddhifi cable.
They all work perfectly.


----------



## bonsilityp

I have a original Mojo and wonder why they decided to continue using the same USB type. What could be the benefit for sound?


----------



## miketlse

bonsilityp said:


> I have a original Mojo and wonder why they decided to continue using the same USB type. What could be the benefit for sound?


Did you believe that the original usb socket was degrading the sound quality?


----------



## bonsilityp

miketlse said:


> Did you believe that the original usb socket was degrading the sound quality?


No I don’t think that’s the case. Maybe it’s because of the cost but I don’t think USB C costs too much higher than micro USB. However I found this on Chord’s official spec:

Micro USB 768kHz/32-bit Capable Input

It makes me wonder if there’s any USB socket that can’t handle 768kHz/32-bit signal?


----------



## sparkofinsanity

The Mojo 2 was clearly designed according to a specific use case that dictated everything else, it had to work with the Poly. 

It determined the size, the ports, the user interface (another app to handle the EQ was out of the question since the poly needs one already for example). The new features were shoehorned in, evidenced by the weird position of the usb-c port and the eq interface that is, to put it nicely, a creative workaround. 

All designs are based on compromises and circumstances, but this more than most products was hindered by legacy support.


----------



## Hyde00 (Apr 24, 2022)

bonsilityp said:


> I have a original Mojo and wonder why they decided to continue using the same USB type. What could be the benefit for sound?





sparkofinsanity said:


> The Mojo 2 was clearly designed according to a specific use case that dictated everything else, it had to work with the Poly.
> 
> It determined the size, the ports, the user interface (another app to handle the EQ was out of the question since the poly needs one already for example). The new features were shoehorned in, evidenced by the weird position of the usb-c port and the eq interface that is, to put it nicely, a creative workaround.
> 
> All designs are based on compromises and circumstances, but this more than most products was hindered by legacy support.


Yeah basically this. I think Chord said they'd upset both side either way so they chose to keep the micro b for Poly compatibility.

*EDIT:* micro b not mini b lol.


----------



## bonsilityp

Hyde00 said:


> Yeah basically this. I think Chord said they'd upset both side either way so they chose to keep the mini b for Poly compatibility.


That’s interesting. I am not an expert in electronic design but would wonder if more components, micro USB and USB C in this case, come with more potential sources of noise.


----------



## Lyssky

I've experienced this white noise of death the third time in 4 days. 
I listen to Tidal on iMac 24". I tried to find the exclusive mode but there are no options for Mojo in the settings in my Tidal (I have HiFi subscription).
I use Photoshop while listening. 
I've not moved the Mojo or any cable.
The white noise appeared at the beginning of songs in all three cases and in one case I realized that I've listened one of the songs the other day without a white noise so why appear now?
Any idea on what I could do to prevent myself dying from a heart attack?


----------



## iDesign (Apr 24, 2022)

Lyssky said:


> I've experienced this white noise of death the third time in 4 days.
> I listen to Tidal on iMac 24". I tried to find the exclusive mode but there are no options for Mojo in the settings in my Tidal (I have HiFi subscription).
> I use Photoshop while listening.
> I've not moved the Mojo or any cable.
> ...


Can you review your TIDAL history and confirm if the sample rate is different between the two tracks when the USB synchronization failed? I don’t believe that is the issue because in my case it has happened in the middle of playing a song on a full album with the same sample rate. I want to dispel the notion that this is related to sample rates.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Lyssky said:


> I've experienced this white noise of death the third time in 4 days.
> I listen to Tidal on iMac 24". I tried to find the exclusive mode but there are no options for Mojo in the settings in my Tidal (I have HiFi subscription).
> I use Photoshop while listening.
> I've not moved the Mojo or any cable.
> ...


If you want to help yourself and the community, please email Chord support and then copy and paste here their response. Thanks in advance for considering it.


----------



## shabta

Anyone in the EU know where I can get a coaxial cable (RCA to 3.5mm and/or BNC to 3.5mm) for the mojo?


----------



## paulrbarnard

As I'm on my first extended business trip for a few years I decided to get a Mojo2 to replace the FiiO Q5s that I have been using for a few years.  I brought along my regular Shure 846 IEMs which i use for flights and also packed my Grado RS1 as I expect to be working from a hotel room for extended periods.
I'm very happy with the Mojo2.  The sound is much fuller and richer compared to the FiiO.  I listened for a couple of days with the EQ off but spent a bit of time today dialing in the EQ for the two sets of headphones and now this is done all I can say is _wow_!
I'm feeding the Mojo from iPhoneX using VOX with upsample from my Apple Music library or directly from the QoBuz app as well as from a MacBook Pro using Vox or QoBuzz.  I'm once again loving the music.

EQ settings for those interested
*Grado RS1*
Bass 20Hz (red) +7dB (+blue)
Base 125Hz shelf (yellow) 0 (off)
Treble 3kHz shelf (green) -6dB (-light blue)
Treble 20kHz (light blue) +6dB (+light blue)

*Shure SE846*
Bass 20Hz (red) 0 (off)
Base 125Hz shelf (yellow) 0 (off)
Treble 3kHz shelf (green) +6dB (+light blue)
Treble 20kHz (light blue) +6dB (+light blue)


----------



## pete321

I must have the dumbest eq settings around, +9dB on every shelf except 20hz bass 😋
Sounds good for modern bass heavy edm and rap, pop, which is 90% of music I listen to, rock and classical not so good.


----------



## dsrk

pete321 said:


> I must have the dumbest eq settings around, +9dB on every shelf except 20hz bass 😋
> Sounds good for modern bass heavy edm and rap, pop, which is 90% of music I listen to, rock and classical not so good.


Which headphones are you using?


----------



## pete321

dsrk said:


> Which headphones are you using?


They're not reputable, bluedio victory 1 or wavsz kt-1 was the copy but it's not as good, ridiculous bass, good for hearing loss which I think I have, but yeah, not audiophile stuff, although I have hd650s but didn't like and have tried other bass headphones etc, my ears only like these.


----------



## dsrk

pete321 said:


> They're not reputable, bluedio victory 1 or wavsz kt-1 was the copy but it's not as good, ridiculous bass, good for hearing loss which I think I have, but yeah, not audiophile stuff, although I have hd650s but didn't like and have tried other bass headphones etc, my ears only like these.


No, it's fine. We all have different different tastes and preferences. One is not inferior to others.
I asked because if boost 125hz to 9db with HD6XX it's good but with bass heavy music it's not controlled that's all. But LCD2C still controlled and sounds excellent with some music. 

I too push EQ to 9db sometimes 😃 but it's so good compared to other EQs.


----------



## pete321

dsrk said:


> No, it's fine. We all have different different tastes and preferences. One is not inferior to others.
> I asked because if boost 125hz to 9db with HD6XX it's good but with bass heavy music it's not controlled that's all. But LCD2C still controlled and sounds excellent with some music.
> 
> I too push EQ to 9db sometimes 😃 but it's so good compared to other EQs.


cool, yeah, they're discontinued, nearly impossible to find, they were a chinese creation with 6 huge drivers on each side, kind of a gimmick, they're clunky, but not junk quality or anything, they have their fanbase I see people asking where they can buy them online to this day etc.

If I knew more about eq I would probably get a better sound but honestly on 9dB it rumble massages my brain and I get some higher end now courtesy of the dsp so it was a great match with the mojo 2.

I tried some skullcandy things with apparently some super bass effect and it was no comparison, returned it to amazon right away, felt like they put a vibrator in there 😂


----------



## KelFab

Ivan Reis said:


> Yes, with the configuration below:
> 
> 20hz = +1
> 125hz = -1
> ...



I tried this and adding some db on the 3kHz is interesting as it helps to add a bit weight to the mids / vocals in the mix.

But for my taste the -9 db at 20kHz to compensate is a bit too much lowered, some informations in high frequencies are too recessed, even some are missing compared to ie900 not EQed.

Based on some tests, I tend to restrain a bit the 20kHz drop into something like : +2 db at 3kHz / -5 db at 20 Khz or +3 db at 3kHz / -6 db at 20 kHz max.

But to my ears it seems like EQing on the ie900 does feel like it takes away a bit of the magic of the ie900, that's strange (maybe they are initially not that bad tuned afterall ).

Tests to be continued


----------



## Menkau-ra

PhilW said:


> I'll just leave this here. We can now offer a lightning to USB C cable that works with the incredible Mojo 2. Bye Bye camera kit
> 
> https://www.audioconcierge.co.uk/portfolio/chord-mojo-lightning-cable-mfi06/


Do you ship Mojo2 to USA?


----------



## Ivan Reis

KelFab said:


> I tried this and adding some db on the 3kHz is interesting as it helps to add a bit weight to the mids / vocals in the mix.
> 
> But for my taste the -9 db at 20kHz to compensate is a bit too much lowered, some informations in high frequencies are too recessed, even some are missing compared to ie900 not EQed.
> 
> ...



Thanks for your impressions


----------



## dsrk

pete321 said:


> cool, yeah, they're discontinued, nearly impossible to find, they were a chinese creation with 6 huge drivers on each side, kind of a gimmick, they're clunky, but not junk quality or anything, they have their fanbase I see people asking where they can buy them online to this day etc.
> 
> If I knew more about eq I would probably get a better sound but honestly on 9dB it rumble massages my brain and I get some higher end now courtesy of the dsp so it was a great match with the mojo 2.
> 
> I tried some skullcandy things with apparently some super bass effect and it was no comparison, returned it to amazon right away, felt like they put a vibrator in there 😂


Yes, there are some gems chinese made. Mojo 2 EQ is very easy to play with and you will get used to EQing as you start fiddling with it.
This image will give an idea of which frequency to fiddle with


----------



## KelFab

dsrk said:


> Yes, there are some gems chinese made. Mojo 2 EQ is very easy to play with and you will get used to EQing as you start fiddling with it.
> This image will give an idea of which frequency to fiddle with



Chord themselves have a section dedicated in their manual starting at page 12 regarding their EQ : here.

It's important to understand that modding the EQ on 125Hz and 3kHz has an effet on other frequencies (respectively 20 Hz and 20kHz), they explain that a bit.

So you have to add or substract corelated frequencies to visualize the final effect on the frequency response curve.


----------



## the teh (Apr 25, 2022)

Just wondering if the 4 eq for the mojo 2 stacks, i.e. the mid bass shelf and the lower bass or the treble shelf and the upper treble


----------



## KelFab (Apr 25, 2022)

the teh said:


> Just wondering if the eq stacks the mid bass shelf and the lower bass or the treble shelf and the upper treble



yes, by example :

+6 on 20 Hz
+4 on 125 Hz
-3 on 3 kHz
+6 on 20 kHz

gives that frequency response curve (dotted line) :






So it's the sum of the eq mods on both sides (subbass to bass / mid to treble), knowing that each frequency mod has its range of impact as mentionned in the manual :





That's why this could help :



jarnopp said:


> If it helps anyone, I created an Excel sheet to play around with and predict the DSP effects. Try it and feel free to make improvements to the factors I used, which I tried many best to estimate from Rob's PDFs (in the Watts Up thread).
> 
> https://mega.nz/file/SzgG0JJQ#WHIJKWvgsmMXA9JRKiA1uf_Ggq0UfaUEoRsmoXnnK_Q
> 
> ...


----------



## the teh

Wow thanks for the explanation!


----------



## deekod

jarnopp said:


> If it helps anyone, I created an Excel sheet to play around with and predict the DSP effects. Try it and feel free to make improvements to the factors I used, which I tried many best to estimate from Rob's PDFs (in the Watts Up thread).
> 
> https://mega.nz/file/SzgG0JJQ#WHIJKWvgsmMXA9JRKiA1uf_Ggq0UfaUEoRsmoXnnK_Q
> 
> ...


Thank very much for sharing - very useful 👌👏👏👏


----------



## RPJ12 (Apr 25, 2022)

I’ve been digging this album and band I had never heard of (Armageddon by Mauv) using my A12t CIEMs and the following settings on the M2:

20hz = +6
125hz = +4
3000hz = +4
20000hz = +6

The sub bass is so good and the high end detail is incredible. The space between instruments is insane. I switched out the M2 for the XDuoo Link2 BAL and while it’s still good (and a wider soundstage) the sub bass, body and detail is lacking compared to the M2 with these settings. This album may be what put me over the edge on my love for the M2 and justifying its cost bc of its abilities. Especially to pull out what the A12t is capable of. Everyone is different but I’m digging this setup and album.


----------



## the teh

I have the m2 and using a loaned lcd2. While waiting for my gx.

Everything sounds controlled, natural and musical. No fake spikes or distorted bass, yet detailed enough for the music intent. Really feels like you are in a listening to live music. 

Rob talks alot about the transients processing and I get what he meant. I think other dacs artificially spikes the transients to compensate that it just sounds fake and spiky. Hurts the ear after some time, which causes fatigue,. Especially when listening at a loud volume. Maybe some can concur to this, am not an experienced audiophille. 

Current eq settings 20hz +4, 3khz +4

I could eq the 3khz and 20khz higher for it to match a monitors performance but no...Live music is what I like. 

Q: Do the m2 shut down automatically when no signal is detected? I accidentally left mine on for the night - charging, and it was quite warm when I came back to it.


----------



## dsrk

jarnopp said:


> If it helps anyone, I created an Excel sheet to play around with and predict the DSP effects. Try it and feel free to make improvements to the factors I used, which I tried many best to estimate from Rob's PDFs (in the Watts Up thread).
> 
> https://mega.nz/file/SzgG0JJQ#WHIJKWvgsmMXA9JRKiA1uf_Ggq0UfaUEoRsmoXnnK_Q
> 
> ...


Wow this is excellent, thanks it really helps. 
Wondering how did I miss this post


----------



## Hyde00 (Apr 26, 2022)

the teh said:


> Q: Do the m2 shut down automatically when no signal is detected? I accidentally left mine on for the night - charging, and it was quite warm when I came back to it.


According to manual it says 10 minutes of no signal it should auto shut down.

Though I haven't test it yet.


----------



## Rob Watts

Just to clarify - 10 minutes of no signal for auto shutdown - no signal is not digital silence. For USB it's looking for the presence of the +5v VBUS on either of the USB data inputs. For SPDIF it's just looking for the lock condition. So zero VBUS voltage or no SPDIF lock will force a shutdown after 10 minutes.


----------



## kela66 (Apr 26, 2022)

That means all cables have to be pulled, otherwise there is no auto-shutdown?
Would explain why it's not working for me.


----------



## the teh (Apr 26, 2022)

Well, the M2 was plugged in to my computer via USB C (M2) to USB A 3.0 (Comp) which the computer was turned off when I left it, albeit totally forgotten that the M2 is on, and was charging with a separate USB charger connected to a plug elsewhere.

I'll remember to turn it off next time 😅

Update: OK, just read through the asus motherboard manual and apparently I need to turn off the usb standby power (+5v vbus) via bios and some windows settings for the m2 to turn off by itself. I'll just press the power button then.


----------



## Lyssky

iDesign said:


> Can you review your TIDAL history and confirm if the sample rate is different between the two tracks when the USB synchronization failed? I don’t believe that is the issue because in my case it has happened in the middle of playing a song on a full album with the same sample rate. I want to dispel the notion that this is related to sample rates.


Sorry for the late answer. I could activate the Exclusive mode and didn't experience the white noise after that. I guess it's related to interference.


----------



## Lyssky

Nick24JJ said:


> If you want to help yourself and the community, please email Chord support and then copy and paste here their response. Thanks in advance for considering it.


I did, thank you. They were about to guide me to enable Exclusive mode but I could find it. Now it seems ok.


----------



## Lyssky

I think Crossfeed didn't do well with the LCD-XC. It felt like the images became a little more dense but their position became closer towards middle?


----------



## headfry (Apr 26, 2022)

Lyssky said:


> I think Crossfeed didn't do well with the LCD-XC. It felt like the images became a little more dense but their position became closer towards middle?


In general with most recordings I like trying the crossfeed on the lowest setting for a few songs, then turn it off and try listening to another few. I find that although it's hard to hear a difference it seems to give a bit more weight and highlighting to the centre image which to me is quite pleasing.


----------



## Lyssky

headfry said:


> In general with most recordings I like trying the crossfeed on the lowest setting for a few songs, then turn it off and try listening to another few. I find that although it's hard to hear a difference it seems to give a bit more weight and highlighting to the centre image which to me is quite pleasing.


Yes that was it, highlighting the center. I guess  I didn’t like it in my case.


----------



## Lyssky

With my 2020 LCD-XC, I find this profile pleasing, though it’s not ideal.
20 Hz: +2
125 Hz: +3
3 kHz: +3
20 kHz: +1


----------



## the teh (Apr 27, 2022)

I think the crossfeed is dependent on the recording. Some songs it sounds good and natural, from a more circular zone around the head to become a more oval shaped soundstage. However for some songs it sounds as if the instruments (drums, guitar) are nearer to me than the vocal, and the vocalist is behind the band instruments. For some songs the crossfeed (edited) made it sounds funky (goes up higher above the head than it should, i.e. distinct left and right near mic recordings). The effect is definitely there and is somewhat natural sounding, with an artificial soundstage flair and dependent on a case by case basis based on the track.

It sounds better when the music is not based on a single singer/instrument in the middle. (Ochestra, jazz, ambient)


----------



## paulrbarnard

Lyssky said:


> Sorry for the late answer. I could activate the Exclusive mode and didn't experience the white noise after that. I guess it's related to interference.


I had an interesting experience this evening using QoBuz.  Plugged in the USB-C connection and started playing from QoBuz on my MacBook Pro and there was lots of white noise/distortion.  I unplugged the USB-C and plugged it back in and it was then completely clear.  There might be some odd start up condition that results in a noisy connection.  If it does it again I'll raise it with Chord.


----------



## scarfacegt

it worth getting the leather case for the mojo/poly


----------



## Rebel Chris

paulrbarnard said:


> I had an interesting experience this evening using QoBuz. Plugged in the USB-C connection and started playing from QoBuz on my MacBook Pro and there was lots of white noise/distortion. I unplugged the USB-C and plugged it back in and it was then completely clear. There might be some odd start up condition that results in a noisy connection. If it does it again I'll raise it with Chord.


Had the same thing happening. In my case I had hadn't fully plugged in the USB plug, it needed just a little push.


----------



## Lyssky

Oopps white noise appeared again while the exclusive mode is on. I contacted Chord again. 🤦🏻‍♂️


----------



## deekod

Lyssky said:


> Yes that was it, highlighting the center. I guess  I didn’t like it in my case.


Same here


----------



## kela66

no problems with Mac mini M1


----------



## flyte3333

Hi @Rob Watts 

How much power does the USB interface consume ? Say when it's working hard (PCM 353kHz / DXD input)?

And how much power does the TOSlink interface consume? Say with PCM192kHz input.


----------



## Hyde00 (Apr 27, 2022)

iDesign said:


> I completely agree and your other posts mirror my thoughts exactly.


Here's some update.

I told my UK friend that I think Mojo 2 sound super flat for some reason.  He previously had Mojo 1 and he didn't believe me when I told him this.  So he bought Mojo 2 recently to test it out (since it's cheaper in UK).

This is his impression:

*"you're absolutely right lol
Mojo 1 did not sound like this
damn
what did they do?
at least without EQ and crossfeed, its flat as ****
and I think EQ does more than crossfeed"

"granted, resolution and microdynamics are a lot better than Mojo 1
but I think tonality, spatial recreation and timbre suffer a lot"*

So this makes 3 of us LOL.  Again not trying to talk down on Mojo 2, for those of you out there with Mojo 2 sounding amazing, that's great!  I just honestly wonder what might cause this different impression.

I told him to test 300 ohm headphone to see if it makes any difference.  My guess is that maybe...... just maybe......... Mojo 2 need to be in higher volume level to sing????  I don't know.  I only had 24 ohm and 16 ohm headphone so I was using rather low volume levels.

I also only test USB, my friend has optical to test later.

We'll see.......

Oh and he think I'll probably like Mojo 1, now I need to find a way to hack the battery to make it desktop unit LOL.  I keep reading different opinion on the "unplug battery" approach.  Some suggest we need to hook up to a 7.4v power supply.  But some say with USB power it sound exactly the same, so I don't know......

*EDIT:*  On a side note, does anyone have any experience with *iFi iDSD Nano Black Label vs Mojo 1*, how far behind is the Nano Black Label?  I was thinking at least the Nano I don't need to hack the battery, it can natively power using USB.


----------



## captblaze

Hyde00 said:


> Again not trying to talk down on Mojo 2,


Then please stop trying to explain why you don't like it over and over again


----------



## Hyde00

captblaze said:


> Then please stop trying to explain why you don't like it over and over again


Sorry just trying to educate future buyers...... kind of like everyone else loves this but there is a very small chance you "might" run into this.  Similar to the white noise issue it's like most people are fine but you "might" run into this.

Again you might have zero issue and love it, but just something to be aware of.

I thought that's the point of having discussion forum no?

But fair enough I won't bring it up again.


----------



## captblaze

Hyde00 said:


> Sorry just trying to educate future buyers...... kind of like everyone else loves this but there is a very small chance you "might" run into this.  Similar to the white noise issue it's like most people are fine but you "might" run into this.
> 
> Again you might have zero issue and love it, but just something to be aware of.
> 
> ...


bring it up yes, over running the thread with it is different. 

Mojo2 is different than Mojo in more than one aspect. Chord did what they felt would further the concept without cannibalizing sales from the other product lines. 
Are there head scratching choices made? Sure thing, but given the desire to keep Poly relevant while taking Mojo a step further couldn't have been an easy venture and compromises were made to accommodate that requirement


----------



## Hyde00

captblaze said:


> bring it up yes, over running the thread with it is different.


This yes I accept it's my bad, my apologies.


captblaze said:


> Mojo2 is different than Mojo in more than one aspect. Chord did what they felt would further the concept without cannibalizing sales from the other product lines.
> Are there head scratching choices made? Sure thing, but given the desire to keep Poly relevant while taking Mojo a step further couldn't have been an easy venture and compromises were made to accommodate that requirement


I don't know why you brought this up since I never complained about Poly or the whole USB C thing, which I'm totally ok with.

I guess I was just more surprised that Mojo 2 is more "different" than Mojo 1 rather than "direct upgrade" from what I've read everywhere.  My friend recommended the unit based on his great experience with Mojo 1, which he expected the Mojo 2 to be even better.

So maybe our expectation was different.

Anyway to not further derail the thread I'll stop comment on this.


----------



## headfry (Apr 27, 2022)

Hyde00 said:


> This yes I accept it's my bad, my apologies.
> 
> I don't know why you brought this up since I never complained about Poly or the whole USB C thing, which I'm totally ok with.
> 
> ...


My opinion is that Mojo 2 IS a direct upgrade in sound quality, even without the DSP. Since M2 is more transparent, more coherent, better textures and imaging, etc. it is a more revealing device, and will reveal the effects of components upstream. i.e.what cable is being used? What is the transport? In my system M2 is clearly better, OG's bass/mid bass is smoothed over/lacking in detail compared with M2, and due to this doesn't have the M2's overall coherence and precision. The OG is still a very nice listen with really good tonal balance and weight, but the Mojo 2 in my opinion has obviously better sq and in no way is the OG better sounding, OG is still a fine dac but is showing its age by comparison.

I still own and regularly use OG!

To those that say that M2 is not a big and important step up in listening satisfaction and performance, what are you using to connect it with and to what??????


----------



## Andrew_WOT

Hyde00 said:


> This yes I accept it's my bad, my apologies.


Please don't, potential buyers of the unit deserved to hear both, positive and negative aspects of the Mojo 2, not just back patting echo chamber of happy owners.
And thanks for bringing this issue up.


----------



## tekkster

I'm really liking the eq of the mojo 2.  For a lot of my headphones and IEMs, I make no change, but there are a few beloved headphones that are just a little underwhelming or over-emphasized in some parts of the frequency spectrum, and being able to use this great gear and rely on the mojo to help make adjustments is just fantastic.

For the Cascade, I drop the two bass buttons until it sounds right.
For another headphone, I drop everything to naturally bring forward the mids and upper mids more (which is a great way to bring up vocals, and it's really the minute adjustment of the 3rd eq button that impacts female vocals so well)

I sincerely hope a hugo3 comes out soon and includes the eq feature.  Not planning on using it for everything, just for some headphones and IEMS.


----------



## paulgc

Have had the @ChordElectronics Mojo1/Poly for years (as well as Hugo2/2go/2yu). The Poly is now paired with the M2. Over the last months have paired with the SE846, Focal, Elear, and  Campfire Cascade. However my favourite pairing is with the Shure SE1200 and a light bit of Mojo2 EQ. Roon curated daily mixes and the work day evaporates! M1 is now with my MacBook Pro and after an easy battery change is back to full charge life. Nicely done @Rob Watts and @Mojo ideas keep the mobile audiophile coming.


----------



## Hyde00 (Apr 27, 2022)

headfry said:


> My opinion is that Mojo 2 IS a direct upgrade in sound quality, even without the DSP. Since M2 is more transparent, more coherent, better textures and imaging, etc. it is a more revealing device, and will reveal the effects of components upstream. i.e.what cable is being used? What is the transport? In my system M2 is clearly better, OG's bass/mid bass is smoothed over/lacking in detail compared with M2, and due to this doesn't have the M2's overall coherence and precision. The OG is still a very nice listen with really good tonal balance and weight, but the Mojo 2 in my opinion has obviously better sq and in no way is the OG better sounding, OG is still a fine dac but is showing its age by comparison.
> 
> I still own and regularly use OG!
> 
> To those that say that M2 is not a big and important step up in listening satisfaction and performance, what are you using to connect it with and to what??????


I think someone mentioned it sounded mediocre with generic usb c cable (which is what I use lol, connected to PC, UGREEN usb c cable specifically) and recommended a proper audiophile usb c cable, was it you that mentioned it?

I guess this is probably my issue???

But what puzzles me is that I used the exact same cable on W2, W2-131, RU6, Playmate 2 and they all sounded fine, so I'm not sure.  Specifically Playmate 2 had HUGE sound stage from same cable.


Andrew_WOT said:


> Please don't, potential buyers of the unit deserved to hear both, positive and negative aspects of the Mojo 2, not just back patting echo chamber of happy owners.
> And thanks for bringing this issue up.


lol that's what I thought too, I feel like for future buyer we should offer all the good and the bad then they can make their own informed decision of what's acceptable and what's not acceptable to them.

So I feel bad for making drama here but I figure this is only fair.  After all that's the whole point of having a discussion forum yes?

In any case, it's good to hear everyone else is having an amazing experience though.


----------



## headfry (Apr 27, 2022)

Hyde00 said:


> I think someone mentioned it sounded mediocre with generic usb c cable (which is what I use lol, connected to PC, UGREEN usb c cable specifically) and recommended a proper audiophile usb c cable, was it you that mentioned it?
> 
> I guess this is probably my issue???
> 
> ...


The cable sounds fine with other dac's but the Mojo 2 is SO resolving/transparent
compared to most others that it's in another category, according to some
not far off from Qutest or Hugo 2,
and everything can matter in a sound system. I know that when I went from a generic
USB cable to a Curious Hugo Link (with AQ Jitterbug), the sound from Mojo
went from Dragonfly Red type quality to high-end,
and cost factored in I preferred it to the Hugo 2 at the time.

What equipment you use is up to you, but if you're stating that M2 isn't
as musical as OG or isn't a fully successful upgrade based on sound/musical
improvements then I think it's fair to ask the question.


----------



## Hyde00

headfry said:


> The cable sounds fine with other dac's but the Mojo 2 is SO resolving/transparent
> compared to most others that it's in another category, according to some
> not far off from Qutest or Hugo 2,
> and everything can matter in a sound system. I know that when I went from a generic
> ...


Ah then it most likely is the cable then.

Unfortunately I already sold the Mojo 2 (was super popular and sold super fast) but I'll ask my UK friend to try a nicer cable and see if it helps.

Thanks for the feedback and being patient with me! 

Cheers!


----------



## Andrew_WOT

Hyde00 said:


> I think someone mentioned it sounded mediocre with generic usb c cable (which is what I use lol, connected to PC, UGREEN usb c cable specifically) and recommended a proper audiophile usb c cable, was it you that mentioned it?
> 
> I guess this is probably my issue???


Ugreen makes very good shielded USB cables, audiophile grade USB cable is an utter BS, we are dealing with the digital protocol here.


----------



## pete321

I've been playing with that excel spreadsheet, my music is missing mids/vocals but I can't get it to ^, just v's, anyone know a good setting.

If you could adjust the points on the curve and it would change to the value needed, that would be sweet, but would take some programming.


----------



## rwelles

Have you tried only using negative values? Lowering the bass and treble should be the equivalent of raising the mids.


----------



## pete321

rwelles said:


> Have you tried only using negative values? Lowering the bass and treble should be the equivalent of raising the mids.


yeah I tried a bunch of negative values, but the area of 100 to 1000 on that graph won't raise above flat.


----------



## rwelles

That's just the nature of the beast; there are no mid-specific adjustments. But if you wish to have stronger midrange, you can lower the highs and lows.


----------



## Hyde00

pete321 said:


> yeah I tried a bunch of negative values, but the area of 100 to 1000 on that graph won't raise above flat.


I think he meant like lowering treble and bass then just increase overall volume so in a sense it's like raising the mids.

i.e.
0 db on low bass
-4 db on bass shelf
-4 db on treble shelf
0 db on high treble
Master volume +5 (for example)

But I find female vocal is around 2000hz so you might actually have to raise treble shelf a tiny bit.

i.e.
0 db on low bass
-4 db on bass shelf
-2 db on treble shelf
0 db on high treble
Master volume +5 (for example)

Maybe?????

Or I find the easiest way to bring vocal forward is turn on crossfeed, even lowest level of crossfeed bring vocal forward, max level bring it really forward.

I experimented with this because I like forward vocal in general lol.


----------



## pete321

rwelles said:


> That's just the nature of the beast; there are no mid-specific adjustments. But if you wish to have stronger midrange, you can lower the highs and lows.


gotcha, I will try that even though the graph doesn't really reflect it, the music might, I'm also going to try velour pads on a secondary pair of cans I send to the shop, although I've read velour can make more bass which I definitely don't need more of.


----------



## Hyde00

pete321 said:


> gotcha, I will try that even though the graph doesn't really reflect it, the music might, I'm also going to try velour pads on a secondary pair of cans I send to the shop, although I've read velour can make more bass which I definitely don't need more of.


Uh velour actually reduces bass, leather increases bass.

Bass is generally depend on sound pressure so the more "seal" the chamber is the stronger the bass is.

Velour by nature is breathable fabric = less seal. 

But velour might bring vocal forward actually.


----------



## pete321

Hyde00 said:


> Uh velour actually reduces bass, leather increases bass.
> 
> Bass is generally depend on sound pressure so the more "seal" the chamber is the stronger the bass is.
> 
> ...


ok, and I get what you meant by your other message, raise the overall volume to bring up the middle, makes sense, I've played with crossfeed the least, maybe I'll give it another go, it was a bit airy/distant when I tried but I might try a low setting.

I'll try the velour just for comfort and something new, if it's just less bass and not brighter than I'll keep as is, but if it's brighter and more comfortable will be nice to have an option, provided they're fixable, good chance shop tells me they're going into the trash lol.


----------



## Hyde00

pete321 said:


> ok, and I get what you meant by your other message, raise the overall volume to bring up the middle, makes sense, I've played with crossfeed the least, maybe I'll give it another go, it was a bit airy/distant when I tried but I might try a low setting.
> 
> I'll try the velour just for comfort and something new, if it's just less bass and not brighter than I'll keep as is, but if it's brighter and more comfortable will be nice to have an option, provided they're fixable, good chance shop tells me they're going into the trash lol.


Lol yeah give a go and update us later!

May I ask which headphone you're using by any chance?


----------



## pete321 (Apr 27, 2022)

Hyde00 said:


> Lol yeah give a go and update us later!
> 
> May I ask which headphone you're using by any chance?


nothing anyone ever heard of, bluedio victory 1, produced a few year ago in china for bass fanatics/future hearing damaged ;/

I don't have the income to have much headphones for comparisons, I have hd650s, they're cleaner and I tried them again with mojo 2 but I guess i value rumble over details.

I kind of like crossfeed lowest setting, seems to bring vocals forward at the loss of a little bass but still plenty there.


----------



## Hyde00

pete321 said:


> nothing anyone ever heard of, bluedio victory 1, produced a few year ago in china for bass fanatics/future hearing damaged ;/
> 
> I don't have the income to have much headphones for comparisons, I have hd650s, they're cleaner and I tried them again with mojo 2 but I guess i value rumble over details.
> 
> I kind of like crossfeed lowest setting, seems to bring vocals forward at the loss of a little bass but still plenty there.


All good, music is preference and if you like bass then you like bass, nothing wrong with that. 

Yeah now you can slowly bring bass EQ back until you find a good balance.

Though if your funds are tight then EQ will do for now. But in the future if you have spare funds then Creative Aurvana Live! (1, don't get version 2) or Creative Aurvana Live! SE are both good bass headphone for cheap. After that Meze 99 Noir or 99 Classic are both good too.

Cheers!


----------



## pete321

Hyde00 said:


> All good, music is preference and if you like bass then you like bass, nothing wrong with that.
> 
> Yeah now you can slowly bring bass EQ back until you find a good balance.
> 
> ...


cool, good looking out, my funds aren't that tight, but 1k+ cans I can't be buying and returning them or collecting them, I'm not that much of an audiophile. Nowhere really to audition near me so yeah, I found what I like and it's good enough but I saved your recs.


----------



## dsrk (Apr 28, 2022)

We are talking about Aurvanas and HD6XX and all, I just saw a headphone on the home page which costs $11,000. Oh my...are we still on earth 😆

We can't do much with mids with the available EQ bands on Mojo 2, perhaps a Hugo 3 with much better EQ bands, only Rob can tell😊


----------



## headfry

insightful review:


----------



## LykkeligLyd

I have 1770 pro, HD 600, X2 & 2C. How would these pair up with Mojo 2? Mojo 2 is on offer for €500 now, any other amps. I should consider?


----------



## 529128

LykkeligLyd said:


> I have 1770 pro, HD 600, X2 & 2C. How would these pair up with Mojo 2? Mojo 2 is on offer for €500 now, any other amps. I should consider?


I have only tried the HD600 and 2C, but I can confirm both sound exceptional with M2.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

Rob Watts said:


> Sorry to hear about your damaged hearing. Unfortunately, there is no balance control on Chord DACs - the reason balance controls used to be necessary is analogue volume controls were never perfectly matched, so you needed balance to correct for the volume control - but this is of course is not needed with digital controls.
> 
> You are the first poster to ask for such a feature, so it's not something that we have considered. But if there is a demand for a balance control, it's something I could add to future products.



This kind of accessibility feature would be much appreciated in future products


----------



## flyte3333

flyte3333 said:


> Hi @Rob Watts
> 
> How much power does the USB interface consume ? Say when it's working hard (PCM 353kHz / DXD input)?
> 
> And how much power does the TOSlink interface consume? Say with PCM192kHz input.



Hi @Rob Watts , could you help with this?

What's the power consumption diff between the optical interface and USB interface?

I recall USB was about double that of optical for Mojo 1?


----------



## Rob Watts

No Mojo was never double.

USB is 253mW (for the decoder only) and optical is 13mW (for the optical receiver only). In practice you will get 15% more battery life using optical or coax over USB.

I am curious as to why you want the actual power numbers?


----------



## Menkau-ra

What's the point having two 3.5mm jacks?


----------



## flyte3333 (Apr 29, 2022)

Rob Watts said:


> No Mojo was never double.
> 
> USB is 253mW (for the decoder only) and optical is 13mW (for the optical receiver only). In practice you will get 15% more battery life using optical or coax over USB.
> 
> I am curious as to why you want the actual power numbers?


Reason was both battery life (which you answered) and I assume the USB interface consuming quite a bit more power means more noise generated internally?

Other than the zero source/mains RF of optical, is that another advantage of optical? 

Much lower power consumption and thus much lower noise generated internally?


----------



## LykkeligLyd

LykkeligLyd said:


> I have 1770 pro, HD 600, X2 & 2C. How would these pair up with Mojo 2? Mojo 2 is on offer for €500 now, any other amps. I should consider?


Do you have any input Rob Watts?


----------



## ChrisGB

Kentajalli said:


> And I have had, Mojo Classic, Mojo2, Hugo2 and the Quads!
> The Quads weren't for me, I returned them within the window allowed.
> I was at first smithen by Mojo2, but ultimately most of its charms were wasted on me (crossfeed, Tone controls, Desktop mode) so I returned that too.
> I sold my Mojo Classic and missing it! but as you say, Hugo2 is much better and frankly enough for me.
> ...


Last night, I thought I'd try the Quad ERA-1 with the leather earcups. With these, they get darker and lose depth and resolution in the bass and generally lose clarity across the whole spectrum, so with the leather cups, I'd agree they sound dark ish


----------



## joshnor713

Menkau-ra said:


> What's the point having two 3.5mm jacks?


Exactly


----------



## vmiguel

Menkau-ra said:


> What's the point having two 3.5mm jacks?


To connect two headphones at the same time?


----------



## subwoof3r (Apr 29, 2022)

KelFab said:


> When constantly on charge, it will automatically switch to desktop mode some moment after being fully charged (purple bettery status light)


do you mean from white led (fully charged if I'm not wrong) then some minutes after (how much?) it will go purple ?
seems like my unit never reach purple mode while beeing constantly in charge since many hours now and is getting constantly hot, strangely


----------



## Hyde00

subwoof3r said:


> do you mean from white led (fully charged if I'm not wrong) then some minutes after (how much?) it will go purple ?
> seems like my unit never reach purple mode while beeing constantly in charge since many hours now and is getting constantly hot, strangely


There is a tiny LED light above the charging port (where you plug your wire).  Look for that light.

Also make sure your charging thing is minimum 2A.  Most cellphone charger are only about 1A, iPad/tablet chargers are more commonly to be 2.1A.

Otherwise when your unit is off, it should display purple light both on the Menu button and on the LED above charging port.

As long the Mojo 2 is on it will stay warm, just how it is lol.  Mojo 1 doesn't have intelligent desktop mode.


----------



## subwoof3r

Hyde00 said:


> There is a tiny LED light above the charging port (where you plug your wire).  Look for that light.
> 
> Also make sure your charging thing is minimum 2A.  Most cellphone charger are only about 1A, iPad/tablet chargers are more commonly to be 2.1A.
> 
> ...


Thanks, just checked, my little led above the charging port is constantly blue blinking.
I let my Mojo 2 constantly plugged in a USB 3.0 port (from my computer) for charge and the other one in 2.0 (using included stock cable from my Mojo 2), maybe that's why then?


----------



## Hyde00

subwoof3r said:


> Thanks, just checked, my little led above the charging port is constantly blue blinking.
> I let my Mojo 2 constantly plugged in a USB 3.0 port (from my computer) for charge and the other one in 2.0 (using included stock cable from my Mojo 2), maybe that's why then?


That sounds correct.....??????

Blue is 75%-100% so in theory if you just let it charge it should go to Purple.  When I had the Mojo 2 I leave it plugged in all the time and day time it's always turned on and it's Purple.

Which charger are you using and what's the rating on the charger?  Can you take a picture of the spec sheet on charger and also maybe the Mojo 2 itself with the charging port?  Thanks!


----------



## Nick24JJ

How long does it take for your Mojo 2 to become ready, after pressing the power button? Mine takes exactly 20 seconds. I've timed it, multiple times, with my Garmin Forerunner 245.


----------



## deekod

Takes just about the same time it takes me to hook up my IEM’s and phone - perfect


----------



## subwoof3r

Hyde00 said:


> That sounds correct.....??????
> 
> Blue is 75%-100% so in theory if you just let it charge it should go to Purple.  When I had the Mojo 2 I leave it plugged in all the time and day time it's always turned on and it's Purple.
> 
> Which charger are you using and what's the rating on the charger?  Can you take a picture of the spec sheet on charger and also maybe the Mojo 2 itself with the charging port?  Thanks!


Ok nevermind, finally reached that purple led !  (took time, but it was there)
I plug it directly from my computer (no charger at all then)
When I power my M2 on from purple, the led stays white again and no purple back when using my M2.
Is this ok ?


----------



## Hyde00

subwoof3r said:


> Ok nevermind, finally reached that purple led !  (took time, but it was there)
> I plug it directly from my computer (no charger at all then)
> When I power my M2 on from purple, the led stays white again and no purple back when using my M2.
> Is this ok ?


Oh then I think you're ok.  The confusing part about Mojo 2 is like which colour represents what LOL.

I think in your case it probably just mean it's getting enough charging power at >4.85 vbus volts???

I always check the light on the plug side.  The button light is confusing.

I feel like you're ok, if you're worried can always try a phone charger higher than 2A.

But I feel like you're ok.


----------



## Menkau-ra

vmiguel said:


> To connect two headphones at the same time?


If I want to share my music with lets say my wife I'd better turn on speakers.


----------



## paulrbarnard

Menkau-ra said:


> If I want to share my music with lets say my wife I'd better turn on speakers.


Good luck doing that on a flight…


----------



## Menkau-ra

paulrbarnard said:


> Good luck doing that on a flight…


if I'm on a flight there is too much noise and I can just use airpods pro.


----------



## paulrbarnard

Menkau-ra said:


> if I'm on a flight there is too much noise and I can just use airpods pro.


Then you don’t even need one jack or the mojo… Sounds like you like are arguing a point for the sake of it.


----------



## Menkau-ra

paulrbarnard said:


> Then you don’t even need one jack or the mojo… Sounds like you like are arguing a point for the sake of it.


It makes much more sence if second port was 6.35


----------



## paulrbarnard

Menkau-ra said:


> It makes much more sence if second port was 6.35


On that we completely agree. Independent volume would be great too. My wife and I have different headphones 😜


----------



## the teh

Im guessing the 6.35 or any other addition can't fit in the small casing, or takes up more power, reducing runtime.


----------



## dali71 (Apr 29, 2022)

@Rob Watts when did the price increase from $725 to $845?


----------



## Menkau-ra

dali71 said:


> @Rob Watts when did the price increase from $725 to $845?


WHAT???


----------



## joshnor713

paulrbarnard said:


> On that we completely agree. Independent volume would be great too. My wife and I have different headphones 😜


This. It's useless without independent volume control. Even if two people had the same headphone, we all have different volume tolerance. I was very surprised to see the redundant jack again on the Mojo 2.


----------



## Andrew_WOT

vmiguel said:


> To connect two headphones at the same time?


Because splitters do not exist. Odd design choice.
https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Split...&sprefix=3.5mm+audio+spli,aps,135&sr=8-6&th=1


----------



## iDesign (Apr 30, 2022)

dali71 said:


> @Rob Watts when did the price increase from $725 to $845?


At $845.00 its priced out the market especially with it’s unresolved white noise USB synchronization issues. A used Mojo can be had for $250-300. We’re for sure headed towards a recession.


----------



## vlach (Apr 30, 2022)

Menkau-ra said:


> If I want to share my music with lets say my wife I'd better turn on speakers.


You can also share music with your wife on a plane, train, subway, going for a walk, etc.


----------



## the teh (Apr 30, 2022)

Additional findings for M2 for certain music from memory: (Diana Krall, Stacey Kent)

1) Vocal reverb is well handled and natural
2) No fake high pitched background hiss (siblance?)
3) Percussions are where they are supposed to be - Back of the band and not in your face)

I think these are because of the -301db noise floor?


----------



## dsrk

joshnor713 said:


> This. It's useless without independent volume control. Even if two people had the same headphone, we all have different volume tolerance. I was very surprised to see the redundant jack again on the Mojo 2.


Completely agree. It is the only major negative I have for Mojo 2.

Never liked that idea.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Nick24JJ said:


> How long does it take for your Mojo 2 to become ready, after pressing the power button? Mine takes exactly 20 seconds. I've timed it, multiple times, with my Garmin Forerunner 245.


Anyone?


----------



## the teh

Nick24JJ said:


> Anyone?


21 seconds


----------



## Nick24JJ

the teh said:


> 21 seconds


Thank you 👍


----------



## deekod

Nick24JJ said:


> Anyone?


21secs here too


----------



## vmiguel

Menkau-ra said:


> If I want to share my music with lets say my wife I'd better turn on speakers.


So, you (we) have options. 

OTOH, there was a question, I give a correct and logical answer, and then we see that the original point was just to... You know what? I have better things to do. 

The end.


----------



## Kentajalli

vmiguel said:


> So, you (we) have options.
> 
> OTOH, there was a question, I give a correct and logical answer, and then we see that the original point was just to... You know what? I have better things to do.
> 
> The end.







£1.50 from Amazon with free delivery or try your local $/£ shop for alternatives.
the second 3.5mm on Mojo is redundant.
(so is the second USB port on Mojo2)


----------



## paulrbarnard

Kentajalli said:


> £1.50 from Amazon with free delivery or try your local $/£ shop for alternatives.
> the second 3.5mm on Mojo is redundant.
> (so is the second USB port on Mojo2)


Just realised there might be another reason and @Rob Watts might be one step ahead of us. The expected life for a 3.5mm jack is 5000 inserts. For USB it is 10000 inserts. It seems to me the two jacks might be redundancy to extend the life of the jacks to match the USB. 

Reference:
https://audiomav.com/can-a-headphone-jack-wear-out-and-how-to-fix-it-if-it-does/


----------



## Kentajalli

paulrbarnard said:


> Just realised there might be another reason and @Rob Watts might be one step ahead of us. The expected life for a 3.5mm jack is 5000 inserts. For USB it is 10000 inserts. It seems to me the two jacks might be redundancy to extend the life of the jacks to match the USB.
> 
> Reference:
> https://audiomav.com/can-a-headphone-jack-wear-out-and-how-to-fix-it-if-it-does/


two inserts a day, that makes it 7 years or so for jacks according to your link. You think they were thinking 14 years ahead for our benefit??
Mind boggles


----------



## paulrbarnard

Kentajalli said:


> two inserts a day, that makes it 7 years or so for jacks according to your link. You think they were thinking 14 years ahead for our benefit??
> Mind boggles


My post was a little tongue in cheek but hey you never know.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Apr 30, 2022)

For me, the second 3.5mm on my Mojo 2 will be very useful when I will start comparing my IEMs/Headphones.
Also, 20 seconds is, indeed, the time Mojo 2 needs to become Ready, after pressing the power-on button. Chord support confirmed it, as well.


----------



## iDesign (Apr 30, 2022)

If the second 3.5mm input was on the opposite side of the Mojo, it could be placed more easily in a bag. Many users have suggested this over the years. It’s one of the reasons right angle adapters are commonly used with the Mojo.


----------



## rwelles

paulrbarnard said:


> Just realised there might be another reason and @Rob Watts might be one step ahead of us. The expected life for a 3.5mm jack is 5000 inserts. For USB it is 10000 inserts. It seems to me the two jacks might be redundancy to extend the life of the jacks to match the USB.
> 
> Reference:
> https://audiomav.com/can-a-headphone-jack-wear-out-and-how-to-fix-it-if-it-does/


My Mojo OG took a spill a few years ago. One the 3.5 jacks took the brunt of it, making it unusable. The second jack sure came in handy then!! Not sure why the griping about a second jack. Only a couple of bucks to implement.


----------



## virgopunk

Menkau-ra said:


> If I want to share my music with lets say my wife I'd better turn on speakers.


You're nitpicking. The Mojo has had dual headphone outputs since day one.


----------



## virgopunk

vmiguel said:


> So, you (we) have options.
> 
> OTOH, there was a question, I give a correct and logical answer, and then we see that the original point was just to... You know what? I have better things to do.
> 
> The end.


I thought this was an "appreciation" thread but there's an awful lot of unappreciation here. Personally, if the Mojo doesn't fit my requirements I'd go and find a dac that does. I don't get all the nitpicking.


----------



## Andrew_WOT (Apr 30, 2022)

virgopunk said:


> thought this was an "appreciation" thread


Not really, and feedback can be both negative and positive, just like it should.


----------



## Menkau-ra (May 1, 2022)

virgopunk said:


> You're nitpicking. The Mojo has had dual headphone outputs since day one.


dual headphone outputs are OK if they are using different jack sizes so you don't have to use adapters if you using different cables. The point is that two 3.5mm jacks make no sense.


----------



## Hyde00

Andrew_WOT said:


> Not really, and feedback can be both negative and positive, just like it should.


Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

LOL sorry can't help it.


----------



## kanefsky

Menkau-ra said:


> dual headphone outputs are OK if they are using different jack sizes so you don't have to use adapters if you using different cables. Point is that two 3.5mm jacks make no sense.



Maybe they're going after the Siamese twin market


----------



## Hyde00

Never knew dual headphone jack is such a heated topic LOL.

Burson Conductor 3 Reference / Grace M9XX / Violectric V200 would like to join the party.


----------



## dsrk (May 1, 2022)

When people don't like something, they don't like it. They have every right to express it here or anywhere, period.

You like dual 3.5mm jacks, fine..good for you. I don't like it, why???? because most of my headphones are terminated in 6.35mm, 2.5mm and 4.4mm.

I now have to buy either the adapters or new cables. People who are coming from Mojo 1 may not have any issues, but people coming from other brands most definitely have the inconvenience of buying adapters or cables.

Because most of the DAPs or DAC/AMPs these days come with 2.5mm or 4.4mm jacks these days. A lot of AMPs come with 4.4mm or XLR ports even though they are not balanced just for the sake of users' convenience.


----------



## Progisus

Daughter was visiting and listening to millennial music on her phone. Great prog came on the mojo. She unplugged phone and plugged into second mojo jack. We both rocked out. Try that with the phone.


----------



## kanefsky

Progisus said:


> Daughter was visiting and listening to millennial music on her phone. Great prog came on the mojo. She unplugged phone and plugged into second mojo jack. We both rocked out. Try that with the phone.


----------



## dsrk

Progisus said:


> Daughter was visiting and listening to millennial music on her phone. Great prog came on the mojo. She unplugged phone and plugged into second mojo jack. We both rocked out. Try that with the phone.


This used to happen with me a long time ago in 90s and in early 2000s especially when traveling. These days no one is interested in what you are listening to or they don't like to listen to the same music or at that time. They are mostly into their mobile phones.

I am mostly treated like a crazy person with all the gear I am using


----------



## Rob Watts

flyte3333 said:


> Reason was both battery life (which you answered) and I assume the USB interface consuming quite a bit more power means more noise generated internally?
> 
> Other than the zero source/mains RF of optical, is that another advantage of optical?
> 
> Much lower power consumption and thus much lower noise generated internally?



Sure - the USB decoder noise is a big issue. That's why with Mojo 2 the USB decoder has it's own regulation and RF filters - and these work effectively, as you can get optical and USB to sound identical under the right circumstances.



dali71 said:


> @Rob Watts when did the price increase from $725 to $845?



Why are you asking me? I am completely independent of Chord and the USA distributor. Moreover, I have zero control over GBP/USD exchange rates.



Kentajalli said:


> two inserts a day, that makes it 7 years or so for jacks according to your link. You think they were thinking 14 years ahead for our benefit??
> Mind boggles



Absolutely I do. I want my designs to last decades after I have shuffled off this mortal coil.



rwelles said:


> My Mojo OG took a spill a few years ago. One the 3.5 jacks took the brunt of it, making it unusable. The second jack sure came in handy then!! Not sure why the griping about a second jack. Only a couple of bucks to implement.



It actually was a significant cause of failure - people dropping Mojo with their headphone attached.

I am absolutely sure that if we had dropped the 2 connectors on Mojo 2, the trolling on this thread would have been relentless.

2 sockets are for better reliability and for your spouse or friend to enjoy the music too. And before anybody posts yet again ad nauseam about adaptors, nobody will carry them in your pocket just on the off chance of letting a mate enjoy music with you.


----------



## dsrk

Rob Watts said:


> I am absolutely sure that if we had dropped the 2 connectors on Mojo 2, the trolling on this thread would have been relentless.


You only will have better knowledge if majority of your buyers prefer two 3.5mm ports. It's just a feedback.

I bought the device and that's the only thing I feel negative about it.

Are you saying that we shouldn't provide feedback?


----------



## flyte3333

Rob Watts said:


> Sure - the USB decoder noise is a big issue. That's why with Mojo 2 the USB decoder has it's own regulation and RF filters - and these work effectively, as you can get optical and USB to sound identical under the right circumstances.



With something like M-Scaler with Mojo2, is part of the big improvement in SQ (other than more taps) reducing FPGA noise generated by WTA1 inside Mojo?

Effectively you are moving that DSP 'work' for WTA1 out of Mojo2 and away from analogue section of Mojo2?


----------



## Kentajalli (May 1, 2022)

Rob Watts said:


> Sure - the USB .........
> Absolutely I do. I want my designs to last decades after I have shuffled off this mortal coil.


You either forgot the smiley face on that reply, or Chord is gonna have a go at you (products that last that long?).
Fear not, your designs _are _going to last for many years, revolutionary and controversial !
So if scholars don't keep them going, a lot of ASR wanna-be scientists would.
Second earphones port, is way down that list.


----------



## 426563

Chould someone compare the Chrod Mojo 2 against the Cayin RU6?


----------



## dali71

Rob Watts said:


> Why are you asking me? I am completely independent of Chord and the USA distributor. Moreover, I have zero control over GBP/USD exchange rates.


I meant no offense, as I only asked because you are tagged "Member of the trade: Chord Electronics" and I have no idea of the inner workings of your company. If you could point me in the direction of who to ask about this, I would appreciate it.


----------



## Hyde00 (May 1, 2022)

DrSteinein said:


> Chould someone compare the Chrod Mojo 2 against the Cayin RU6?


I'll DM you my comparison.


----------



## Marlowe

Rob Watts said:


> Why are you asking me? I am completely independent of Chord and the USA distributor. Moreover, I have zero control over GBP/USD exchange rates.


I'm sure Mr. Watts has nothing to do with these decisions, but I don't believe they are dependent (or at least not entirely) on the exchange rate of the pound and dollar. At launch, IIRC the Mojo 2's US price ($725) was significantly more than its UK price (£449, I believe) after figuring the exchange rate (TBH, I have not researched the current UK price). Strangely enough, Mojo 2's arguably arch competitor the iFi Gryphon (£599) was more expensive than the Mojo 2 in the UK but cheaper in the US (since it was also 599 in US dollars). I've been debating between these two devices and was already leaning to the Gryphon; this price hike pretty much clinches it if the prices remain relatively the same. (I'm retired on a fixed income so have to space out my purchases. I'm planning on a good IEM this month (probably the Thieaudio Monarch MK II) and the Chord or iFi to drive it sometime in the summer. Until then I'll have to rough it (/sarcasm) with the Cayin RU6.)


----------



## dsrk (May 1, 2022)

DrSteinein said:


> Chould someone compare the Chrod Mojo 2 against the Cayin RU6?


I had RU6 for a week before getting Mojo 2, it's from the memory so please take it with a grain of salt.

They are two different devices aimed at different users.

RU6 sounds good with R2R DAC flavor (organic and analog). It's so smooth you will feel like the treble is recessed but actually it's not. It has enough bass punch but details are definitely not on par with other dongles like iFi Go Blu.
Mojo 2 is neutral sounding and clear upgrade over RU6 with better details and technicalities. You will feel like Mojo 2 may not sound good with bad recording but surprisingly it never sounds harsh.
RU6 has good power for IEMs but Mojo 2 can drive even the demanding headphones which is great for it's size.

When you take the UHD DSP into consideration, there is no contest. NOS/OS on RU6 is no match for UHD DSP.


----------



## 426563

dsrk said:


> I had RU6 for a week before getting Mojo 2, it's from the memory so please take it with a grain of salt.
> 
> They are two different devices aimed at different users.
> 
> ...



I found the RU6 really organic and realism and im bit bored about all the clean Sounding Dac Amps. Maybe there are better in Details but it sounds so dry and  lifeless


----------



## dsrk

DrSteinein said:


> I found the RU6 really organic and realism and im bit bored about all the clean Sounding Dac Amps. Maybe there are better in Details but it sounds so dry and  lifeless


Yes, it is very musical sounding and I liked it better than Go Blu. I always use EQ and I would have kept it if it had EQ like Q5K.


----------



## 426563

I had tried the Go Blue but it sounds worse than anything I've heard with so far. Even my Mi11 Smartphone sounds better there. You have also to consider the Mojo 2 twice the price of the RU6 so im not sure to spend the money. Also thought if it worth to go with the original Mojo. But maybe the RU6 wins here


----------



## dsrk

DrSteinein said:


> I had tried the Go Blue but it sounds worse than anything I've heard with so far. Even my Mi11 Smartphone sounds better there. You have also to consider the Mojo 2 twice the price of the RU6 so im not sure to spend the money. Also thought if it worth to go with the original Mojo. But maybe the RU6 wins here


I never use without EQ so it's hard for me to say if Mojo 2 that much better than RU6 but I can say that RU6 is definitely more musical than Mojo 2.

I used Go Blu with xBass on so, you may be right.


----------



## 426563

I find the Go Blue far too expensive if you limit it to audio quality alone. It goes without saying that it offers these options to conceal the sound. But then I'd rather get a Fiio or even cheaper equivalent and have 90% the same sound quality for half the price. Unfortunately, the sound is so bad for me personally that I'd rather do without something like that until you don't have to make such cuts in the sound quality anymore


----------



## Andrew_WOT (May 1, 2022)

Rob Watts said:


> Sure - the USB decoder noise is a big issue. That's why with Mojo 2 the USB decoder has it's own regulation and RF filters - and these work effectively, as you can get optical and USB to sound identical under the right circumstances.


I don't own Mojo 2 yet, only do pre shopping evaluation, but isn't there reported and known issue with USB "white noise", to the point of some suggesting getting USB/SPDIF converter to bypass USB altogether?

https://www.head-fi.org/search/9252579/?q=white+noise&t=post&c[thread]=885405&o=date


----------



## miketlse

dali71 said:


> I meant no offense, as I only asked because you are tagged "Member of the trade: Chord Electronics" and I have no idea of the inner workings of your company. If you could point me in the direction of who to ask about this, I would appreciate it.


An easy mistake to make.
https://chordelectronics.co.uk/our-team
Rob is an independent consultant.
I presume John, Matt and Colin ultimately decide the wholesale price they sell to the national distributors, who then decide the price they charge the final dealers.


----------



## dali71 (May 1, 2022)

miketlse said:


> An easy mistake to make.
> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/our-team
> Rob is an independent consultant.
> I presume John, Matt and Colin ultimately decide the wholesale price they sell to the national distributors, who then decide the price they charge the final dealers.


@MoonAudio @HeadAmpTeam @Audio46 as US vendors and Head-Fi sponsors, can you give any insight as to the price increase?

***Edit*** I just called Audio46 to ask about this, and was told that the price increase came directly from Chord UK, not the US distributor. The lack of communication from Chord regarding this is disappointing.


----------



## Hyde00

dali71 said:


> @MoonAudio @HeadAmpTeam @Audio46 as US vendors and Head-Fi sponsors, can you give any insight as to the price increase?
> 
> ***Edit*** I just called Audio46 to ask about this, and was told that the price increase came directly from Chord UK, not the US distributor. The lack of communication from Chord regarding this is disappointing.


In this case I'm lucky when I bought mine I bought it through someone from UK. UK price is much lower than US/Canada.


----------



## iDesign (May 2, 2022)

The price increase of the Mojo 2 is unsurprising with record inflation and ahead of a major recession. Buy it and move on.


----------



## AussieMick

Mojo 2 in the house (and yard, and street, and gym) for a month now and it sounds brilliant, being used with LCDi4. The crossfeed is a wonderful tool for classical recordings and some jazz, but for some reason, I prefer most rock and pop without it on. The EQ hasn't had a lot of use as I enjoy the i4 as they come when driven well. However, what I did try with EQ seemed subtle and effective. The M2 is resolving enough to easily tell the difference between sources, but I've only tried USB sources thus far. I'll try optical today and see what improvement there is if any.
It's a terrific product. Not perfect, but terrific regardless.


----------



## ChrisGB

We have extensive inflation in the UK and the European region currently, with energy and fuel prices being a big driver. This has a proportionally greater impact on the cost of transport, which is a key cost of export. I wonder how the cost of the US sourced Xilinx processors has changed recently?

Many UK Hi Fi manufacturers increased their prices in the UK market by around 10% earlier this year and inflation has accelerated since then.

Generally, products from the US, if we can get them here, are much more expensive in the UK. It's the nature of business. To be fair to Chord, their products are assembled in the UK, unlike some of their UK competitors, so in the current local economic conditions, cost and price will be going up more than for someone who manufactures in China.


----------



## surfgeorge

ChrisGB said:


> We have extensive inflation in the UK and the European region currently, with energy and fuel prices being a big driver. This has a proportionally greater impact on the cost of transport, which is a key cost of export. I wonder how the cost of the US sourced Xilinx processors has changed recently?
> 
> Many UK Hi Fi manufacturers increased their prices in the UK market by around 10% earlier this year and inflation has accelerated since then.
> 
> Generally, products from the US, if we can get them here, are much more expensive in the UK. It's the nature of business. To be fair to Chord, their products are assembled in the UK, unlike some of their UK competitors, so in the current local economic conditions, cost and price will be going up more than for someone who manufactures in China.


In addition to the inflation, Xilinx FPGAs are in short supply. I have no way of knowing how it affects CHORD, but I know for a fact that the Xilinx FPGA our company is using is sold by brokers for nearly 100x the list price. I don't want to say more, but you can guess how I know about it.


----------



## deekod

iPhone magsafe wallet case + some pedalboard velcro +  Fiio LT T1 cable makes a great combo with the Mojo 2


----------



## surfgeorge

Information for potential buyers in the EU: 
A shipment of Mojo 2 to my dealer has been rejected by customs and sent back to Chord for additional identification and labelling.
I suspect that this is due to new customs rules:
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/new-customs-rules-for-trade-with-the-eu/
It seems as if products now require a proof or origin to qualify for zero tariff.
Hopefully this will be resolved quickly - I was expecting my Mojo 2 this week...


----------



## Nick24JJ

surfgeorge said:


> Information for potential buyers in the EU:
> A shipment of Mojo 2 to my dealer has been rejected by customs and sent back to Chord for additional identification and labelling.
> I suspect that this is due to new customs rules:
> https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/new-customs-rules-for-trade-with-the-eu/
> ...


Sorry, man..


----------



## paulrbarnard

Nick24JJ said:


> Sorry, man..


I was in Germany a month ago and thinking of picking up a Mojo2. I found a store in Munich that had Mojo2 in stock. I got there the next day and they were sold out…. The store owner told me that there is a new Chord distributor in Germany who seem to know little about the market. The distributor vastly under ordered the Mojo2. The store had tried to place an initial order with the distributor for more units than the distributor had ordered for all of Germany!!
A couple of weeks later I did pick one up at my local Gifu store in the U.K.


----------



## Hyde00

paulrbarnard said:


> I was in Germany a month ago and thinking of picking up a Mojo2. I found a store in Munich that had Mojo2 in stock. I got there the next day and they were sold out…. The store owner told me that there is a new Chord distributor in Germany who seem to know little about the market. The distributor vastly under ordered the Mojo2. The store had tried to place an initial order with the distributor for more units than the distributor had ordered for all of Germany!!
> A couple of weeks later I did pick one up at my local Gifu store in the U.K.


LOL I mean......... considering the price I'd understand, who knew something that cost $700-800 would be so popular and sold out instantly.

I told my non-audiophile relative about he price, and they were in awe that what's so different about it that's better than their $10 Apple dongle.

Also it's not something like "oh maybe I should pick up some Tuna for dinner tonight" and "oh maybe I should pick a Mojo 2 for my music session tonight" LOL.  Not something people pick up on impulse buy.

I hope you guys find one though, my friend last told me last he check (probably before the price hike) Mojo 2 were £450 GBP in UK ($562 USD).  So if guys were able to find it close to that price that would be great.

Just throwing it out there, good luck!


----------



## miketlse

paulrbarnard said:


> The distributor vastly under ordered the Mojo2.


This does happen from time to time.
I think a few years ago the US distributor underestimated for one of the Chord launches.


----------



## AussieMick

I know dealers in Australia couldn’t get as many as they wanted because the distributor couldn’t bring enough in. Just not available in the numbers wanted. Maybe it’s not the distributor’s fault?


----------



## ChrisGB

I'd imagine that Chord have a comparatively limited production capacity, so a product as deservingly popular as the Mojo 2 may have them running at capacity, but behind demand?


----------



## tekkster (May 2, 2022)

Would love for someone to make a metal skeletal case for the mojo2poly combo.  

I guess my experience is different from other folks, but I had the mojo2poly in my jacket pocket while in the leather case and it got awfully warm, borderline hot.  Would love to see a metal skeletal case for it to give as much space to dissipate heat as possible.


----------



## paulrbarnard

AussieMick said:


> I know dealers in Australia couldn’t get as many as they wanted because the distributor couldn’t bring enough in. Just not available in the numbers wanted. Maybe it’s not the distributor’s fault?


Could certainly be the case but the retailer certainly didn’t hold back on who he thought was to blame 😲


----------



## Rob Watts (May 3, 2022)

flyte3333 said:


> With something like M-Scaler with Mojo2, is part of the big improvement in SQ (other than more taps) reducing FPGA noise generated by WTA1 inside Mojo?
> 
> Effectively you are moving that DSP 'work' for WTA1 out of Mojo2 and away from analogue section of Mojo2?



It does make a noticeable but very small improvement - and I know that by using two Daves with the second using the DX OP - but it's nothing like the scale of change that you get from an M scaler.



dali71 said:


> I meant no offense, as I only asked because you are tagged "Member of the trade: Chord Electronics" and I have no idea of the inner workings of your company. If you could point me in the direction of who to ask about this, I would appreciate it.



I see - fair enough, and sorry if my reply was somewhat curt. I have talked about being independent many times, and it's easy to forget that many readers are new to this thread.

I would send Chord support an email to ask about the recent US price increases and ask for an explanation.


----------



## subwoof3r

Hi guys, is there any "difference" in sound quality if connected to micro USB or USB type C for the incoming source ? Or will it be 100% the same (also in term of USB noise) ?


----------



## Kentajalli

subwoof3r said:


> Hi guys, is there any "difference" in sound quality if connected to micro USB or USB type C for the incoming source ? Or will it be 100% the same (also in term of USB noise) ?


Same, goes to same chip and processed the same.


----------



## kela66

Couldn't hear any difference on Mac mini M1.


----------



## DonChuy

Hello everyone, first time I post in this thread.

I bought a Mojo2 + Poly combo with the v3 firmware update and found a bug.

I connected it via Bluetooth to my iPhone 13 pro max and the sound works on some apps but there are other apps where I can't hear anything.

I'm able to hear sound via Bluetooth when I use apps like Netflix, Apple Music, HBO Max, YouTube

I'm NOT able to hear sound via Bluetooth when I use apps such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp

Anybody has seen a similar issue?

One time, while I was listening to the Apple Music app, I went to Instagram and I was able to hear sound from both apps simultaneously. Then I stopped the music to see if I could only hear Instagram, and I couldn't. This is the only app combo where this happened. As far as TikTok, Facebook and WhatsApp, as soon as I go to them, the sound from the Apple Music app stops automatically, and then I can't hear any sound from the other app. I hope someone from Chord Electronics (@Rob Watts)  could take a look at this bug and fix it. 

So far I love the Mojo2+Poly combo but would like to hear sound from ANY app via Bluetooth.  Thanks.


----------



## iDesign (May 3, 2022)

Rob Watts is an independent consultant to Chord Electronics and didn't develop the Poly and has nothing to do with it. There is a separate thread for the Poly with over 17,000 posts about issues and solutions.


----------



## deekod

DonChuy said:


> Hello everyone, first time I post in this thread.
> 
> I bought a Mojo2 + Poly combo with the v3 firmware update and found a bug.
> 
> ...


FWIW I had the same issue using iFi GoBlu - could be an iOS issue?


----------



## DonChuy

deekod said:


> FWIW I had the same issue using iFi GoBlu - could be an iOS issue?


Interesting… before I started using the mojo2-poly combo I was using the iFi GoBlu and the Qudelix 5K and had no issues with either one of them. 

Will see what happens…


----------



## Stevko

I am still considering the Mojo2.
But the white noise issue stops me. Are there a final solution now?


----------



## the teh

I haven't encounter the white noise issue yet


----------



## 529128

Stevko said:


> I am still considering the Mojo2.
> But the white noise issue stops me. Are there a final solution now?


I have had the Mojo 2 since its release. I have never experienced the white noise issue. It's connected to my iPhone 13 via the Fiio usb c - lightning cable.


----------



## AussieMick

I am still considering the Mojo2.


Stevko said:


> But the white noise issue stops me. Are there a final solution now?


I’ve been running mine from iPhone 11, MacBook Pro, iPad and a Windows laptop. I’ve not experienced the white noisier problem once.


----------



## Stevko

@AussieMick @the teh @henrikgadegaard 

It looks like it occurs most on pc\mac,
and when the music change sample rate.

Any of you that use qobus with different sample rate?


----------



## AussieMick

Stevko said:


> @AussieMick @the teh @henrikgadegaard
> 
> It looks like it occurs most on pc\mac,
> and when the music change sample rate.
> ...


I’m exclusively Qobuz for streaming, all sample rates. No problem.


----------



## Stevko

Maybe it works better on ios\andoid?

Any ios user here with white noise issue?


----------



## Ivan Reis

Stevko said:


> Maybe it works better on ios\andoid?
> 
> Any ios user here with white noise issue?



I had problems using iOS and Apple Music.

I switched to iOS and Tidal and the problem disappeared.


----------



## Stevko

Ivan Reis said:


> I had problems using iOS and Apple Music.
> 
> I switched to iOS and Tidal and the problem disappeared.


MMM...


----------



## headfry

Stevko said:


> MMM...


IMO it's nothing to do with the streaming service, I had the issue with OG using Tidal or with Apple Music, and M2 same. The issue, at least for me was the micro-USB connector becoming loose/dislodged. Once I avoided bumping or moving the connector the issue disappeared. 

This issue has been reported with virtually all Chord dacs, including Dave. In my opinion,
it's very overblown although I wonder how the issue happens with 
USB-C cable as that connector goes deep and isn't easily dislodged.

AFAIK hasn't happened with Poly.

Not an issue for me as I don't use on the go portably, use in a stable setup at home.


----------



## Stevko

headfry said:


> IMO it's nothing to do with the streaming service, I had the issue with OG using Tidal or with Apple Music, and M2 same. The issue, at least for me was the micro-USB connector becoming loose/dislodged. Once I avoided bumping or moving the connector the issue disappeared.
> 
> This issue has been reported with virtually all Chord dacs, including Dave. In my opinion,
> it's very overblown although I wonder how the issue happens with
> ...


For me, I only gonna use it at home. Usb-c and tidal\ios .Maybe with win10 sometimes.
But they advertised it as a on the go unit. So it is bad if it don`t work on the go.,cause of bad connection.

Not sure what to do. Need a warmer amp\EQ for my RS2e. Mojo2 can be a good match


----------



## ChrisGB

I only experienced it with my Windows laptop. I suspect it was a problem with the USB driver giving the laptop too much to do. No problem at all with the Android phone, Android DAP or Windows workstation.


----------



## tekkster (May 4, 2022)

I haven’t experienced the white noise issue on the m2.  I did have a wee bit of noise on the original mojo on the 3.5mm jack closer to the buttons (still do, but only with ky most sensitive iems)

since i’ve never had the problem, can’t even guess where that noise issue comes from, but could it be a weakness in the output from the mac or pc?  I had a problem some years ago with an imac running osx yosemite.  Yosemite had something funky going on with the usb driver, but when i got a schiit weird (usb scrubber), the problem went away.  After upgrading to later versions of osx, the problem went away so i didn’t need the schiit wyrd anymore.


----------



## Kentajalli (May 4, 2022)

On my Android phone, running Neutron, with a proper USB cable and string (setting!) neutron hardware buffer to max. it has been over a year or maybe two, I haven't had any issues.
if the player is not misbehaving and cable is decent, it hardly ever happens.


----------



## paulrbarnard

Stevko said:


> @AussieMick @the teh @henrikgadegaard
> 
> It looks like it occurs most on pc\mac,
> and when the music change sample rate.
> ...


I run QoBuz on a MacBook Pro into the mojo2 using USB-C. I’ve listened like this for three or four hours a day over the last two weeks (business trip) and not had a the problem. I’ve also been listening with iphoneX and the lightning camera cable while walking with no problems despite the combo being in a pocket bouncing about on my hip. 

I did have one instance of bad sound which I posted about earlier in this thread. I tracked it down to not having pushed a connector fully in. Unplugging and re plugging cleared it and it has not happened again. The noise was very ‘white noise’ in characteristic so I wonder if my experience is related to the problem.


----------



## Hyde00

I ran into white noise issue once on Windows 10 PC using Spotify, but only once.  Connection is USB-C.


----------



## Stevko

Maybe I should take a chance


----------



## Ivan Reis

headfry said:


> IMO it's nothing to do with the streaming service, I had the issue with OG using Tidal or with Apple Music, and M2 same. The issue, at least for me was the micro-USB connector becoming loose/dislodged. Once I avoided bumping or moving the connector the issue disappeared.
> 
> This issue has been reported with virtually all Chord dacs, including Dave. In my opinion,
> it's very overblown although I wonder how the issue happens with
> ...



Happened to me while I was using Poly....


----------



## deekod

Stevko said:


> I am still considering the Mojo2.
> But the white noise issue stops me. Are there a final solution now?


No issues with white noise


henrikgadegaard said:


> I have had the Mojo 2 since its release. I have never experienced the white noise issue. It's connected to my iPhone 13 via the Fiio usb c - lightning cable.


 same here


----------



## subwoof3r

anybody have a suggestion for a good (but cheap) audiophile usb type-C cable please ?


----------



## 529128

henrikgadegaard said:


> I have had the Mojo 2 since its release. I have never experienced the white noise issue. It's connected to my iPhone 13 via the Fiio usb c - lightning cable.


And I have been using it on my Windows computer extensively on both Spotify and Qobuz, switching in-between them and with different bitrates in Qobuz. Never had a problem. 

I am not saying the white noise issue does not exist but negative experiences tend to gain more traction on places like this.


----------



## dsrk

subwoof3r said:


> anybody have a suggestion for a good (but cheap) audiophile usb type-C cable please ?


Ddhifi tc05


----------



## AussieMick

subwoof3r said:


> anybody have a suggestion for a good (but cheap) audiophile usb type-C cable please ?


Anything from AudioQuest. The Cinnamon seems popular, but even the Forest.


----------



## kela66

No noise issues on the Mac mini M1 (both USB ports) or iPhone 13.


----------



## iDesign (May 5, 2022)

Stevko said:


> @AussieMick @the teh @henrikgadegaard
> 
> It looks like it occurs most on pc\mac,
> and when the music change sample rate.
> ...


It isn’t well correlated to sample rates. I have had the issue in the middle of playing a track and many others have reported it occurred while playing an album with the same sample rates. In my experience, the white noise is always in the left channel.


----------



## dsrk

iDesign said:


> It isn’t well correlated to sample rates. I have had the issue in the middle of playing a track and many others have reported it occurred while playing an album with the same sample rates. In my experience, the white noise is always in the left channel.


Yes, the white noise not just with switching between sample rates. It's random and sometimes it occurs at the beginning of the track or when I press pause and play. 

Good thing for me is that it hasn't occurred to me on my windows 10 PC.

Tell you the truth I am not bothered by it anymore after reading many reports here.


----------



## iDesign (May 5, 2022)

dsrk said:


> Yes, the white noise not just with switching between sample rates. It's random and sometimes it occurs at the beginning of the track or when I press pause and play.
> 
> Good thing for me is that it hasn't occurred to me on my windows 10 PC.
> 
> Tell you the truth I am not bothered by it anymore after reading many reports here.


I think the worry for some people are the hearing damage risks with in ear monitors or owners who use expensive speakers or headphones like the Utopia which are already prone to driver failures. Remember, the issue exists with all Chord DACs since they share the same USB code. Ultimately it needs to be resolved by Chord and their DACs should have been designed to mute when the USB synchronization fails.


----------



## Stevko

iDesign said:


> It isn’t well correlated to sample rates. I have had the issue in the middle of playing a track and many others have reported it occurred while playing an album with the same sample rates. In my experience, the white noise is always in the left channel.


Do you use it on the go? Or did it happend on your desktop?
After the last posts in here. I think it is better to go for the new earman or someting from ifi.

But I like the Mojo. Nice design,powerful,small, desktop mode, no MQA, made in GB, sounds good....

So if they fix the usb. I`ll take it


----------



## dsrk

iDesign said:


> I think the worry for some people are the hearing damage risks with in ear monitors or owners who use expensive speakers or headphones like the Utopia which are already prone to driver failures. Remember, the issue exists with all Chord DACs since they share the same USB code. Ultimately it needs to be resolved by Chord and their DACs should have been designed to mute when the USB synchronization fails.


I agree, it can be serious problem for others.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Stevko said:


> Do you use it on the go? Or did it happend on your desktop?
> After the last posts in here. I think it is better to go for the new earman or someting from ifi.
> 
> But I like the Mojo. Nice design,powerful,small, desktop mode, no MQA, made in GB, sounds good....
> ...


I've also encountered this white noise, twice, so far. See here and my posts afterwards. After changing some settings in Windows Sound, I've not had that horrible white noise but I am not using my Mojo 2 much. Maybe once per week, lately. So, I cannot really tell if it's gone away. This white noise issue can only be fixed with a device replacement, because the Mojo cannot receive firmware updates. I really like the Mojo 2 and for me it sounds amazing! But I have never heard the Gryphon. iFi has two very active Reps in here. They monitor the respective threads, they respond to queries, they  update their firmware often. I do not regret buying the Mojo 2 at £450, I like the leather case, too. I believe that it will last me many years.


----------



## vmiguel

subwoof3r said:


> anybody have a suggestion for a good (but cheap) audiophile usb type-C cable please ?


QED has a new budget line.


----------



## Derivative

subwoof3r said:


> anybody have a suggestion for a good (but cheap) audiophile usb type-C cable please ?


I use a Lindy USB A to C cable, specifically this one: https://www.lindy.co.uk//cables-ada...-cable-10gbps-5a-pd-anthra-line-p11704/s11864

Cheap, well made and works perfectly.


----------



## MickBenjamins

What's all this white noise talk? When does this occur, and how many people are affected?

What is Chord's answer to it?


----------



## WorksUnit

In terms of USB I used cheap cables in desktop mode with Amazon HD. No white noise, except on one occasion when cycling the EQ and crossfeed silly rapid.


----------



## headfry (May 5, 2022)

MickBenjamins said:


> What's all this white noise talk? When does this occur, and how many people are affected?
> 
> What is Chord's answer to it?


In my opinion, having used the original for five years and the Mojo 2 for a few months,
totally overblown and a non-issue for most users, as long as the cable connector isn't dislodged during playback (which with micro-USB can be very easy due to the tiny connector).

Having said this, I think that the Mojo 2 is for users who value 
the best possible sound and musical quality over other considerations,
such as price, features (although the eq and crossfeed are great) or versatility.

...I love mine!


----------



## RPJ12

Anyone had any issues with the optical cable input? I had been using mine on my desk with optical as the input and when I removed the cable to take the M2 with me, the door was broke and the metal piece was stuck in the end of the cable.


----------



## vlach

RPJ12 said:


> Anyone had any issues with the optical cable input? I had been using mine on my desk with optical as the input and when I removed the cable to take the M2 with me, the door was broke and the metal piece was stuck in the end of the cable.


Is it still under warranty?


----------



## MickBenjamins

headfry said:


> In my opinion, having used the original for five years and the Mojo 2 for a few months,
> totally overblown and a non-issue for most users, as long as the cable connector isn't dislodged during playback (which with micro-USB can be very easy due to the tiny connector).
> 
> Having said this, I think that the Mojo 2 is for users who value
> ...


That is great to hear, thank you!


----------



## Stevko

so no white noise with usb-c? only mico usb ?


----------



## Rebel Chris

I had noise with both connectors due to bad quality cables. Still happy with the sound and the glowing balls, haha


----------



## dsrk

RPJ12 said:


> Anyone had any issues with the optical cable input? I had been using mine on my desk with optical as the input and when I removed the cable to take the M2 with me, the door was broke and the metal piece was stuck in the end of the cable.


I broke the doors of the optical ports on my DAC and PC when I was trying to insert the optical cable into the ports. They are not locking in now, I am very careful with Mojo 2 so it's fine for now.

If we not careful they are easily broken.


----------



## Ranathum

Hi,

Does anyone here is using mojo 2 with Vision Ears PHöNIX?  Good match?


----------



## PhenixS1970

Anyone know the output voltage depending on the colors of volume buttons? Asking to use it as a dac with external headphone amps.  Thanks in advance.


----------



## chesebert

PhenixS1970 said:


> Anyone know the output voltage depending on the colors of volume buttons? Asking to use it as a dac with external headphone amps.  Thanks in advance.


Somewhere around blue/purple sounds about right. 🤣


----------



## PhenixS1970

chesebert said:


> Somewhere around blue/purple sounds about right. 🤣


I can do that


----------



## Hyde00

PhenixS1970 said:


> I can do that


Somewhere in this thread someone mentioned max is 3v and something 2 or 3 tick down is 2v which is closer to what other dac normally outputs.

Again we're at 279 pages now so........ I'll just say I agree between blue/purple sounds about right LOL.


----------



## PhenixS1970

Lol thanks a lot both of you 😀.


----------



## Kentajalli (May 7, 2022)

*RE; USB cables, Connections, White noise blasts*
It may be un-related, but it may help some folk regarding their USB connections, possible white noise blasts etc.

*Background*
A while ago, I got myself a 1TB USB stick made by Patriot, that is supposed to be super fast! claimed read/write of over 300MB a second!
I some times got speeds that fast, but sometimes it would revert to slower speeds of about 100+ MB/s read and less than 100MB/s write, which was annoying.
So I used a software to check the speed,
It would start at 250+ , but at some point it would drop to about 100+ and then settle at about 80MB/s !! It would also get hot - so I implemented a heatsink from copper plates on both sides and some thermal pads.




It helped with heat dissipation but ultimately the speeds were all over the place. I checked it on my Android phone (with a converter) and the results showed similar pattern.
As a last resort, I thought I clean the plugs and sockets. I have a can of DeoxIT F5 which is a super-duper contact cleaner. After properly applying it and waiting for a few minutes to fully clean the USB plugs and sockets, I tried again.
*WOW!*
to my surprise, the speeds jumped to over 300MB/s reading and writing! and stayed up there. I tried a 32GB test file and the write curve stayed flat (ish) above 300MB/s all the way!



  
*Dirty USB contacts make a difference!*
the unit/PC kept adjusting the speeds when there were package drops, since writing and reading to external drives has error correction applied to them.
I wonder if the same phenomena is interfering with USB connection to DACs and creating data package drops which results in white noise blasts.


----------



## seadog123 (May 8, 2022)

Had the Mojo2 for a few weeks now. Oh my what a fantastic DAC it is too , had a Cobalt before and this has wiped the floor with that one, it’s now sold. I have 64 Audio U12T and I got them and was very underwhelmed with them TBH……..until I put this bad boy in the chain.

 I’ve had a Hugo TT2 before and I swear this is at least equal or better to that with IEM’s. Better as in more engaging and downright fun, not strictly better in a technical sense.

It was literally an OMG moment…… “so THATS what they can do with a real top shelf portable DAC.”


----------



## subwoof3r

seadog123 said:


> Had the Mojo2 for a few weeks now. Oh my what a fantastic DAC it is too , had a Cobalt before and this has wiped the floor with that one, it’s now sold. I have 64 Audio U12T and I got them and was very underwhelmed with them TBH……..until I put this bad boy in the chain.
> 
> I’ve had a Hugo TT2 before and I swear this is at least equal or better to that with IEM’s. Better as in more engaging and downright fun, not strictly better in a technical sense.
> 
> It was literally an OMG moment…… “so THATS what they can do with a real top shelf portable DAC.”


do you use a custom USB cable or the included stock one ?


----------



## seadog123

subwoof3r said:


> do you use a custom USB cable or the included stock one ?


The stock one.


----------



## subwoof3r

oh, I think I just reached a white noise issue aswell for the first time.
I was randomsly watching some videos and then suddenly a huge white noise as soon as a sound needs to be played.
I had to turn off and on my unit to solve the issue. I hope everything will be fine for the next days or I will probably return my unit then to be fixed.


----------



## headfry (May 9, 2022)

subwoof3r said:


> oh, I think I just reached a white noise issue aswell for the first time.
> I was randomsly watching some videos and then suddenly a huge white noise as soon as a sound needs to be played.
> I had to turn off and on my unit to solve the issue. I hope everything will be fine for the next days or I will probably return my unit then to be fixed.


AFAIK it's not anything wrong with the unit, they all do it. In my experience and opinion, it's happened only when the USB connector got bumped/loosened during playback.....this is after using OG for many years and M2 for almost 3 months (there could be other reasons but I haven't experienced them....)

Can happen with either unit if the above occurs, so I'm careful not to now and using on a desktop.


----------



## DavidYH328

PhenixS1970 said:


> Lol thanks a lot both of you 😀.


Hi I see you have both the SR25 and Mojo2, how do they compare in sound? I have the SR25 and was wondering if the Mojo 2 is a clear upgrade over it despite being similarly priced.


----------



## tombrisbane

I somehow stumbled onto some Mojo2 YouTube videos, ended up watching Rob Watts canjam video which resulted in me purchasing one  looking forward to trying it out, I’ve been using my ZX507 for portable music (unless I’m using a TWS) so will be interesting to compare!


----------



## DavidYH328

tombrisbane said:


> I somehow stumbled onto some Mojo2 YouTube videos, ended up watching Rob Watts canjam video which resulted in me purchasing one  looking forward to trying it out, I’ve been using my ZX507 for portable music (unless I’m using a TWS) so will be interesting to compare!


Brisbane as in Qld?! Please do compare with your topping 90 combo. Owning the A90 I’m genuinely curious. TIA


----------



## tombrisbane

DavidYH328 said:


> Brisbane as in Qld?! Please do compare with your topping 90 combo. Owning the A90 I’m genuinely curious. TIA


Yep - Brisbane, Queensland  will definitely compare with my topping stack


----------



## DavidYH328

tombrisbane said:


> Yep - Brisbane, Queensland  will definitely compare with my topping stack


Oh man same here! I’m thinking of pairing mojo 2 with IERZ1R and Clear so I’ll pleasantly wait for your impressions!


----------



## PhenixS1970

DavidYH328 said:


> Hi I see you have both the SR25 and Mojo2, how do they compare in sound? I have the SR25 and was wondering if the Mojo 2 is a clear upgrade over it despite being similarly priced.


Hi David.  SR25 (mk1) has a warm detailed sound signature and adding Mojo 2 expands the soundstage, detail and punch.  To my ears a worthy upgrade and gives another flavor.  This duo sounds so good I do not have an urge to invest in a $ high end DAP (also have paw 6000, pocket friendly) As both devices have a similar width they are also easy to stack (see picture).


----------



## dsrk

PhenixS1970 said:


> Hi David.  SR25 (mk1) has a warm detailed sound signature and adding Mojo 2 expands the soundstage, detail and punch.  To my ears a worthy upgrade and gives another flavor.  This duo sounds so good I do not have an urge to invest in a $ high end DAP (also have paw 6000, pocket friendly) As both devices have a similar width they are also easy to stack (see picture).


If you are using M2 with multiple DAPs, I would suggest you to get 3M command strips. It works better than velcro IMO.


----------



## tombrisbane

DavidYH328 said:


> Oh man same here! I’m thinking of pairing mojo 2 with IERZ1R and Clear so I’ll pleasantly wait for your impressions!


Nice! 

I’ll try it out with both of them for you, should be here tomorrow according to Aus Post.  Thought it might have been today (made it from Sydney overnight) but then it’s been sat at their distribution centre all day 😑


----------



## DavidYH328

tombrisbane said:


> Nice!
> 
> I’ll try it out with both of them for you, should be here tomorrow according to Aus Post.  Thought it might have been today (made it from Sydney overnight) but then it’s been sat at their distribution centre all day 😑


Yeah it happens if it’s not express post/is express post but there’s heavy rain  I was just emailing minidisc today for their opinions lol. Thanks appreciate it


----------



## Sirch

As an owner of an original Mojo, for a while I hesitated to buy a Mojo 2 due to reviews and comments that mostly seemed to indicate a modest improvement in sound quality.  

Note: except for Qobuz streaming, all my digital playback is via PGGB upsampled files at 32/705 or 32/768.

About a month after installing the Mojo 2 in my main system, I find its performance easily eclipses that of the original Mojo in every respect except imaging.  I consider the Mojo 2 a terrific upgrade, well worth the additional cost.

(My system includes Audirvana/Roon via headless Mac mini > Belkin USB-C > Mojo 2 > Audioquest Big Sur i/c > naim NAP160 amp > naim NACA5 speaker cable > Spendor SP2/3 w/'r' crossovers and Hiquphon OW1 tweeters + stereo REL subwoofers.)


----------



## jarnopp

Sirch said:


> As an owner of an original Mojo, for a while I hesitated to buy a Mojo 2 due to reviews and comments that mostly seemed to indicate a modest improvement in sound quality.
> 
> Note: except for Qobuz streaming, all my digital playback is via PGGB upsampled files at 32/705 or 32/768.
> 
> ...


Have you tried the crossfeed settings?


----------



## headfry (May 11, 2022)

Sirch said:


> As an owner of an original Mojo, for a while I hesitated to buy a Mojo 2 due to reviews and comments that mostly seemed to indicate a modest improvement in sound quality.
> 
> Note: except for Qobuz streaming, all my digital playback is via PGGB upsampled files at 32/705 or 32/768.
> 
> ...


that's what I've and most others that I've read have been saying....well worth the expense, great upgrade over the original. Nothing modest about the technical/music upgrades at all!

Also, in my system using various headphones imaging is much better, no comparison. Huge.

Congrats, enjoy!


----------



## Lyssky

headfry said:


> that's what I've and most others that I've read have been saying....well worth the expense, great upgrade over the original. Nothing modest about the technical/music upgrades at all!
> 
> Also, in my system using various headphones imaging is much better, no comparison. Huge.
> 
> Congrats, enjoy!


Bass oh my bass. It’s much more than addictive. (And btw that turn on/off click is pure ASMR, each time gives me delight)


----------



## captblaze

Now that the price has gone from $725 usd to $845 usd…

How likely are you to buy at the new price or willthe used market be a better choice?


----------



## Kentajalli

captblaze said:


> Now that the price has gone from $725 usd to $845 usd…
> 
> How likely are you to buy at the new price or willthe used market be a better choice?


Too early for Mojo2 used market!
Unless you mean the used market prices for Hugo2! 
in that case if the gap narrows, there would be the choice between facilities or ultimate sound quality.
Hugo2 will win on the later, while Mojo2 is the winner on facilities, convenience ....


----------



## headfry (May 11, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> Too early for Mojo2 used market!
> Unless you mean the used market prices for Hugo2!
> in that case if the gap narrows, there would be the choice between facilities or ultimate sound quality.
> Hugo2 will win on the later, while Mojo2 is the winner on facilities, convenience ....


I may be in the minority but I think I would prefer Mojo 2 to H2....when I auditioned
the latter a few years ago with my headphones the improved technicalities were there -
much bigger soundstage, higher detail/resolution.....but for the price I wasn't interested
in upgrading my Mojo. There's something magical IMO with the Mojo 2
in my setup w/the overall balance achieved, so musically satisfying to me!


----------



## Sirch

jarnopp said:


> Have you tried the crossfeed settings?


Sorry, haven't gotten around to headphone listening or EQ yet.  Too much fun right out of the box.


----------



## Alan Billington

Sirch said:


> As an owner of an original Mojo, for a while I hesitated to buy a Mojo 2 due to reviews and comments that mostly seemed to indicate a modest improvement in sound quality.
> 
> Note: except for Qobuz streaming, all my digital playback is via PGGB upsampled files at 32/705 or 32/768.
> 
> ...


Fantastic to hear there’s more love in the Mojo 2 camp! Interesting to see you’re not getting improvements yet on imaging? Oh my days I loved the M1 but it sounded completely 2dimensional, I knew I’d need to upgrade. M2 solved it instantly placing everything on a stage in front of me. I wonder if other components in your system might be hampering imaging? Like you say try headphones at some point too to see if it helps. Enjoy!


----------



## tekkster

Kentajalli said:


> Too early for Mojo2 used market!
> Unless you mean the used market prices for Hugo2!
> in that case if the gap narrows, there would be the choice between facilities or ultimate sound quality.
> Hugo2 will win on the later, while Mojo2 is the winner on facilities, convenience ....


It’s a tough call between the two.  
i confess that the eq on the mojo 2 is addicting

the h2 capabilities are great.

i have both and find myself using the mojo2 much more.  It still sort of shocks me how much i enjoy the sound from the mojo 2 for classical symphonies.  It doesn’t seem like it should be possible.  Whereas with the h2, as amazing as it is, i “expect“ it.

continues to blow my mind.


----------



## tombrisbane

Just received mine, my initial impression after 4 tracks is "OK, I get what people are going on about with Chord products!'


----------



## VancityDreaming

tombrisbane said:


> Just received mine, my initial impression after 4 tracks is "OK, I get what people are going on about with Chord products!'


How does the Mojo 2 compare to the ta-zh1es when using the IER-Z1R? Thanks!


----------



## subwoof3r

I had the "wow" effect too 2 weeks ago when I received my unit but since few days I do not feels the same, looke like it sounds normal/boring to me again, but maybe its just my brain getting used to this level of sound quality  (or maybe I'm listening when a bit tired so brain is not at 100%). Maybe I need to get back to my previous EarStudio ES100 MK2 to convince me again ^^


----------



## Lyssky

subwoof3r said:


> I had the "wow" effect too 2 weeks ago when I received my unit but since few days I do not feels the same, looke like it sounds normal/boring to me again, but maybe its just my brain getting used to this level of sound quality  (or maybe I'm listening when a bit tired so brain is not at 100%). Maybe I need to get back to my previous EarStudio ES100 MK2 to convince me again ^^


Yea related to your brain learning but also now that you acclimated, you may not be paying the initial attention which was due to your new toy syndrome. But I must say I am still horny, can’t get enough, maybe it’s due to the fact that I’m hearing some details that I’ve not heard before, listening songs from my childhood, rediscovering them.


----------



## AussieMick

Does anyone else feel that their Mojo 2 clicked into gear after 20 or so hours of use? More depth and warmth, detail better embedded in the soundstage?


----------



## MickBenjamins

subwoof3r said:


> I had the "wow" effect too 2 weeks ago when I received my unit but since few days I do not feels the same, looke like it sounds normal/boring to me again, but maybe its just my brain getting used to this level of sound quality  (or maybe I'm listening when a bit tired so brain is not at 100%). Maybe I need to get back to my previous EarStudio ES100 MK2 to convince me again ^^


Isnt that where the EQ can come into play? To tailor the sound to how you want it to hear at that point?


----------



## AmanPreet

AussieMick said:


> Does anyone else feel that their Mojo 2 clicked into gear after 20 or so hours of use? More depth and warmth, detail better embedded in the soundstage?


Felt that way while first-time use. Maybe not 20 hours for me but definitely has improved from the first day of listening compared to a couple of days into listening. (Enjoying Mojo2 for 2 months now).

Cheers.


----------



## dsrk

subwoof3r said:


> I had the "wow" effect too 2 weeks ago when I received my unit but since few days I do not feels the same, looke like it sounds normal/boring to me again, but maybe its just my brain getting used to this level of sound quality  (or maybe I'm listening when a bit tired so brain is not at 100%). Maybe I need to get back to my previous EarStudio ES100 MK2 to convince me again ^^


It hits everyone at some point of time
If you have multiple sources/headphones, it can help in these situations. Whenever I feel boring, I will change the headphones or source.


Lyssky said:


> Yea related to your brain learning but also now that you acclimated, you may not be paying the initial attention which was due to your new toy syndrome. But I must say I am still horny, can’t get enough, maybe it’s due to the fact that I’m hearing some details that I’ve not heard before, listening songs from my childhood, rediscovering them.


Yes, it is very normal with everyone going through all of their favorite collection whenever we get new DAP/DAC or headphones.


----------



## rlanger

Kentajalli said:


> Depends what matters to you the most.
> Mojo classic is capable, can drive EDXS . EDXS is Sundara on steroids, just about everything is more and better.
> EDXS is also better at imaging! and here is where you would benefit from M2. Also bass definition is better on M2.
> M2 other facilities (EQ, crossfeed etc.) were wasted on me, but you may really need them.
> ...



Ok, so I ignored your advice (well, not really) and went for the M2 instead of the EXS. The reason? The M2 came up on my local used online market before the EXS so I decided to jump on it.

And... I'm absolutely over the moon. I loved the OG Mojo for its ability to deliver the first fatigue-free sound experience without having to resort to EQ for me, along with beautiful clarity and imaging, and pure listening joy. But this was best achieved using Exclusive Mode, which meant I had to give up the Bass Shelf I was using in Peace to compensate for the Sundara's slight lack of bass impact.

M2's EQ solves that problem better than I ever could've imagined. You could probably turn the Sundaras into bass canons using the M2's EQ if you wanted to, but I find 1dB @ 20Hz and 3dB @ 125Hz is perfect for the kind of music I listen to.

So, now the plan is to skip the Edition XS and wait for the Arya SE to start appearing on my local used marketplace. I've already seen 2 or 3 pairs come and go, but they sell quickly, and I need to replenish the Audio Fund before pulling the trigger. Thankfully, with Mojo2, the wait will be an easy one.


----------



## tezla7

Anyone tried a different power supply with Mojo 2?
High quality switching power supply or linear psu?
Cables?


----------



## headfry

tezla7 said:


> Anyone tried a different power supply with Mojo 2?
> High quality switching power supply or linear psu?
> Cables?


On the topic of cables....I use an AQ Jitterbug with the Curious Hugo Link,
really enjoy the sound, for me a massive upgrade!


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

AussieMick said:


> Does anyone else feel that their Mojo 2 clicked into gear after 20 or so hours of use? More depth and warmth, detail better embedded in the soundstage?



For me it was at 18 hours 45 minutes


----------



## Nostoi

AussieMick said:


> Does anyone else feel that their Mojo 2 clicked into gear after 20 or so hours of use? More depth and warmth, detail better embedded in the soundstage?


As with all Chord DACs - no change whatsoever. Sounded great fresh out of the box, still sounded great after months of use.


----------



## Lyssky

AnalogEuphoria said:


> For me it was at 18 hours 45 minutes


Well that’s a confident answer


----------



## deafLovesMusic

AussieMick said:


> Does anyone else feel that their Mojo 2 clicked into gear after 20 or so hours of use? More depth and warmth, detail better embedded in the soundstage?


The Mojo 2 clicked right after 20 seconds into my gear when I tested it the first time.
Ok, my setup is quite simple: Samsung Galaxy A52 + Chord Mojo 2 + Austrian Audio Hi-X60/65.


----------



## zeluiz22

Love the Mojo2. Find me a DAP that does EQ like this. I can run brighter phones like DCA Stealth and adjust or my go to 64 Duo and adjust.


----------



## Hellhammer (May 13, 2022)

PhenixS1970 said:


> Hi David.  SR25 (mk1) has a warm detailed sound signature and adding Mojo 2 expands the soundstage, detail and punch.  To my ears a worthy upgrade and gives another flavor.  This duo sounds so good I do not have an urge to invest in a $ high end DAP (also have paw 6000, pocket friendly) As both devices have a similar width they are also easy to stack (see picture).


How would you compare Mojo 2 vs PAW 6000 sound wise?

I currently am in the market for a pocketable and neutral tuned source and can't decide  between those two

Thanks


----------



## rlanger (May 13, 2022)

Listening to Waltz for Debby on HQPlayer (trial) through Roon (60-day trial from purchasing Mojo 2) and even through my Hifiman Sundaras, I have to say I've never heard anything so beautiful.

If I close my eyes, I almost feel like I'm back in 1961 at the Village Vanguard.

Is there better, more resolving gear out there? Absolutely. But at moments like this, none of that really matters.

Thanks to all of the music-loving engineers from Chord, Roon, HQPlayer, and Hifiman who have made this moment possible.


----------



## zeluiz22

Is LeFaro on your left or right?


----------



## rlanger

zeluiz22 said:


> Is LeFaro on your left or right?


Just in front of me to my left. I can reach out and touch him.


----------



## zeluiz22

Just checking... the record is incredible Have the “complete VV” on vinyl and CD.


----------



## rlanger

zeluiz22 said:


> Just checking... the record is incredible Have the “complete VV” on vinyl and CD.


It truly is. I've been listening to it for more than 30 years since I first heard back when I was studying jazz guitar in my undergrad days. 

I too had it on vinyl and CD, but those versions are long-gone unfortunately, as I got rid of all my physical media before I moved to Japan 7 years ago. Didn't want to ship all of it.


----------



## tekkster (May 13, 2022)

Nostoi said:


> As with all Chord DACs - no change whatsoever. Sounded great fresh out of the box, still sounded great after months of use.


Agreed.  no change for me either


zeluiz22 said:


> Love the Mojo2. Find me a DAP that does EQ like this. I can run brighter phones like DCA Stealth and adjust or my go to 64 Duo and adjust.


I do eq with a bunch of headphones on the mojo2, but for my personal sound preferences, haven’t felt the need to eq yet with the dca stealth.  Really great combo for the music i listen to.   
my only fear is popping in some iems one day and forgetting to drop the volume after using the stealth.


----------



## tekkster

rlanger said:


> Listening to Waltz for Debby on HQPlayer (trial) through Roon (60-day trial from purchasing Mojo 2) and even through my Hifiman Sundaras, I have to say I've never heard anything so beautiful.
> 
> If I close my eyes, I almost feel like I'm back in 1961 at the Village Vanguard.
> 
> ...


Village vanguard, nice.  My old stomping grounds in the late 80’s.  Can’t imagine what it was like in its heyday in the 60’s.


----------



## rlanger (May 14, 2022)

tekkster said:


> Village vanguard, nice.  My old stomping grounds in the late 80’s.  Can’t imagine what it was like in its heyday in the 60’s.



I'm now at the Palais des Sports in 1977 (Seconds Out) listening Genesis play The Cinema Show.

Come join me.


----------



## wwyjoe (May 14, 2022)

Hi everyone. I’m streaming Tidal or Apple Music from my Mojo2poly to iPhone via Airplay at home (wifi) or on-the-go (mobile hotspot).

Most of my tracks in Apple Music are Lossless quality (16/44.1), and few tracks in High Res Lossless.

As for Tidal, most of my tracks are MQA quality.

Technically speaking, which would give better sound quality when streaming with Airplay? Tidal or Apple Music?


----------



## the teh (May 14, 2022)

AnalogEuphoria said:


> For me it was at 18 hours 45 minutes


I forgot to turn it off for a night and it was toasty. After that event many micro details came out. Stuff like jazz pianist suppresed humming during improv in Stacy Kents or the soft clanging noise in Hans Zimmer Why so serious sub-bass movement.


----------



## tekkster

rlanger said:


> I'm now at the Palais des Sports in 1977 (Seconds Out) listening Genesis play The Cinema Show.
> 
> Come join me.


Ahhh, nice.  

I'm listening to Tommy Flanagan's Let's Play the Music of Thad Jones (1993)
The dynamic range on the first song, Let's, is just incredible, every percussive tap, every piano note.  the resonance of the bass.  Just remarkable.

In the past, only the H2 (the most expensive dac I own) could bring out the transients of this incredible album.  And now, the Mojo 2.

The Mojo 2 continues to blow my mind.

(poly-m2-dcastealth)


----------



## tombrisbane (May 14, 2022)

wwyjoe said:


> Hi everyone. I’m streaming Tidal or Apple Music from my Mojo2poly to iPhone via Airplay at home (wifi) or on-the-go (mobile hotspot).
> 
> Most of my tracks in Apple Music are Lossless quality (16/44.1), and few tracks in High Res Lossless.
> 
> ...



You wouldn’t get any benefit from the MQA files so would probably go with Apple Lossless.   Maybe try a couple of the same album to see if there is an audible difference? I’m using the Qobuz trial that came with the Mojo 2 at the moment and preferring it over Tidal.

Listening to Florence + The Machine new album now and the detail the Mojo2 pulls out is amazing.


----------



## halloweenman (May 14, 2022)

@Rob Watts Hi Rob, thank you for the music. I've been enjoying my original Hugo TT for many years now.

Just wanted to ask if the lossless DSP feature is going to be implemented in future versions of Hugo or Hugo TT?

I would find this useful for fine tuning problematic room acoustics, reducing bass energy from large full range speakers. Lossless DSP would be a godsend in this regard.


----------



## Rob Watts

halloweenman said:


> @Rob Watts Hi Rob, thank you for the music. I've been enjoying my original Hugo TT for many years now.
> 
> Just wanted to ask if the lossless DSP feature is going to be implemented in future versions of Hugo or Hugo TT?
> 
> I would find this useful for fine tuning problematic room acoustics, reducing bass energy from large full range speakers. Lossless DSP would be a godsend in this regard.


Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to discuss future product replacements or plans. But having said that, I wouldn't have spent all the time and effort that went into Mojo 2 UHD DSP without thinking of future applications! Particularly now after how well it has been received.

Of course, as you get better transducers, the need for EQ diminishes - I have no great need to EQ my DCA Stealth or my B&W 803 D3. But one of the main reasons to do this was to give users flexibility - you can often see post saying product x is way to dark, and the next post complaining how bright it is. So giving people the option of changing what you hear without any compromises I think is a potential game changer.


----------



## dsrk

Rob Watts said:


> But one of the main reasons to do this was to give users flexibility - you can often see post saying product x is way to dark, and the next post complaining how bright it is. So giving people the option of changing what you hear without any compromises I think is a potential game changer.


Absolutely, UHD DSP is definitely a game changer, that's the prime reason why I bought Mojo 2 blindly.

It's a shame that many makers are running behind the specs SNR/DNR/THD which are beyond human hearing. A properly implemented EQ really helps.


----------



## zeluiz22

wwyjoe said:


> Hi everyone. I’m streaming Tidal or Apple Music from my Mojo2poly to iPhone via Airplay at home (wifi) or on-the-go (mobile hotspot).
> 
> Most of my tracks in Apple Music are Lossless quality (16/44.1), and few tracks in High Res Lossless.
> 
> ...


I suspect the quality would be the same since AirPlay 2 is the last step in the signal.


----------



## PhenixS1970

Hellhammer said:


> How would you compare Mojo 2 vs PAW 6000 sound wise?
> 
> I currently am in the market for a pocketable and neutral tuned source and can't decide  between those two
> 
> Thanks


6000 sounds a touch warmer but Mojo 2 tops it imo.  I bought my 6000 a year ago and considering its age now looking ahead I would consider M2 better value (6000 return when selling one day would be low I think). Ovbiously 6000 is far more pocket friendly and the build quality is top notch.  Suprisingly I found streaming from my iphone to 6000 BT really good.


----------



## daniel2022 (May 14, 2022)

Hi,

I would like to ask, if any of you notice a light leakeage on the Mojo 2 sides, as in the picture attached.

Many thanks.

Note: I only see it on one side (where the headphone connections are, as in the picture), and directly around the usb ports.


----------



## Andrew_WOT (May 14, 2022)

Reminds me of Jeremy Clarkson's story of how German and British engineers test their cars by leaving cat in overnight.


----------



## tezla7

daniel2022 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I would like to ask, if any of you notice a light leakeage on the Mojo 2 sides, as in the picture attached.
> 
> ...


Sorry can't comment on light leak but looks like a Shure cable for IEMs.  I bought Linum Superbax for my SE846 and it changed the game.  Think they discontinued the superbax in MMCX connector but still doing other similar cables.  Not cheap but, definitely one of the best cable replacements I ever did.


----------



## paulrbarnard

daniel2022 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I would like to ask, if any of you notice a light leakeage on the Mojo 2 sides, as in the picture attached.
> 
> ...


Not on mine.


----------



## Nick24JJ

daniel2022 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I would like to ask, if any of you notice a light leakeage on the Mojo 2 sides, as in the picture attached.
> 
> ...


I notice it, too. It is very very subtle, I observe it towards the left side, left headphone output, and if I squeeze it on that side, the gap is closing. I cannot see any light leakage around the USB ports. 

It's nothing to worry about, I think


----------



## Progisus

Nick24JJ said:


> I notice it, too. It is very very subtle, I observe it towards the left side, left headphone output, and if I squeeze it on that side, the gap is closing. I cannot see any light leakage around the USB ports.
> 
> It's nothing to worry about, I think


Should be good as long as the smoke doesn’t get out.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Progisus said:


> Should be good as long as the smoke doesn’t get out.


Really? Inform the original poster then, do not quote me...


----------



## LykkeligLyd

I’m using my IPhone 13 Pro Max connected to M2 by usb + camera-adapter. I mainly use Apple Music and Plex. I’m considering trying Neutron Music Player instead of Plex. Any experience to share?

Is there any difference between my iPhone and an iPod 7.th gen?


----------



## dsrk

daniel2022 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I would like to ask, if any of you notice a light leakeage on the Mojo 2 sides, as in the picture attached.
> 
> ...


No leak on mine.


----------



## daniel2022

Hi,

Another question. It just happened today, twice. The first time I though the unit may have been turned on on my pocket or so, and then the volume button pressed by accident. But it happened a second time and now I am confused.

I did not used the Mojo 2 for a few days. Today in the afternoon I turned it on, and the volume was all the way up (high gain mode, white colour both volume buttons). As mentioned, I though it could probably be something got pressed while on my pocket.

Later, in the evening, I turned it on in orden to listen to music, and again, it had the volume all the way up.

All other settings were properly remembered (eq and crossfeed). I tried to turn it off and on, and if done after a short while, the volume is properly set, but I am afraid if the unit is left off for a couple of hours, it would forget the volume setting again.

I do not know if I am doing something wrong. Both times the unit was completely unplugged from the source and battery charge.

What could it be?


----------



## halloweenman

Rob Watts said:


> Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to discuss future product replacements or plans. But having said that, I wouldn't have spent all the time and effort that went into Mojo 2 UHD DSP without thinking of future applications! Particularly now after how well it has been received.
> 
> Of course, as you get better transducers, the need for EQ diminishes - I have no great need to EQ my DCA Stealth or my B&W 803 D3. But one of the main reasons to do this was to give users flexibility - you can often see post saying product x is way to dark, and the next post complaining how bright it is. So giving people the option of changing what you hear without any compromises I think is a potential game changer.


Thanks Rob, the frequency response of my room at the listening position is about +12db at 40hz so I'm keen counter that with EQ. If I tried the B&W 803 D3 in my room the listening chair would be bouncing with bass resonances/boomy bass.

I will keep a keen eye on Chord Electronics new products.


----------



## ferorake

Bought it some days ago, and I'm a bit disappointed. I had for a while the chord mojo 1, and for me was perfect except for the noise coming from the phone without airplane mode. Clearly, a problem that was limiting the experience. At the price of 200\300 € used is ok. 
The mojo 2 is better on this aspect, but loses the line-out function, and adds nothing to the packet. I don't care about strange DSP functions, if I want to use EQ I do it via software. Power output is really low, not enough to properly drive headphones I have at home. 
At this price range at least 1 W at 32 Ohm was legitimately desiderable. 
No sense for me to prefere it over a good DAP at the same price, so I neither discharge my phone. 
Still the same strange 2 outputs without single volume control.
Zero accessories on the box, just a little cable, neither suitable for smartphones. 
I honestly wouldn't buy it again. Not a real upgrade over the mojo 1, instead just a very costy "fix" of the noise audible while using the smartphone connected to the net ( even if music was locally stored ).


----------



## miketlse

ferorake said:


> Bought it some days ago, and I'm a bit disappointed. I had for a while the chord mojo 1, and for me was perfect except for the noise coming from the phone without airplane mode. Clearly, a problem that was limiting the experience. At the price of 200\300 € used is ok.
> The mojo 2 is better on this aspect, but loses the line-out function, and adds nothing to the packet. I don't care about strange DSP functions, if I want to use EQ I do it via software. Power output is really low, not enough to properly drive headphones I have at home.
> At this price range at least 1 W at 32 Ohm was legitimately desiderable.
> No sense for me to prefere it over a good DAP at the same price, so I neither discharge my phone.
> ...


OK, sell it then.
However I don't think you understood the Mojo 1 line-out functionality.


----------



## dsrk (May 15, 2022)

ferorake said:


> Bought it some days ago, and I'm a bit disappointed. I had for a while the chord mojo 1, and for me was perfect except for the noise coming from the phone without airplane mode. Clearly, a problem that was limiting the experience. At the price of 200\300 € used is ok.
> The mojo 2 is better on this aspect, but loses the line-out function, and adds nothing to the packet. I don't care about strange DSP functions, if I want to use EQ I do it via software. Power output is really low, not enough to properly drive headphones I have at home.
> At this price range at least 1 W at 32 Ohm was legitimately desiderable.
> No sense for me to prefere it over a good DAP at the same price, so I neither discharge my phone.
> ...


I am powering HD6XX and LCD2C and Mojo 2 doing an admirable job for a portable device IMO. I had iFi xCan which puts 1W @32ohm and Mojo 2 drives my headphones better than it. So more power not always better driving.
And for the EQ, no software EQ comes close to UHD DSP right now. It's clean and impactful without dropping volume.

I have been using DAPs like Cowon, Lotoo just for the EQ and Mojo 2 is right up there with them if not better.


----------



## headfry (May 15, 2022)

ferorake said:


> Bought it some days ago, and I'm a bit disappointed. I had for a while the chord mojo 1, and for me was perfect except for the noise coming from the phone without airplane mode. Clearly, a problem that was limiting the experience. At the price of 200\300 € used is ok.
> The mojo 2 is better on this aspect, but loses the line-out function, and adds nothing to the packet. I don't care about strange DSP functions, if I want to use EQ I do it via software. Power output is really low, not enough to properly drive headphones I have at home.
> At this price range at least 1 W at 32 Ohm was legitimately desiderable.
> No sense for me to prefere it over a good DAP at the same price, so I neither discharge my phone.
> ...


This is probably the wrong product for your needs and usage,
doesn't mean it isn't perfect for some others. As far as
not adding anything other than DSP, I strongly disagree - the Mojo 2 is in my
opinion a fully successful update, even with DSP off the sound/musical improvements
are to me obvious and huge. Some of us are willing to pay more for a 25% sonic
improvement over alternatives, for others the type of improvement isn't noticeable or important,
or the sound quality potential may have been hampered by the partnering equipment.

Sorry it didn't fit your needs and I can understand your disappointment, listening
is the only way to find out.


----------



## Kentajalli

ferorake said:


> Bought it some days ago, and I'm a bit disappointed. I had for a while the chord mojo 1, and for me was perfect except for the *noise coming from the phone *without airplane mode.


That is an EMI ! just keep your phone away from the DAC - the worst thing are rubber straps that create a bulky brick and transfer noise from phone to DAC, any DAC.


ferorake said:


> Clearly, a problem that was limiting the experience. At the price of 200\300 € used is ok.
> The mojo 2 is better on this aspect, but* loses the line-out function*


What?


ferorake said:


> , and adds nothing to the packet. I don't care about strange DSP functions, if I want to use EQ I do it via software.


Then you don't understand the _strange DSP function._


ferorake said:


> Power output is really low, not enough to properly drive headphones I have at home.
> At this price range at least 1 W at 32 Ohm was legitimately desiderable.


Can not be done, not easily or conveniently.
Power output of an amp depends squarely on its power supply - in our case the battery. The internal battery is a LiPo providing 8V when fully charged. Unless you go balanced-mode (Chord DACs are single ended by nature, so it is a _NO_), engineering laws means no 1W output!
You can compromise play time, sound quality or size and weight to achieve 1W - but most of us rather not.


ferorake said:


> No sense for me to prefere it over a good DAP at the same price, so I neither discharge my phone.
> Still the same strange 2 outputs without single volume control.
> Zero accessories on the box, just a little cable, neither suitable for smartphones.
> I honestly wouldn't buy it again. Not a real upgrade over the mojo 1, instead just a very costy "fix" of the noise audible while using the smartphone connected to the net ( even if music was locally stored ).


That is fair enough, Mojo (1 or two) is not for everyone, good luck. and yes I think Mojo classic at its used-prices is one heck of a bargain.


----------



## hakunamakaka

ferorake said:


> Bought it some days ago, and I'm a bit disappointed. I had for a while the chord mojo 1, and for me was perfect except for the noise coming from the phone without airplane mode. Clearly, a problem that was limiting the experience. At the price of 200\300 € used is ok.
> The mojo 2 is better on this aspect, but loses the line-out function, and adds nothing to the packet. I don't care about strange DSP functions, if I want to use EQ I do it via software. Power output is really low, not enough to properly drive headphones I have at home.
> At this price range at least 1 W at 32 Ohm was legitimately desiderable.
> No sense for me to prefere it over a good DAP at the same price, so I neither discharge my phone.
> ...



Did you expect to buy a power plant in such a small dac/amp design ? My mojo properly drove even high impedance cans like HD600. EQ is no match for properly implemented DSP functions, it’s a huge bonus for folks who can easily shift the signature with just few button clicks and it could be an upgrade only for that reason.

Phone is a noisy device _when using internet and many such dac/amp’s suffer from EMI attached to it. _

On it’s own I do not see mojo2 as a replacement for DAP, it is too much of the headache to keep the connection in place and still try to use phone on the go…It’s a portable dac/amp to connect with computer when you are travelling/ moving your workspace in the house or just need a small sized well performing desktop device. I never had any bad experience while using mojo with laptop.

For a pure portable use poly is necessary and to me this combo blows any DAP that I have tried


----------



## Hyde00

headfry said:


> This is probably the wrong product for your needs and usage,
> doesn't mean it isn't perfect for some others. As far as
> not adding anything other than DSP, I strongly disagree - the Mojo 2 is in my
> opinion a fully successful update, even with DSP off the sound/musical improvements
> ...


lol ok even though I've sold my Mojo 2 already so unfortunately I couldn't follow your suggestion back then (Curious Hugo Link + Jitterbug).

But I find out of everyone here you handle negative criticism/feedback the most elegant/level headed/constructive/supportive.

I understand it's a Mojo 2 thread so majority here would be in love with Mojo 2, but a lot of people tend to jump straight into "you don't agree with us? put you on the pitchfork and burn" kind of mentality LOL.

Again much appreciated and props to you for always being helpful/constructive no matter what.

Cheers!


----------



## hakunamakaka

Hyde00 said:


> lol ok even though I've sold my Mojo 2 already so unfortunately I couldn't follow your suggestion back then (Curious Hugo Link + Jitterbug).
> 
> But I find out of everyone here you handle negative criticism/feedback the most elegant/level headed/constructive/supportive.
> 
> ...



Constructive criticism is fine, but here it doesn’t sound like one…

I bought macbook and you know it doesn’t handle video games…For such price I could get a desktop computer with better specs and I don’t really need Mac OS.. Shame apple 😁


----------



## dsrk

Hyde00 said:


> lol ok even though I've sold my Mojo 2 already so unfortunately I couldn't follow your suggestion back then (Curious Hugo Link + Jitterbug).
> 
> But I find out of everyone here you handle negative criticism/feedback the most elegant/level headed/constructive/supportive.
> 
> ...


I agree, it happens very often here in head-fi in a lot threads. I just double checked if my response was hostile
Opinion is one thing and fact is another thing. UHD DSP is a fact, liking Mojo sound or not is an opinion IMO. Negative feedback is very important because sometimes it brings out a lot of facts. So, it should be pretty much welcome.


----------



## daniel2022 (May 15, 2022)

The mojo 2 has problems, and has a homebrew kind of feeling to it, with its respective issues. The sound is great, and it is beautiful; but quite obviously it is made at somebody’s garage or basement (not literally but you know what I mean).

I love the device, but I fully understand some people getting frustrated with it. My local hifi store chain had several “B Stock” (returned items) at a slight discount when I was auditioning it.


----------



## msz38

ferorake said:


> but loses the line-out function


The current solution is better, you set the level that suits you, and mojo remembers it permanently.


----------



## Nick24JJ (May 15, 2022)

daniel2022 said:


> Hi,
> 
> Another question. It just happened today, twice. The first time I though the unit may have been turned on on my pocket or so, and then the volume button pressed by accident. But it happened a second time and now I am confused.
> 
> ...


Regarding the volume at max, I've never observed this. I'd suggest to reset to factory settingxs, crosscheck, and then email Mojo Support. Post their reply here afterwards, if you wish, for us to benefit, as well.


----------



## daniel2022 (May 15, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> Regarding the volume at max, I've never observed this. I'd suggest to reset to factory settingxs, crosscheck, and then email Mojo Support. Post their reply here afterwards, if you wish, for us to benefit, as well.


If it happens again I will email the Chord’s support. So far today, it hasn’t happened again. In case I contact Chord, I will post the response here.

Thanks!


----------



## Lyssky

Everyone has different hearing due to genetic and environmental conditions. Being the child of a musician couple and an accountant will make huge difference. Also some people are born with precise hearing while others are tone deaf. Also feelings are very important too. Sentimentality that one feels while listening to a song can affect how a headphone or amp is perceived. Which instruments affect that person the most? Maybe that headphone/amp is good at reflecting those frequencies? Doesn’t that create a sympathy towards that device? Audio is mostly prejudice.


----------



## GoldenOne

Has anyone here had an issue where they're unable to charge their Mojo 2?
I bought one yesterday, listened to it for the afternoon and it was sounding great. But then it shut off and I've been unable to get it functioning again.

Plugging it into a 5v 2.5A charger (ifi ipower or a phone charger OR a port on my PC) just results in a red flashing charge LED, and the menu button being orange.
The manual indicates this means it needs to be charged overnight. I did this but still nothing, just flashing.

It's been on charge for over 12hrs now and after I unplugged it it still would not turn on.
Plugging it back in then turning it on works, but as soon as I unplug it it turned off again. Seems like it can't hold a charge.

Did anyone else encounter this? Hopefully it's just a faulty unit that I can get replaced, but if anyone knows how to fix this that'd be fantastic, it was sounding brilliant.


----------



## rwelles

GoldenOne said:


> Has anyone here had an issue where they're unable to charge their Mojo 2?
> I bought one yesterday, listened to it for the afternoon and it was sounding great. But then it shut off and I've been unable to get it functioning again.
> 
> Plugging it into a 5v 2.5A charger (ifi ipower or a phone charger OR a port on my PC) just results in a red flashing charge LED, and the menu button being orange.
> ...


I've not encountered this. I assume you've tried different cables and made sure you are connected to the Mojo2's charge port, not the data port.


----------



## Nick24JJ

daniel2022 said:


> If it happens again I will email the Chord’s support. So far today, it hasn’t happened again. In case I contact Chord, I will post the response here.
> 
> Thanks!


Exactly, and you are welcome! If you feel your unit is faulty, or something bothers you, try to replace it under warranty, but keep the Mojo 2 and build around it - I don't know your gear - as it is a Reference device which will keep you happy and grateful for more than 10 years...


----------



## Nick24JJ

GoldenOne said:


> Has anyone here had an issue where they're unable to charge their Mojo 2?
> I bought one yesterday, listened to it for the afternoon and it was sounding great. But then it shut off and I've been unable to get it functioning again.
> 
> Plugging it into a 5v 2.5A charger (ifi ipower or a phone charger OR a port on my PC) just results in a red flashing charge LED, and the menu button being orange.
> ...


First time I'm hearing something like this! Email Chord support and update us.


----------



## GoldenOne

rwelles said:


> I've not encountered this. I assume you've tried different cables and made sure you are connected to the Mojo2's charge port, not the data port.


Yep tried a couple different cables and chargers.
Left it on overnight with an ifi ipower (5V 2.5A) with no luck
Left it all morning with the cable it came with and a 5V 3A charger, and am now connecting it using a different cable and my PC still with no luck.

So unfortunately seems to be the unit.
I've emailed Chord and the dealer I bought from, hopefully will be easy to sort. Or just get it replaced


----------



## miketlse

GoldenOne said:


> Yep tried a couple different cables and chargers.
> Left it on overnight with an ifi ipower (5V 2.5A) with no luck
> Left it all morning with the cable it came with and a 5V 3A charger, and am now connecting it using a different cable and my PC still with no luck.
> 
> ...


I think there have been rare posts, from owners trying to charge using the data port.


----------



## GoldenOne

miketlse said:


> I think there have been rare posts, from owners trying to charge using the data port.


Definitely using the correct port.
I've made a quick video here:


----------



## GoldenOne

Just tried powering it with the HYPSOS and it seems it's only pulling 0.2A which does not seem right. Seems unfortunately the charging circuit might be borked somehow


----------



## miketlse

GoldenOne said:


> Definitely using the correct port.
> I've made a quick video here:



Your cable between charger and Mojo2 looks long. Just wondering if you have too great a voltage drop, so that the Mojo 2 is receiving less than 5V.


----------



## miketlse

GoldenOne said:


> Just tried powering it with the HYPSOS and it seems it's only pulling 0.2A which does not seem right. Seems unfortunately the charging circuit might be borked somehow


Did i spot in the video the Mojo2 displaying flashing white led? For Mojo1 that indicated trickle charge mode, which would be consistent with 0.2 A.
Best to email chord support and see what they propose.


----------



## GoldenOne

miketlse said:


> Did i spot in the video the Mojo2 displaying flashing white led? For Mojo1 that indicated trickle charge mode, which would be consistent with 0.2 A.
> Best to email chord support and see what they propose.


No the LED is flashing red, which indicates it's between 0% and 2%.
I left it charging all night and it's still doing that.

I'm gonna leave it connected to the HYPSOS tonight and see how it's doing in the morning


----------



## miketlse

GoldenOne said:


> No the LED is flashing red, which indicates it's between 0% and 2%.
> I left it charging all night and it's still doing that.
> 
> I'm gonna leave it connected to the HYPSOS tonight and see how it's doing in the morning


I thought i saw flashing red and flashing white. Must have been mistaken.


----------



## Lyssky

GoldenOne said:


> Definitely using the correct port.
> I've made a quick video here:



And this happened to you of all people


----------



## GoldenOne

Lyssky said:


> And this happened to you of all people


Unfortunately :/
Should hopefully just be able to RMA for a replacement


----------



## Progisus

GoldenOne said:


> Unfortunately :/
> Should hopefully just be able to RMA for a replacement


You could try leaving it on until it fully discharges. This trick has been used to reset a frozen poly.


----------



## rlanger

GoldenOne said:


> Has anyone here had an issue where they're unable to charge their Mojo 2?
> I bought one yesterday, listened to it for the afternoon and it was sounding great. But then it shut off and I've been unable to get it functioning again.
> 
> Plugging it into a 5v 2.5A charger (ifi ipower or a phone charger OR a port on my PC) just results in a red flashing charge LED, and the menu button being orange.
> ...


I haven't encountered this, mainly because I've only used it in desktop mode since I got it. Just commenting because I'm really hoping to see your assessment on your YouTube channel.

Cheers, and keep pushing out your awesome content.


----------



## miketlse

Progisus said:


> You could try leaving it on until it fully discharges. This trick has been used to reset a frozen poly.


Yes and occasionally used for Mojo 1, to reset the battery management software.


----------



## ferorake

I could only now read the comments and _woah._
I don't get how you can defend a product saying _you bought the wrong thing._ I didn't buy a graphics card hoping to extract some coffee from it. I bought a portable dac\amp to listen headphones and occasionally using it as DAC. It has extremely low output putting it drastically close to 100$ dongles and without the _line out_ funcionality. How can I know when I'm going to output the correct voltage? The old mojo I could press on\+\- together and directly switching to "dac" mode. Now I should go online and find when the chord is going to output 2 V. 
Sorry if I'm on "head-fi" not on "audiosciencereview" and I don't care about DSP. I don't have to correct room modes. If an headphone doesn't sound as I want I just sell it without messing with strange graphic equalizers. 
Another thing I noted is that the sound quality increases over time of usage. At the moment you switch ON the sound is sterile, cold, and slowly becomes more open and warm after some minutes of usage. I mean, half an hour of usage, and for a portable device that I'm going to listen even for fast sessions when I'm not at home, it's not ok. 
Maybe these feelings are psychoacoustical, but I've read them online too.
I didn't say _don't buy it, _ I just pointed some things that didn't appear online on the _epic reviews _posted everywhere. In the real world, you can use it just with extremely sensitive headphones or IEMs, and using it as a pure DAC isn't _plug and play_.


----------



## AussieMick

ferorake said:


> I could only now read the comments and _woah._
> I don't get how you can defend a product saying _you bought the wrong thing._ I didn't buy a graphics card hoping to extract some coffee from it. I bought a portable dac\amp to listen headphones and occasionally using it as DAC. It has extremely low output putting it drastically close to 100$ dongles and without the _line out_ funcionality. How can I know when I'm going to output the correct voltage? The old mojo I could press on\+\- together and directly switching to "dac" mode. Now I should go online and find when the chord is going to output 2 V.
> Sorry if I'm on "head-fi" not on "audiosciencereview" and I don't care about DSP. I don't have to correct room modes. If an headphone doesn't sound as I want I just sell it without messing with strange graphic equalizers.
> Another thing I noted is that the sound quality increases over time of usage. At the moment you switch ON the sound is sterile, cold, and slowly becomes more open and warm after some minutes of usage. I mean, half an hour of usage, and for a portable device that I'm going to listen even for fast sessions when I'm not at home, it's not ok.
> ...


"Extremely low output" sounds like a faulty unit. It has plenty of current and drives planars easily. Which $100 dongle is it close to in output? Admittedly I've only tried the Cobalt and Chronos, but the Mojo has a great deal more drive than either of those. Yes, it takes a while to come up to temperature, just like lots of hifi gear. "it's not okay" is like passing judgement on its design, when, "I need something different for my use" is more accurate and more polite.


----------



## headmanPL

daniel2022 said:


> If it happens again I will email the Chord’s support. So far today, it hasn’t happened again. In case I contact Chord, I will post the response here.
> 
> Thanks!


Have you tried putting Mojo 2 into Lockdown Mode to stop accidental volume changes?

7.6 Lockdown mode Mojo 2 benefits from a button-lock option where all controls can be disabled for travel use. To activate button lock, press the menu button six times until magenta is displayed, then simultaneously press both the volume up ‘+’ and volume down buttons ‘-‘ once, until all three Mojo 2 buttons display magenta; the controls are now disabled. After two seconds, the volume buttons will revert to displaying the set output volume once again, however, the menu button will continue to display magenta to indicate button-lock mode is active. With button-lock mode activated, a single press of the (magenta) menu button will immediately return to the button-lock menu. From here, simultaneously press both volume up ‘+’ and volume down buttons ‘-’ once to unlock the buttons (indicated by the volume buttons returning to unlit) and press menu again to exit buttonlock mode and proceed through the menu.


----------



## dsrk (May 16, 2022)

ferorake said:


> I bought a portable dac\amp to listen headphones and occasionally using it as DAC. It has extremely low output putting it drastically close to 100$ dongles and without the _line out_ funcionality.


Mojo 2 output power is significantly better than any dongle out there. As AussieMick said you might have got a faulty unit.


AussieMick said:


> "Extremely low output" sounds like a faulty unit. It has plenty of current and drives planars easily. Which $100 dongle is it close to in output? Admittedly I've only tried the Cobalt and Chronos, but the Mojo has a great deal more drive than either of those. Yes, it takes a while to come up to temperature, just like lots of hifi gear. "it's not okay" is like passing judgement on its design, when, "I need something different for my use" is more accurate and more polite.


Yes could be a possibility.


Mojo 2 drives HD6XX better than any portable DAC/AMPs (FiiO A5, Topping NX4, XD-05 Plus, xCan) I had until now. XD-05 Plus has more headroom than xCan or Mojo 2 but Mojo 2 clearly drives HD6XX better (bass is more controlled and highs never sound harsh without being laid back or smooth) because I can almost listen to them without any EQ which is not the case with any of the AMPs I had before. I listen to HD6XX without EQ only on my desktop stack (SMSL SU9, SU8s + A30 Pro).

I am not saying Mojo 2 beats the desktop AMPs but came so closer than any of the portable AMPs I had.


----------



## ferorake

AussieMick said:


> "Extremely low output" sounds like a faulty unit. It has plenty of current and drives planars easily. Which $100 dongle is it close to in output? Admittedly I've only tried the Cobalt and Chronos, but the Mojo has a great deal more drive than either of those. Yes, it takes a while to come up to temperature, just like lots of hifi gear. "it's not okay" is like passing judgement on its design, when, "I need something different for my use" is more accurate and more polite.


"Drive planars"
It's not a faulty unit, it's being honest even if I spent on it. There's not enough power to drive normal headphones, and a portable device who needs minutes and minutes to "go on temperature" has something wrong in it. Maybe you only listen to ultra-compressed music, in that case power output could be enough. I use UAPP with Qobuz\stored music, and is not enough. 
For a 600€ DAC\AMP I expect much more than this. If I only want to use ultra-high sensitive headphones or IEMs, I go for a dongle.


----------



## GoldenOne

ferorake said:


> "Drive planars"
> It's not a faulty unit, it's being honest even if I spent on it. There's not enough power to drive normal headphones, and a portable device who needs minutes and minutes to "go on temperature" has something wrong in it. Maybe you only listen to ultra-compressed music, in that case power output could be enough. I use UAPP with Qobuz\stored music, and is not enough.
> For a 600€ DAC\AMP I expect much more than this. If I only want to use ultra-high sensitive headphones or IEMs, I go for a dongle.


The Mojo 2 has 0.6W of power which is plenty for the vast majority of headphones. I was using Arya Stealth on it without issue.

Worth double checking that there isn't some volume limitation with your phone etc? Sometimes they have that


----------



## hakunamakaka

But he wants at least 1W for 600eur 😁


----------



## LabelH

I have been spending few days with Mojo2. I actually prefer the sound profile fresh out of the box, cold and tight sound.
After spending 1 day, it become more relaxed and tad warm. But i still like the sound. It does pretty good job driving TH900.


----------



## jarnopp

GoldenOne said:


> Just tried powering it with the HYPSOS and it seems it's only pulling 0.2A which does not seem right. Seems unfortunately the charging circuit might be borked somehow


Coming in late here, but do you have a Poly? You might try charging them connected and see if anything changes.


----------



## Lyssky (May 16, 2022)

ferorake said:


> "Drive planars"
> It's not a faulty unit, it's being honest even if I spent on it. There's not enough power to drive normal headphones, and a portable device who needs minutes and minutes to "go on temperature" has something wrong in it. Maybe you only listen to ultra-compressed music, in that case power output could be enough. I use UAPP with Qobuz\stored music, and is not enough.
> For a 600€ DAC\AMP I expect much more than this. If I only want to use ultra-high sensitive headphones or IEMs, I go for a dongle.


I just wonder what you are trying to drive. Mojo2 may have problems with some low sensitivity headphones like HiFimans (I didn’t try) but other than that I can’t imagine what problem you are referring to. I mean if you are trying to drive those kind of headphones then naturally Mojo2 can’t do that and your complaint on power seems for naught. For those you’ll need at least transportable amps like iFi diablo.
It’s true that planar manufacturers advice high power for the best experience but I’ve also had another amp which provided more than twice the power of Mojo2 and I didn’t hear much difference if any in my planar’s presentation.
Ah, of course this doesn’t mean that I won’t get my hands on a more powerful amp when I have the chance to couple with Mojo2 for future possibilities.


----------



## msz38

ferorake said:


> How can I know when I'm going to output the correct voltage?


turn up the volume until the distortion appears. Simple.  The amp won't blow up from this.


----------



## miketlse

ferorake said:


> "Drive planars"
> It's not a faulty unit, it's being honest even if I spent on it. There's not enough power to drive normal headphones, and a portable device who needs minutes and minutes to "go on temperature" has something wrong in it. Maybe you only listen to ultra-compressed music, in that case power output could be enough. I use UAPP with Qobuz\stored music, and is not enough.
> For a 600€ DAC\AMP I expect much more than this. If I only want to use ultra-high sensitive headphones or IEMs, I go for a dongle.


OK, lets have an adult discussion.

How many Watts do you think it takes to drive iems?
Owners published spreadsheets on the Mojo 1 thread, calculating that for most iems just 100mW would produce sound levels in the range of 100dB, so loud enough to damage your hearing.
If you are claiming that the Mojo 2 cannot drive typical iems to similar levels, then either your Mojo 2 is defective or maybe your input device is configured to restrict the volume.

My Mojo1 can easily drive headphones such as the Aeon Flow Closed, so I would expect the Mojo2 to do similar without any problem.
If you want 5W output from a device the size of a packet of cigarettes, then ultimately the battery will last an hour.

As Sagan said 'extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence'. 
It is hard to understand your claims, compared to the evidence posted by many other owners.


----------



## ferorake

miketlse said:


> OK, lets have an adult discussion.
> 
> How many Watts do you think it takes to drive iems?
> Owners published spreadsheets on the Mojo 1 thread, calculating that for most iems just 100mW would produce sound levels in the range of 100dB, so loud enough to damage your hearing.
> ...


IEM? I've never talked about IEM. I just said that the mojo2 can drive properly only IEM and extremely high sensitivity hp.


Lyssky said:


> I just wonder what you are trying to drive. Mojo2 may have problems with some low sensitivity headphones like HiFimans (I didn’t try) but other than that I can’t imagine what problem you are referring to. I mean if you are trying to drive those kind of headphones then naturally Mojo2 can’t do that and your complaint on power seems for naught. For those you’ll need at least transportable amps like iFi diablo.
> It’s true that planar manufacturers advice high power for the best experience but I’ve also had another amp which provided more than twice the power of Mojo2 and I didn’t hear much difference if any in my planar’s presentation.
> Ah, of course this doesn’t mean that I won’t get my hands on a more powerful amp when I have the chance to couple with Mojo2 for future possibilities.


I'm finding problems with dynamic drivers too, not only planars. Clearly I'm not trying to listen an arya or a he1000, but neither a d7200 sounds powerful enough with some tracks. 
The fact is that if I want so much compromises, I don't spend 600€ on a portable dac\amp. Except for the ifi diablo, there's nothing costlier than this. At this price I could grab a DAP, and I don't get why I should prefere a mojo.


----------



## joshnor713

ferorake said:


> At this price I could grab a DAP, and I don't get why I should prefere a mojo.


Sound quality. That's it. Chord has said that that's their ultimate concern, everything else is secondary. If you want something more technologically advanced, then it's just not the device for you.


----------



## dsrk (May 16, 2022)

ferorake said:


> Clearly I'm not trying to listen an arya or a he1000, but neither a d7200 sounds powerful enough with some tracks. At this price I could grab a DAP, and I don't get why I should prefere a mojo.


Sound quality, form factor and FUN. I highly doubt that any DAP in its price range sounds better than Mojo 2. It runs circles around my FiiO M11 Pro
D7200 is not harder to drive, not better synergy with Mojo 2 may be? As you know synergy is very important.


----------



## vlach

ferorake said:


> At this price I could grab a DAP


I don't think a DAP will do better at driving planars.


----------



## AussieMick

ferorake said:


> "Drive planars"
> It's not a faulty unit, it's being honest even if I spent on it. There's not enough power to drive normal headphones, and a portable device who needs minutes and minutes to "go on temperature" has something wrong in it. Maybe you only listen to ultra-compressed music, in that case power output could be enough. I use UAPP with Qobuz\stored music, and is not enough.
> For a 600€ DAC\AMP I expect much more than this. If I only want to use ultra-high sensitive headphones or IEMs, I go for a dongle.


There’s plenty of power to drive normal headphones. I use uncompressed files (very wide dynamic classical and electronic music) stored locally or streamed on Qobuz via an Innuos Zen MK3 into HD600, LCDi4, Utopia and NightOwl. “Has something wrong with it” - are you seriously suggesting you know more about designing than Rob Watts? That his choices are wrong in the context of his design goals? Dude, just be nice.


----------



## ferorake

Maybe I expected too much from a portable device


----------



## amarkabove

ferorake said:


> IEM? I've never talked about IEM. I just said that the mojo2 can drive properly only IEM and extremely high sensitivity hp.
> 
> I'm finding problems with dynamic drivers too, not only planars. Clearly I'm not trying to listen an arya or a he1000, but neither a d7200 sounds powerful enough with some tracks.
> The fact is that if I want so much compromises, I don't spend 600€ on a portable dac\amp. Except for the ifi diablo, there's nothing costlier than this. At this price I could grab a DAP, and I don't get why I should prefere a mojo.


A D7200 is not a hard pair of cans to drive. Either you have a faulty unit, a faulty set of cans, or don't actually know what you're listening for. If by "not powerful enough" you actually mean "lacking bass" then good news, you can use the fantastic DSP and increase the low end with a couple clicks of a button. 

Also don't make easily refutable claims like "Except for the ifi diablo, there's nothing costlier than this." the Micro iDSD signature, the CEntrance M8, Woo WA11 (and WA8 for that matter), A&K ARCO are others that cost more than the Mojo 2 off the top of my headband I'm sure I'm forgetting some. Not to mention, if you want to get anywhere close to the sound quality of the Mojo in a DAP, you're looking at spending considerably more. I love my SR25 on the go, but would never chose it over the Chord if sitting at a desk for a long period of time.


----------



## Billyak

amarkabove said:


> off the top of my headband


----------



## Kentajalli (May 17, 2022)

ferorake said:


> Maybe I expected too much from a portable device


I think you are going by hype!
Figures from this site and that site, and a lot of people expressing opinions as facts, can throw anybody off.
I have a pair of Hifiman Edition XS. they are 18 ohms (loww!) and an efficiency of 92db (again loww), when some IEM's are in high 100db's.
I have read here and there that these cans _Thrive on Power, more Power . _some even claim it sounds better on  2W min. (W-T-F!).
Let's say Hifiman was very very conservative with their figures, and it is actually 89dB.
94dB is considered a high listening volume, let us say naa!  a Rock concert at 109dB!
Let's do some calculation:
If the cans can produce 89dB at 0.001W (yes that is the definition of efficiency, for one milli-watt), then at 100mW they can go 20dB louder to 109dB (deafening).
Let's now say there is 3dB headroom on the recording, and another 3dB for peaks, we are now at 400mW!
@400mW the EDXS can hit 115dB theoretically, or a safe 109dB continuous. this is a low-effeciency can, and we allowed for Hifiman possible BS on yheir effiiciency figure, recording issues and musical peaks.
The 2W min. is just BS - why are people saying it then? - a lot of gear with 2W output are actually clean up to few hundred milliwatts only, so if one wants more clean power, they have to go for a 5W output!
Indeed Mojo1 and Mojo2 both can drive EDXS to really loud levels, without going into clipping.
Mojo (both) are small enough to fit inside your pocket (not shirt, or it drags to belly), has decent play time, and one of the best audio quality on the move anybody should want.
Ask some Rock musicians!


----------



## Nick24JJ

GoldenOne said:


> Definitely using the correct port.
> I've made a quick video here:



Hello, do you have any update about this matter? What caused it, what did Chord Support say?


----------



## GoldenOne

Nick24JJ said:


> Hello, do you have any update about this matter? What caused it, what did Chord Support say?


 Chord said to take it to the dealer for a replacement, which I'll do soon. I'm heading to Munich on Thursday so won't be able to sort it til next week


----------



## Nick24JJ

GoldenOne said:


> Chord said to take it to the dealer for a replacement, which I'll do soon. I'm heading to Munich on Thursday so won't be able to sort it til next week


Best of luck, I'm sure you'll get a replacement which will work fine


----------



## 529128

Best way to listen to Flac files on Mojo2?

I have started ripping my cd collection to FLAC. Right now the files are stored in Dropbox.

What is the best way to listen to my music through the Mojo2? I am on an iphone. I have tried Mconnect but the tracks are out of order (metadata added via Foobar2000) and it's not able to access dropbox every time I use it.


----------



## paulrbarnard

henrikgadegaard said:


> Best way to listen to Flac files on Mojo2?
> 
> I have started ripping my cd collection to FLAC. Right now the files are stored in Dropbox.
> 
> What is the best way to listen to my music through the Mojo2? I am on an iphone. I have tried Mconnect but the tracks are out of order (metadata added via Foobar2000) and it's not able to access dropbox every time I use it.


VOX works very well


----------



## iDesign (May 17, 2022)

subwoof3r said:


> oh, I think I just reached a white noise issue aswell for the first time.
> I was randomsly watching some videos and then suddenly a huge white noise as soon as a sound needs to be played.
> I had to turn off and on my unit to solve the issue. I hope everything will be fine for the next days or I will probably return my unit then to be fixed.


Chord really needs to address the issue. As I posted before, the DACs should have been designed to mute when the USB synchronization fails. Ignoring the issue is naive because all it takes is one user with an deep fitting universal or custom in ear monitor to file a lawsuit claiming hearing damage from the loud white noise...
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/05/17/apple-airpods-pro-amber-alert-lawsuit/


----------



## rlanger (May 17, 2022)

Anybody else using HQPlayer with Mojo 2? I find this to be an absolutely remarkable combination, given that Mojo can decode PCM 768khz upsampled files.

Truly revelatory sound for me.

Unfortunately, the user experience of HQPlayer is garbage, but I found a workaround that allows me to use my preferred player on Windows, MusicBee, to stream to HQPlayer, which then outputs to the Mojo.

Highly recommend giving HQPlayer a listen. And thanks again to @GoldenOne for sharing your HQPlayer settings in another thread. It would've taken me a lifetime to figure out how to set it up otherwise.

Now if I could only figure out how to route Amazon HD Music to HQPlayer, I'd be all set.


----------



## the teh (May 17, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> Hello, do you have any update about this matter? What caused it, what did Chord Support say?


I may be late but it might be you didnt push your usb cable all the way in.

I noticed there is a double click for the usb ports in my M2 especially the usb C connector. There is a first click when you push it in but you'll need to push it in further for the 2nd click.

This also may be causing the white noise issue if you input cable are not pushed all the way in.


----------



## amigastar

Hey guys,
got a question. Is there Dac from Chord that sounds like the Chord Mojo 2 but is a desktop Dac?
I've listened to the Chord Mojo 2 and I really liked it. I mean for 600-700 bucks.


----------



## iDesign

amigastar said:


> Hey guys,
> got a question. Is there Dac from Chord that sounds like the Chord Mojo 2 but is a desktop Dac?
> I've listened to the Chord Mojo 2 and I really liked it. I mean for 600-700 bucks.


A _used_ Qutest is probably the closest product in their line and your budget.


----------



## mariopoli

iDesign said:


> Chord really needs to address the issue. As I posted before, the DACs should have been designed to mute when the USB synchronization fails. Ignoring the issue is naive because all it takes is one user with an deep fitting universal or custom in ear monitor to file a lawsuit claiming hearing damage from the loud white noise...
> https://www.macrumors.com/2022/05/17/apple-airpods-pro-amber-alert-lawsuit/


Chord deserves to get sued. This is a terrible problem with their product. For me I solved the problem by always having some sort of dongle between my Source output and the Mojo2 input. They should at least tell their customers to do this.


----------



## amigastar

iDesign said:


> A _used_ Qutest is probably the closest product in their line and your budget.


Chord really needs a 600 bucks desktop dac in their lineup.


----------



## rlanger

amigastar said:


> Chord really needs a 600 bucks desktop dac in their lineup.


It's the Mojo 2.


----------



## amigastar

rlanger said:


> It's the Mojo 2.


I meant a DAC who you can connect to an amp.


----------



## Hyde00

amigastar said:


> Chord really needs a 600 bucks desktop dac in their lineup.


I think Chord need a 600 bucks Anni without the speaker portion.


----------



## rlanger

amigastar said:


> I meant a DAC who you can connect to an amp.


Why can't you connect a Mojo to an amp?


----------



## amigastar

rlanger said:


> Why can't you connect a Mojo to an amp?


If you can, could you link me to a tutorial how to do it?


----------



## VancityDreaming

rlanger said:


> Why can't you connect a Mojo to an amp?


Does it not result in double amping?


----------



## msz38

amigastar said:


> If you can, could you link me to a tutorial how to do it?


----------



## gryffe

rlanger said:


> Anybody else using HQPlayer with Mojo 2? I find this to be an absolutely remarkable combination, given that Mojo can decode PCM 768khz upsampled files.
> 
> Truly revelatory sound for me.
> 
> ...


Hi @rlanger. Could you please point me to this thread where @GoldenOne shared his HQPlayer settings for the Mojo 2? 
Thanks


----------



## rlanger (May 18, 2022)

gryffe said:


> Hi @rlanger. Could you please point me to this thread where @GoldenOne shared his HQPlayer settings for the Mojo 2?
> Thanks


As you wish:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/an-...olo-may-hqplayer.952934/page-11#post-16318295

@gryffe 

Actually, this is a commentary on someone else's settings. But if you search this thread, it might be in there somewhere.

Maybe @GoldenOne can point you in the right direction.


----------



## gryffe

rlanger said:


> As you wish:
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/an-...olo-may-hqplayer.952934/page-11#post-16318295


Thank you @rlanger, much appreciated. Will have a play about with settings later.


----------



## cybergalaxy

Hyde00 said:


> I'll DM you my comparison.


Can you DM me as well please? Or just post online as I guess many are interested : P


----------



## Derivative

amigastar said:


> If you can, could you link me to a tutorial how to do it?


I use my Mojo 2 essentially as a desktop device.
As pointed out by msz38 above, all you need is a 3.5mm to RCA cable (I have one from QED, cheap and decent quality).
The amp is then plugged into the headphone socket and (I believe, not 100% certain on this) the Mojo 2 automatically goes into line-out mode.
On Mojo 1 you had to press the buttons in a certain way to activate line-out, but on M2 this is done automatically as far as I can tell.

My amp is the Lake People G109 and this set up works perfectly: Laptop --> Mojo as DAC --> G109 --> headphones.

To be honest I don't know how necessary this is as I've never had issues with the Mojo's built in amp, and the G109 isn't a TOTL monster or tube amp that is going to make a huge difference. But I like it.

My Mojo hasn't been out of the house since I received it and for all intents and purposes it's a desktop DAC/Amp to me. In my opinion this versatility adds a lot to its appeal.


----------



## dsrk

Derivative said:


> I use my Mojo 2 essentially as a desktop device.
> As pointed out by msz38 above, all you need is a 3.5mm to RCA cable (I have one from QED, cheap and decent quality).
> The amp is then plugged into the headphone socket and (I believe, not 100% certain on this) the Mojo 2 automatically goes into line-out mode.
> On Mojo 1 you had to press the buttons in a certain way to activate line-out, but on M2 this is done automatically as far as I can tell.
> ...


There is no line out mode (auto or manual) on Mojo 2.


----------



## GoldenOne

Derivative said:


> I use my Mojo 2 essentially as a desktop device.
> As pointed out by msz38 above, all you need is a 3.5mm to RCA cable (I have one from QED, cheap and decent quality).
> The amp is then plugged into the headphone socket and (I believe, not 100% certain on this) the Mojo 2 automatically goes into line-out mode.
> On Mojo 1 you had to press the buttons in a certain way to activate line-out, but on M2 this is done automatically as far as I can tell.
> ...





dsrk said:


> There is no line out mode (auto or manual) on Mojo 2.




There is no line out mode, though you don't explicitly need one.
Just adjust the output level to about 2v and you're good to go.


----------



## Derivative

dsrk said:


> There is no line out mode (auto or manual) on Mojo 2.


In which case I would be double-amping. Not sure if this has any drawbacks. I haven't noticed any issues with SQ, but did notice the battery seems to drain a little faster.
What's certain is that the Mojo can be used on a desktop with a separate amp if desired.


----------



## Nick24JJ

GoldenOne said:


> There is no line out mode, though you don't explicitly need one.
> *Just adjust the output level to about 2v and you're good to go.*


How do you do that, please?


----------



## GoldenOne

Nick24JJ said:


> How do you do that, please?


I'll let you know what color 2v is once I get my mojo 2 replacement.
Though it starts to clip at just over 4.3V so tbh you could just turn it up til you hear clipping then go down a few notches


----------



## Rob Watts

From my Mojo 2 presentation:






So for 2v you need to set both volume LEDs to indigo (that's the first colour above blue).


----------



## Derivative

Rob Watts said:


> From my Mojo 2 presentation:
> 
> 
> 
> So for 2v you need to set both volume LEDs to indigo (that's the first colour above blue).


Many thanks for this Rob, helpful


----------



## Nick24JJ

Rob Watts said:


> From my Mojo 2 presentation:
> 
> 
> 
> So for 2v you need to set both volume LEDs to indigo (that's the first colour above blue).


Thank you very much! I am not planning to connect my Mojo 2 with an amplifier but it's good to know.


----------



## Nick24JJ (May 18, 2022)

iDesign said:


> Chord really needs to address the issue. As I posted before, the DACs should have been designed to mute when the USB synchronization fails. Ignoring the issue is naïve because all it takes is one user with an deep fitting universal or custom in ear monitor to file a lawsuit claiming hearing damage from the loud white noise...
> https://www.macrumors.com/2022/05/17/apple-airpods-pro-amber-alert-lawsuit/


I fully and 100% agree!!

I also believe that Chord should have a tutorial, on their website, with clear and detailed instructions on how to set up the Mojo 2 on Windows 10/11


----------



## jarnopp

Derivative said:


> In which case I would be double-amping. Not sure if this has any drawbacks. I haven't noticed any issues with SQ, but did notice the battery seems to drain a little faster.
> What's certain is that the Mojo can be used on a desktop with a separate amp if desired.


There is no “double amping” as has been explained numerous times in all the Chord DAC threads. The dac digital to analog conversion is also the integrated output, similar to all DACs, but unlike other dacs, there is no additional amp stage.


----------



## Nick24JJ

jarnopp said:


> There is no “double amping” as has been explained numerous times in all the Chord DAC threads. The dac digital to analog conversion is also the integrated output, similar to all DACs, but unlike other dacs, there is no additional amp stage.


Hi, I have no intention of connecting my Mojo 2 with an external amp any time soon, but just because I'm clueless, do you mean that if the Mojo 2 is connected to an amp and the volume will be set to "Indigo", there cannot be/will not be any loss in sound quality? Just trying to understand


----------



## Derivative

jarnopp said:


> There is no “double amping” as has been explained numerous times in all the Chord DAC threads. The dac digital to analog conversion is also the integrated output, similar to all DACs, but unlike other dacs, there is no additional amp stage.


Sincere apologies for not having read all the Chord DAC threads... and many thanks for taking the time to share this, I have learned something new today.


----------



## dsrk

Nick24JJ said:


> Hi, I have no intention of connecting my Mojo 2 with an external amp any time soon, but just because I'm clueless, do you mean that if the Mojo 2 is connected to an amp and the volume will be set to "Indigo", there cannot be/will not be any loss in sound quality? Just trying to understand


No problem, I am also using a Chord product first time.

There no clipping or quality loss if you keep the volume on Mojo 2 below Indigo.

I am using it with my Topping A30 Pro.


----------



## Hyde00 (May 18, 2022)

cybergalaxy said:


> Can you DM me as well please? Or just post online as I guess many are interested : P


I'll DM you.


----------



## Nick24JJ (May 18, 2022)

dsrk said:


> No problem, I am also using a Chord product first time.
> 
> There no clipping or quality loss if you keep the volume on Mojo 2 below Indigo.
> 
> I am using it with my Topping A30 Pro.


Thank you! 

I have one more question, this matters to me, if you or anyone else can enlighten me, I'd be grateful!!

How can I connect my Mojo 2 with my FiiO BTA30 Pro, so that I will be listening from my UTWS5?
Can this even happen?
What are the consequences to the sound quality?

Thanks a lot!


----------



## dsrk

Nick24JJ said:


> Thank you!
> 
> I have one more question, this matters to me, if you or anyone else can enlighten me, I'd be grateful!!
> 
> ...


No problem.

I don't think that's possible as it has all digital inputs and Mojo doesn't have any digital output.


----------



## GoldenOne

jarnopp said:


> There is no “double amping” as has been explained numerous times in all the Chord DAC threads. The dac digital to analog conversion is also the integrated output, similar to all DACs, but unlike other dacs, there is no additional amp stage.


The chord DACs do have an additional output stage. You can see it on the PCB of the device and RW has also spoken a bit about the design of it on a few threads.

They also talk about it in one of their explainer videos. They try to keep to a minimal number of components in the signal path, but there is an output stage.

4:17 here:


----------



## amigastar

Derivative said:


> I use my Mojo 2 essentially as a desktop device.
> As pointed out by msz38 above, all you need is a 3.5mm to RCA cable (I have one from QED, cheap and decent quality).
> The amp is then plugged into the headphone socket and (I believe, not 100% certain on this) the Mojo 2 automatically goes into line-out mode.
> On Mojo 1 you had to press the buttons in a certain way to activate line-out, but on M2 this is done automatically as far as I can tell.
> ...


So that means that the amp of the Chord Mojo 2 will be bypassed when i connect the headphone socket to my external amp?


----------



## Derivative

amigastar said:


> So that means that the amp of the Chord Mojo 2 will be bypassed when i connect the headphone socket to my external amp?


I am not certain how it works in practice, and the feedback is somewhat contradictory:
On one hand, the Mojo 2 doesn't have an additional amp stage to bypass; on the other it has an output stage of some sort which might or might not be bypassed. my technical knowledge is limited so I can't determine what's happening exactly. 

regardless, in my experience (I'm listening to music from the Mojo out of the G109 as I type) the Mojo can easily be connected to a separate amp without detriment to the SQ (to my ears). I followed the advice to set the volume on the Mojo at a 2v level and it works fine. 

if you have the opportunity you should definitely experiment with this and see if you like it.


----------



## GoldenOne

amigastar said:


> So that means that the amp of the Chord Mojo 2 will be bypassed when i connect the headphone socket to my external amp?


No circuitry is being bypassed, but it does not need to be.

You can happily run any amplifier from the output of any DAP/Dongle/Device regardless of whether it was/was not designed to drive headphones or not. The reason being that amplifiers have incredibly high input impedances and so they pull almost no current from the source device.

'Double amping' is usually a concern not for any inherent reason that feeding an amp with another amp is bad (other than that you usually would want to avoid extra stuff in the signal path if possible), but simply because the output of an amp can often go much higher than the standard 2v RCA or 4v XLR, and so it may clip the device you're feeding.

If you ensure you set your amp to output equivalent of line level (2v RCA / 4v XLR) then it'll work fine.
This includes the Mojo 2. Just set it to 2v as rob explained how above and you're good to go


----------



## amigastar

Thanks guys for the answers, this forum is really friendly and helpful.


----------



## Derivative

GoldenOne said:


> No circuitry is being bypassed, but it does not need to be.
> 
> You can happily run any amplifier from the output of any DAP/Dongle/Device regardless of whether it was/was not designed to drive headphones or not. The reason being that amplifiers have incredibly high input impedances and so they pull almost no current from the source device.
> 
> ...


Thanks this is helpfully clear. today has been a day of learning!


----------



## GoldenOne

It's worth noting however that there are some exceptions to this.
Those being current-mode devices (of which there are almost none on the market, the only ones that I can think of are bakoon and even then only a couple of their products), and tube amps.

These devices need lower impedance loads and you should not feed an amplifier (or run them unloaded) unless the manufacturer specifically says you can or provides some kind of preamp mode


----------



## Rob Watts

Just to clarify - there is not a separate OP stage - there is a discrete OP stage, but this is part of the single amplifier circuit, with a single feedback path covering the OP stage and the gain section. So absolutely nothing in the analogue section ever gets bypassed irrespective of how Mojo 2 is used.


----------



## Nick24JJ

dsrk said:


> No problem.
> 
> I don't think that's possible as it has all digital inputs and Mojo doesn't have any digital output.


😥
Is there any other way to do this?
Or, do you know when the new Poly will come out?


----------



## dsrk (May 18, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> 😥
> Is there any other way to do this?
> Or, do you know when the new Poly will come out?


There are a lot of bluetooth transmitters like "Avantree Oasis Plus" with analog input with AptXHD but not with LDAC.
Shanling EA5 does this with LDAC but it is expensive.


----------



## AmanPreet

GoldenOne said:


> It's worth noting however that there are some exceptions to this.
> Those being current-mode devices (of which there are almost none on the market, the only ones that I can think of are bakoon and even then only a couple of their products), and tube amps.
> 
> These devices need lower impedance loads and you should not feed an amplifier (or run them unloaded) unless the manufacturer specifically says you can or provides some kind of preamp mode


@GoldenOne Can we expect a review and comparison video for Mojo2 on your channel? 

Cheers.


----------



## Kentajalli

Nick24JJ said:


> Thank you!
> 
> I have one more question, this matters to me, if you or anyone else can enlighten me, I'd be grateful!!
> 
> ...


@dsrk is correct.
And there would be no point to it anyway, even if it was possible.


----------



## tekkster (May 18, 2022)

I'm sure no one would really care, but I'm pretty happy and wanted to share this somewhere with other Mojo2 fans

I was using the DCAS with the Mojo2, but I've since relegated the DCAS to the H2/2go for when I do long biz trips or am at home.  So now for short biz trips, as well coffee shop days, I'll prolly be using this setup most of the time.  poly/mojo/ha fw10k with nobunaga recable and spinfit eartips.  Wasn't a fan of the 10k's before, but I enjoy the sound a little more with the recable and the better seal provided by the spinfit 500.

Sir John Barbirolli's rendition of Edward Elgar never sounded so good.
Nora Jones' Feels Like Home is exactly the way I wish it would sound
The Cinematic Orchestra's Les Ailes Pourpres is just what the doctor ordered
Friday Night in San Francisco's Mediterranean Sundance gives me goosebumps like I'm in the audience
Tommy Flanagan's Thadrack is smoky cramped studio sweaty grit
Stacey Kent's Too Darn Hot is studio magic
Lindsey Stirling's Elements (Orchestral version) gives me all the highs with none of the headache
Keiko Matsui's Moyo is all the resonance I could ever hope for

The list goes on and on.

So, you know...just wanted to share with the world that I'm a happy camper.


----------



## subwoof3r

Do someone remarked some channel imbalance in their Mojo 2 ? looks like the Left channel has slightly more power than the Right channel, in my unit.
Fortunately, it can be fixed via Windows output mixer (I need 97% to the Left channel to sound the same for both channels).
Tried various USB cables without any success.


----------



## Kentajalli

subwoof3r said:


> Do someone remarked some channel imbalance in their Mojo 2 ? looks like the Left channel has slightly more power than the Right channel, in my unit.
> Fortunately, it can be fixed via Windows output mixer (I need 97% to the Left channel to sound the same for both channels).
> Tried various USB cables without any success.


There is 97% chance it is due to earwax buildup, 3% earphones mismatch. 😊


----------



## elira

subwoof3r said:


> Do someone remarked some channel imbalance in their Mojo 2 ? looks like the Left channel has slightly more power than the Right channel, in my unit.
> Fortunately, it can be fixed via Windows output mixer (I need 97% to the Left channel to sound the same for both channels).
> Tried various USB cables without any success.


It should have no channel imbalance unless your unit is defective.


----------



## rkt31

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...hord-mojo-2-review-portable-dac-hp-amp.34160/ reviewed well with measurements.


----------



## vlach

subwoof3r said:


> Do someone remarked some channel imbalance in their Mojo 2 ? looks like the Left channel has slightly more power than the Right channel, in my unit.
> Fortunately, it can be fixed via Windows output mixer (I need 97% to the Left channel to sound the same for both channels).
> Tried various USB cables without any success.


Does it happen on both outputs?


----------



## subwoof3r (May 21, 2022)

vlach said:


> Does it happen on both outputs?


Strangely the issue seems to be almost gone since I swapped my headphones earpads from L to R, but there is still a minor difference (still in the Left channel).
I tried with my own custom earbuds I made and I didn't see any difference from L and R outputs this time.
So I guess is then a minor channel sound output difference from my brand new ATH-MSR7b headphones then.
Everything is good from my unit then
Thanks for your inputs guys 

_*edit*: just figured out it was a pad seal issue from my headphones, the R side seems to have a bit less seal than the L one providing this imbalance issue. MSR7b is very sensitive to that, some people seems to have this issue aswell._


----------



## Pulcino

My Mojo arrived yesterday! After 10 weeks waiting. Sounds great with my iPad so far, but my iPhone doesn’t work ;(   Tried it with the Fiio lightning to C and with another one. Both cable work fine on my other dongle DAC. Any ideas?


----------



## AussieMick

Pulcino said:


> My Mojo arrived yesterday! After 10 weeks waiting. Sounds great with my iPad so far, but my iPhone doesn’t work ;(   Tried it with the Fiio lightning to C and with another one. Both cable work fine on my other dongle DAC. Any ideas?


Try cleaning out the lightning socket in your phone with compressed air. I’d ended up with a little lint in there from being in my pocket, and it had a negative impact when trying to connect to some things (like the Mojo 2). But it still happily charged and connected to my MacBook Pro.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

AmanPreet said:


> @GoldenOne Can we expect a review and comparison video for Mojo2 on your channel?
> 
> Cheers.



Hope so and Id rather see his measurements than what ASR have put up.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

rkt31 said:


> https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...hord-mojo-2-review-portable-dac-hp-amp.34160/ reviewed well with measurements.



Jitter looks off for a chord design


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

Pulcino said:


> My Mojo arrived yesterday! After 10 weeks waiting. Sounds great with my iPad so far, but my iPhone doesn’t work ;(   Tried it with the Fiio lightning to C and with another one. Both cable work fine on my other dongle DAC. Any ideas?



have you got a genuine apple cck to try?


----------



## rlanger (May 21, 2022)

AnalogEuphoria said:


> Hope so and Id rather see his measurements than what ASR have put up.


Agreed. And at least he provides some subjective listening impressions.

How do you "review" audio gear without giving your impressions of the sound? Makes no sense to me.

I may not agree with every subjective review, but at least it gives me an indication of what the reviewer values, and how their subjective opinions align with mine.


----------



## Pulcino

AnalogEuphoria said:


> have you got a genuine apple cck to try?


No, unfortunately no.


----------



## gowthe

I need a help with power supply for the Mojo/Mojo 2. 

I'm planning to get the iFi PowerX (*12V,2A*) for my RME DAC and was wondering if it would charge the Mojo and Mojo 2 without any issues. If someone has this please do help me out. Thanks.


----------



## the teh (May 22, 2022)

Just wondering what class of amp is the Mojo 2? Is it a class A amp or class AB?


----------



## dsrk

gowthe said:


> I need a help with power supply for the Mojo/Mojo 2.
> 
> I'm planning to get the iFi PowerX (*12V,2A*) for my RME DAC and was wondering if it would charge the Mojo and Mojo 2 without any issues. If someone has this please do help me out. Thanks.


Mojo has micro USB for charging, power x don't fit unless you use a converter adapter.


----------



## gowthe

dsrk said:


> Mojo has micro USB for charging, power x don't fit unless you use a converter adapter.



I guess they come with the converter adapter. Check out the link below at 3:10.


----------



## Progisus

gowthe said:


> I need a help with power supply for the Mojo/Mojo 2.
> 
> I'm planning to get the iFi PowerX (*12V,2A*) for my RME DAC and was wondering if it would charge the Mojo and Mojo 2 without any issues. If someone has this please do help me out. Thanks.


Mojo is 5v and proposed charger is 12v. You would need the 5v model of charger.


----------



## gowthe

Progisus said:


> Mojo is 5v and proposed charger is 12v. You would need the 5v model of charger.



Thanks for the reply. So you mean the 12V wouldn't work with the Mojo?


----------



## dsrk

gowthe said:


> I guess they come with the converter adapter. Check out the link below at 3:10.


I didn't know that it comes with all those adapters. Nice 👍


gowthe said:


> Thanks for the reply. So you mean the 12V wouldn't work with the Mojo?


It may work but it's not recommended.


----------



## Progisus

gowthe said:


> Thanks for the reply. So you mean the 12V wouldn't work with the Mojo?


The review sample is 5v so it has the usb adapters. The 12v will not have those adapters. Maybe @iFi audio can chime in.


----------



## rwelles

gowthe said:


> Thanks for the reply. So you mean the 12V wouldn't work with the Mojo?


Yes, you don't want to use 12V for the Mojo. I looked at the product page. It does list a 5V/3A output as a choice. That would work with a Mojo.


----------



## Achlys

Why not use an Apple Dongle?


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

9/12V are not recommended I would go with 5.


----------



## Kentajalli

Chord Mojo 2 objective test by Audio Science Review,


----------



## rkt31

Kentajalli said:


> Chord Mojo 2 objective test by Audio Science Review,


He did not measure EQ and did not talk about it either. Optical input was not tested too. Sinad could have been still better with higher output.


----------



## AmanPreet

Achlys said:


> Why not use an Apple Dongle?


----------



## Kentajalli

rkt31 said:


> He did not measure EQ and did not talk about it either. Optical input was not tested too. Sinad could have been still better with higher output.


Someone posted a reply basically saying same thing and I _+1 _it, so he may go back and do it.
I hinted him very strongly a couple of weeks ago to do the review and be the first! so he did. At least now we have an independent lab test on Mojo2.
Don't expect the earth though from Amir, for one he hates to recommend Chord DACs, and two, "How do you measure a DSP"?
We suggested doing a comparison between say a Roon software EQ of the same and Mojo2's hardware EQ.
We'll see, at least this time he had praises all around.
And in the replies, so did non-other than Dan Clark!


----------



## tombrisbane (May 24, 2022)

Listening to Led Zeppelin - How the west was won through the Mojo 2 and Fostex TH909, what a wonderful experience  one of those moments where you just get lost in the music.

Edit:  I think a lot has to do with the depth, the presentation of listening to that album - the music was in front of me, like I was in row 6 at a concert, rather than left/in my head/right like it normally has been.


----------



## Pulcino

Hi, I connected my Mojo2 now first time optical to my old Auralic Aries. It really sounds a step better than from my iPad via USB, more details, precision, every aspect a bit improved. How do I get this quality now in a mobile set up? Would Poly with my iPhone be at the same level?


----------



## surfgeorge

Pulcino said:


> Hi, I connected my Mojo2 now first time optical to my old Auralic Aries. It really sounds a step better than from my iPad via USB, more details, precision, every aspect a bit improved. How do I get this quality now in a mobile set up? Would Poly with my iPhone be at the same level?


Yes. Poly is as much a benchmark for SQ as the optical input.
Be aware though that the handling needs a little patience and a stable 2,4GHz Wifi for streaming.
I struggled a bit with the 2Go (similar to Poly but for Hugo 2) but am now quite happy with McConnect Lite on the iPhone for playing both local files from the SD card and streaming from Tidal.
I also heard a clear improvement in SQ with the Hugo 2 + 2Go compared to mirco-USB input.


----------



## Achlys

AmanPreet said:


>


The only good headphone in the world that needs more power than the Apple Dongle for adequate loudness is the DCA Stealth.


----------



## flyte3333

rkt31 said:


> Sinad could have been still better with higher output.


That's exactly what this plot shows


----------



## AmanPreet

Achlys said:


> The only good headphone in the world that needs more power than the Apple Dongle for adequate loudness is the DCA Stealth.


Why use an external DAC at all then (maybe for apple one has to). I have LG G6 which can drive all my headphones/iem. Better one why not use bundled earphones included with the phone itself (for the apple one has to buy separately). Everything sounds the same, right?


----------



## headfry (May 25, 2022)

AmanPreet said:


> Why use an external DAC at all then (maybe for apple one has to). I have LG G6 which can drive all my headphones/iem. Better one why not use bundled earphones included with the phone itself (for the apple one has to buy separately). Everything sounds the same, right?


/s


----------



## lycos (May 25, 2022)

I'm having issue when my laptop (running Windows 10) is connected to my work docking station and Mojo2 at the same time.
Mojo2 suddenly is not detected by Windows.
If I remove the docking station, Mojo2 can be detected again.

I tried to remove and reinstalled Chord driver - it still does not work.

Could anyone assist me on this?


----------



## paulrbarnard

lycos said:


> I'm having issue when my laptop (running Windows 10) is connected to my work docking station and Mojo2 at the same time.
> Mojo2 suddenly is not detected by Windows.
> If I remove the docking station, Mojo2 can be detected again.
> 
> ...


What about plugging the mojo into the dock?  Could be your work environment disables the USB on the laptop when docked or even external devices when connected to the corporate network.


----------



## rlanger

Anyone else find their Sundara transformed by the Mojo 2? 

Seriously, the DSP on this thing is remarkable. I tend to leave crossfeed on green, but often change the bass shelf by 1 or 2 dB around 3 to 5dB depending on the music.

Listening to Sundial Aeon's Analysis and these cans are thumping like they've never thumped before. I'm not really a basehead, but I'm thoroughly enjoying this.


----------



## Slim1970

rlanger said:


> Anyone else find their Sundara transformed by the Mojo 2?
> 
> Seriously, the DSP on this thing is remarkable. I tend to leave crossfeed on green, but often change the bass shelf by 1 or 2 dB around 3 to 5dB depending on the music.
> 
> Listening to Sundial Aeon's Analysis and these cans are thumping like they've never thumped before. I'm not really a basehead, but I'm thoroughly enjoying this.


Not only for the Sundara's but plenty of other headphones as well. I find the Mojo 2 to be a brilliant little device for portable use.


----------



## rlanger

Slim1970 said:


> Not only for the Sundara's but plenty of other headphones as well. I find the Mojo 2 to be a brilliant little device for portable use.


I wouldn't know. I've never taken mine off my desk.  Seriously, desktop mode has been a nice change too from the original Mojo. Just leave it plugged in all the time with no worries.


----------



## Slim1970

rlanger said:


> I wouldn't know. I've never taken mine off my desk.  Seriously, desktop mode has been a nice change too from the original Mojo. Just leave it plugged in all the time with no worries.


Agreed, desktop mode is a really great add to the Mojo 2. I’m currently using mine this way. I just have a lot headphones in rotation that I can tryout on it.


----------



## Kentajalli (May 26, 2022)

Slim1970 said:


> Agreed, desktop mode is a really great add to the Mojo 2. I’m currently using mine this way. I just have a lot headphones in rotation that I can tryout on it.


And a credit card sized remote would really go nice with it!
They could even have sold it separately, as an accessory.
I'd say Desktop mode is a nice gesture, a remote would complete the picture.
Just on/off , volume and input control is enough.
 full remote would be WOW.


----------



## GoldenOne (May 26, 2022)

I've posted some measurements of the Mojo 2 here: https://goldensound.audio/2022/05/26/chord-mojo-2-measurements/

Couple key takeaways:

1) Amir's measurements show some issues that neither of the units I tested have. I've no idea if it was his unit or something in his setup, but both units I've tested performed better than shown in his measurements. I suspect it might be related to him not galvanically isolating the unit, as a portable device like this will be susceptible to a noisy source like a desktop PC.

2) If using the Mojo 2 with a PC, a galvanic isolator does improve performance. Whether it's worth the upgrade is up to you, but if you have a USB filter or isolator it's probably best to use it.

3) Desktop mode had effectively no impact on performance. Well done Chord!


----------



## DecentLevi (May 26, 2022)

rlanger said:


> I wouldn't know. I've never taken mine off my desk.  Seriously, desktop mode has been a nice change too from the original Mojo. Just leave it plugged in all the time with no worries.


Awesome! Desktop mode seems like a really swift add-on, especially for someone like me who has already had a custom linear DC LPS that I was using for the Qutest terminated to micro USB, and it did wonders for the sound. Looking forward to plugging it in once I finally get the Mojo 2. And for anyone who thinks battery power is the holy grail of audio, I've heard other opinions from those with top linear power supplies. If that were true, DAPs would reign over desktop rigs.


----------



## Slim1970

GoldenOne said:


> I've posted some measurements of the Mojo 2 here: https://goldensound.audio/2022/05/26/chord-mojo-2-measurements/
> 
> Couple key takeaways:
> 
> ...


I put a USBe perfect in front on the Mojo 2 and the improvements are great. Better bass, improvements to imaging and staging, quieter improving clarity. Just about all technicalities are improved. Definitely +1 for your findings for item number 2.


----------



## headfry (May 26, 2022)

Slim1970 said:


> I put a USBe perfect in front on the Mojo 2 and the improvements are great. Better bass, improvements to imaging and staging, quieter improving clarity. Just about all technicalities are improved. Definitely +1 for your findings for item number 2.


Same here but I use the humbler AQ Jitterbug with much improvement over the Curious Hugo Link on its own (the Curious is obviously much better sounding on its own than the generic stock micro-USB cable I was using).

(1's and 0's crowd can ignore the above).


----------



## Derivative

GoldenOne said:


> I've posted some measurements of the Mojo 2 here: https://goldensound.audio/2022/05/26/chord-mojo-2-measurements/
> 
> Couple key takeaways:
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing this.
Can you please give examples of galvanic isolators that could do the job?


----------



## GoldenOne

Derivative said:


> Thanks for sharing this.
> Can you please give examples of galvanic isolators that could do the job?


In terms of galvanic isolators there aren't many. Intona is the main company making them as the ifi iGalvanic is now discontinued. (Other companies like JCAT are actually using intona isolators in a different chassis).
But they're also quite pricey.

A decent filter like the iPurifier would also likely work quite well without costing as much as an isolator


----------



## Derivative

GoldenOne said:


> In terms of galvanic isolators there aren't many. Intona is the main company making them as the ifi iGalvanic is now discontinued. (Other companies like JCAT are actually using intona isolators in a different chassis).
> But they're also quite pricey.
> 
> A decent filter like the iPurifier would also likely work quite well without costing as much as an isolator


Very helpful, thank you. They are indeed pricey - would the AQ jitterbug mentioned above do roughly the same job?


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

Derivative said:


> Very helpful, thank you. They are indeed pricey - would the AQ jitterbug mentioned above do roughly the same job?



Absolutely not, there's a reason the intona is expensive.


----------



## lycos

paulrbarnard said:


> What about plugging the mojo into the dock? Could be your work environment disables the USB on the laptop when docked or even external devices when connected to the corporate network.


It still doesn't work.
Weirdly, it's working fine with Hugo2. I have sent email to Chord Support. Hopefully this can be resolved.


----------



## hakunamakaka

GoldenOne said:


> In terms of galvanic isolators there aren't many. Intona is the main company making them as the ifi iGalvanic is now discontinued. (Other companies like JCAT are actually using intona isolators in a different chassis).
> But they're also quite pricey.
> 
> A decent filter like the iPurifier would also likely work quite well without costing as much as an isolator



Have you tested Intona products ? My laptops USB is awful...I'm aiming now for an easy/portable HP's rig. Lot's of hype on gustard u18, which is a bit different device, but goal is the same


----------



## Derivative

AnalogEuphoria said:


> Absolutely not, there's a reason the intona is expensive.


Makes sense and I thought so. even the ifi iGalvanic is quite pricey. I would probably rather invest in a Poly if anything.


----------



## GoldenOne

hakunamakaka said:


> Have you tested Intona products ? My laptops USB is awful...I'm aiming now for an easy/portable HP's rig. Lot's of hype on gustard u18, which is a bit different device, but goal is the same


I use the Intona 7055-C regularly both in my listening setup and when doing measurements.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Does using the optical connection overcome the USB problems and which are the downsides of using optical, if any?


----------



## Kentajalli

GoldenOne said:


> I've posted some measurements of the Mojo 2 here: https://goldensound.audio/2022/05/26/chord-mojo-2-measurements/
> 
> Couple key takeaways:
> 
> ...


Thanx for posting and doing the tests, I am sure Amir would be thrilled to read them and comment on them  🧐 (you know what I mean).
Question though:
- I understand that including the noise from the source and its effects into lab results of a device may not be fair, but excluding them is equally not fair. 
If a device is sensitive to external noise, then it should be mentioned. It should be easy to add a little RF into USB power lines and see the effects.
- At any rate, testing the device using all three digital inputs and comparing them should shine a light on the issue.
- It is well known that Amir does not really like Chord equipments, so seeing him dishing out praise for Chord is unusual! 
He tries to pick points on Chord DACs and on your measuring techniques, and you on him, which is a healthy thing.
- It is good that both of you have found that the device performs very well objectively, but as I have always said, a lab test shows how well a device is made and if it is _broken _in any way. How much of these excellent lab results translates into good sound is a bit of a dark science. Surely a noise of floor of -150db compared to -130db should not subjectively make a difference and so on.
- What Amir (and now you) did not do, is to devise a method of testing the DSP function. Perhaps you could do a comparative measured test between say a Roon software EQ (same parameters) to Mojo2 internal DSP to see if we can see anything!

I personally use a simple common-mode rejector on +5V and ground built into my DIY USB cables for the same reason.


 
A simple Ferrite core cylinder. Data wires go through the centre, +5V and ground wires are looped on creating a CM rejector.


----------



## hakunamakaka (May 27, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> Does using the optical connection overcome the USB problems and which are the downsides of using optical, if any?



I think chord dac's underperform with USB input from noisy sources and optical is better with these dac's if source is not clean. With added DDC between my laptop & qutest and fed via optical differences were so large that you would think that qutest was broken before. Though Mojo showed little improvement compared to qutest, but I haven't tested it while it's connected to mains. I always used mojo as a portable dac/amp.


----------



## purplehazed

Does anyone know if the Mojo 2 would ever need more than 3A to drive inefficient headphones? I'm going to test a pair of Aeon 2 Noires with the Mojo 2 at a music store.
Is there a recommended low noise USB wall charger for the Mojo 2? Thank you.


----------



## flyte3333 (May 27, 2022)

GoldenOne said:


> 1) Amir's measurements show some issues that neither of the units I tested have. I've no idea if it was his unit or something in his setup, but both units I've tested performed better than shown in his measurements. I suspect it might be related to him not galvanically isolating the unit, as a portable device like this will be susceptible to a noisy source like a desktop PC.


Just his jitter measurement?

What else from the ASR measurements is notably different to yours?

Not small differences but differences worth talking about.

And your measurement seems to show some form of noise floor modulation. @Rob Watts ?


----------



## GoldenOne (May 27, 2022)

flyte3333 said:


> Just his jitter measurement?
> 
> What else from the ASR measurements is notably different to yours?
> 
> ...





flyte3333 said:


> Just his jitter measurement?
> 
> What else from the ASR measurements is notably different to yours?
> 
> ...


To test noise floor modulation you need to do it with a high level and low level signal.
A DAC might have no noise floor modulation but still show a different result when idle/doing nothing/off.
Especially in something like the mojo 2 or other portable devices where at least some stuff is probably turned off when inactive to save power.

The two main issues present on Amir's measurements were the >7khz noise, which was present on my units but went away when using optical or isolating the USB.
And then also some low level spurious content which disturbed the jitter and ultrasonic attenuation measurements. This issue was not present on either of my units.

I'm not sure what caused it, and it's not meant to be some jab at Amir. It could well be that he did nothing wrong and the unit he had just had some fault. I don't know.


----------



## flyte3333

GoldenOne said:


> I'm not sure what caused it, and it's not meant to be some jab at Amir. It could well be that he did nothing wrong and the unit he had just had some fault. I don't know.


May just be Mojo's very sensitive USB input (he didn't use Intona or test optical) and maybe he had an SMPS powering his unit too (could result in a double whammy)

Definitely agree with you, using an Intona or optical input is advised in desktop mode. Or battery operated Mojo2 with a battery powered source where there is no connection at all to AC.

I saw the same general differences measuring with Cosmos ADC. Even grounding the SMPS output powering Mojo2 made a noticeable difference... but then overall system grounding comes into play.


----------



## ubs28

The USB on the Mojo is fine. It was originally designed for portable devices like smartphones, which are not noisy sources.


----------



## jarnopp

purplehazed said:


> Does anyone know if the Mojo 2 would ever need more than 3A to drive inefficient headphones? I'm going to test a pair of Aeon 2 Noires with the Mojo 2 at a music store.
> Is there a recommended low noise USB wall charger for the Mojo 2? Thank you.


I don’t know the current answer, but I use Mojo 2 daily with the Noire’s and it’s a fantastic - I would say perfect - pairing for a portable setup and there has never been an issue with power at all. I use crossfeed for these but no. Ed for any DSP to my ears.


----------



## purplehazed

jarnopp said:


> I don’t know the current answer, but I use Mojo 2 daily with the Noire’s and it’s a fantastic - I would say perfect - pairing for a portable setup and there has never been an issue with power at all. I use crossfeed for these but no. Ed for any DSP to my ears.


It's great to hear that they pair well. I frankly plan to use the Mojo 2 exclusively for desktop use, I'm wondering if the Mojo can draw more power to deliver to the amplification stage when connected to an USB charger than when it's just drawing power from the battery.
It's really difficult to find recommendations for a low-noise USB charger, it's either crap or really expensive audiophile power supplies.


----------



## Nick24JJ

My plan is to use my Mojo 2 as a desktop device. I will connect it to my desktop computer - when I will buy it, around December, 2022 - using an optical cable like this one.
When I will be listening from my desktop computer, the Mojo 2 will be battery operated. When I will shut it down, I will plug it in to charge until the next day.

1) Can you, please, suggest a good charger with an on/off button, so that I will not plug/unplug it?
2) How far from my desktop computer, which will be an open-air rig, would you suggest me to place the Mojo 2?

Thank you


----------



## purplehazed

Nick24JJ said:


> My plan is to use my Mojo 2 as a desktop device. I will connect it to my desktop computer - when I will buy it, around December, 2022 - using an optical cable like this one.
> When I will be listening from my desktop computer, the Mojo 2 will be battery operated. When I will shut it down, I will plug it in to charge until the next day.
> 
> 1) Can you, please, suggest a good charger with an on/off button, so that I will not plug/unplug it?
> ...


As far as electromagnetic interference, users have reported no issues with phones placed near the Mojo 2, unlike the Mojo 1.
It would be cheaper to find an USB cable with a switch and a good charger, there aren't many models with on / off buttons.


----------



## Nick24JJ (May 27, 2022)

Sorry, I haven't expressed myself correctly. I meant, I am looking for a Power Supply AC/DC Adapter 5V/3A, which is compatible for the Mojo 2, only to charge it. One option would the iFi iPower X but I do not really need it, because I will operate my Mojo 2 from its battery, for the few hours I will have available to listen every day. So, I think that any of these would be good enough for charging, correct? It's just that I need one with an on/off switch so that I won't have to plug/unplug every day.


----------



## amarkabove

Nick24JJ said:


> Sorry, I haven't expressed myself correctly. I meant, I am looking for a Power Supply AC/DC Adapter 5V/3A, which is compatible for the Mojo 2, only to charge it. One option would the iFi iPower X but I do not really need it, because I will operate my Mojo 2 from its battery, for the few hours I will have available to listen every day. So, I think that any of these would be good enough for charging, correct? It's just that I need one with an on/off switch so that I won't have to plug/unplug every day.


Why run it off of battery and not just take advantage of desktop mode?


----------



## Nick24JJ

amarkabove said:


> Why run it off of battery and not just take advantage of desktop mode?


Because the sound is purer.


----------



## dsrk

UHD DSP so good that I am hoping Chord would release Hugo 3 with UHD DSP with more EQ bands.


----------



## rlanger

dsrk said:


> UHD DSP so good that I am hoping Chord would release Hugo 3 with UHD DSP with more EQ bands.


I would be very surprised if that didn't happen.


----------



## Nick24JJ (May 27, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> Sorry, I haven't expressed myself correctly. I meant, I am looking for a Power Supply AC/DC Adapter 5V/3A, which is compatible for the Mojo 2, only to charge it. One option would the iFi iPower X but I do not really need it, because I will operate my Mojo 2 from its battery, for the few hours I will have available to listen every day. So, I think that any of these would be good enough for charging, correct? It's just that I need one with an on/off switch so that I won't have to plug/unplug every day.


Is this suitable?
Or, better this one or this one?


----------



## dsrk

rlanger said:


> I would be very surprised if that didn't happen.


I would be very disappointed if that didn't happen 😀


----------



## rlanger

dsrk said:


> I would be very disappointed if that didn't happen 😀


I need to upgrade my headphones before I would begin to feel the need to upgrade my Mojo. As far as the Sundara go, the Mojo 2 is pretty much end-game for me.

Ultimately, I'd love to step up to a Stealth Arya. And if that happens, then I would also consider stepping up to the Hugo. But for now, I'm just enjoying the music... thoroughly.


----------



## dsrk

rlanger said:


> I need to upgrade my headphones before I would begin to feel the need to upgrade my Mojo. As far as the Sundara go, the Mojo 2 is pretty much end-game for me.
> 
> Ultimately, I'd love to step up to a Stealth Arya. And if that happens, then I would also consider stepping up to the Hugo. But for now, I'm just enjoying the music... thoroughly.


Makes sense.


----------



## Another Audiophile

purplehazed said:


> As far as electromagnetic interference, users have reported no issues with phones placed near the Mojo 2, unlike the Mojo 1.
> It would be cheaper to find an USB cable with a switch and a good charger, there aren't many models with on / off buttons.


That’s has not been my experience. The mojo OG and Mojo 2 have exactly the same issues, in terms of 2G interference, here in the UK. iPhone 13 and mojo2 strapped.


----------



## Rob Watts

Kentajalli said:


> Thanx for posting and doing the tests, I am sure Amir would be thrilled to read them and comment on them  🧐 (you know what I mean).
> Question though:
> - I understand that including the noise from the source and its effects into lab results of a device may not be fair, but excluding them is equally not fair.
> If a device is sensitive to external noise, then it should be mentioned. It should be easy to add a little RF into USB power lines and see the effects.
> ...



The issue here is the APx 555, in that the analogue oscillator is permanently on internally even when it's turned off - at least that's my supposition, as the APx 555 permanently creates analogue ground noise at 1kHz intervals and with careful measurements this signal will become visible. The issue is the APx 555 creates a 1kHz signal current, which flows out of the USB port, into the device under test (DUT) then back into the APx 555. Due to finite ground impedances, this creates an error voltage, which is then picked up by the APx 555 input ADC. But this error is nothing to do with Mojo 2, but a problem with the APx 555.

If you use optical from the APx 555 the problem disappears - as it's impossible to get ground currents flowing - or like @GoldenOne if you measure with USB galvanic isolation it will disappear too.

The real question is does this matter in real life? Absolutely not, as it's a specific measurement issue. I get annoyed when measurement types always assume their measurement gear is perfect, and all faults are due to the device under test. Life is very much more complicated than that.

Having said that, USB connection can have SQ issues, and it's all down to circulating ground currents (and galvanic isolation helps but doesn't entirely eliminate this issue - it works perfectly at low frequencies but does not work effectively above 1 GHz). But if you are using a battery powered source, there is no issue at all, as no ground currents can flow.    



hakunamakaka said:


> I think chord dac's underperform with USB input from noisy sources and optical is better with these dac's if source is not clean. With added DDC between my laptop & qutest and fed via optical differences were so large that you would think that qutest was broken before. Though Mojo showed little improvement compared to qutest, but I haven't tested it while it's connected to mains. I always used mojo as a portable dac/amp.



It's only a potential problem if there is a ground loop. I am surprised that Qutest would show a major difference with a USB to optical as Qutest is galvanically isolated. But optical is always the reference input; I have had many times heard no difference from optical with mains powered USB sources, but in other situations I have heard noticeable differences - it all depends upon the quality of the source and your set-up.



flyte3333 said:


> Just his jitter measurement?
> 
> What else from the ASR measurements is notably different to yours?
> 
> ...



That's the residual noise shaper OP - and its entirely random with no distortion or signal related components, and it has zero noise floor modulation too as the noise is fixed. So it's not something to worry about.

Note when doing the noise floor modulation test the input to the ADC must be fixed and not auto-ranging, otherwise you will see false noise floor modulation due to the ADC and the measurement input stage noise floor modulation. Also the high resolution or sine wave accuracy mode needs to be on and fixed to the fundamental frequency.



ubs28 said:


> The USB on the Mojo is fine. It was originally designed for portable devices like smartphones, which are not noisy sources.



Absolutely!


----------



## paulrbarnard

Another Audiophile said:


> That’s has not been my experience. The mojo OG and Mojo 2 have exactly the same issues, in terms of 2G interference, here in the UK. iPhone 13 and mojo2 strapped.


I also have the same experience. The issue is the U.K. is a third world country when it comes to mobile network coverage.  If your phone falls back to sub 4G connectivity you will get the interference.


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## hakunamakaka (May 28, 2022)

Rob Watts said:


> It's only a potential problem if there is a ground loop. I am surprised that Qutest would show a major difference with a USB to optical as Qutest is galvanically isolated. But optical is always the reference input; I have had many times heard no difference from optical with mains powered USB sources, but in other situations I have heard noticeable differences - it all depends upon the quality of the source and your set up



I’m using my macbook air as a source and direct usb to qutest gave me same result either mac was connected to mains or not. Sound is more agressive, leaner going that route. With DDC added between macbook and qutest via  optical route tone density/imaging improved  a lot.  Treble maybe lost a bit of sparkle, but whole signature was more detailed and relaxed.

While Mojo behaved very similar going usb or optical and changes could be written as bias, but with qutest it was not the case.

My whole desktop setup runs as unbalanced and maybe qutest usb galvanic isolation works only to some degree. I suspect macbook is not the best source of music, but good streamer costs many dinero


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## msz38 (May 28, 2022)

GoldenOne said:


> I've tested performed better than shown in his measurements.


maybe because the front of his device doesn't say "Topping"


----------



## Pulcino

Rob Watts said:


> The issue here is the APx 555, in that the analogue oscillator is permanently on internally even when it's turned off - at least that's my supposition, as the APx 555 permanently creates analogue ground noise at 1kHz intervals and with careful measurements this signal will become visible. The issue is the APx 555 creates a 1kHz signal current, which flows out of the USB port, into the device under test (DUT) then back into the APx 555. Due to finite ground impedances, this creates an error voltage, which is then picked up by the APx 555 input ADC. But this error is nothing to do with Mojo 2, but a problem with the APx 555.
> 
> If you use optical from the APx 555 the problem disappears - as it's impossible to get ground currents flowing - or like @GoldenOne if you measure with USB galvanic isolation it will disappear too.
> 
> ...


Hello Rob, as Poly is using the USB data connection and not toslink: Is it very close in terms of sound quality? You mentioned once a great implementation for USB is as good as a good toslink one.


----------



## jarnopp

Pulcino said:


> Hello Rob, as Poly is using the USB data connection and not toslink: Is it very close in terms of sound quality? You mentioned once a great implementation for USB is as good as a good toslink one.


Rob didn’t work on Poly, as he has pointed out before, so he may not respond. But I will say, Poly is as good a source as I have ever heard Mojo (or Mojo2), both WiFi streaming and from the SD card.


----------



## headfry (May 29, 2022)

jarnopp said:


> Rob didn’t work on Poly, as he has pointed out before, so he may not respond. But I will say, Poly is as good a source as I have ever heard Mojo (or Mojo2), both WiFi streaming and from the SD card.


In my experience USB sounds great but my experience using the stock cable was poor sound quality (a good quality USB cable - Curious Hugo Link - with a Jitterbug sounds fantastic to me in my system). Of course there will always be those that say it's just 1's and 0's so don't fall for the "snake oil", they frequently say that any properly designed and manufactured USB cable will sound the same and that it either works or it doesn't, no shades of grey.


----------



## Pulcino

Pulcino said:


> Hello Rob, as Poly is using the USB data connection and not toslink: Is it very close in terms of sound quality? You mentioned once a great implementation for USB is as good as a good toslink one.


Thank you


----------



## Pulcino

headfry said:


> In my experience USB sounds great but my experience using the stock cable was poor sound quality (a good quality USB cable - Curious Hugo Link - with a Jitterbug sounds fantastic to me in my system). Of course there will always be those that say it's just 1's and 0's so don't fall for the "snake oil", they will say that any properly designed and manufactured USB cable will sound the same.


Yes, I have tested multiple USB cables in my stereo deck and fully agree. Going portable with high quality is my current challenge, so Poly via hotspot with iPhone 12 may be the solution. Limits me to AirPlay, so. I want to use Amazon music HD.


----------



## headfry

Pulcino said:


> Yes, I have tested multiple USB cables in my stereo deck and fully agree. Going portable with high quality is my current challenge, so Poly via hotspot with iPhone 12 may be the solution. Limits me to AirPlay, so. I want to use Amazon music HD.


Of course Poly is a great solution and no doubt the very best possible sq  - it would be mine if it weren't for the cost, then again I only use Mojo 2 on a desktop at home.


----------



## Kentajalli

headfry said:


> Of course Poly is a great solution and no doubt the very best possible sq  - it would be mine if it weren't for the cost, then again I only use Mojo 2 on a desktop at home.


OR . . . . 
Get a used Android phone with a large screen and SD card capability.
Use it as a DAP only! meaning keep your iPhone as a phone, do not put a sim card into the Android phone, so you won't have RFI or EMI issues (put it on _Plane Mode _but enable wifi. 
Use a cable to connect it to your Mojo2 - Bob's your uncle .....
Stream, play from SD card, youtube the lot at your command, will cost a quarter of a Poly.


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## headfry (May 29, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> OR . . . .
> Get a used Android phone with a large screen and SD card capability.
> Use it as a DAP only! meaning keep your iPhone as a phone, do not put a sim card into the Android phone, so you won't have RFI or EMI issues (put it on _Plane Mode _but enable wifi.
> Use a cable to connect it to your Mojo2 - Bob's your uncle .....
> Stream, play from SD card, youtube the lot at your command, will cost a quarter of a Poly.


The same thing can be done with an iPhone (using its internal storage though obviously), although depending on the cable used the sound quality can be very compromised (in my opinion and experience), back to original issue as far as sq is concerned.


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## surfgeorge (May 31, 2022)

After a month's wait the Mojo 2 was finally delivered.
For reference, I have the original Mojo and a Hugo2Go and the Mojo 2 slots right in between them.
To me, the original Mojo is really musical and enjoyable especially in the midrange, with warm bass and sweet high. But compared to the Hugo 2 the sound is much more in your head, imaging is fuzzy and the stage feels more like a sound cloud. The music sounds right (which is a BIG achievement), but not as open or accurate as the Hugo 2.
The Hugo 2 is very precise, with much more definition, nuance and focus of all notes and elements. This shows in the whole frequency range, but especially in the bass which is so much more textured, defined and extended compared to the Mojo. Hugo 2's detail is excellent IMO, with cross-feed deactivated you get the most of it, even feeling the sound reflections of the venue where the music was recorded.

The Mojo 2 to me is a great blend of the Mojo and Hugo 2. It retains the more relaxed and sweet musical character of the original Mojo with a much more even presentation over the whole frequency range, good stage width, depth and imaging focus, and it even has some of the "room sound" effect of the Hugo 2. In this sense, where the Mojo 1 was distinctly different, the Mojo 2 is the little brother to the Hugo 2, overall softer and more relaxed, but with very similar core values of an even, precise and detailed music reproduction.
The cross feed and DSP functions are incredibly useful and IMO make the Mojo 2 an even more outstanding product.

I was really wondering how close the Mojo 2 would get to the Hugo 2 whether I might end up selling the Hugo 2.
I will keep the Hugo 2, since the level of clarity, openness, detail and precision it provides is still a significant step up from the Mojo 2. But I have to say the Mojo 2 is giving the H2 a run for it's money and it's sheer incredible how that little brick can sound so good, just like a sweeter and more relaxed version of the Hugo 2. And I can imagine that for sheer musical enjoyment, some people might even prefer it over the Hugo 2.

Well done @Rob Watts and Chord!


----------



## rlanger

Curious to hear what people think would be the ultimate headphone pairing with Mojo 2?

As higher-end headphones become easier and easier to drive, there's probably a lot of choice out there now. For example, Arya SE, LCD-X, HD800s, etc.

Obviously, there are better sources for the cans I mentioned, but that's not my question. The question is, if you were unable or unwilling to upgrade from Mojo 2, what would be your end-game headphones?


----------



## Reactcore

I have only One thing to say..
              V        V        V        V        V        V


----------



## Slim1970

surfgeorge said:


> After a month's wait the Mojo 2 was finally delivered.
> For reference, I have the original Mojo and a Hugo2Go and the Mojo 2 slots right in between them.
> To me, the original Mojo is really musical and enjoyable especially in the midrange, with warm bass and sweet high. But compared to the Hugo 2 the sound is much more in your head, imaging is fuzzy and the stage feels more like a sound cloud. The music sounds right (which is a BIG achievement), but not as open or accurate as the Hugo 2.
> The Hugo 2 is very precise, with much more definition, nuance and focus of all notes and elements. This shows in the whole frequency range, but especially in the bass which is so much more textured, defined and extended compared to the Mojo. Hugo 2's detail is excellent IMO, with cross-feed deactivated you get the most of it, even feeling the sound reflections of the venue where the music was recorded.
> ...


Agreed, the Mojo 2 indeed gives the Hugo 2 a run for it’s money. The EQ and other added features where enough to convince me I could live without my Hugo 2 so I sold it. The smaller footprint of the Mojo 2 is also a win. It’s a lot more portable.


----------



## dsrk

surfgeorge said:


> After a month's wait the Mojo 2 was finally delivered.
> For reference, I have the original Mojo and a Hugo2Go and the Mojo 2 slots right in between them.
> To me, the original Mojo is really musical and enjoyable especially in the midrange, with warm bass and sweet high. But compared to the Hugo 2 the sound is much more in your head, imaging is fuzzy and the stage feels more like a sound cloud. The music sounds right (which is a BIG achievement), but not as open or accurate as the Hugo 2.
> The Hugo 2 is very precise, with much more definition, nuance and focus of all notes and elements. This shows in the whole frequency range, but especially in the bass which is so much more textured, defined and extended compared to the Mojo. Hugo 2's detail is excellent IMO, with cross-feed deactivated you get the most of it, even feeling the sound reflections of the venue where the music was recorded.
> ...





Slim1970 said:


> Agreed, the Mojo 2 indeed gives the Hugo 2 a run for it’s money. The EQ and other added features where enough to convince me I could live without my Hugo 2 so I sold it. The smaller footprint of the Mojo 2 is also a win. It’s a lot more portable.


Hugo 3 may be around the corner


----------



## hakunamakaka

rlanger said:


> Curious to hear what people think would be the ultimate headphone pairing with Mojo 2?
> 
> As higher-end headphones become easier and easier to drive, there's probably a lot of choice out there now. For example, Arya SE, LCD-X, HD800s, etc.
> 
> Obviously, there are better sources for the cans I mentioned, but that's not my question. The question is, if you were unable or unwilling to upgrade from Mojo 2, what would be your end-game headphones?



The best sound that I've heard via Mojo Org was with Focal Utopia.  If you are a bit tight on the budged I think Clear's should be considered too. Not as detailed as Utopia and has a bit of harshness in treble, but in terms of technical performance comes close to it. Very precise and impactful sound. I've heard Arya/HD800s and Clear bested both of these HP's to me, though Arya sounds amazing with ambient music. It should boil down to your preferences and taste in music

Another thing to note is that Mojo2 will drive Clear to it's full potential


----------



## Derivative

dsrk said:


> Hugo 3 may be around the corner


This makes sense - however I can see a price hike to distinguish it even further from Mojo 2...


----------



## Derivative

hakunamakaka said:


> The best sound that I've heard via Mojo Org was with Focal Utopia.  If you are a bit tight on the budged I think Clear's should be considered too. Not as detailed as Utopia and has a bit of harshness in treble, but in terms of technical performance comes close to it. Very precise and impactful sound. I've heard Arya/HD800s and Clear bested both of these HP's to me, though Arya sounds amazing with ambient music. It should boil down to your preferences and taste in music
> 
> Another thing to note is that Mojo2 will drive Clear to it's full potential


I have the Clear and I agree they are impeccable with Mojo 2. 
the EQ can help trim the FR to taste, and I tend to add a notch or two of crossfeed to a give a slightly fuller sound.


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## surfgeorge (May 31, 2022)

hakunamakaka said:


> The best sound that I've heard via Mojo Org was with Focal Utopia.  If you are a bit tight on the budged I think Clear's should be considered too. Not as detailed as Utopia and has a bit of harshness in treble, but in terms of technical performance comes close to it. Very precise and impactful sound. I've heard Arya/HD800s and Clear bested both of these HP's to me, though Arya sounds amazing with ambient music. It should boil down to your preferences and taste in music
> 
> Another thing to note is that Mojo2 will drive Clear to it's full potential


Focal Clears are excellent, very balanced, with great PRaT, detail, precise imaging and good extension top to bottom.
I need to spend more time with the Mojo 2 and the Clears but I think it will be an excellent match.
1,5 years ago I compared the Utopia, Arya, HD800s, Meze Empyrean and Clears driven by my Hugo 2 and the Utopia is really a Clear on Steroids. It would certainly sound great out of the Mojo 2 but personally I think this is a step too far and the M2 will be the bottleneck. The Hugo 2 or TT2 should be a better match with the Utopia.
HD800s should be a good pairing with Mojo 2 as well, especially with the possibilities to adapt the frequency response with DSP. I may have to get myself a pair one day...

Regarding the Hifiman Arya, personally I also found the Clears to be the overall better headphone for my tastes. I really liked the Arya when demoing them 1,5 years ago and bought a V2 last year. Soundstage is great, detail and layering as well. But I found the Clears simply more engaging, balanced and realistic with pretty much any kind of music I tested. Even the soundstage is much smaller, the imaging is great with the Clears. So after a few months I sold the Arya again. The SE is supposed to be a little more dynamic and easier to drive, but it will mostly come down to what type of music reproduction you prefer - punchy, more intimate and realistic (Clears) or kind of relaxed, very wide, super clean and detailed (Arya)

A headphone I'd love to hear with the M2 would be the ZMF Auteur. That should pair really well too...
Anyone who has experience with them and how they pair with Mojo 2 or Hugo 2?


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## KelFab (May 30, 2022)

Differences between the Clear and the Utopia are clearly hearable through the Mojo 2.
Much more precise and reveiling, voices are way better rendered (a bit less warmth but de-veiled), less harshness in the treble (more refined), basses are impactful and very articulate.
But the Utopia is also less forgiving on bad recordings (but less on the Mojo 2 than on the Hugo 2), and less easy-listening than the Clear.


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## dizcotec

KelFab said:


> Differences between the Clear and the Utopia are clearly earable through the Mojo 2.
> Much more precise and reveiling, voices are way better rendered (a bit less warmth but de-veiled), less harshness in the treble (more refined), basses are impactful and very articulate.
> But the Utopia is also less forgiving on bad recordings (but less on the Mojo 2 than on the Hugo 2), and less easy-listening than the Clear.


I love the word “earable”. Will make that part of my vocabulary too now! Genius.


----------



## jarnopp

rlanger said:


> Curious to hear what people think would be the ultimate headphone pairing with Mojo 2?
> 
> As higher-end headphones become easier and easier to drive, there's probably a lot of choice out there now. For example, Arya SE, LCD-X, HD800s, etc.
> 
> Obviously, there are better sources for the cans I mentioned, but that's not my question. The question is, if you were unable or unwilling to upgrade from Mojo 2, what would be your end-game headphones?


Because it’s portable, I think you would lean toward a closed back that is also portable. The DCA Noire is a fantastic headphone on its own and a perfect pairing with Mojo. It benefits from crossfeed but I don’t use any DSP, but it’s there if you want it. Also, Mojo 2 (and OG Mojo) has plenty of power for them. Open backs is a much wider field.


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## KelFab (May 30, 2022)

dizcotec said:


> I love the word “earable”. Will make that part of my vocabulary too now! Genius.


Forgot the « H », my bad .. . « Audible » if you prefer, but I suppose you figured it out by yourself ...


----------



## rlanger

jarnopp said:


> Because it’s portable, I think you would lean toward a closed back that is also portable. The DCA Noire is a fantastic headphone on its own and a perfect pairing with Mojo. It benefits from crossfeed but I don’t use any DSP, but it’s there if you want it. Also, Mojo 2 (and OG Mojo) has plenty of power for them. Open backs is a much wider field.


My Mojo is pretty much desktop only, so if and when I do upgrade, chances are pretty good that they'll be open-backs.


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## someyoungguy

Well things must be getting back to normal here in Shanghai, because deliveries have resumed and the pre-order I put in for the M2 months ago finally arrived 

There seems to be two camps of people on here - those that see the M2 as a solid upgrade over the OG, and a few dissenters who prefer the M1. After a day or so of listening, comparing the two with and without Poly, I think I see both sides and find myself kind of on the fence at the moment.

The most immediate thing that strikes me with the M2 is the sense of blackness. I know people talk about a 'black background' but this seems to take things a step further. It's not just that it's quiet when there's no music playing but the sense of quiet around the instruments when music is playing is a step above other sources I've heard so far - like it's own little an-echoic chamber. Also one aspect of the soundstage and imaging that's interesting is there can be a centre image but it can still sound like it's coming from a very distant place, depending on the mix - deeper and further away than I've heard with other players. As others have mentioned, the bass is deeper and more 'linear' with better separation and more space between instruments in general. But comparatively the M1 still sounds good in this regard. The M2 has more detail, and I've had that classic hi-fi cliche of noticing little things like nuances in a note, how the pluck of a string sounds or particular reverb/echoes that hadn't caught my attention before in well-known tracks. The treble is also smoother than the OG.

The EQ and crossfeed etc. is interesting, but I'm not sure whether I'll use them much.

With the OG Mojo I felt that the combination with Poly offered a step up in SQ compared to USB use, and that same sense is there with the M2 as well; I find I can't necessarily decide whether Poly adds comparatively more or less than with the M1, but I guess it's a bit of a moot point as the combination M2+Poly does pull out a remarkable amount of detail. Makes me wonder how M2 would sound with the M-scaler feeding it.

So what are the downsides?

Well, one thing I can't shake is the feeling that with that extra sense of space that M2 has, smoother treble and blackness - all while retaining the M1's overall smooth sound - it seems at times just a bit too relaxed, kind of like a chill-out player for the end of the day and more of an easy listening experience. The M1 feels like it has a bit more of a spritely step, a little extra verve and captures the euphoria and excitement of the music more. I know Rob Watts talks about this idea that the key to designing DACs is to try and ease the sense of work that the brain has to do to decode all the music coming through. Maybe the M2 achieves that to such an extent that my brain feels too relaxed listening to it 

The other aspect is that while M2+Poly does a remarkable job with detail I border on feeling like the extent of detail, or things that are standing out, are a bit distracting or a bit too much at times, depending on the track, so that it's throwing things at me that detract from the overall sense of coherency. 

I think I also see where some people are coming from where they say the M2 isn't that much of a jump over the original: the change from Hugo 1 to 2, for example, involved quite a change in sound (apparently, I haven't heard the H1 to compare) as well as in functions and controls, etc. But I understand how the step up to M2 could be seen as more incremental in comparison. One thing I do prefer is the single color-scale for volume on the M1, rather than the globes scanning back through the same scale with the high/low gain indicator on another ball with the M2.

Of course, my initial impressions may change with time. But for now, I'm more kind of curious and intrigued by the M2, rather than enamored at first listen


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## headfry (May 30, 2022)

someyoungguy said:


> Well things must be getting back to normal here in Shanghai, because deliveries have resumed and the pre-order I put in for the M2 months ago finally arrived
> 
> There seems to be two camps of people on here - those that see the M2 as a solid upgrade over the OG, and a few dissenters who prefer the M1. After a day or so of listening, comparing the two with and without Poly, I think I see both sides and find myself kind of on the fence at the moment.
> 
> ...


Interesting take and my opinion is quite opposite, then again I've been listening to it for a long time, over 3 months. I found the M2 to be a VERY impressive upgrade over the OG, especially in bass detail/resolution where the OG has good weight and punch but by comparison seems smoothed over. For me M2 takes everything OG does, improves sound quality throughout the range (and more accurate/better imaging, better coherence and dynamics)  to the point that I rarely listen to OG anymore. The Mojo 2 also has noticeably improved dynamics. Both are a very musical listen but I'm really enjoying the M2 and all that it brings. I would never describe M2 as sounding too relaxed or distracting with details, to me in my system it sounds transparent, musical and very rewarding. Price considered, in my setup and for my needs I much prefer this to the H2.


----------



## Slim1970

dsrk said:


> Hugo 3 may be around the corner


If the Hugo 3 has built-in EQ like the Mojo 2 then I’m all aboard.


----------



## Alan Billington

Slim1970 said:


> If the Hugo 3 has built-in EQ like the Mojo 2 then I’m all aboard.


I suspect everyone would be to be frank. Potentially game changing at the highest level 👌


----------



## someyoungguy

headfry said:


> Interesting take and my opinion is quite opposite, then again I've been listening to it for a long time, over 3 months. I found the M2 to be a VERY impressive upgrade over the OG, especially in bass detail/resolution where the OG has good weight and punch but by comparison seems smoothed over. For me M2 takes everything OG does, improves sound quality throughout the range (and more accurate/better imaging, better coherence and dynamics)  to the point that I rarely listen to OG anymore. The Mojo 2 also has noticeably improved dynamics. Both are a very musical listen but I'm really enjoying the M2 and all that it brings. I would never describe M2 as sounding too relaxed or distracting with details, to me in my system it sounds transparent, musical and very rewarding. Price considered, in my setup and for my needs I much prefer this to the H2.


Yeah the improvement in bass resolution and texture is a noticeable step up. Goes deeper, bass notes are more separated with more nuance. I certainly intend on keeping the M2 around for a while to get used to it and see how I feel over the longer term.


----------



## emilsoft

Has anyone here tested the Mojo 2 with the M Scaler? Purely for scientific research reasons..

It's interesting to me to see different upgrade paths. If say one has the Mojo 2 as their only device and wishes over period of time to upgrade, getting an M Scaler before a better chord dac might be one way to do it.


----------



## hakunamakaka

I think used Clear is the best bet to get the most out of Mojo2 as well. Easy to drive and you could tame treble harshness if it annoys you with quality DSP.
Mscaler and mojo is a waste of money. You loose the portability that mojo offers and if you still feel itchy for chord upgrade I would rather buy chord hugo tt2. In correct setup it would solely outperform mojo/mscaler by a large margin.


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## emilsoft (May 31, 2022)

hakunamakaka said:


> I think used Clear is the best bet to get the most out of Mojo2 as well. Easy to drive and you could tame treble harshness if it annoys you with quality DSP.
> Mscaler and mojo is a waste of money. You loose the portability that mojo offers and if you still feel itchy for chord upgrade I would rather buy chord hugo tt2. In correct setup it would solely outperform mojo/mscaler by a large margin.



I am talking about a specific upgrade path - If someone has a Mojo 2 and plans to eventually get  M Scaler  + TT3 (with DSP eq if/when it eventually comes out). TT2 might not be an option now for someone spoiled by the Mojo 2's sweet EQ.

As such it is interesting to know how the Mojo 2 scales with the M Scaler to tie one over until a TT3 comes out


----------



## rlanger

hakunamakaka said:


> I think used Clear is the best bet to get the most out of Mojo2 as well. Easy to drive and you could tame treble harshness if it annoys you with quality DSP.
> Mscaler and mojo is a waste of money. You loose the portability that mojo offers and if you still feel itchy for chord upgrade I would rather buy chord hugo tt2. In correct setup it would solely outperform mojo/mscaler by a large margin.


Unfortunately, for me, the Clear are not an option because the headband is made of animal leather, and I avoid products made from animals. I'm pretty sure you can get synthetic fibre pads, but not the headband. 

Would be happy to be proven wrong though.


----------



## Kentajalli

rlanger said:


> Unfortunately, for me, the Clear are not an option because the headband is made of animal leather, and I avoid products made from animals. I'm pretty sure you can get synthetic fibre pads, but not the headband.
> 
> Would be happy to be proven wrong though.


Focal Clear, didn't work for me either, but it wasn't the leather, it was the sound!
Are you sure it is not protein leather? real leather cracks after a while and is not as soft - I wonder why Focal may want to use real leather.


----------



## hakunamakaka

Kentajalli said:


> Focal Clear, didn't work for me either, but it wasn't the leather, it was the sound!
> Are you sure it is not protein leather? real leather cracks after a while and is not as soft - I wonder why Focal may want to use real leather.



I agree that the sound is not for everyone. Focal headphones in general are very dynamic and demands attention, but to me Clear's treble was getting hard on my ears for longer listening sessions. The problem is that after Clear's I couldn't go back to HD650 as it seemed that I miss a lot of nuances in music. I think folks that looks for very  lifelike timbre should avoid Focals as well


----------



## captblaze

DT1900 Pro with analytical pads (volume double green high gain) has a nice smooth presentation without any DSP. A few tweaks here and there and my leathery old ears get mega happy. not a bad portable combo in my arsenal. 

Reference - Count Basic, Tribal Tech, Alain Caron, George Duke


----------



## Musicophilesblog

Hi all, new Mojo 2 owner here, just purchased as a travel setup, driving my also quite recently purchased Utopias. 

Very happy with the cute little box. 

My previous travel setup was a Beyer T90 with a Dragonfly Red, but this is obviously much more enjoyable.


----------



## surfgeorge (Jun 1, 2022)

surfgeorge said:


> After a month's wait the Mojo 2 was finally delivered.
> For reference, I have the original Mojo and a Hugo2Go and the Mojo 2 slots right in between them.
> To me, the original Mojo is really musical and enjoyable especially in the midrange, with warm bass and sweet high. But compared to the Hugo 2 the sound is much more in your head, imaging is fuzzy and the stage feels more like a sound cloud. The music sounds right (which is a BIG achievement), but not as open or accurate as the Hugo 2.
> The Hugo 2 is very precise, with much more definition, nuance and focus of all notes and elements. This shows in the whole frequency range, but especially in the bass which is so much more textured, defined and extended compared to the Mojo. Hugo 2's detail is excellent IMO, with cross-feed deactivated you get the most of it, even feeling the sound reflections of the venue where the music was recorded.
> ...


EDIT: Adding to the Mojo 2 vs Hugo 2 observations, several days of listening to both units with my different IEMs and heaphones have confirmed my decision that I will definitely keep the Hugo 2. Going from Mojo 2 to Hugo 2 a lot more detail comes through, the space opens up and everything comes into focus. It feels like the leading edges of sounds are sharper and trailing edges are alive and full of nuance and detail. As I already mentioned, you can really hear the sound reflections in the room, making the music sound very real. Of course the transducers make a big difference, I can hear these effects most clearly with the Focal Clears and the Sony IER-M9, the best I have available.
And I don't just hear it in direct A/B testing. Even just listening to Mojo 2 I do miss that clarity and transparency of Hugo 2 a little. I am still super happy with the Mojo 2 as upgrade to the original Mojo, but it will not replace the Hugo2Go for me. Considering that there are now a lot of good deals on used Hugo 2s I think it is (still) a great choice.


----------



## bridger2086

Another happy owner of the Mojo2, I feel indeed a landmark product, bridging the chasm between objectivists and subjectivists as well as the affordable and hi-end markets. Few can claim this. Now on to the question (maybe @Rob Watts , and all):

*For main stereo use (mostly Qobuz (PCM 44-192kHz) streaming), what is the optimal feed/connection as well as power delivery for the Mojo 2?*

That is in terms of connection type (coax vs usb vs optical), streamer design and software, as well as power supply for the mojo itself.  I have seen Rob's talk where he touches on this in the Q&A, but would like a more definitive answer. Feeling was that Rob leans towards Optical, but the question is if either USB or coax can be better if handled correctly? The plan is to use a RPI3+/4 as a base and add a hat that will work best with the Mojo 2. Some options:

-RPI4 + Linear PS -> USB (RPI onboard USB)
-RPI 3/4 + isolated USB board with LPS -> USB
-RPI 3/4 + isolated SPDIF board with LPS  -> COAX, alt. OPTICAL


For powering the Mojo, I assume the built in battery is optimal. But for always plugged in, how large is the difference between, a battery , LPS and a low noise switching PS? Also, set to line level output, can the mojo get by with a stable 5V/1A, or does it need 2A minimum?


Happy to learn from you!


----------



## Nick24JJ (Jun 1, 2022)

deleted


----------



## Nick24JJ (Jun 1, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> My plan is to use my Mojo 2 as a desktop device. I will connect it to my desktop computer - when I will buy it, around December, 2022 - using an optical cable like this one.
> When I will be listening from my desktop computer, the Mojo 2 will be battery operated. When I will shut it down, I will plug it in to charge until the next day.
> 
> 1) Can you, please, suggest a good charger with an on/off button, so that I will not plug/unplug it?
> ...





Nick24JJ said:


> Is this suitable?
> Or, better this one or this one?



Regarding these queries, here's the reply I got from Chord support:
_On the understanding that we have not tried either of them, both should work. It's worth noting that *Mojo2 is always battery powered regardless of whether power is connected or not. The board never draws power from the mains directly.*_

I was not fully aware of that.

So, I went on and ordered this one
It will arrive today, I'll test and report later, I believe it will not have any issue.


----------



## emilsoft

Nick24JJ said:


> Regarding these queries, here's the reply I got from Chord support:
> _On the understanding that we have not tried either of them, both should work. It's worth noting that *Mojo2 is always battery powered regardless of whether power is connected or not. The board never draws power from the mains directly.*_
> 
> I was not fully aware of that.
> ...



I thought Mojo 2 had desktop mode upgrade to Mojo 1 - after  battery reaches full charge, power is drawn from the plugged in power supply in order to improve battery wear and tear when Mojo 2 i used in always on desktop mode


----------



## rlanger

emilsoft said:


> I thought Mojo 2 had desktop mode upgrade to Mojo 1 - after  battery reaches full charge, power is drawn from the plugged in power supply in order to improve battery wear and tear when Mojo 2 i used in always on desktop mode


From the manual:

7.2.1 Intelligent Desktop Mode Mojo 2 can be left connected to a power source at all times if desired. In this mode, when fully charged, Mojo 2’s menu button and battery status light displays magenta, indicating the end of the charge cycle and the initiation of Intelligent Desktop Mode which regulates charging to preserve the battery.


----------



## emilsoft

rlanger said:


> From the manual:
> 
> 7.2.1 Intelligent Desktop Mode Mojo 2 can be left connected to a power source at all times if desired. In this mode, when fully charged, Mojo 2’s menu button and battery status light displays magenta, indicating the end of the charge cycle and the initiation of Intelligent Desktop Mode which regulates charging to preserve the battery.



interesting.. "regulates charging to preserve the battery" - I wonder what that means, does it let the battery discharge a good amount before recharging it again.. anyhow it looks like I was wrong, I guess it always uses the battery


----------



## Rob Watts

When it's in desktop mode the battery is disconnected, and power only comes from the charger, via Mojo 2's PSU regulator.

Every 11 days the battery will get a trickle charge top-up when in continuous desktop mode.


----------



## KelFab (Jun 2, 2022)

Rob Watts said:


> When it's in desktop mode the battery is disconnected, and power only comes from the charger, via Mojo 2's PSU regulator.
> 
> Every 11 days the battery will get a trickle charge top-up when in continuous desktop mode.



Good to know, thanks. @Rob Watts, what about the Poly if the Mojo2 is attached to it and the Poly continuously plugged to a charger ? Is its battery also kind of protected similarly ?


----------



## msz38 (Jun 1, 2022)

bridger2086 said:


> Happy to learn from you!


In my opinion, it's best to bypass USB, so it's better to connect an optical or SPDIF input.
As for power, I tried in my system (pi2aes-> mojo 2 -> Pathos Aurium) running the mojo on battery or on a generic 5v power supply. There was virtually no difference. The filters are very good.


----------



## blarney

I also have a question re desktop mode - my Mojo2 is constantly connected to a power supply (see picture), yet after some time (even without listening) light goes to red - any idea what I'm doing wrong?


----------



## bridger2086

msz38 said:


> In my opinion, it's best to bypass USB, so it's better to connect an optical or SPDIF input.
> As for power, I tried in my system (pi2aes-> mojo 2 -> Pathos) running the mojo on battery or on a generic 5v power supply. There was virtually no difference. The filters are very good.


Thanks for your input! I am actually also considering PI2AES (original, not lite). Very interesting, what did you power your pi2aes with (batteries, LPS, generic switching..) while you tried different ps with Mojo? What speakers were you driving? Have you noticed any difference between optical and coax with pi2aes to mojo? Thanks!


----------



## bridger2086

blarney said:


> I also have a question re desktop mode - my Mojo2 is constantly connected to a power supply (see picture), yet after some time (even without listening) light goes to red - any idea what I'm doing wrong?


Which light goes red? The one that is red (rightmost) on the picture shows the sampling rate.


----------



## blarney

bridger2086 said:


> Which light goes red? The one that is red (rightmost) on the picture shows the sampling rate.



OMG I feel so stupid... then again, 4 LEDs for status and configuration, and an added LED on the side hidden unter the plug is probably not the most user friendly UI


----------



## Derivative

blarney said:


> OMG I feel so stupid... then again, 4 LEDs for status and configuration, and an added LED on the side hidden unter the plug is probably not the most user friendly UI


Who needs friendly when you can have esoteric and eccentric?? 
Joking aside, after a couple of months the interface is now totally intuitive to me. 
The only thing I would wish for now is the ability to save xfeed / EQ settings for different headphones, similar to what RME do on the ADI-2...


----------



## msz38 (Jun 1, 2022)

bridger2086 said:


> Thanks for your input! I am actually also considering PI2AES (original, not lite). Very interesting, what did you power your pi2aes with (batteries, LPS, generic switching..) while you tried different ps with Mojo? What speakers were you driving? Have you noticed any difference between optical and coax with pi2aes to mojo? Thanks!


Pi2Aes is a very good streamer, highly recommended on sbaf. Better than Allo Digione. I power it with LPSU. I listen on Pathos Aurium and Fostex X00 headphones. In my opinion coax in my setup is better than Toslink. I just checked it a while ago.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Nick24JJ said:


> Regarding these queries, here's the reply I got from Chord support:
> _On the understanding that we have not tried either of them, both should work. It's worth noting that *Mojo2 is always battery powered regardless of whether power is connected or not. The board never draws power from the mains directly.*_
> 
> I was not fully aware of that.
> ...


I've received this power supply and it works fine. It charges the Mojo 2 with maximum charging (battery status light = white), and the on/off switch is very handy. As soon as the Mojo 2 is fully charged, I switch it off. No worrying about plugging/unplugging into the micro USB charging input, always battery operated for optimal results, even if theoretical/inaudible.


----------



## bridger2086

msz38 said:


> Pi2Aes is a very good streamer, highly recommended on sbaf. Better than Allo Digione. I power it with LPSU. I listen on Pathos Aurium and Fostex X00 headphones. In my opinion coax in my setup is better than Toslink. I just checked it a while ago.


Thanks for the feedback! Can you name the LPSU you are using? Allo hats only need 5v/3A so that makes it a bit cheaper (Allo shanti LPSU is 150e/usd). I've heard Farad is supposed to be good (19v) but is already 500usd, which pushes this setup into the big boys league.


----------



## Researcher

GoldenOne said:


> I use the Intona 7055-C regularly both in my listening setup and when doing measurements.



I noticed you did not use IGalvanic for Gustard 18. However, IGalvanic had been included in other DDC tests. Have you ever had any test output for either SU6 or any of the other DDCs without using IGalvanic ?


----------



## msz38

bridger2086 said:


> Thanks for the feedback! Can you name the LPSU you are using?


Nostromo power supply from Poland. 24V 2 A 

https://nostromo.audio/pl/zasilacze-do-urzadzen-audio/153-zasilacz-liniowy-nostromo-15v-35a.html


----------



## GoldenOne

Researcher said:


> I noticed you did not use IGalvanic for Gustard 18. However, IGalvanic had been included in other DDC tests. Have you ever had any test output for either SU6 or any of the other DDCs without using IGalvanic ?


I've stopped using galvanic isolators for DDCs cause the vast majority of them have galvanic isolation built in (including the U18), so adding an extra one is of no benefit, and in fact can actually make the connection unreliable due to it being left ungrounded on both sides.

Historically I've always tested DACs and DDCs both with and without the isolator initially to check if there is any performance discrepancy, and then used the isolator for the full test suite unless there was a reason not to.


----------



## Another Audiophile

bridger2086 said:


> Can you name the LPSU you are using? league.


the best kept secret is that the best power supply I’ve used with the mojo is the power supply from the chord qutest…


----------



## amigastar

Hey there,

so i'm probably going to buy a Chord Mojo 2 as a desktop setup. I have just a few questions.
I want to connect the Mojo 2 to my Schiit Magni 3 amp and then to my Marantz Speaker Amp, won't this be an amp overkill, since Mojo 2 has already an amp inside?
thx.


----------



## dsrk

amigastar said:


> Hey there,
> 
> so i'm probably going to buy a Chord Mojo 2 as a desktop setup. I have just a few questions.
> I want to connect the Mojo 2 to my Schiit Magni 3 amp and then to my Marantz Speaker Amp, won't this be an amp overkill, since Mojo 2 has already an amp inside?
> thx.


There is no double amping as this has been discussed a few times already in this thread. You just need set the volume on Mojo 2 to reach 2 volts (Indigo).


----------



## sparkofinsanity

amigastar said:


> Hey there,
> 
> so i'm probably going to buy a Chord Mojo 2 as a desktop setup. I have just a few questions.
> I want to connect the Mojo 2 to my Schiit Magni 3 amp and then to my Marantz Speaker Amp, won't this be an amp overkill, since Mojo 2 has already an amp inside?
> thx.





dsrk said:


> There is no double amping as this has been discussed a few times already in this thread. You just need set the volume on Mojo 2 to reach 2 volts (Indigo).


I'm curious why though, isn't the Magni 3 pretty redundant?


----------



## amigastar

sparkofinsanity said:


> I'm curious why though, isn't the Magni 3 pretty redundant?


Well, i paid for the Magni 3 and i want to use it.


----------



## sparkofinsanity

amigastar said:


> Well, i paid for the Magni 3 and i want to use it.


Fair enough, it will be a unique combo.


----------



## lowrider007

As this dac has two 3.5mm jack outs, can they both be used as two line outs, one going to my stereo amplifier, and one to my head phone amp?

I've read that this DAC doesn't have a fixed line out like the Mojo 1, so how would this work?


----------



## dsrk

lowrider007 said:


> As this dac has two 3.5mm jack outs, can they both be used as two line outs, one going to my stereo amplifier, and one to my head phone amp?
> 
> I've read that this DAC doesn't have a fixed line out like the Mojo 1, so how would this work?


I have just tested this connecting my LCD2C and HD6XX, there is no volume drop when the second headphone is connected. So, you can use both as line outs. There is no dedicated line out on Mojo 2, as I posted a few posts back you need to raise the volume on Mojo 2 to 2 volts (color Indigo).


----------



## amarkabove

dsrk said:


> I have just tested this connecting my LCD2C and HD6XX, there is no volume drop when the second headphone is connected. So, you can use both as line outs. There is no dedicated line out on Mojo 2, as I posted a few posts back you need to raise the volume on Mojo 2 to 2 volts (color Indigo).


Specifically Indigo in the High volume range.


----------



## msz38




----------



## Derivative

dsrk said:


> I have just tested this connecting my LCD2C and HD6XX, there is no volume drop when the second headphone is connected. So, you can use both as line outs. There is no dedicated line out on Mojo 2, as I posted a few posts back you need to raise the volume on Mojo 2 to 2 volts (color Indigo).


I have two amps including a LP G109 which has two headphone jacks that can be run simultaneously, so technically using mojo2 I could have three headphones running at the same time... but only one head. What a shame  Unless I can get two friends to play but that may also prove challenging!


----------



## tombrisbane

Have been doing some A/B testing with my Focal Clear and IER-Z1R between the Mojo 2 and my topping D90SE/A90 stack.

Focal Clear:

More ‘musical’ on the Mojo 2
Soundstage is slightly larger on Mojo 2 (not that the Clear has a wide soundstage)
Drums sound more realistic on the Mojo 2
Mojo 2 appears to be slightly more sibilant
Topping stack (obviously) has a lot more headroom, but both drive them well. Topping stack is a little more detailed/clean sounding
Overall very subtle differences when you analyse them side by side but I enjoy the Mojo 2 more, it just sounds like I’m listening to the music, rather than listening to the music through something if that makes any sense lol.

IER-Z1R:

An immediate reminder that these are better than the Clears in every way but comfort when I popped them in 
Pretty magical pairing with the Mojo 2, beautiful, lush, warm sound.  Plenty of detail but has a very natural sound, sibilance detected on the Clear has disappeared. I really love drums and they sound truly amazing through this pairing.
Topping stack has more detail, sounds more polished, but like with the Clears loses a little bit of the enjoyment factor.  Drums don’t sound as good, less real (the notes don’t seem to last as long/don’t have the same feel to them).
To sum it up quickly, the topping stack is clinical, the Mojo 2 is musical.  Both good in their own ways depending on what you enjoy but I’ll chose the Mojo 2 in most cases.  When comparing the Mojo 2 to my Sony TA-ZH1ES I find them to be quite similar, both have been created with the enjoyment of listening to music as their primary purpose.


----------



## emilsoft

tombrisbane said:


> Have been doing some A/B testing with my Focal Clear and IER-Z1R between the Mojo 2 and my topping D90SE/A90 stack.
> 
> Focal Clear:
> 
> ...


Which is better ultimately TA-ZH1ES or Mojo 2 when comparing sound quality


----------



## paulrbarnard

tombrisbane said:


> it just sounds like I’m listening to the music, rather than listening to the music through something if that makes any sense lol.
> 
> .


That sums up the Mojo2 for me. 

I have also suffered a number of ghost encounters with the Mojo2. I hear something off to the side and turn my head and there is no one there. I then realise it was someone in the audience coming through the headphones. This happens most for me with open back phones (Grado RS1i) as I’m used to being able to hear people sneaking up on me 😀


----------



## tombrisbane

emilsoft said:


> Which is better ultimately TA-ZH1ES or Mojo 2 when comparing sound quality


The TA-ZH1ES for my ears, but the Mojo 2 is very close.  Mojo 2 will get more use from me as I can use it everywhere, the Tazzy is generally used daily but only in one particular chair for an album or two lol.


----------



## msz38 (Jun 4, 2022)

tombrisbane said:


> Have been doing some A/B testing with my Focal Clear and IER-Z1R between the Mojo 2 and my topping D90SE/A90 stack.


And have you tried the mojo 2/A90 vs D90SE/A90? 

The amp in the mojo is not a revelation


----------



## tombrisbane

msz38 said:


> And have you tried the mojo 2/A90 vs D90SE/A90?


That’s next, just need to get a 3.5mm to RCA.  Will grab one tomorrow


----------



## lowrider007 (Jun 4, 2022)

amarkabove said:


> Specifically Indigo in the High volume range.





dsrk said:


> I have just tested this connecting my LCD2C and HD6XX, there is no volume drop when the second headphone is connected. So, you can use both as line outs. There is no dedicated line out on Mojo 2, as I posted a few posts back you need to raise the volume on Mojo 2 to 2 volts (color Indigo).



I actually got a response from Chord today regarding my question, they recommend 3v, maybe because I'm connecting it to two devices?

_"Dear Sir, thanks for your email,
Yes you can, this will work fine. Attached is the information for setting a 3v level equivalent to the original Mojo line out.
All the best"

"To attain a 3v output, the customer needs to start with their Mojo2 as pictured below.










This is the first setting of the ‘upper’ volume range. This is identified by a illuminated mode light on the left, but the volume + and - lights are extinguished.

Now you will need to press the volume + button EXACTLY 41 times. The result is showing in the second picture, two BLUE volume buttons."



_

So based off that information this sounds like a perfect DAC for those that want to use two outputs, for example in my case one output going to headphone amp and one output going to integrated stereo amp.


----------



## mpv

rlanger said:


> Anybody else using HQPlayer with Mojo 2? I find this to be an absolutely remarkable combination, given that Mojo can decode PCM 768khz upsampled files.
> 
> Truly revelatory sound for me.
> 
> ...


May I ask to share the link to HQPlayer-Mojo settings. I use this through Roon and is the best experience I ever had.


----------



## amigastar

Just ordered a Mojo 2 for 561 Euros (new) 
Can't wait.


----------



## Menkau-ra

amigastar said:


> Just ordered a Mojo 2 for 561 Euros (new)
> Can't wait.


I've placed my pre-order in April, still waiting


----------



## amigastar (Jun 5, 2022)

Menkau-ra said:


> I've placed my pre-order in April, still waiting


You have my empathy.
How much did you pay for the Mojo 2, if i may ask?


----------



## Andrewteee

What’s the holdup? Too much demand? Lack of parts for production? Supply chain and transportation logistics? China’s lockdown? All of the above? 

A few Mojo 2s are out there but you can’t seem to buy them anywhere at the moment. 

With a new product announcement I would have expected Chord to have stockpiled enough inventory to meet anticipated demand for a couple of months. 

But as far as I can tell it was announced, then available for only a brief period, with inventory drying up quickly. 

If they’re stuck in a container on a ship outside of some port, perhaps we’ll see a glut of them soon enough.


----------



## Menkau-ra

amigastar said:


> You have my empathy.
> How much did you pay for the Mojo 2, if i may ask?


back in April they were $725. That's a lot vs EU prices.


----------



## rlanger

Andrewteee said:


> What’s the holdup? Too much demand? Lack of parts for production? Supply chain and transportation logistics? China’s lockdown? All of the above?
> 
> A few Mojo 2s are out there but you can’t seem to buy them anywhere at the moment.
> 
> ...


They are readily available here in Japan.


----------



## AussieMick

Easily available in Australia as well.


----------



## Menkau-ra

Everywhere, but not in US. I've tried to buy it from a store in England, but they don't give that option.


----------



## Musicophilesblog (Jun 6, 2022)

When I purchased mine last week the dealer told me that many initial shipments went out worldwide but since then they have had delivery issues to keep up with demand in many regions.

Apparently also Chord has some issues with chip availability like most industries. My regular dealer at home has been out of stock for a month now, with no clear delivery date.


----------



## surfgeorge

Musicophilesblog said:


> When I purchased mine last week the dealer told me that many initial shipments went out worldwide but since then they have had delivery issues to keep up with demand in many regions.
> 
> Apparently also Chord has some issues with chip availability like most industries. My regular dealer at home has been out of stock for a month now, with no clear delivery date.


There was an additional issue in the EU - a change of import regulations requires Chord to put one more sticker on their products for import into the EU.
When I ordered my Mojo 2 in April the shipment to the EU distributor was rejected because that sticker was missing, and was returned to Chord in the UK.
It took a month to resolve that issue, but the shipments came through about 2 weeks ago and availability should be better soon.

The shortage of electronic components is another issue, and frankly I am rather impressed that Chord is managing as well as they do.


----------



## Musicophilesblog

surfgeorge said:


> There was an additional issue in the EU - a change of import regulations requires Chord to put one more sticker on their products for import into the EU.
> When I ordered my Mojo 2 in April the shipment to the EU distributor was rejected because that sticker was missing, and was returned to Chord in the UK.
> It took a month to resolve that issue, but the shipments came through about 2 weeks ago and availability should be better soon.
> 
> The shortage of electronic components is another issue, and frankly I am rather impressed that Chord is managing as well as they do.


Yes my dealer mentioned something around these lines as well, though I didn’t get the details.


----------



## amigastar

Does the Mojo 2 support Firmware Updates, or does he not need it?


----------



## captblaze

amigastar said:


> Does the Mojo 2 support Firmware Updates, or does he not need it?


Technically - Yes
Realistic chance of that happening - No


----------



## amigastar (Jun 6, 2022)

captblaze said:


> Technically - Yes
> Realistic chance of that happening - No


So that means No, right?
Good to know.
I know the Poly does, though.


----------



## captblaze

amigastar said:


> So that means No, right?
> Good to know.
> I know the Poly does, though


Correct, the answer is not necessary. Poly does acceot firmware updates


----------



## the teh

Ok. Now that I used the M2 for some time, I have encountered 2 instances of random dropouts (connected to computer). The mojo just got restarted or something as I evidence the restart procedure colour sequence in the middle two buttons. 

Other than that love the equipment.


----------



## yoshi88 (Jun 7, 2022)

I got the Mojo 2 in Malaysia for RM2213 + shipping (403pound). I suspected that the dealer either didn't update the price and maintained the price of original Mojo. I was right, as after I made the purchase online, the dealer had update the price to RM2700 (492pound).

This is my first amp dac, so I don't really have any point of reference except for when I try my HD650 with Apple dongle dac. Not sure if I'm bias because I just spent that much on an amp dac, but I must say that I can hear more details coming out of the headphones when I use Chord Mojo2. Been switching back and forth between dongle dac and Mojo2, and it is different in a better way as I hear more details at a lower volume.

On another note, can I use this as pre-amplifier? Wondering if I could connect Mojo2 with my Genelec G One.


----------



## Kentajalli (Jun 7, 2022)

yoshi88 said:


> This is my first amp dac, so I don't really have any point of reference except for when I try my HD650 with Apple dongle dac. Not sure if I'm bias because I just spent that much on an amp dac, but I must say that I can hear more details coming out of the headphones when I use Chord Mojo2. Been switching back and forth between dongle dac and Mojo2, and it is different in a better way as I hear more details at a lower volume.


The hype was true then!
Of course, even those who do not approve of Chord DACs, can not help but to praise it. Have many happy years with it. We have.


yoshi88 said:


> On another note, can I use this as pre-amplifier? Wondering if I could connect Mojo2 with my Genelec G One.


Absolutely! it is designed to do just that. Read up on desktop mode.
I just wish Chord had made a small basic remote for Mojo2 - that would have elevated it to a much higher category.


----------



## headfry (Jun 7, 2022)

yoshi88 said:


> I got the Mojo 2 in Malaysia for RM2213 + shipping (403pound). I suspected that the dealer either didn't update the price and maintained the price of original Mojo. I was right, as after I made the purchase online, the dealer had update the price to RM2700 (492pound).
> 
> This is my first amp dac, so I don't really have any point of reference except for when I try my HD650 with Apple dongle dac. Not sure if I'm bias because I just spent that much on an amp dac, but I must say that I can hear more details coming out of the headphones when I use Chord Mojo2. Been switching back and forth between dongle dac and Mojo2, and it is different in a better way as I hear more details at a lower volume.
> 
> On another note, can I use this as pre-amplifier? Wondering if I could connect Mojo2 with my Genelec G One.


The difference from Apple dongle should be night and day, much better detail especially in the bass/midbass, much better dynamics
and imaging/depth, to mention a few...if this isn't obvious after a couple weeks of listening,
make sure that your setup isn't compromised by the cable...I used the stock for a long time with M1
and upgrading to one made for sound quality, along with a Jitterbug made all the difference for me, YMMV.

Again, give it a couple weeks of listening at least as the brain can take a while to appreciate the new information.

...of course in terms of bang for the buck the Apple dongle is fantastic!


----------



## Another Audiophile

headfry said:


> The difference from Apple dongle should be night and day


Yes but for an experienced or trained listener. A normal person (like the 99%) wouldn't be able to tell the difference except the well known "that's louder".


----------



## MgMGM

Hi All.......Any ideas were I can get hold of the usb adapter module that was available with the cable accessory   pack from the original mojo.   Its the only way to reliably connect the mojo to an iphone and they should be dead easy to get hold off.  Along with the rubber bands.!. Any ideas be great, ......thank you . PS I'm in the UK


----------



## Somafunk

MgMGM said:


> Hi All.......Any ideas were I can get hold of the usb adapter module that was available with the cable accessory pack from the original mojo



Never had the first mojo & accessories but if it’s any help I’ve ordered the fiio DDHIFI MFi06 lightning to usb c cable for an iPhone to Mojo, does away with the bulky Apple camera kit adapter. Out of stock at moment but had reply from store that it should be with me by next Friday.

Link to Audioconcierge DDHIFI MFi06 lightning to mojo adapter here


----------



## miketlse

MgMGM said:


> Hi All.......Any ideas were I can get hold of the usb adapter module that was available with the cable accessory   pack from the original mojo.   Its the only way to reliably connect the mojo to an iphone and they should be dead easy to get hold off.  Along with the rubber bands.!. Any ideas be great, ......thank you . PS I'm in the UK


In the timeline of product lines, the cable accessory pack came after the Mojo, and before the Poly, so it is rare nowadays to see any dealer advertising the accessory pack.
Dealers who I rate highly are out of stock, so it may take you a bit of searching to find a pack on sale.
Sorry if this sounds negative, but I am just trying to be realistic for you.


----------



## MgMGM

Somafunk said:


> Never had the first mojo & accessories but if it’s any help I’ve ordered the fiio DDHIFI MFi06 lightning to usb c cable for an iPhone to Mojo, does away with the bulky Apple camera kit adapter. Out of stock at moment but had reply from store that it should be with me by next Friday.
> 
> Link to Audioconcierge DDHIFI MFi06 lightning to mojo adapter here


Perfect. Thank you, very much..........


----------



## Somafunk

Glad to help, you’d think that chord would come out with their own adapter for a lightning to mojo usb c as I imagine there’s a fair amount of folk who use an apple device with a mojo, the apple camera connector is bloody awful to carry around.


----------



## paulrbarnard

Somafunk said:


> Never had the first mojo & accessories but if it’s any help I’ve ordered the fiio DDHIFI MFi06 lightning to usb c cable for an iPhone to Mojo, does away with the bulky Apple camera kit adapter. Out of stock at moment but had reply from store that it should be with me by next Friday.
> 
> Link to Audioconcierge DDHIFI MFi06 lightning to mojo adapter here


I use that one. Perfect pairing with iPhone and mojo2. I use Velcro on the back of my phone to hold the mojo in place and the DDHIFI cable is really tidy.


----------



## PhilW

We have just launched the new MFi09S in the UK, which is a high quality Lightning to USB C cable, perfect for the Mojo 2.


----------



## ferorake

Yeah it's too much asking for some accessories on a 600€ portable dac amp 
Actually I don't know where you can buy right now a bundle kit of cables for mojo.


----------



## paulrbarnard

PhilW said:


> We have just launched the new MFi09S in the UK, which is a high quality Lightning to USB C cable, perfect for the Mojo 2.


I prefer right angle connectors for iPhone/mojo2 as it makes it more pocketable.


----------



## Somafunk

Ahh, I was about to post a new link to the MFi09S as Audioconcierge (Phil) posted above but ive been beaten to it.

As the mojo is battery powered I feel this cable would be more beneficial for dongle dacs that rely on the phone's internal power supply, nevertheless I have amended my order for the new MFi09S cable as I may decide to purchase a dongle dac for use in the future


----------



## amigastar (Jun 8, 2022)

So i just received the message my Mojo 2 will be sent away. If everything goes as planned i will receive it tommorow or the day after.


----------



## Menkau-ra

amigastar said:


> So i just received the message my Mojo 2 will be send away. If everything goes as planned i will receive it tommorow or the day after.


are you in US?


----------



## Musicophilesblog

I presume one of the longer Audioquest   lightning to USB C should work as well? Has anybody tried?


----------



## amigastar

Menkau-ra said:


> are you in US?


No, Europe


----------



## Somafunk

Musicophilesblog said:


> I presume one of the longer Audioquest   lightning to USB C should work as well? Has anybody tried?



I doubt the audioquest cable has went through the mfi certification process to work successfully as a pass through audio cable so I wouldn't bother, and its Audioquest..............coming from an electronic engineering background I have to take issue with audioquest and their fraudulent marketing nonsense.


----------



## Derivative

Just listened to Pink Floyd - Echoes through Audeze LCD-2C connected to LP G109 amp fed by Mojo2 - bliss. Just beautiful. Power is there, detail is there, everything is smooth and integrated and presented as a coherent whole. I really enjoy owning this little device and it takes my relatively simple chain (by audiophile standards) to the next level.


----------



## Nostoi

My new choice for portable headphone with the Mojo 2 is, by far, the Ultrasone Signature Pro. I've been through a stack of portable headphones with the Mojo 2 - Liric, Aeon Noire, WP900 - but this pairing is dynamite. Punchy, dynamic, with a balanced tonality and simply outstanding imaging and soundstage. From ambient to black metal, they work across on all genres, digging deep in details and reproducing music with top notch clarity. The fact they're also actually portable with the Mojo2/Hiby fitting in the case, too, is a big bonus. Can't recommend enough!


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Nostoi said:


> My new choice for portable headphone with the Mojo 2 is, by far, the Ultrasone Signature Pro. I've been through a stack of portable headphones with the Mojo 2 - Liric, Aeon Noire, WP900 - but this pairing is dynamite. Punchy, dynamic, with a balanced tonality and simply outstanding imaging and soundstage. From ambient to black metal, they work across on all genres, digging deep in details and reproducing music with top notch clarity. The fact they're also actually portable with the Mojo2/Hiby fitting in the case, too, is a big bonus. Can't recommend enough!
> 
> I


I just bought a Mojo 2.  Can't wait to take it for a spin.


----------



## Nostoi

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I just bought a Mojo 2.  Can't wait to take it for a spin.


It's so good and such an improvement on the first Mojo....not as technical as Hugo 2, but it has a kind of musicality that's super addictive. Curious to your impressions!


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Nostoi said:


> It's so good and such an improvement on the first Mojo....not as technical as Hugo 2, but it has a kind of musicality that's super addictive. Curious to your impressions!


I heard it at CanJam NYC.   IIRC, it sounded less warm and more reference.  I really liked the EQ features.   Can't wait to pair it with the Poly to see how it sounds.


----------



## Nostoi

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I heard it at CanJam NYC.   IIRC, it sounded less warm and more reference.  I really liked the EQ features.   Can't wait to pair it with the Poly to see how it sounds.


Absolutely, more reference. The difference between Hugo 2 and Mojo 2 is quite subtle, I'd say. For the price, amazing value for money (and I think easily outclasses most DAPs in the 1k region at least). 

BTW: Chord have a new firmware which seems to make Poly and 2Go far more reliable. I've had zero issues.


----------



## dsrk

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I heard it at CanJam NYC.   IIRC, it sounded less warm and more reference.  I really liked the EQ features.   Can't wait to pair it with the Poly to see how it sounds.


Precisely EQ is the reason I bought Mojo 2 but it has more to offer in terms of sound quality. Very interested to read your impressions.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Nostoi said:


> Absolutely, more reference. The difference between Hugo 2 and Mojo 2 is quite subtle, I'd say. For the price, amazing value for money (and I think easily outclasses most DAPs in the 1k region at least).
> 
> BTW: Chord have a new firmware which seems to make Poly and 2Go far more reliable. I've had zero issues.


I rarely use my Mojo and Hugo 2 anymore due to the convenience of my DAPs.  I am hoping the Mojo 2 changes this.


----------



## Nostoi

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I rarely use my Mojo and Hugo 2 anymore due to the convenience of my DAPs.  I am hoping the Mojo 2 changes this.


Hugo2Go has become very reliable in my experience. I control it from my phone and it works exceptionally well now. 

Mojo 2's EQ function is definitely a step in the right direction making it more DAP-like.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

dsrk said:


> Precisely EQ is the reason I bought Mojo 2 but it has more to offer in terms of sound quality. Very interested to read your impressions.


I was skeptical at first of the EQ, then I tried it.  It was very easy to use and it actually did change the sound.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

I recall that to get Poly to work with Mojo 2 that I need to do something. Is it updating the firmware on the Poly?   Or updating  Go Figure?


----------



## Nostoi

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I was skeptical at first of the EQ, then I tried it.  It was very easy to use and it actually did change the sound.


Crossfeed is also surprisingly well implemented.


----------



## Nostoi

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I recall that to get Poly to work with Mojo 2 that I need to do something. Is it updating the firmware on the Poly?   Or updating  Go Figure?


You need to update via GoFigure connecting to your home Wifi rather than a hotspot. That'll then update Poly. 

In terms of actual use, I've fiddled around a lot with the different configurations, and it seems to me connecting via Wifi rather than an hotspot is more stable.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Has anyone ever gotten the Poly to use the hotspot on the iPhone for streaming music so I don't have to remain inside while using the Mojo 2/Poly?    I can only use Airplay when outside.    And wifi inside which is much higher quality.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Nostoi said:


> You need to update via GoFigure connecting to your home Wifi rather than a hotspot. That'll then update Poly.
> 
> In terms of actual use, I've fiddled around a lot with the different configurations, and it seems to me connecting via Wifi rather than an hotspot is more stable.


Yeah, wifi is the best.  So, I just bought a portable wifi router for travelling. Then, I can connect it to wifi in a hotel room.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

Nostoi said:


> Crossfeed is also surprisingly well implemented.


Good to know.  The crossfeed implementation on the TT2 is fantastic.  So, I am familiar with that feature.


----------



## dsrk

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> I was skeptical at first of the EQ, then I tried it.  It was very easy to use and it actually did change the sound.


I felt the same way.
I always enjoyed EQing but UHD DSP is joy and fun


----------



## Alan Billington

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> Has anyone ever gotten the Poly to use the hotspot on the iPhone for streaming music so I don't have to remain inside while using the Mojo 2/Poly?    I can only use Airplay when outside.    And wifi inside which is much higher quality.


Yes. I use my mojo2/poly outside. Works a treat. You’ll need to set poly as a wifi hotspot and connect your iPhone to its wifi network. There’s also something you have to do with and IP address so that your phone can still see 4G signal through the wifi (I stream whilst out and about) but I can’t remember exactly what. When if u struggle post again here or someone else will jump in! Enjoy


----------



## Pulcino

Alan Billington said:


> Yes. I use my mojo2/poly outside. Works a treat. You’ll need to set poly as a wifi hotspot and connect your iPhone to its wifi network. There’s also something you have to do with and IP address so that your phone can still see 4G signal through the wifi (I stream whilst out and about) but I can’t remember exactly what. When if u struggle post again here or someone else will jump in! Enjoy


Can you stream Amazon music directly or do you have to use AirPlay? Is AirPlay significant lower quality as indicated by HifiHawaii808?


----------



## Lynnfield (Jun 8, 2022)

Quite sure it wasn’t intended like this but it would be nice if it worked. Poly and cd transport connected at the same time. Without unplugging it the whole time. Unfortunately only sound from the poly is heard. No lock on digital. Someone tried this before?


----------



## Charente

So, I’m on board with a MOJO 2 … purchased here in France at a premium price of €599 compared with the UK price of £450 (£375 before UK VAT), … quite a difference even allowing for the exchange rate and import fees from the UK.

I am a new MOJO user, never having owned the original version. Indeed, I’m new to Chord products. I listened to other user experiences and to Rob Watts’ various interesting interactions and presentations, so I was persuaded !

Previously, I had been using various ESS or AKM based mobile devices. Whilst some of them are quite good, the sound never really hit the right ‘chord’ with me. I was looking for something smoother and yet still detailed and more full-bodied … more akin to an analogue sound.

Having now listened to the Mojo 2 for a while, I get what I have been missing … the magic sauce  for my elusive sound. I’m hearing albums that I thought I knew well in a different way. I do find it needs a little time to get to optimal performance from cold but the wait is worthwhile. I haven’t tried cross-feed or the UHD-DSP adjustments yet … quite enjoying the stock sound at present.

It serves duty in my office, connected to USB through Audirvana on an iMac. I have yet to try it with my iPhone for portable use when travelling … just need to get a suitable connector/cable. Interestingly, Audirvana reports a 32 bit rate, irrespective of whether the FLAC file is at 16 or 24 bit … I’m just wondering why, out of curiosity.

Currently I am using Sony MDR-1AM2 closed headphones. They are OK, however, I am looking at something a bit better along the lines of DCA Noire or Focal Celestee, both also closed. 

If anyone has experience of these two headphones (or other closed types) with the MOJO 2, I would appreciate any comments.


----------



## Nostoi

Charente said:


> So, I’m on board with a MOJO 2 … purchased here in France at a premium price of €599 compared with the UK price of £450 (£375 before UK VAT), … quite a difference even allowing for the exchange rate and import fees from the UK.
> 
> I am a new MOJO user, never having owned the original version. Indeed, I’m new to Chord products. I listened to other user experiences and to Rob Watts’ various interesting interactions and presentations, so I was persuaded !
> 
> ...


DCA Noire is an excellent headphone but requires a lot of power. The Mojo2 just about manages it but they sound much better when the Mojo2 is paired with a portable amp such as the Cayin C9.


----------



## Charente

Nostoi said:


> DCA Noire is an excellent headphone but requires a lot of power. The Mojo2 just about manages it but they sound much better when the Mojo2 is paired with a portable amp such as the Cayin C9.


Thank-you for your comments.


----------



## Knee Deep In Epoxy

Charente said:


> So, I’m on board with a MOJO 2 … purchased here in France at a premium price of €599 compared with the UK price of £450 (£375 before UK VAT), … quite a difference even allowing for the exchange rate and import fees from the UK.
> 
> I am a new MOJO user, never having owned the original version. Indeed, I’m new to Chord products. I listened to other user experiences and to Rob Watts’ various interesting interactions and presentations, so I was persuaded !
> 
> ...


Thanks for these impressions. Looking forward to getting my mojo 2 in a couple of weeks from now. 



Nostoi said:


> DCA Noire is an excellent headphone but requires a lot of power. The Mojo2 just about manages it but they sound much better when the Mojo2 is paired with a portable amp such as the Cayin C9.


 Whilst I imagine the C9 ought to sound amazing for £1500, I wonder if the NX7 can faithfully amplify the sound of the Mojo 2 without coloration or degrading it's sound quality and technicalities (for a fraction of the price). The measurements would suggest so, but wonder if anyone has any experience of that combination?


----------



## yoshi88 (Jun 9, 2022)

Anyone has recommendations for HD650 eq settings for Mojo2 that I could use as reference?

I found this https://forum.headphones.com/t/chronos-eq-profile-compilation/7091

But not sure on how to translate this:

_*- HD 650 -*_

Low Shelf at 85hz, +3dB Q of 0.7

Peak at 200hz, -3dB Q of 1.2

Peak at 3000hz, -2dB Q of 2


----------



## ferorake

Knee Deep In Epoxy said:


> Thanks for these impressions. Looking forward to getting my mojo 2 in a couple of weeks from now.
> 
> 
> Whilst I imagine the C9 ought to sound amazing for £1500, I wonder if the NX7 can faithfully amplify the sound of the Mojo 2 without coloration or degrading it's sound quality and technicalities (for a fraction of the price). The measurements would suggest so, but wonder if anyone has any experience of that combination?


The nxt7 can definitely upgrade the sound and will make your chord mojo 2 battery longer. L7 measured it and it produces 3x times the power at 32 Ohm.


----------



## Charente

Knee Deep In Epoxy said:


> Whilst I imagine the C9 ought to sound amazing for £1500, I wonder if the NX7 can faithfully amplify the sound of the Mojo 2 ...


Whilst I appreciate the suggestions of a C9 (or even NX7) outboard amplifiers, I think I would probably prefer to put £1500 towards the right headphones and avoid additional devices to carry and 'battery anxiety'. I take the point about the DCA Aeon Noire ... too difficult to drive for the MOJO 2. Pity, I quite like their foldability,


----------



## Pulcino

Alan Billington said:


> Yes. I use my mojo2/poly outside. Works a treat. You’ll need to set poly as a wifi hotspot and connect your iPhone to its wifi network. There’s also something you have to do with and IP address so that your phone can still see 4G signal through the wifi (I stream whilst out and about) but I can’t remember exactly what. When if u struggle post again here or someone else will jump in! Enjoy


Can you stream Amazon music directly or do you have to use AirPlay? Is AirPlay significant lower quality as indicated by HifiHawaii808?


----------



## KelFab (Jun 9, 2022)

Alan Billington said:


> Yes. I use my mojo2/poly outside. Works a treat. You’ll need to set poly as a wifi hotspot and connect your iPhone to its wifi network. There’s also something you have to do with and IP address so that your phone can still see 4G signal through the wifi (I stream whilst out and about) but I can’t remember exactly what. When if u struggle post again here or someone else will jump in! Enjoy



You don’t necessarily need to use the Poly’s hotspot mode, personally I use the share network functionality of my iPhone and then connect the Poly to the iPhone‘s via the network section of GoFigure.
Doing this has several advantages :
- the connection is kept in GoFigure history and it will connect quicker the next times. The Poly should connect automatically to the phone if outside and share mode is on, but sometimes it may not connect, simply disabling / enabling the share functionality on iPhone usually fixes the problem,
- you don’t need other manipulations to connect your phone to the 4G / 5G network as you are still connected to it,
- it allows you to use airplay to the poly but also the sdcard via Rigelian by example.


----------



## meomap

Charente said:


> Whilst I appreciate the suggestions of a C9 (or even NX7) outboard amplifiers, I think I would probably prefer to put £1500 towards the right headphones and avoid additional devices to carry and 'battery anxiety'. I take the point about the DCA Aeon Noire ... too difficult to drive for the MOJO 2. Pity, I quite like their foldability,


Meze Liric with Mojo2?


----------



## Nostoi

meomap said:


> Meze Liric with Mojo2?


I had this pairing for a while, and it's very good, indeed. 

As mentioned above, Ultrasone Signature Pro is another outstanding headphone pairing.


----------



## Nostoi

Charente said:


> Whilst I appreciate the suggestions of a C9 (or even NX7) outboard amplifiers, I think I would probably prefer to put £1500 towards the right headphones and avoid additional devices to carry and 'battery anxiety'. I take the point about the DCA Aeon Noire ... too difficult to drive for the MOJO 2. Pity, I quite like their foldability,


I tend to agree that despite the fantastic design, as portable headphones, the Noire need almost desktop power. 

In any case, worth seeking different opinions on this. @Slim1970 is another Noire/Mojo2/C9 user, and perhaps has other suggestions.


----------



## amigastar (Jun 9, 2022)

So i've received my Mojo 2 today and currently loading it through Micro USB. Still waiting for the desktop mode light to go on.
Ok, so the blue light on the backside says it's fully loaded but the Menu button is still white and not purple to indicate Intelligent Desktop mode. why is that?


----------



## jarnopp

Charente said:


> Whilst I appreciate the suggestions of a C9 (or even NX7) outboard amplifiers, I think I would probably prefer to put £1500 towards the right headphones and avoid additional devices to carry and 'battery anxiety'. I take the point about the DCA Aeon Noire ... too difficult to drive for the MOJO 2. Pity, I quite like their foldability,


The Noire is absolutely not too hard to drive from Mojo or Mojo2, both of which I’ve been using for over a year with the Aeon 2 Closed and then the Noire. With modern ock/compressed music you will not need to go over high red (.1 V) or high green for classical (0.5 V) for sane 85 dB listening levels. But you certainly can get to 120 dB for peaks or continuous, and still have at least an additional volt available!  I’ve said before, I consider the Noire the perfect companion for Mojo and Mojo 2 (closed, compact, light, comfortable and sounds fantastic).


----------



## Somafunk

Charente said:


> Currently I am using Sony MDR-1AM2 closed headphones. They are OK, however, I am looking at something a bit better along the lines of DCA Noire or Focal Celestee, both also closed.
> 
> If anyone has experience of these two headphones (or other closed types) with the MOJO 2, I would appreciate any comments.



I read/watched an interview recently in which Dan Clark mentioned he uses a DCA Noire with a mojo 2 (trying to find it but my google foo is lacking), He made no indication regarding lack of power and mentioned that the mojo/noire pairing is his preferred travelling companion


----------



## Somafunk

amigastar said:


> So i've received my Mojo 2 today and currently loading it through Micro USB. Still waiting for the desktop mode light to go on.
> Ok, so the blue light on the backside says it's fully loaded but the Menu button is still white and not purple to indicate Intelligent Desktop mode. why is that?



The mojo will go into intelligent desktop mode but you'll need to give it time to fully charge (especially on a new unit) as I imagine there is a trickle charge once the battery gets above 85% till it fully charges and it will go into intelligent mode.

Took my unit about 3 hours to fully charge from new.


----------



## ferorake

My advice is to go with very sensitive headphones. I suggest >98 dB


----------



## amigastar (Jun 11, 2022)

With Schiit Magni 3+ i should go with 57-55 db, Indigo, right? It's very quiet i have to say with my Magni 3+.
Edit: Actually White M Button with 9-7 db Indigo is correct.


----------



## jarnopp

ferorake said:


> My advice is to go with very sensitive headphones. I suggest >98 dB


Totally unnecessary! Mojo has plenty of power…feel free to use it!


----------



## surfgeorge

amigastar said:


> With Schiit Magni 3+ i should go with 57-55 db, Indigo, right? It's very quiet i have to say with my Magni 3+.


You need to go to ~2V rms on the output, that's -9 to -7 dB, INDIGO with the M button on white.
But ask yourself if you really need an amp - Mojo 2 can drive most headphones well, and adding an amplifier will reduce transparency and add coloration and distortion.


----------



## amigastar

surfgeorge said:


> You need to go to ~2V rms on the output, that's -9 to -7 dB, INDIGO with the M button on white.
> But ask yourself if you really need an amp - Mojo 2 can drive most headphones well, and adding an amplifier will reduce transparency and add coloration and distortion.


Ah, yeah i meant -9 to -7 db Indigo with white button.
I will compare the sound amped and unamped and then decide if i use my magni 3.


----------



## Charente

Nostoi said:


> I tend to agree that despite the fantastic design, as portable headphones, the Noire need almost desktop power.
> 
> In any case, worth seeking different opinions on this. @Slim1970 is another Noire/Mojo2/C9 user, and perhaps has other suggestions.





jarnopp said:


> The Noire is absolutely not too hard to drive from Mojo or Mojo2, both of which I’ve been using for over a year with the Aeon 2 Closed and then the Noire. With modern ock/compressed music you will not need to go over high red (.1 V) or high green for classical (0.5 V) for sane 85 dB listening levels. But you certainly can get to 120 dB for peaks or continuous, and still have at least an additional volt available! I’ve said before, I consider the Noire the perfect companion for Mojo and Mojo 2 (closed, compact, light, comfortable and sounds fantastic).





Somafunk said:


> I read/watched an interview recently in which Dan Clark mentioned he uses a DCA Noire with a mojo 2 (trying to find it but my google foo is lacking), He made no indication regarding lack of power and mentioned that the mojo/noire pairing is his preferred travelling companion


Thank-you all for your comments ... seems all is not lost for the DCA Noire as a partner for the MOJO 2.


----------



## Knee Deep In Epoxy (Jun 9, 2022)

This is a general question on power / volume / correct driving of headphones, not specifically related to the Mojo 2 but from what I've just read it sounds like I'll have the same question in relation to my Mojo 2 when it finally arrives.

I use some hard to drive headphones like T60 and T50 Argons, Arya V2, Akg K702, Sundaras among others. I was always led to believe that they need to be paired with amplifiers that can deliver a lot of power (at least 1W, but usually 2W or more). But I sometimes use the Monolith THX Portable which has the following output power specs (less than the Mojo 2) but seems to drive the headphones' volume way louder than I would need (75-85db) with about 30% of headroom to spare.






How is this possible? What am I missing?


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

These "facts"about high power requirements on most headphones has been a load of nonsense for years.


----------



## Progisus

Brave man.


----------



## rwelles

Knee Deep In Epoxy said:


> This is a general question on power / volume / correct driving of headphones, not specifically related to the Mojo 2 but from what I've just read it sounds like I'll have the same question in relation to my Mojo 2 when it finally arrives.
> 
> I use some hard to drive headphones like T60 and T50 Argons, Arya V2, Akg K702, Sundaras among others. I was always led to believe that they need to be paired with amplifiers that can deliver a lot of power (at least 1W, but usually 2W or more). But I sometimes use the Monolith THX Portable which has the following output power specs (less than the Mojo 2) but seems to drive the headphones' volume way louder than I would need (75-85db) with about 30% of headroom to spare.
> 
> ...


One man's "not loud enough" is another man's "waaaay too loud."


----------



## ubs28 (Jun 9, 2022)

Best is to ignore these Noire fanboys as they have no idea what they are talking about. In the Noire thread, some even were suggesting that my Auralic Taurus MKII amplifier and the Chord Dave cannot drive the Noire headphone.

The Mojo (and thus the Mojo 2 also) is fine with the Noire.


----------



## surfgeorge

Knee Deep In Epoxy said:


> This is a general question on power / volume / correct driving of headphones, not specifically related to the Mojo 2 but from what I've just read it sounds like I'll have the same question in relation to my Mojo 2 when it finally arrives.
> 
> I use some hard to drive headphones like T60 and T50 Argons, Arya V2, Akg K702, Sundaras among others. I was always led to believe that they need to be paired with amplifiers that can deliver a lot of power (at least 1W, but usually 2W or more). But I sometimes use the Monolith THX Portable which has the following output power specs (less than the Mojo 2) but seems to drive the headphones' volume way louder than I would need (75-85db) with about 30% of headroom to spare.
> 
> ...



I think there's a difference between power and control.
Similar to what Rob Watts points out with the DAC, creating a perfect sine wave is an easy task for a DAC, while it's exceedingly difficult to re-create a highly transient signal.

For an amplifier to generate enough power to produce a certain loudness is the easy task. But to deliver the power and control to make a driver follow all transients as accurately as possible requires more.

Using the much overused car analogies, the top speed in the straight line depends mostly on the available power, going fast on a circuit however requires power, torque,  brakes, donwforces and so on to accelerate, slow down and accurately follow the track.

Coming back to Audio - take the Hifiman Arya planar magentic headphone. I had it and used it with the Chord Hugo2. Loudness was not an issue, detail, separation and staging was great. But it was slow and soft, especially in the bass there was no punch in it. On the Arya thread people recommended getting a powerful amp to drive the Arya properly. I never did and instead sold the Arya, but I have little reason to doubt that the right amp would have improved bass impact and control.


----------



## Somafunk (Jun 9, 2022)

This is an extract of the thread on ASR discussing Amir’s measurement review of the mojo 2, below is dan‘s reply to another forum user asking if there is enough power in the mojo to use with his headphones, including Stealth. If Dan finds it more than capable then I’m pretty sure you can discount the cries of “more power needed”.

Dan Clark : “The Mojo 2 really pairs well with the AEON and ETHER line… the upgrade to the upper registers from the original Mojo is really nice. I’m waiting to get one for home use with the Poly as my wander-around-the-house system. I seldom listen above 80db to protect my hearing, at that level Mojo 2 is totally fine with Stealth.

Quality DAPs like an iBasso DX220 with an Amp 8 perform very well, and of course a portable DAC/Amp like the iFI iDSD Black Label or Chord Mojo are a great fit. There are less expensive DAPs but they change so often we haven't been able to try any of the recent entrants at a CanJam or other show for a year, so I'm not up to snuff on best of breed for the sub $500 DAPs...”


----------



## vlach (Jun 9, 2022)

surfgeorge said:


> I have little reason to doubt that the right amp would have improved bass impact and control.


I completely agree.

My HD800 sounds great fed from my OG Mojo.....as long as i don't compare it fed from the speaker taps of my very powerful vintage receiver. Everything takes on another dimension; more density, bigger and tighter bass. Mass is lower. Gravity is higher.
There is no denying that more power yields noticeable improvements in sound quality.
More power is not about loudness, it's about what i described above for a given decibel level.


----------



## buke9

Knee Deep In Epoxy said:


> This is a general question on power / volume / correct driving of headphones, not specifically related to the Mojo 2 but from what I've just read it sounds like I'll have the same question in relation to my Mojo 2 when it finally arrives.
> 
> I use some hard to drive headphones like T60 and T50 Argons, Arya V2, Akg K702, Sundaras among others. I was always led to believe that they need to be paired with amplifiers that can deliver a lot of power (at least 1W, but usually 2W or more). But I sometimes use the Monolith THX Portable which has the following output power specs (less than the Mojo 2) but seems to drive the headphones' volume way louder than I would need (75-85db) with about 30% of headroom to spare.
> 
> ...


I’m not saying your missing anything just have I guess a different look on it. I bought a couple of amps a bit back a Monoprice Liquid Platinum and a Drop THX AAA 789 both fairly high powered like 5 or 6 watts @ 32 ohms but with my OG Abyss they both were loud but did sound a bit hollow. My much less powered Cavalli Liquid Carbon sounded so much more full and not a bit hollow. I don’t think it is a power thing .


----------



## amigastar

Just curious but has anyone experienced Burn-in with this Dac (i don't even know if such thing exists)?


----------



## Knee Deep In Epoxy (Jun 10, 2022)

buke9 said:


> I’m not saying your missing anything just have I guess a different look on it. I bought a couple of amps a bit back a Monoprice Liquid Platinum and a Drop THX AAA 789 both fairly high powered like 5 or 6 watts @ 32 ohms but with my OG Abyss they both were loud but did sound a bit hollow. My much less powered Cavalli Liquid Carbon sounded so much more full and not a bit hollow. I don’t think it is a power thing .


I do agree that the Monolith sounds "thinner" than, for example, my Dethonray Honey which is much more powerful on paper. But I took that to be a matter of sound signature than a power issue (of course I could be wrong which is why I'm asking). The sound comes across more spacious/better separated and airy as a result. I enjoy both at different times.

The part that confuses me further is that the monolith seems able to drive headphones a lot louder than the Honey despite supposedly being a lot less powerful.

I'm hoping the mojo 2 brings me the best of both worlds but I'll have to wait until it arrives to find out.


----------



## Musicophilesblog (Jun 10, 2022)

Knee Deep In Epoxy said:


> I'm hoping the mojo 2 brings me the best of both worlds but I'll have to wait until it arrives to find out.


Since I got my Mojo 2 2 weeks ago for my Utopias as a travel setup, I must admit I'm just blown away.

And not by "oh wow, what a precise bass", or "look at how transparent the cymbals are all over sudden", but instead just by getting totally out of the way and  making me  focus again on the music instead of the hifi. Isn't this what gear should be all about?


----------



## Charente

In addition to the DCA Noire and Focal Celestee as my possible candidates to pair with the MOJO 2, I note that I can still get a new pair of Focal Elegia, even though they are discontinued. The price of the Elegia from this French source is down to €489 which, on paper, looks like a bargain. I do recall that some reviews mentioned that they were a touch light in the bass, but I guess the MOJO 2 UHD-DSP could improve that. 

Has anyone used the Elegia with MOJO/MOJO 2 ?


----------



## Knee Deep In Epoxy

Charente said:


> In addition to the DCA Noire and Focal Celestee as my possible candidates to pair with the MOJO 2, I note that I can still get a new pair of Focal Elegia, even though they are discontinued. The price of the Elegia from this French source is down to €489 which, on paper, looks like a bargain. I do recall that some reviews mentioned that they were a touch light in the bass, but I guess the MOJO 2 UHD-DSP could improve that.
> 
> Has anyone used the Elegia with MOJO/MOJO 2 ?


Not yet but I will when it arrives..

What I would say is I pad-rolled the Elegias with almost all of Dekoni's options. The Dekoni Stellia Pads (not the Dekoni Sheepskins) elevate the bass of the Elegias perfectly without messing up the rest of the tonality. They'll set you back an extra USD 99 but I do think it's worth it.


----------



## Charente

@Knee Deep In Epoxy ... that's useful to know. Thank-you.


----------



## Kentajalli

ubs28 said:


> Best is to ignore these Noire fanboys as they have no idea what they are talking about. In the Noire thread, some even were suggesting that my Auralic Taurus MKII amplifier and the Chord Dave cannot drive the Noire headphone.
> 
> The Mojo (and thus the Mojo 2 also) is fine with the Noire.


So said Dan Clark himself on audio Science Review site, before he got attacked for it!


----------



## Kentajalli

surfgeorge said:


> I think there's a difference between power and control.
> Similar to what Rob Watts points out with the DAC, creating a perfect sine wave is an easy task for a DAC, while it's exceedingly difficult to re-create a highly transient signal.
> 
> For an amplifier to generate enough power to produce a certain loudness is the easy task. But to deliver the power and control to make a driver follow all transients as accurately as possible requires more.
> ...


There is also the notion of _output impedance _of an amp which affects its _Damping Factor._
The lower the output impedance of an amp, the better it can control the transducer.
A simple demonstration of this effect is as follows:
Get an electrical motor, a small one if you wish. with open circuit on its leads, give it a spin with your fingers, see how easily and for how long it spins.
Then connect the leads together with a piece of wire, short-circuiting it, and repeat!
It doesn't want to spin no more, even if it does, it quickly stops.
The low impedance of the wire acts as a brake!
Speaker diaphragms behave the same way.


----------



## emilsoft

I've seen few advertisement shots for Mojo 2 paired with Softears earphones.. I wonder if Chord themselves have a preference for the Softears IEMs. I'm not sure if they are from the same source (the photos), but I've seen them across different websites

In this photos it looks like the Softears RSV






and this one looks like Softears Turrii


----------



## amigastar (Jun 10, 2022)

Hey there,

i got a question. What USB input should i use, the busy one on the backside of my PC or the front USB Inputs? Maybe there is less electric pollution on the front panel? What you guys use or is it neglectable?


----------



## Kentajalli

amigastar said:


> Hey there,
> 
> i got a question. What USB input should i use, the busy one on the backside of my PC or the front USB Inputs? Maybe there is less electric pollution on the front panel? What you guys use?


The ones on motherboard.


----------



## amigastar

Kentajalli said:


> The ones on motherboard.


So the back panel ones?


----------



## yoshi88

amigastar said:


> So the back panel ones?


I'm using the back panel one as well for both USB c and Micro USB.


----------



## AussieMick

amigastar said:


> Hey there,
> 
> i got a question. What USB input should i use, the busy one on the backside of my PC or the front USB Inputs? Maybe there is less electric pollution on the front panel? What you guys use or is it neglectable?


If you’re worried about noise (I always am) then an AudioQuest Dragonfly goes a long way to clean things up. A high-value accessory, in my experience.


----------



## Musicophilesblog

AussieMick said:


> If you’re worried about noise (I always am) then an AudioQuest Dragonfly goes a long way to clean things up. A high-value accessory, in my experience.


Do you maybe mean a Jitterbug?


----------



## Pulcino

Musicophilesblog said:


> Do you maybe mean a Jitterbug?


With a jitterbug my iPad doesn’t see the mojo anymore. It doesn’t work.


----------



## Kentajalli

AussieMick said:


> If you’re worried about noise (I always am) then an AudioQuest Dragonfly goes a long way to clean things up. A high-value accessory, in my experience.


Post in thread 'Watts Up...?' https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-17001422


----------



## KelFab

Charente said:


> In addition to the DCA Noire and Focal Celestee as my possible candidates to pair with the MOJO 2, I note that I can still get a new pair of Focal Elegia, even though they are discontinued. The price of the Elegia from this French source is down to €489 which, on paper, looks like a bargain. I do recall that some reviews mentioned that they were a touch light in the bass, but I guess the MOJO 2 UHD-DSP could improve that.
> 
> Has anyone used the Elegia with MOJO/MOJO 2 ?



i had one but disliked it, I much preferred the Radiance in their closed line and Clear OG in open line (and of course utopia but this one I kept it 😊)


----------



## Musicophilesblog

Pulcino said:


> With a jitterbug my iPad doesn’t see the mojo anymore. It doesn’t work.


Good to know. I was just wondering how as suggested by the OP  one DAC (Dragonfly) is supposed to feed another one (Mojo).


----------



## Charente

I tried the Hidizs LT02 Lightning/USB-c connector, which I already had for my AP80 Pro, and can confirm that this works fine with iPhone 11 & MOJO 2. Excellent sound playing offline Qobuz albums, in Airplane mode.

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/usb-....html?search_query=hidizs lt02&fast_search=fs


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## AussieMick

Yes, I meant Jitterbug. Late night post, sorry. 🤦‍♂️


----------



## mpv

headfry said:


> The difference from Apple dongle should be night and day, much better detail especially in the bass/midbass, much better dynamics
> and imaging/depth, to mention a few...if this isn't obvious after a couple weeks of listening,
> make sure that your setup isn't compromised by the cable...I used the stock for a long time with M1
> and upgrading to one made for sound quality, along with a Jitterbug made all the difference for me, YMMV.
> ...


Any different subject other than mentioning your cables you have? Are you adverise for Audioquest and Curios cable ?


----------



## Nick24JJ

Can anyone tell me how loud am I listening to, depending from the color of the volume button on the Mojo 2? How many decibels? How can I calculate that?


----------



## Griff65

Nick24JJ said:


> Can anyone tell me how loud am I listening to, depending from the color of the volume button on the Mojo 2? How many decibels? How can I calculate that?


https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ing-on-page-95-of-thread.885405/post-16999436


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## Nick24JJ

Thanks, but that chart has negative values. I am asking, how can I calculate how loud I'm listening to, according to the decibel scale


----------



## jarnopp

Nick24JJ said:


> Thanks, but that chart has negative values. I am asking, how can I calculate how loud I'm listening to, according to the decibel scale


Try an app on your phone, like DecibelX. Works for headphones or speakers.


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## headfry (Jun 12, 2022)

mpv said:


> Any different subject other than mentioning your cables you have? Are you adverise for Audioquest and Curios cable ?


i've related what worked for me as an audiophile/music lover and have no other suggestions.


----------



## MgMGM

Got the mojo 2 yesterday, (Richer Sounds Hull) and would like to ask those with more experience with it,  is there a burning in period.?.   Thanks...........


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## amigastar (Jun 12, 2022)

MgMGM said:


> Got the mojo 2 yesterday, (Richer Sounds Hull) and would like to ask those with more experience with it,  is there a burning in period.?.   Thanks...........


I asked the same question a few pages ago (page 307, post 4602), but got no answer. I'd like to know also, currently i'm 32 hours in listening to the Mojo 2.


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## jarnopp

MgMGM said:


> Got the mojo 2 yesterday, (Richer Sounds Hull) and would like to ask those with more experience with it,  is there a burning in period.?.   Thanks...........


No burn in period for the unit, but maybe for your brain, per the designer: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/page-2#post-12460204


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## Somafunk (Jun 12, 2022)

MgMGM said:


> Got the mojo 2 yesterday, (Richer Sounds Hull) and would like to ask those with more experience with it, is there a burning in period.?. Thanks...........



So called burn in on electronic equipment is a fallacy.

The only time I used burn in was in component testing using elevated voltage and perhaps temperature to induce a stress test of critical electronic components before commissioning a design (In a past life I designed power transmissions).

Your ears and auditory response is the only variable when “experiencing/believing in burn in”, anything else you experience is foo.


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## daniel2022 (Jun 12, 2022)

Griff65 said:


> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ing-on-page-95-of-thread.885405/post-16999436



Hi, it is very interesting, but I am very confused on how to calculate the actual dB SPL by the IEMs at a given volume color.

For example, I use the shures se846. According to one source in internet, their sensitivity is 135.54 dB/V SPL; according to the manufacturer webpage, it is 114 dB SPL/mW at 1kHz.

Given that information, how do I calculate the dB SPL at for example, a volume equal to the "blue blue" volume controls (at 1kHz)?

Many thanks in advance for the help.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Here are the replies I got, so far, from Chord Support, in regards to my question: How loud am I listening to my music?

._..this depends entirely on the sensitivity of the device being driven and, to further muddy the waters, whether the actual sensitivity of the device matches the claimed sensitivity. It is highly unlikely, short of measuring on a jig, you will get an accurate number._

After asking the formula to calculate it myself, and also about the relevance of that chart, they said:

_The chart isn't irrelevant but it's not enough information. There is a formula but it needs the specific sensitivity of the connected device to be calculated. Then as noted, that claimed figure often doesn't have any bearing on reality. My home speakers have a claimed sensitivity of 88dB for one watt RMS input. However, they do not on their best day get anywhere near that figure so an on paper calculation would be wrong at every volume increment.  _

I will ask for the mathematical formula again.


----------



## Chris Kaoss

daniel2022 said:


> Hi, it is very interesting, but I am very confused on how to calculate the actual dB SPL by the IEMs at a given volume color.
> 
> For example, I use the shures se846. According to one source in internet, their sensitivity is 135.54 dB/V SPL; according to the manufacturer webpage, it is 114 dB SPL/mW at 1kHz.
> 
> ...


It's not that easy, my friend.
There're too much factors and variable in the equation, at least your own anatomy. 

Pick your poison 
List of calculators


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## miketlse

Nick24JJ said:


> Here are the replies I got, so far, from Chord Support, in regards to my question: How loud am I listening to my music?
> 
> ._..this depends entirely on the sensitivity of the device being driven and, to further muddy the waters, whether the actual sensitivity of the device matches the claimed sensitivity. It is highly unlikely, short of measuring on a jig, you will get an accurate number._
> 
> ...


There have been several spreadsheets posted by owners on the Chord threads.
They calculate the output voltage for various ball colour combinations.
The sound pressure from the headphones will depend on their sensitivity and the frequency at which it is measured.
If you search for those spreadsheets, you should be able to find the maths that was used.


----------



## iDesign (Jun 13, 2022)

captblaze said:


> Now that the price has gone from $725 usd to $845 usd…
> 
> How likely are you to buy at the new price or willthe used market be a better choice?


Interesting the price has gone down to $775.00 for most retailers.


----------



## shabta

The dollar has become a lot stronger against the pound in the last two months.


----------



## iDesign (Jun 13, 2022)

I would be surprised if they are adjusting for inflation and exchange rates on a monthly basis because those factors should be part of their hedging and margins like most brands. I suspect backorders, dealer input, and sales numbers are responsible for the reduction.


----------



## shabta

I think it is both. Obviously if they were getting the old price they wouldn't change it. But most people expect the dollar to get even stronger...


----------



## Derivative

iDesign said:


> Interesting the price has gone down to $775.00 for most retailers.


All this makes the £450 UK retail price look like a bargain, especially for a UK made, technically advanced specialty product from a respected brand. Very good entry point into the world of Chord in my view.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Derivative said:


> All this makes the £450 UK retail price look like a bargain, especially for a UK made, technically advanced specialty product from a respected brand. Very good entry point into the world of Chord in my view.


I fully agree, that's why I bought it at £450 + £45 for a 6 year warranty + another £45 for its leather case. So far, it's truly amazing!


----------



## dsrk

Derivative said:


> All this makes the £450 UK retail price look like a bargain, especially for a UK made, technically advanced specialty product from a respected brand. Very good entry point into the world of Chord in my view.


It is exactly what I paid for it here in India which makes it cheaper than Mojo1 India. Considering the price and performance, it is the best bargain for a portable DAC/AMP in India.


----------



## Derivative

dsrk said:


> It is exactly what I paid for it here in India which makes it cheaper than Mojo1 India. Considering the price and performance, it is the best bargain for a portable DAC/AMP in India.


That's a fantastic deal, genuinely can't be beat from a price/performance perspective. Did you get it new?


----------



## dsrk

Derivative said:


> That's a fantastic deal, genuinely can't be beat from a price/performance perspective. Did you get it new?


Yes, the price is £470 and they give reward points which makes the price exactly £450. When Mojo 1 was released in India it was £500, it was going for around £450 a year back.

iFi Gryphon is priced £525 in India which makes Mojo 2 a real bargain in India.


----------



## Menkau-ra

iDesign said:


> Interesting the price has gone down to $775.00 for most retailers.


it doesn't change anything because it's still not available in US.


----------



## amarkabove

Nick24JJ said:


> Here are the replies I got, so far, from Chord Support, in regards to my question: How loud am I listening to my music?
> 
> ._..this depends entirely on the sensitivity of the device being driven and, to further muddy the waters, whether the actual sensitivity of the device matches the claimed sensitivity. It is highly unlikely, short of measuring on a jig, you will get an accurate number._
> 
> ...


There's also the issue of peak vs continuous power/sensitivity as not every company lists which number they are displaying. 

If you want to know the decibel level of something, the easiest and most accurate way is to get a dB meter and place it's measurement mic at the location you are listening. For headphones, this means sticking it inside the ear cup. It's obviously more difficult for IEM's, but will still get you a ball park figure.


----------



## miketlse

amarkabove said:


> There's also the issue of peak vs continuous power/sensitivity as not every company lists which number they are displaying.
> 
> If you want to know the decibel level of something, the easiest and most accurate way is to get a dB meter and place it's measurement mic at the location you are listening. For headphones, this means sticking it inside the ear cup. It's obviously more difficult for IEM's, but will still get you a ball park figure.


Yes, and this highlights two of the key milestones of product design using systems engineering.
The spreadsheets contain the mathematical model used to evaluate DVer - does the design satisfy the initial user requirements.
Using Db meter measurements provide the evidence for PVer - does the physical product satisfy the user requirements modelled in DVer.

So Chord are not being disingenuous by suggesting that the OP rely on the physical measurements.
Design engineers would give the same response.


----------



## Kentajalli (Jun 13, 2022)

The formula is in the definition of sensitivity .
Sensitivity definition is as follows:
- loudness level in dB of a loudspeaker at 1khz at one meter, for one watt of electrical power.
If it is headphone, then it is for 0.001W at diaphragm (IIRC ).
double the power, you get 3dB increase.
So if the quoted figure is correct, and the loudspeaker has a flat frequency response, you can calculate the loudness.
EG:
sensitivity is 90dB for 1W. at 2W it goes 93dB and so on.
If the speaker, doesn't have a flat frequency response and changing impedance, the room is absorbent , more or less than one meter, you can throw that formula away!
Measuring with a calibrated microphone is the only way.
There is also a common mistake, sensitivity is measure for one Watt or one Volt and so on, it is NOT per Watt or per Volt.
so */W or */V is misrepresented.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Jun 13, 2022)

amarkabove said:


> There's also the issue of peak vs continuous power/sensitivity as not every company lists which number they are displaying.
> 
> If you want to know the decibel level of something, the easiest and most accurate way is to get a dB meter and place it's measurement mic at the location you are listening. For headphones, this means sticking it inside the ear cup. It's obviously more difficult for IEM's, but will still get you a ball park figure.


That's a nice idea, the sound level meter! I have absolutely no idea about these devices, do you think that this one or this one are good? Completely random selections, I have no idea, can you or anyone else, suggest something? And if I get this, do I have to stick it inside the earcup of my KLH Ultimate One Headphones or can I place it in between the two? With my IEMs, will it measure anything if I will keep them on that microphone thing?


----------



## miketlse

Nick24JJ said:


> That's a nice idea, the sound level meter! I have absolutely no idea about these devices, do you think that this one or this one are good? Completely random selections, I have no idea, can you or anyone else, suggest something? And if I get this, do I have to stick it inside the earcup of my KLH Ultimate One Headphones or can I place it in between the two? With my IEMs, will it measure anything if I will keep them on that microphone thing?


It is worth reading a few posts before splashing out cash.
Some owners just hold the phone microphone in front of the headphone, and record the sound level.
Others create a simple cardboard template (including a small cutout hole) that can be placed on the headphone earpads, and record the sound level near the hole.

Overall the best advice is to read about the templates that some owners use (to try and best simulate the sound flow into the ear), and whether the work well or not.
The sound level meter is a good idea, but can require a bit of trial and error, to create the test rig that an owner can be fairly confident with the readings.


----------



## Nick24JJ

miketlse said:


> 25It is worth reading a few posts before splashing out cash.
> Some owners just hold the phone microphone in front of the headphone, and record the sound level.
> Others create a simple cardboard template (including a small cutout hole) that can be placed on the headphone earpads, and record the sound level near the hole.
> 
> ...


Okay, thanks for your reply. I will read the comments from owners of such devices on Amazon. Especially, on the use on headphones. About my IEMs I don't mind, I will get a sense of the volume levels by measuring my headphone. I would prefer to purchase a device like this, ready to do the job, instead of recording sounds with my smartphone, with questionable results. £25 - £50 is not such a big deal. 

Thank you. 

PS: IF anyone of you is using such a device to measure their headphone's sound level, I'd appreciate a suggestion.


----------



## amarkabove

Nick24JJ said:


> Okay, thanks for your reply. I will read the comments from owners of such devices on Amazon. Especially, on the use on headphones. About my IEMs I don't mind, I will get a sense of the volume levels by measuring my headphone. I would prefer to purchase a device like this, ready to do the job, instead of recording sounds with my smartphone, with questionable results. £25 - £50 is not such a big deal.
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> PS: IF anyone of you is using such a device to measure their headphone's sound level, I'd appreciate a suggestion.


I use a Galaxy Audio CheckMate. I found it to be the most consistent of the various meters I've used. (I'm a theatrical audio engineer so I use these devices with regularity)


----------



## Nick24JJ

amarkabove said:


> I use a Galaxy Audio CheckMate. I found it to be the most consistent of the various meters I've used. (I'm a theatrical audio engineer so I use these devices with regularity)


Thank you, sir, for your suggestion but from what I see this device is currently unavailable on Amazon UK. I will most probably pick one of Amazon's choices. Thanks again


----------



## Chibs

Charente said:


> So, I’m on board with a MOJO 2 … purchased here in France at a premium price of €599 compared with the UK price of £450 (£375 before UK VAT), … quite a difference even allowing for the exchange rate and import fees from the UK.
> 
> I am a new MOJO user, never having owned the original version. Indeed, I’m new to Chord products. I listened to other user experiences and to Rob Watts’ various interesting interactions and presentations, so I was persuaded !
> 
> ...


 
Mojo 2 with Noire is a really nice combo imo. Instead of using the tuning pads, I'll just tame the treble and boost base a bit in Mojo's EQ. Power is more than adequate for the Noires. This is my go to combo for when I take music out with me. Working on my review now, will post it up here when done


----------



## theophile

I'm using the Mojo 2 and Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk with great success.


----------



## someyoungguy

Well, after a bit of playing around I feel I can safely conclude the original Mojo is the one for me. Just a touch of extra excitement and magic, even if the sense of space and separation isn't as grand. I also appreciate the faster start up, and - added bonus - it's noticeably lighter 

For the extra dollars it really isn't worth me keeping both, so the M2 will be going up for sale.


----------



## imacaverage

someyoungguy said:


> Well, after a bit of playing around I feel I can safely conclude the original Mojo is the one for me. Just a touch of extra excitement and magic, even if the sense of space and separation isn't as grand. I also appreciate the faster start up, and - added bonus - it's noticeably lighter
> 
> For the extra dollars it really isn't worth me keeping both, so the M2 will be going up for sale.


Is there a big difference in case heat between M1 and M2?


----------



## someyoungguy

imacaverage said:


> Is there a big difference in case heat between M1 and M2?


I haven't done a timed comparison of playing the same resolution files for the same amount of time, but in my switching between M1 and M2 while trying them out, M2 never got as warm as M1. I know in the release material and information Rob Watts provided there was mention of the energy efficiency of the M2 being improved, implying less transfer into heat. It seems the case from my usage. Also in my use, when M2 is connected to Poly, Poly seems to get hotter than M2, whereas when connected to M1 both Poly and Mojo seem about the same heat, or with Mojo even a bit hotter than Poly.


----------



## Derivative

imacaverage said:


> Is there a big difference in case heat between M1 and M2?


To echo the above comment, M1 got significantly warmer than M2 in my experience. They've done a great job addressing the hot running with M2.


----------



## iDesign

someyoungguy said:


> Well, after a bit of playing around I feel I can safely conclude the original Mojo is the one for me. Just a touch of extra excitement and magic, even if the sense of space and separation isn't as grand. I also appreciate the faster start up, and - added bonus - it's noticeably lighter
> 
> For the extra dollars it really isn't worth me keeping both, so the M2 will be going up for sale.


I completely agree and have said exactly this for sometime. I’ve even utilized Rob Watts’ recommended equalization settings  and still much prefer the Mojo over the Mojo 2.


----------



## Somafunk

Does anyone make a silicone case/skin for the mojo 2?, I’ve tried searching online but have not found anything other than the official chord leather case which I’m not fussed about.


----------



## iDesign

Somafunk said:


> Does anyone make a silicone case/skin for the mojo 2?, I’ve tried searching online but have not found anything other than the official chord leather case which I’m not fussed about.


The best case thus far. 
https://zeppelinandco.com/products/dignis-laetus2-chord-mojo2-case


----------



## Somafunk

$99 , think I’ll pass.

(Thanks anyway)


----------



## headfry (Jun 15, 2022)

iDesign said:


> I completely agree and have said exactly this for sometime. I’ve even utilized Rob Watts’ recommended equalization settings  and still much prefer the Mojo over the Mojo 2.


To each their own, I rarely use OG anymore. The bass/midbass increase in resolution alone is excellent, along with the other improvements (I've posted previously on this). Of course synergy and other factors will influence the result. I've also gone from barely using the eq to finding the best settings which make a huge improvement with my high end Grado's.

...the Mojo is a great unit, enjoy!


----------



## Charente

I’d like to mention a faint ‘irregular scratching noise’ coming from the left channel on the MOJO 2 when no music is playing. At first I thought it was a fault on the IEMs that I was using (iBasso IT01s) because I couldn’t hear it on full-size headphones that I have.

However, I’ve been trying out the Focal Elegia headphones and I can hear this noise on them … presumably because of their highly resolving characteristics.

Has anyone else come across this ?


----------



## jarnopp

Charente said:


> I’d like to mention a faint ‘irregular scratching noise’ coming from the left channel on the MOJO 2 when no music is playing. At first I thought it was a fault on the IEMs that I was using (iBasso IT01s) because I couldn’t hear it on full-size headphones that I have.
> 
> However, I’ve been trying out the Focal Elegia headphones and I can hear this noise on them … presumably because of their highly resolving characteristics.
> 
> Has anyone else come across this ?


Do you get it from both outputs? Are you using any adapters for the headphones? (I haven’t heard it.)


----------



## Charente (Jun 16, 2022)

jarnopp said:


> Do you get it from both outputs? Are you using any adapters for the headphones? (I haven’t heard it.)


Yes, both outputs. Disconnected power and USB, still there. No adapter on the Elegia.

EDIT: Volume up or down does not affect the noise.


----------



## jarnopp

Charente said:


> Yes, both outputs. Disconnected power and USB, still there. No adapter on the Elegia.
> 
> EDIT: Volume up or down does not affect the noise.


Strange. Sounds like a defect.


----------



## Kentajalli

Charente said:


> Yes, both outputs. Disconnected power and USB, still there. No adapter on the Elegia.
> 
> EDIT: Volume up or down does not affect the noise.


return it.


----------



## bridger2086 (Jun 16, 2022)

Hej!

In the Mojo thread, 7 years ago @Rob Watts wrote this:



> 5. Mojo is designed to drive loudspeakers. You will be amazed hearing it fill the room with beautiful sound using efficient 8 ohm horn loudspeakers.



As it happens, the two pieces of my gear that I love the most are Mojo 2 and a pair of Fostex FE206En full-range drivers (96db sensitive) in back-loaded horn enclosures. Having learned today that I can bypass the amplifier and simply merry the two together.. well, I'm giddy as a schoolgirl.

If this works well, its a mindblowing value proposition, a world class dac, built-in lossless dsp and an amp in a tiny package. So I want to give it a propper go and would like to hear from users who have done this. A few questions:

1. How much power can I expect? Speakers are 8ohm minimum, with a peak of 128ohm at driver resonance (45Hz).

2. Fostex full-range drivers have a class typical FR, slightly weak in the bass and peaky upper mids. There are two ways going about this. The first is using dsp, which I'm doing now and the second is very unpopular among modern hifi crowd and thus very limited options - using an amp with high output impedance that acts as a current-source. Unpopular because it produces "unpredictable" FR with complex crossovers and flabby drivers of modern speakers. But for simple fullrangers it aids in attenuating the peaky upper-mids and underdamping the very tought driver at its resonance (lower bass). The quick and dirty workaround for "normal" voltage source amps is using a resistor in series, to bring up the output impedance, though lowering the power output. This I've tried by using a long strand from an ethernet cable (26awg) to connect to speakers and it works, but could use some more (added resistance of this wire estimated at ca. 1.2ohm).

With limited power on tap from mojo2 and low output impedance, how much added imp. can I use, without throwing away the little power available? Or is it better to just stick with dsp?

3. What is the "purest" way to connect to speakers, without resorting to diy? One way i see is to use my jack to 2xRCA adapter and than using rca to banana cables.

4. How to power the mojo2? Does it give significant sonic benefits if a good LPSU is used vs a decent switcher? I still dont fully understand how "desktop mode" works (purple light). Does it always draw from the battery, whille topping up when needed? Is noise rejected sufficiently if it doesnt etc.

I'm very eager to hear from people who have done this, as well as @Rob Watts. I think this is an incredibly exciting topic to discuss

Kind Regards,
Alex


----------



## DecentLevi

Hey guys I got a custom made RCA to 3.5mm cable for the coax data input for my upcoming Mojo 2, below. (BlueJeans Cable co.)





But I later noticed most are being sold with 3-pin instead of 2 that mine has for the 3.5mm connection. I'm not sure why 3 pins are needed when the source has 2. Would anyone know if mine would still work on the Mojo 2?


----------



## Derivative

bridger2086 said:


> Hej!
> 
> In the Mojo thread, 7 years ago @Rob Watts wrote this:
> 
> ...


I have zero experience with speakers so can't help answer any of your questions, but I'm very interested in seeing how this goes. If it works, as you say Mojo 2's value prop becomes very compelling indeed. Good luck!


----------



## jarnopp (Jun 16, 2022)

bridger2086 said:


> Hej!
> 
> In the Mojo thread, 7 years ago @Rob Watts wrote this:
> 
> ...


Try it. I had great results using Mojo to drive Omega SAMs and an active sub: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...n-3rd-post-◄★☆.784602/page-2582#post-14995037


----------



## bridger2086 (Jun 17, 2022)

jarnopp said:


> Try it. I had great results using Mojo to drive Omega SAMs and an active sub: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-mojo-dac-amp-☆★►faq-in-3rd-post-◄★☆.784602/page-2582#post-14995037


Excellent, thanks for your input jarnopp! Did you use rca to two banana cables per chanel for the speaker (run from the audioquest jack to rca splitter). WHere did you get the cables?

Also how did you power the mojo, only battery? THe mojo2 has an "intelligent desktop mode"  which I would like to use, but im afraid it might get overheated while plugged into power and driving low impedance loads (like speakers). It gets quite warm while playing plugged in as it is (set to "line" voltage (bright purple).


----------



## Pulcino

bridger2086 said:


> Hej!
> 
> In the Mojo thread, 7 years ago @Rob Watts wrote this:
> 
> ...


Hi Alex, what horn enclosure have you used? The Foster recommendation or a different one? And are you driving the chassis without any compensation? I’m interested in building a speaker, too. 

Frank


----------



## shabta

DecentLevi said:


> Hey guys I got a custom made RCA to 3.5mm cable for the coax data input for my upcoming Mojo 2, below. (BlueJeans Cable co.)
> 
> 
> But I later noticed most are being sold with 3-pin instead of 2 that mine has for the 3.5mm connection. I'm not sure why 3 pins are needed when the source has 2. Would anyone know if mine would still work on the Mojo 2?


I have one that works. It looks like the first photo (your bluejeans custom) , not the second.


----------



## bridger2086

Pulcino said:


> Hi Alex, what horn enclosure have you used? The Foster recommendation or a different one? And are you driving the chassis without any compensation? I’m interested in building a speaker, too.
> 
> Frank


Yes they are the recommended design. I have bought them already built and have not peaked inside, but i dont think there is any compensation (if you are talking about a passive network) and the enclosure is largely undampened. I will be looking at these two areas once I am happy with the amplification. Its a bit of a specificity, give todays trend in audio, so options are not readily available. SET amps are the popular choice, but i would like to find a less fussy, daily-driver kind of solution.

From what i have read, there might be "better" options for the enclosure, like the popular Dallas II, but obviously a more complex build, with more precision required. But I can very much recommend going down this path. For some reason I feel a step closer to music than via a typical speaker.

And imagine a tiny box consisting of poly+mojo filling the room with a live performance on a built in battery, as compared to 2 tons worth of equipment on 5 floor hifi-rack


----------



## jarnopp

bridger2086 said:


> Excellent, thanks for your input jarnopp! Did you use rca to two banana cables per chanel for the speaker (run from the audioquest jack to rca splitter). WHere did you get the cables?
> 
> Also how did you power the mojo, only battery? THe mojo2 has an "intelligent desktop mode"  which I would like to use, but im afraid it might get overheated while plugged into power and driving low impedance loads (like speakers). It gets quite warm while playing plugged in as it is (set to "line" voltage (bright purple).


It’s a bit cumbersome, but it’s BNC to banana: https://www.amazon.com/Connector-Female-Binding-Banana-Adapter/dp/B00VB62YT2/  and some RCA to BNC adapters. I just used ELAC speaker cable from there. The long blue cable is for the sub. I was running off battery, but if I used Mojo2 I’d probably leave it plugged in. I don’t notice Mojo2 getting hot ever.  It honestly sounded good and I used it for a couple months hole TT2 was being repaired.


----------



## bridger2086

Thanks! Did you notice a significant drop in soundquality from mojo to the TT2? How about power?
This seems to be the most straightforward solution i could find, albeit no the last word in elegance:


----------



## Andrewteee

The Mojo 2 is so small and cute... and sounds great! I have only about 20 minutes on it so far. Paired with the Meze Advars.


----------



## BryceS (Jun 17, 2022)

DecentLevi said:


> Hey guys I got a custom made RCA to 3.5mm cable for the coax data input for my upcoming Mojo 2, below. (BlueJeans Cable co.)
> 
> 
> But I later noticed most are being sold with 3-pin instead of 2 that mine has for the 3.5mm connection. I'm not sure why 3 pins are needed when the source has 2. Would anyone know if mine would still work on the Mojo 2?


That will work. The Mojo end only need to be two pole since it is a digital signal. I have a four pole to two pole coax cable for Fiio M11 Plus to Mojo or ifi Gryphon or Diablo and a four pole to RCA for Fiio M11 Plus to another desktop DAC. Some cables use the three pole (TRS) at the Mojo end simply because they are more common than the TS mono plugs. The other end can vary if it is a 3.5mm for a coax out DAP, the connection set up can vary from manufacture to manufacture of the DAP.

For clarification, regardless if a 2, 3 or 4 pole 3.5mm plug is used there are only 2 wires and with  3 and 4 pole plugs 1 and 2 are left unused, respectively.


----------



## DavidW

jarnopp said:


> It’s a bit cumbersome, but it’s BNC to banana: https://www.amazon.com/Connector-Female-Binding-Banana-Adapter/dp/B00VB62YT2/  and some RCA to BNC adapters. I just used ELAC speaker cable from there. The long blue cable is for the sub. I was running off battery, but if I used Mojo2 I’d probably leave it plugged in. I don’t notice Mojo2 getting hot ever.  It honestly sounded good and I used it for a couple months hole TT2 was being repaired.


This is a great idea!

I've been using headphones for years (Focal Clear OG) and have been thinking about a starter speaker system for some time. That would have involved amps, speakers, maybe other gear, and could easily top $1000. Mojo 2 direct to speakers- what a way to go. I'm looking at the Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 which has been well regarded. Any comments on those speakers with the Mojo 2?


----------



## jarnopp

DavidW said:


> This is a great idea!
> 
> I've been using headphones for years (Focal Clear OG) and have been thinking about a starter speaker system for some time. That would have involved amps, speakers, maybe other gear, and could easily top $1000. Mojo 2 direct to speakers- what a way to go. I'm looking at the Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 which has been well regarded. Any comments on those speakers with the Mojo 2?


You want high efficiency speakers (I use the single driver Omega SAMs) or an active pair. Also, I believe Rob has recommended keeping it at 8 ohms or higher. Those Elacs are a bit inefficient and only 6 ohms.


----------



## jarnopp

bridger2086 said:


> Thanks! Did you notice a significant drop in soundquality from mojo to the TT2? How about power?
> This seems to be the most straightforward solution i could find, albeit no the last word in elegance:


That looks interesting. The TT2 is more transparent and dynamic, of course, and sounds better. It is more powerful, but in my nearfield setup, and with an active sub, volume level was not a big factor using Mojo.


----------



## DavidW (Jun 17, 2022)

jarnopp said:


> You want high efficiency speakers (I use the single driver Omega SAMs) or an active pair. Also, I believe Rob has recommended keeping it at 8 ohms or higher. Those Elacs are a bit inefficient and only 6 ohms.


Thanks for the tips. The Omega SAMs are more than I want to spend, so I'll be on the look out for other more efficient speakers.


----------



## amigastar (Jun 17, 2022)

Just a question,
Should i change the bitrate in Windows 11 to  24 bits and 44100hz or should i choose a higher setting like 96000hz?
Mostly my music is in 16-24 bit 44100hz as flac.


----------



## T400 (Jun 17, 2022)

Are the Mojo and Mojo2 known to operate properly with GNU/Linux distributions (no proprietary drivers)? I haven't had trouble with other DACs, but curious.

Also, do they have updatable firmware? I don't find anything on the web site.


----------



## Somafunk

DavidW said:


> Mojo 2 direct to speakers- what a way to go. I'm looking at the Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 which has been well regarded. Any comments on those speakers with the Mojo 2?



You’d need an amp to power those speakers, choose a pair of good quality active monitors to pair with the mojo otherwise you’ll be disappointed with the sound.

Would you be listening near field (desktop system within 1m of speakers) or mid field (from 1m to 2.5m) as that will dictate cost and size, what’s your budget as £400 to £600 would get you started.


----------



## rlanger

amigastar said:


> Just a question,
> Should i change the bitrate in Windows 11 to  24 bits and 44100hz or should i choose a higher setting like 96000hz?
> Mostly my music is in 16-24 bit 44100hz as flac.


What player are you using? You should be using a player like MusicBee, for example, which can output directly to Mojo 2 via ASIO. This will bypass Windows and give you the best sound quality.

If you want to try a really magical player, I suggest giving HQPlayer a shot and upsample your music to 768Khz. You'll likely need to do some searching to figure out the myriad of filter settings, but it's worth it, IMO. The sound quality is stunning.


----------



## amigastar (Jun 17, 2022)

rlanger said:


> What player are you using? You should be using a player like MusicBee, for example, which can output directly to Mojo 2 via ASIO. This will bypass Windows and give you the best sound quality.
> 
> If you want to try a really magical player, I suggest giving HQPlayer a shot and upsample your music to 768Khz. You'll likely need to do some searching to figure out the myriad of filter settings, but it's worth it, IMO. The sound quality is stunning.


I'm using Foobar2000, but i will try out HQPlayer. Foobar has a Resampler so i could basically upsample to 786hhz.


----------



## rlanger

amigastar said:


> I'm using Foobar2000, but i will try out HQPlayer. Foobar has a Resampler so i could basically upsample to 786hhz.


I've never used Foobar, but I'm pretty sure you can output in Exclusive mode.

But yeah, give HQPlayer a shot. The filters make a big difference. The sinc-M filter basically gives you a software M-Scaler.


----------



## amigastar

rlanger said:


> I've never used Foobar, but I'm pretty sure you can output in Exclusive mode.
> 
> But yeah, give HQPlayer a shot. The filters make a big difference. The sinc-M filter basically gives you a software M-Scaler.


But i think i'm gonna stick with 24bit 44100hz because thats the bitrate my music is on.


----------



## ChrisGB

T400 said:


> Are the Mojo and Mojo2 known to operate properly with GNU/Linux distributions (no proprietary drivers)? I haven't had trouble with other DACs, but curious.
> 
> Also, do they have updatable firmware? I don't find anything on the web site





T400 said:


> Are the Mojo and Mojo2 known to operate properly with GNU/Linux distributions (no proprietary drivers)? I haven't had trouble with other DACs, but curious.
> 
> Also, do they have updatable firmware? I don't find anything on the web site.


I tried it with Ubuntu, no problem and no driver needed.


----------



## rlanger

amigastar said:


> But i think i'm gonna stick with 24bit 44100hz because thats the bitrate my music is on.


That's fine, but you're still better off feeding Mojo in Exclusive mode through ASIO or WASAPI.
When you do that, you're completely bypassing Windows.


----------



## Kentajalli

rlanger said:


> But yeah, give HQPlayer a shot. The filters make a big difference. The sinc-M filter basically gives you a software M-Scaler.


When one buys a Chord DAC, you get a DAC with a proprietary _Reconstruction Filter._ 
The job of this reconstruction filter, is to take an _untouched_ piece of digital music of a lesser sample rate and reconstruct it to produce a signal as close as possible to the original signal.
HQPlayer, does this job with various filters, Chord DACs use Rob Watts filter. What makes any DAC sound the way they do, is mostly due to its reconstruction filters. 
All this blabbering was an effort to bring us to the conclusion, that if one uses an external reconstruction filter, then one does not really need a Chord DAC! All Chord DACs will behave as a basic DAC, if fed with a 768kHz signal, so even a simple upsampling will defeat Chord's internal filters (that's what we paid for), and the sound you will hear, is not going to be that of a Chord's DAC, but of the reconstruction filter one used externally.
Needless to say, that all this is for _Desktop Mode_  only.
Mojo is a mobile joy device, primarily intended for mobile use. With its internal filters, amp section and DSP, to be a one box solution.
I suggest feeding it with an untouched bit-perfect signal (ASIO or WASAPI in windows, or Neutron or UAPP on Android ...) and let the device do its intended job, if you wish to hear what a Mojo can do (either Mojo).
I did finally, after experimenting with re-sampling, up-sampling and indeed HQPlayer.


----------



## bridger2086

DavidW said:


> This is a great idea!
> 
> I've been using headphones for years (Focal Clear OG) and have been thinking about a starter speaker system for some time. That would have involved amps, speakers, maybe other gear, and could easily top $1000. Mojo 2 direct to speakers- what a way to go. I'm looking at the Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2 which has been well regarded. Any comments on those speakers with the Mojo 2?


As others have mentioned, you'll want to look for sensitive speakers, that are also an easy load on the amp (high-ish impedance).

Compared to 85db of Elacs, 91db speaker will play twice as loud, a 97db one 4x as loud for the power available, so this spec is really not to be underestimated. But even with high-sens speakers, its impedance response can really degrade the performance.

The nominal impedance of 8ohms or abovr is a good start, but more often than not very misleading, so you will want to look at that speakers impedance response graph, to see how low it dips. I.e. a pair of Wharf 225's that I used were speced at 8ohms nominal, but actually dropped to nearly 3ohms at certain frequencies.

Klipsch rp series is often mentioned in this discussion, but also has tricky IR.

The best bet will be efficient simple designs- fullrangers, 1,5 ways, even some 2ways, and in as big of a cabinet you can stomach

The pricebracket you are looking at is dominated by "mainstream" inefficient offerings and I found options to be rather limited. Look for smaller manufacturers (like Omega), maybe some more local ones, or maybe some chinese ones.

I also have a set of Sound Artist ls35a, which im using for nearfield listening. I will test these on the mojo2 as well and report back. But soundartist make another much more efficient design, a concentric 2 way with a horn for the twitter, that is supposed to be quite good as well. Look for reviews on british audiophile yt among others.


----------



## rlanger

Kentajalli said:


> When one buys a Chord DAC, you get a DAC with a proprietary _Reconstruction Filter._
> The job of this reconstruction filter, is to take an _untouched_ piece of digital music of a lesser sample rate and reconstruct it to produce a signal as close as possible to the original signal.
> HQPlayer, does this job with various filters, Chord DACs use Rob Watts filter. What makes any DAC sound the way they do, is mostly due to its reconstruction filters.
> All this blabbering was an effort to bring us to the conclusion, that if one uses an external reconstruction filter, then one does not really need a Chord DAC! All Chord DACs will behave as a basic DAC, if fed with a 768kHz signal, so even a simple upsampling will defeat Chord's internal filters (that's what we paid for), and the sound you will hear, is not going to be that of a Chord's DAC, but of the reconstruction filter one used externally.
> ...


I only use it in desktop mode. And to my ears, HQPlayer upsampled sounds much better than not. Haven't blind-tested though so it could simply be my imagination.


----------



## Somafunk (Jun 18, 2022)

bridger2086 said:


> As others have mentioned, you'll want to look for sensitive speakers, that are also an easy load on the amp (high-ish impedance).



Not quite correct, The mojo on its own does not have the power capability to drive normal speakers, you will need to use Active speakers (built in amps/crossovers) with the mojo, Something like this KRK Rokit 7 G4 would be suitable and quite cheap for the performance

Hopefully Rob Watts will pop into the thread to clear up the confusion regarding using the mojo 2 in a hifi system


----------



## Progisus

I use remastero to upscale all my files to 16fs 24b. I then load them on a couple 1tb sd cards, Played back on the poly/mojo2 in everything else mode is the pinnacle of mobile audio. This will give you millions of taps and the totl chord analog conversion and output stage.


----------



## T400

ChrisGB said:


> I tried it with Ubuntu, no problem and no driver needed.


Thanks!


----------



## bridger2086

Somafunk said:


> Not quite correct, The mojo on its own does not have the power capability to drive normal speakers, you will need to use Active speakers (built in amps/crossovers) with the mojo, Something like this KRK Rokit 7 G4 would be suitable and quite cheap for the performance
> 
> Hopefully Rob Watts will pop into the thread to clear up the confusion regarding using the mojo 2 in a hifi system


Indeed we are discussing this very topic, driving passive speakers directly from the mojo. Quite a few people have reported great success doing this with both mojo and hugo. I think Chord even held some demostrations doing this very thing (either with TT and/or Dave) at quite a large venue and Rob himself has commented that Mojo has been "developed to drive speakers", see my citation of him a page back.

But obviously, power spec is low, so it takes a bit of a special speaker (high-efficiency/sensitivity) to get decent volume.

This idea is exciting to me because it proposes that one could eliminate a poweramp from the chain. I very much believe in Chords/Robs ideas and development around DA conversion and it seems reasonable to assume that integrated signal amplification will likely be more "in tune" than if one used a separate one, another set of interconnects etc.


----------



## DavidW (Jun 18, 2022)

Somafunk said:


> You’d need an amp to power those speakers, choose a pair of good quality active monitors to pair with the mojo otherwise you’ll be disappointed with the sound.
> 
> Would you be listening near field (desktop system within 1m of speakers) or mid field (from 1m to 2.5m) as that will dictate cost and size, what’s your budget as £400 to £600 would get you started.





bridger2086 said:


> As others have mentioned, you'll want to look for sensitive speakers, that are also an easy load on the amp (high-ish impedance).
> 
> Compared to 85db of Elacs, 91db speaker will play twice as loud, a 97db one 4x as loud for the power available, so this spec is really not to be underestimated. But even with high-sens speakers, its impedance response can really degrade the performance.
> 
> ...


I'm mainly a headphone guy (hence HeadFi...) and would like to explore loudspeakers. We're moving to a Washington DC coop in a few weeks, so cash is limited as we set up, and perhaps I should revisit speakers and other gear later on. However, the initial post by jarnopp got me thinking about a low-cost way on using speakers sooner rather than later. I was initially attracted to the Elac speakers after reading reviews such as this and at price point of $300, seemed about right for this new coop owner.

Somafunk, my listening would definitely be mid-field (it's a 17' x 15' room) and I would need to explore a number of speakers to see how they would perform in the room, especially with bridger2086's guidance. Or, maybe just stick with headphones for now...


----------



## bridger2086

You see those dips down to 5ohm in the bass frequencies, thats where mojo (or even a much more current delivery capable amp) will struggle. Mojo has quite low output impedance so the unevenness of the curve is likely not a problem. You just want it not to dip too low (under 8 ohm preferably).

One option could be a set of well kept/restored vintage speakers, those were usually made with tubes in mind, and usually work well with low power amps.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Jun 18, 2022)

amigastar said:


> Just a question,
> Should i change the bitrate in Windows 11 to  24 bits and 44100hz or should i choose a higher setting like 96000hz?
> Mostly my music is in 16-24 bit 44100hz as flac.


In the screenshots, you can see my settings on my Windows 11 Pro laptop and some players. Keep in mind that improper sample rate can be the cause of that dreadful white noise. Avoid ASIO. Hope this helps.


----------



## amigastar (Jun 18, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> In the screenshots, you can see my settings on my Windows 11 Pro laptop and some players. Keep in mind that improper sample rate can be the cause of that dreadful white noise. Hope this helps.


thank you man, but you should choose 24 bit in foobar since it makes no sense to have 16 bits as i know as the remaining 8 bits are refilled automatically, you also have 32bit in windows settings so 16 bit only makes no sense.
I personally have not encountered 32bit music in my life so i have 24 bit chosen.


----------



## Nick24JJ

amigastar said:


> thank you man, but you should choose 24 bit in foobar since it makes no sense to have 16 bits as i know as the remaining 8 bits are refilled automatically, you also have 32bit in windows settings so 16 bit only makes no sense.
> I personally have not encountered 32bit music in my life so i have 24 bit chosen.


Good advise, I've set both to 24 bit, thank you! Truth is, I am not using my Mojo 2 almost at all, maybe a couple of hours per week. I will start using it on a daily basis when I will purchase my desktop computer.


----------



## Nick24JJ

rlanger said:


> I only use it in desktop mode. And to my ears, HQPlayer upsampled sounds much better than not. Haven't blind-tested though so it could simply be my imagination.


I've never used upsampling, does it do any good to a 320 CBR mp3? Also, have you ever used SounDevil [player]?


----------



## Kentajalli (Jun 18, 2022)

DavidW said:


> I'm mainly a headphone guy (hence HeadFi...) and would like to explore loudspeakers. We're moving to a Washington DC coop in a few weeks, so cash is limited as we set up, and perhaps I should revisit speakers and other gear later on. However, the initial post by jarnopp got me thinking about a low-cost way on using speakers sooner rather than later. I was initially attracted to the Elac speakers after reading reviews such as this and at price point of $300, seemed about right for this new coop owner.
> 
> Somafunk, my listening would definitely be mid-field (it's a 17' x 15' room) and I would need to explore a number of speakers to see how they would perform in the room, especially with bridger2086's guidance. Or, maybe just stick with headphones for now...


Sensitivity for your Elac choice is very low, only 87dB - mojo direct into that will be a whisper!
I remember that particular speaker being demo'ed at the high-end show here in London. Sounded very good! With a 200W quality poweramp in tow!
Remember small speakers, low efficiency - large speakers (could) have high efficiency.
From the same site, this speaker (on paper) should better suit the Mojo.
https://twitteringmachines.com/hifi-bargains-zu-audio-omen-dirty-weekend-mk-ii/
I would say, Mojo has a shot at driving an 8" full bandwidth driver in a large cabinet to a reasonable volume, next to no chance of doing the same with a bookshelf two-way speaker.
Powered speakers? any day!


----------



## Nick24JJ

Kentajalli said:


> When one buys a Chord DAC, you get a DAC with a proprietary _Reconstruction Filter._
> The job of this reconstruction filter, is to take an _untouched_ piece of digital music of a lesser sample rate and reconstruct it to produce a signal as close as possible to the original signal.
> HQPlayer, does this job with various filters, Chord DACs use Rob Watts filter. What makes any DAC sound the way they do, is mostly due to its reconstruction filters.
> All this blabbering was an effort to bring us to the conclusion, that if one uses an external reconstruction filter, then one does not really need a Chord DAC! All Chord DACs will behave as a basic DAC, if fed with a 768kHz signal, so even a simple upsampling will defeat Chord's internal filters (that's what we paid for), and the sound you will hear, is not going to be that of a Chord's DAC, but of the reconstruction filter one used externally.
> ...


Excellent post!


----------



## bridger2086 (Jun 19, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> Sensitivity for your Elac choice is very low, only 87dB - mojo direct into that will be a whisper!
> I remember that particular speaker being demo'ed at the high-end show here in London. Sounded very good! With a 200W quality poweramp in tow!
> Remember small speakers, low efficiency - large speakers (could) have high efficiency.
> From the same site, this speaker (on paper) should better suit the Mojo.
> ...


Very good post, though there was a another user quite happy driving his harbeth 30.1 (85db) with a hugo, which as much as I can gather from specs, doesnt have a whole more power than a mojo? For nearfield and moderate volume it might just work ok. But to me, this direct path only makes sense if it has the potential to sound "really good". If you want to make some normal bookshelves sing, it makes more sense to just add a decent sounding cheap class D amp (like Allo Volt+) or a decent used class AB amp/reciever.

But the direct path is indeed an alluring proposition, if you like high sensitivity speakers. And our american brethren have a few good affordable options like the Zu's mentioned above, Omegas, Tektons and some Klipsches. Used JBL can also be amazing.


----------



## Pulcino

I like the idea, too. Just found a second hand DIY loudspeaker with a full range Tang Band w4 2142. If I buy I will report back on sound and max volume with Mojo2. With Poly (waiting for mine to arrive) this would be great battery driven system!


----------



## bridger2086

Pulcino said:


> I like the idea, too. Just found a second hand DIY loudspeaker with a full range Tang Band w4 2142. If I buy I will report back on sound and max volume with Mojo2. With Poly (waiting for mine to arrive) this would be great battery driven system!


Excellent, I'm looking forward to your reports! I have a pi2aes that i plan to use as a (wired-eth) transport via coax to mojo, but really wonder how much worse a wireless poly can be compared to it.


----------



## Musicophilesblog

So I finally, after several weeks of travel, had the opportunity to listen to the Mojo2 in my main speaker system. At first I was somewhat confused by the sound but after a while I remembered I still had crossfeed on. Crossfeed really messes up the sound stage in a 2 channel system.

Without crossfeed it immediately became apparent that the Mojo2 is so much better than my good old Exposure 2010S2 DAC, which is not totally surprising given that the Exposure, while more than twice the price of the Chord, came out 10 years ago.

So the Mojo will become my main Dac, at least until I finally end up purchasing the Naim Uniti HE in the next 3-6 months, which i expect to use as my main Dac&Streamer feeding my Exposure 3010S2 amp (which I won’t be replacing any time soon) as main source

Would I be better off listening to battery power or is the filtering in desktop mode good enough? And if I plug it in permanently what should I upgrade my charger to? So far I was charging the device from my IPad charger.


----------



## Somafunk

Could I ask a favour of those who have the original mojo/poly hard case, does the mojo 2/poly fit inside the case as if so I can buy an original case for £20 and take my Dremel to it so I can access the buttons


----------



## rwelles

Somafunk said:


> Could I ask a favour of those who have the original mojo/poly hard case, does the mojo 2/poly fit inside the case as if so I can buy an original case for £20 and take my Dremel to it so I can access the buttons


Yes, it will fit. It's not very pretty, but it does work.


----------



## Somafunk (Jun 19, 2022)

Cheers rwelles, I’m not bothered bout looks as I am primarily concerned about placing unnecessary strain on the connections between mojo 2 & poly when moving around, I’ll get the case ordered.

edit : I heard back from Ed @ chord support earlier -  that’s bloody good customer service on a Sunday . He also said the mojo2 will fit in the og Mojo case but cutting the aperture for the extra button may be difficult, I’ve got a dremel and access to a workshop full of various machine tooling,  I’m sure I can do it without loosing any fingers, not that fussed as to how it looks but I won’t rush it.


----------



## AussieMick

Hi all
  After having the Mojo 2 in the house for two months, I think it finally got used enough to finish running in. Over the course of two days the bass gained texture and control, and the highs became much more extended. 
Up until that time I was starting to think the LCDi4 I pair it was was too warm, but now I’m very happy. I still think it’s a bargain, but I got it at the starter price.


----------



## amigastar (Jun 19, 2022)

AussieMick said:


> Hi all
> After having the Mojo 2 in the house for two months, I think it finally got used enough to finish running in. Over the course of two days the bass gained texture and control, and the highs became much more extended.
> Up until that time I was starting to think the LCDi4 I pair it was was too warm, but now I’m very happy. I still think it’s a bargain, but I got it at the starter price.


So you're saying there WAS a Burn in effect? After how many hours, can you tell?


----------



## Chris Kaoss

I think his brain has finally adapted to the sound of chord.


----------



## BryceS (Jun 20, 2022)

BryceS said:


> That will work. The Mojo end only need to be two pole since it is a digital signal. I have a four pole to two pole coax cable for Fiio M11 Plus to Mojo or ifi Gryphon or Diablo and a four pole to RCA for Fiio M11 Plus to another desktop DAC. Some cables use the three pole (TRS) at the Mojo end simply because they are more common than the TS mono plugs. The other end can vary if it is a 3.5mm for a coax out DAP, the connection set up can vary from manufacture to manufacture of the DAP.
> 
> For clarification, regardless if a 2, 3 or 4 pole 3.5mm plug is used there are only 2 wires and with  3 and 4 pole plugs 1 and 2 are left unused, respectively.







Further to my earlier reply about Coaxial in to the Mojo 2.

The short cable above is  4 pole 3.5mm to 2 pole 3.5mm Moon Audio coax cable for Fiio M11 Plus (four pole end) to Mojo which requires a standard TS 2 pole plug. The M11 end uses only the bottom two terminals of the 4 pole.

the longer cable is a cheap AliExpress one for Fiio DAP to RCA which can be used as is to a desktop DAC or with the adapter to Mojo as well as other DAC/Amps such as ifI Gryphon and Diablo.


----------



## AussieMick

amigastar said:


> So you're saying there WAS a Burn in effect? After how many hours, can you tell?


Oh, absolutely the sound changed in the course of its first weeks of operation. It even changes in the course of switch on from cold. I’m not sure how many hours, sorry. It wasn’t a huge number, as it wasn’t getting a great deal of use Initially.


----------



## AussieMick

Chris Kaoss said:


> I think his brain has finally adapted to the sound of chord.


Why do you think component burn in isn‘t real? Plenty of audio engineers who design products (and these are really good ones, at major companies) have stated why it’s the case. Yes, of course we become accustomed to the sound of something, but that doesn’t mean that equipment doesn’t change. Indeed, it doesn’t even mean that equipment changes less than your brain. Why the scepticism?


----------



## amigastar (Jun 20, 2022)

AussieMick said:


> Why do you think component burn in isn‘t real? Plenty of audio engineers who design products (and these are really good ones, at major companies) have stated why it’s the case. Yes, of course we become accustomed to the sound of something, but that doesn’t mean that equipment doesn’t change. Indeed, it doesn’t even mean that equipment changes less than your brain. Why the scepticism?


Thats true, i remember my Audinst Hud-MX 1 there was a more relaxed sound when it burned in and that wasn't just my imagination as others confirmed it too.
Now i don't know if every equipment burns in but for me at least Burn in is real.


----------



## Another Audiophile

AussieMick said:


> Why do you think component burn in isn‘t real?


because there are no evidence to support this claim? Just saying


----------



## rwelles

AussieMick said:


> Why do you think component burn in isn‘t real? Plenty of audio engineers who design products (and these are really good ones, at major companies) have stated why it’s the case. Yes, of course we become accustomed to the sound of something, but that doesn’t mean that equipment doesn’t change. Indeed, it doesn’t even mean that equipment changes less than your brain. Why the scepticism?



Welcome to the Chord Party!!

While I agree that at least some electronic components improve with burn-in (esp. when the engineers state so), Chord DACs are not among them. @Rob Watts has clearly stated that there is no burn-in among his DAC designs. That said, there is clearly a "brain burn-in" that takes place. For me, it took about 30 days of constant use with my OG Mojo. This is due to your brain adjusting to the incredibly accurate timing of his devices. Mr. Watts has discussed this multiple times in multiple threads here.

Enjoy the ride!


----------



## Musicophilesblog

Musicophilesblog said:


> So I finally, after several weeks of travel, had the opportunity to listen to the Mojo2 in my main speaker system. At first I was somewhat confused by the sound but after a while I remembered I still had crossfeed on. Crossfeed really messes up the sound stage in a 2 channel system.
> 
> Without crossfeed it immediately became apparent that the Mojo2 is so much better than my good old Exposure 2010S2 DAC, which is not totally surprising given that the Exposure, while more than twice the price of the Chord, came out 10 years ago.
> 
> ...


So, really no opinions here on the power supply issue? FYI, went to my dealer today to buy the original Chord leather case (a bit expensive but very good looking indeed), and he recommended to simply use any 5V charger, as the playback is decoupled from the charging.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Jun 20, 2022)

Musicophilesblog said:


> *So, really no opinions here on the power supply issue?* FYI, went to my dealer today to buy the original Chord leather case (a bit expensive but very good looking indeed), and he recommended to simply use any 5V charger, as the playback is decoupled from the charging.


Hi, this is what I am using. A few pages back, I've been asking the same, myself. I've contacted Chord Support and they confirmed it's fine. The way I personally plan to use it, with my desktop computer, is to listen with the power supply turned off, so the Mojo 2 battery-powered, and then charge it during the night time. The on/off button on the power supply makes it easy. Hope this helps.


----------



## surfgeorge

Musicophilesblog said:


> So, really no opinions here on the power supply issue? FYI, went to my dealer today to buy the original Chord leather case (a bit expensive but very good looking indeed), and he recommended to simply use any 5V charger, as the playback is decoupled from the charging.


That recommendation is inline with Rob Watts' statements that a good switching mode power supply is better than a linear power supply. His explanation was that the noise caused by the SMPS is very easy to filter, but the linear power supply lets mains noise passs through which is virtually impossible to remove.
I'd personally go for an IFI iPower supply, this is what the Chord Hugo 2 is delivered with. Niot cheap, but if I remember correctly Rob Watts stated that this was the best Chord could find.

Cheers!


----------



## amigastar (Jun 20, 2022)

Just a question,
i always turn my PC into Energy Saving Mode when i "turn it off" practically.
But when i return into Windows on wake up i have to restart the Mojo 2 basically because there is no sound. Is there a way to fix that and has it downsides that i have to turn on the Mojo 2 again and again every wake up (35 minutes warm up and such)
I've tried to change the usb energy setting with no luck.


----------



## TwtBeard

Hello all,

I have had my mojo 2 since release and have had no issues with it until this evening....the menu button and two volume buttons are all white and do not change colour when in volume mode...they do change colour however when I cycle through the menu options...

Is there something I am doing wrong or is it a known fault? 

Thank you for any advice on the matter.


----------



## bridger2086

surfgeorge said:


> That recommendation is inline with Rob Watts' statements that a good switching mode power supply is better than a linear power supply. His explanation was that the noise caused by the SMPS is very easy to filter, but the linear power supply lets mains noise passs through which is virtually impossible to remove.
> I'd personally go for an IFI iPower supply, this is what the Chord Hugo 2 is delivered with. Niot cheap, but if I remember correctly Rob Watts stated that this was the best Chord could find.
> 
> Cheers!


Never thought of it this way, very interesting. That also makes sense why many Pi2aes users including its designer say that a decent SMPS will be as good (sometimes better) than a budget LPSU. Probably very expensive ones do the job well enough on their own, but the price is way out of proportion at that point. Mean Well SMPS's get recommended as a good budget alternative, they even make a versions for medical equipment, which might have further benefits (hearsay).


----------



## rlanger

TwtBeard said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I have had my mojo 2 since release and have had no issues with it until this evening....the menu button and two volume buttons are all white and do not change colour when in volume mode...they do change colour however when I cycle through the menu options...
> 
> ...


First I've heard of anyone having this issue. Have no idea if this will work, but it's the first thing that popped into my head:

Go into menu mode, then press the two volume buttons simultaneously (same as muting the device when not in menu mode). That will reset the DSP functions.

Probably won't do anything, but worth a shot, I guess.


----------



## JSOppenheimer (Jun 24, 2022)

Well, isn't this just funny. When Mojo 2 came out early this year, I pretty much just chuckled over its rather gaudy design, but now that I started looking for a good portable dac/amp combo unit, I ended up getting one mere six months later!

Initially I set my eyes on iFi Gryphon, as on the first glance it looked like a more modern, flexible unit, but when I demoed it, I found 2 major problems:

There's not quite enough power on the unbalanced output, I mean, it gets enough volume out of all the headphones in my embarrassingly large collection, but ultimately there's so little headroom left with many of them that it's kind of bothersome, not to even mention that it simply would run out of juice if I ended up getting anything more thirsty for power. Obviously using the balanced output would fix that, but because my main rig is RME ADI-2 DAC with unbalanced outputs, there's no way that I would want to keep swapping cables around every time I'm changing equipment.
The analog sound processing effects unfortunately weren't to my tastes. Using my desktop ADI-2 has made me pretty demanding customer regarding adjustments to sound, and while Gryphon theoretically could do both of my minimum requirements (crossfeed and bass boost for the more bass-shy headphones), unfortunately both of their implementations lacked finesse and made far too large adjustments to the sound. While I like a little, 2-4 db bass boost with headphones like HD800S or HD600 below 200hz with a gentle slope, iFi's Xbass is simply just too much and reaches too high into the frequency range muddying the sound. Meanwhile, XSpace does some odd stuff with treble, and while it sounds good with some songs, it makes others sound annoyingly shrill - not good, crossfeed should be something I can leave on and forget about it when I want to reduce listening fatigue.
I mean, it wasn't a bad device besides that, the sound quality was rather pleasing and the sheer flexibility of all the available connections and functionalities sure has a value of its own, but those problems drove me to look for other options, which ironically led me to trying Mojo 2. When I first got it in my hands for a demo and saw the design and UI in practice, my reaction was again alongside the lines of "Really?", but when I actually started listening to it, my expression changed pretty quickly. The first thing I noticed was the increase in output power, so while Gryphon had to reach up to the turbo levels when listening to classical music on HD600, here I'm not even close to the top of the volume scale before I reach the point of _enough is enough_. Reassuring!

With closer listening, it became pretty much immediately evident that Mojo 2 just feels like a cleaner, more impactful device that stages the sound much better, with a sense of holography that Gryphon couldn't reach. I mean, both are good at what they do and the differences are relatively minor, but for me, they're still pretty obvious as long as I'm not just using the device for background music. Next up, the DSP features. Crossfeed? Excellent implementation, at least as good as in Adi-2 DAC and nearly as adjustable, and with zero treble foolery unlike with iFi. EQ? While 4 filters sounded like a ridiculously limited idea when I first read about them, in practice they very much allow me to do exactly what I usually want, eg. a very tasteful but still meaningful boost below 200hz. But still, the actual sound quality left the best impression on me, and is the thing that made me realize that I'm keeping the demo device within a hour of acquiring it.

That being said, I'm still not the biggest fan of the overall form of the device, and things like micro-usb ports for charging and no screen feel honestly pretty archaic for 2022's standards, but ultimately when I'm buying hifi and face a situation where I need to do compromises, sound quality is really the last thing I want to compromise on. So, despite everything, nice job with Mojo 2, Chord! I think that the fact that I ended up liking the device enough to buy it despite my negative first impressions is a pretty good testament on how much the actual performance of it impressed me


----------



## AussieMick

Another Audiophile said:


> because there are no evidence to support this claim? Just saying


There’s plenty. The easiest example is capacitors not reaching their spec until current has flowed through them for some time. Capacities not at spec don’t sound like they do when at spec. Have a listen to Duncan Myers or Graham Slee on this topic.


----------



## TwtBeard

rlanger said:


> First I've heard of anyone having this issue. Have no idea if this will work, but it's the first thing that popped into my head:
> 
> Go into menu mode, then press the two volume buttons simultaneously (same as muting the device when not in menu mode). That will reset the DSP functions.
> 
> Probably won't do anything, but worth a shot, I guess.


Yea, I tried resetting it this way but no joy. It did get really hot earlier when trying to get it to work as a DAC into an external amp but cannot recall if this level of heat is usual when I use it this way or I was more aware of it as I was fault finding.

I have emailed the place I purchased it from to find out if they are aware of the issue.

Thank you for your input though. I appreciate it.


----------



## Chris Kaoss

AussieMick said:


> Why do you think component burn in isn‘t real? Plenty of audio engineers who design products (and these are really good ones, at major companies) have stated why it’s the case. Yes, of course we become accustomed to the sound of something, but that doesn’t mean that equipment doesn’t change. Indeed, it doesn’t even mean that equipment changes less than your brain. Why the scepticism?


Don't get me wrong, there's no scepticism at all.
But our brain is the main player in this game.
Even if we think/thought we're on the right track, we're not. 
It's more like a preconceived notions of things we've already experienced, which will be shaped piece by piece to the final state the longer we experience new things.
I'd say. 

And as it was stated above, there's no technical burn in in Chords topology.


----------



## jarnopp

AussieMick said:


> There’s plenty. The easiest example is capacitors not reaching their spec until current has flowed through them for some time. Capacities not at spec don’t sound like they do when at spec. Have a listen to Duncan Myers or Graham Slee on this topic.


I don’t think there are any capacitors in the signal path of Mojo2.


----------



## msq123

My mojo is now wireless without Poly. This provides so much flexibility and is a must have for on the go use if you don’t care for SD card.

It uses XDuoo 05BL Pro internals in a custom designed module created by @skedra


----------



## Kentajalli

msq123 said:


> My mojo is now wireless without Poly. This provides so much flexibility and is a must have for on the go use if you don’t care for SD card.
> 
> It uses XDuoo 05BL Pro internals in a custom designed module created by @skedra


Very cute!
I adapted Xduoo original case to click to my Mojo  and it worked.
Then I bought a Mojo cable adaptor from eBay for little money. This adaptor made by Chord, resembles a Poly, but it is pretty empty inside.
So I gutted the Xduoo, and put it inside the adaptor.
Looked good, worked.
The Xduoo is a good little unit, and its LDAC sounds good.
Topping makes something similar with Optical output.
For Toslink lovers.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Jun 21, 2022)

msq123 said:


> My mojo is now wireless without Poly. This provides so much flexibility and is a must have for on the go use if you don’t care for SD card.
> 
> It uses XDuoo 05BL Pro internals in a custom designed module created by @skedra


Very interesting, and from what I see it supports LDAC, as well? The problem is, it is not currently available neither on Amazon UK nor on AliExpress!
Is there any other similar device?


----------



## msq123

Nick24JJ said:


> Very interesting, and from what I see it supports LDAC, as well? The problem is, it is not currently available neither on Amazon UK nor on AliExpress!
> Is there any other similar device?



It supports LDAC, not much use to me with my Apple ecosystem but great for those who can use it.
You’re right, very difficult to get hold of it. I am not sure if there are any other similar products, best keep an eye out. Sometimes pop up on eBay


----------



## skedra

Nick24JJ said:


> Very interesting, and from what I see it supports LDAC, as well? The problem is, it is not currently available neither on Amazon UK nor on AliExpress!
> Is there any other similar device?


I've heard the xduoo module is end of life, unfortunately...


----------



## WilliamBlake

I''m looking for a decent usb cable to connect the mojo to my pc, could be a good choice this one? 
https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/usb-...r-gold-plated-copper-shielded-1m-p-14957.html

and maybe a silly question, but using usb c or micro would be the same thing?


----------



## captblaze

WilliamBlake said:


> I''m looking for a decent usb cable to connect the mojo to my pc, could be a good choice this one?
> https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/usb-...r-gold-plated-copper-shielded-1m-p-14957.html
> 
> and maybe a silly question, but using usb c or micro would be the same thing?


USB C is bit more stout than Micro USB, but both ports do the same thing, pass data from source to Mojo 2


----------



## WilliamBlake

captblaze said:


> USB C is bit more stout than Micro USB, but both ports do the same thing, pass data from source to Mojo 2


thank you sir for the instant reply


----------



## Kentajalli

msq123 said:


> It supports LDAC, not much use to me with my Apple ecosystem but great for those who can use it.


does AAC too.


msq123 said:


> You’re right, very difficult to get hold of it. I am not sure if there are any other similar products, best keep an eye out. Sometimes pop up on eBay


As I said before, Topping does one, with optical out.


----------



## AmanPreet

Nick24JJ said:


> Very interesting, and from what I see it supports LDAC, as well? The problem is, it is not currently available neither on Amazon UK nor on AliExpress!
> Is there any other similar device?


I had ordered it from Amazon UK a month back but got a response from the seller order cannot be fulfilled because of the Shortage and got a refund. Ended up ordering from Amazon US and shipped to the UK. I can see it is no longer available on Amazon US now.

It works well with Mojo2. I can barely distinguish between LDAC and wired for streaming from Apple Music on Android.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Kentajalli said:


> ...
> 
> As I said before, Topping does one, with optical out.


Mind sharing a link of the device you are talking about?


----------



## captblaze

Nick24JJ said:


> Mind sharing a link of the device you are talking about?


Perhaps this -----> BT receiver


----------



## Kentajalli

captblaze said:


> Perhaps this -----> BT receiver


Yes, this one.


----------



## Rob Watts

surfgeorge said:


> That recommendation is inline with Rob Watts' statements that a good switching mode power supply is better than a linear power supply. His explanation was that the noise caused by the SMPS is very easy to filter, but the linear power supply lets mains noise passs through which is virtually impossible to remove.
> I'd personally go for an IFI iPower supply, this is what the Chord Hugo 2 is delivered with. Niot cheap, but if I remember correctly Rob Watts stated that this was the best Chord could find.
> 
> Cheers!


Hugo 2's charger is a simple generic one with the simple intent of charging the battery. It's Hugo TT 2 where I spent a lot of time on the PSU selection, and getting it so that unplugging and listening via the super caps meant no change in SQ...


----------



## bridger2086

Rob Watts said:


> Hugo 2's charger is a simple generic one with the simple intent of charging the battery. It's Hugo TT 2 where I spent a lot of time on the PSU selection, and getting it so that unplugging and listening via the super caps meant no change in SQ...


To use mojo2 directly with sensitive and easy to drive fullrangers (Fostex 8" in a back loaded horn enclosure), would you expect to hear an appreciable difference in "desktop mode" with a LPSU as compared to a simple decent SMPS (i.e. Mean Well)? Provided mojo is fed by a well insulated streamer (usb/coax) or optical.


----------



## Musicophilesblog

Rob Watts said:


> Hugo 2's charger is a simple generic one with the simple intent of charging the battery. It's Hugo TT 2 where I spent a lot of time on the PSU selection, and getting it so that unplugging and listening via the super caps meant no change in SQ...


Thanks Rob. Any words of advice on how to best power the Mojo2 in desktop mode?


----------



## Rob Watts

Musicophilesblog said:


> Thanks Rob. Any words of advice on how to best power the Mojo2 in desktop mode?


I can't give universal advice, as each desktop setup is different. In most circumstances it won't matter, you can use any charger and the difference is so small as to not to worry about. So easy way is to simply disconnect the charger, and if it makes no SQ difference you are good to go. If it is significantly different, and you want better performance then use a powerful battery power bank and re-charge the powerbank overnight, and disconnect the powerbank from the mains when using Mojo 2.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Exactly the way I am planning to use my Mojo 2 with my power supply that has the on/off button. Charging overnight and listening with my battery powered Mojo 2, during the day time. Of course, due to my lifestyle, my listening hours will be a few, per week (on the desktop).


----------



## Musicophilesblog

Rob Watts said:


> I can't give universal advice, as each desktop setup is different. In most circumstances it won't matter, you can use any charger and the difference is so small as to not to worry about. So easy way is to simply disconnect the charger, and if it makes no SQ difference you are good to go. If it is significantly different, and you want better performance then use a powerful battery power bank and re-charge the powerbank overnight, and disconnect the powerbank from the mains when using Mojo 2.


Thanks that’s very helpful, and pragmatic as well!


----------



## Pulcino

I habe my sensitive full range speaker now. Based on Tang Band w4 2142 drivers. Not for party but load enough to fill my 30qm room for my usual listening level. Incredible, no power supply, high quality audio! Super cool.


----------



## bridger2086

Thanks Rob!


Pulcino said:


> I habe my sensitive full range speaker now. Based on Tang Band w4 2142 drivers. Not for party but load enough to fill my 30qm room for my usual listening level. Incredible, no power supply, high quality audio! Super cool.


Awesome little speakers! Are you driving them directly with a mojo1/2?


----------



## Pulcino

Yes, directly driven by Mojo2! Not as high resolution as my active Scan Speak loudspeaker in the rear but really nice for a second system. Great soundstage and instrument separation.


----------



## Pulcino

Pulcino said:


> Yes, directly driven by Mojo2! Not as high resolution as my active Scan Speak loudspeaker in the rear but really nice for a second system. Great soundstage and instrument separation. No power cables.


----------



## Somafunk

Definitely not the prettiest bodge but functionally it’s fine for my needs, mojo 1 case was only £20 on ebay. A few minutes with a dremel was all it took to get the mojo 2 to fit.

 The mojo 2 would not close at all due to the edges of both back & front apertures contacting the mojo 2 body, I placed two strips of pressure tape inside the case and this highlighted where the mojo 2 was contacting on the inside of the case so they had to ground down with the dremel and a quick whizz with a cutting disc to provide clearance for the extra button. Was going to go over my cuts with a bit of wet n’ dry but can’t be fussed, it’s decent enough for my needs with no sharp edges.


----------



## bridger2086 (Jun 23, 2022)

My mind is blown! Got a little 3.5 to terminal adapter and connected the Fostex horns via Belden 9497 16awg wire. Wowza! Skipping a dedicated amp (admitedly not the last word in hifi) completely changed the speakers. Now I can appreciate why people like these things so much. The background is pitch black, the amount of detail coming through is unbelievable and there is plenty of volume on tap. At dark blue dots it was getting uncomfortably loud in a 30sqm livingroom (on most tracks). I found I can now listen at higher volume without fatigue. Obviously tone and timbre are more true. I expected the lousy recordings to sound even lousier, but even that was not the case. Above all, I simply cant believe im listening to a battery powered, pack of cigarettes sized, pretty lights sprinkled on top thingy and getting so much performace. Sreaming qobuz direcly from rpi4 usb, need to get pi2aes into the mix, I really wonder if that can improove things even further.

In short this is a mind boggling experiment!


----------



## Pulcino

bridger2086 said:


> My mind is blown! Got a little 3.5 to terminal adapter and connected the Fostex horns via Belden 9497 16awg wire. Wowza! Skipping a dedicated amp (admitedly not the last word in hifi) completely changed the speakers. Now I can appreciate why people like these things so much. The background is pitch black, the amount of detail coming through is unbelievable and there is plenty of volume on tap. At dark blue dots it was getting uncomfortably loud in a 30sqm livingroom (on most tracks). I found I can now listen at higher volume without fatigue. Obviously tone and timbre are more true. I expected the lousy recordings to sound even lousier, but even that was not the case. Above all, I simply cant believe im listening to a battery powered, pack of cigarettes sized, pretty lights sprinkled on top thingy and getting so much performace. Sreaming qobuz direcly from rpi4 usb, need to get pi2aes into the mix, I really wonder if that can improove things even further.
> 
> In short this is a mind boggling experiment!


Yes, Mojo2 is powerful enough for high sensitive speakers!


----------



## Derivative

bridger2086 said:


> My mind is blown! Got a little 3.5 to terminal adapter and connected the Fostex horns via Belden 9497 16awg wire. Wowza! Skipping a dedicated amp (admitedly not the last word in hifi) completely changed the speakers. Now I can appreciate why people like these things so much. The background is pitch black, the amount of detail coming through is unbelievable and there is plenty of volume on tap. At dark blue dots it was getting uncomfortably loud in a 30sqm livingroom (on most tracks). I found I can now listen at higher volume without fatigue. Obviously tone and timbre are more true. I expected the lousy recordings to sound even lousier, but even that was not the case. Above all, I simply cant believe im listening to a battery powered, pack of cigarettes sized, pretty lights sprinkled on top thingy and getting so much performace. Sreaming qobuz direcly from rpi4 usb, need to get pi2aes into the mix, I really wonder if that can improove things even further.
> 
> In short this is a mind boggling experiment!


Seriously cool experiment, thanks for sharing. What difference do you think the pi2aes would make over the rpi4?


----------



## bridger2086

Derivative said:


> Seriously cool experiment, thanks for sharing. What difference do you think the pi2aes would make over the rpi4?


We shall see, I will be testing all inputs coax, optical and usb to mojo, and report here. Supposedly, there should be an improvment across the board, with suppressed noise playing from an even blacker background, aiding in all the finer things in music like depth perception, instrument separation, timbre etc. but honestly I'm not expecting much as mojo seems to be taking care of the signal pretty great actually. I suppose it can vary depending on the dac and its capabilities. I might get a poly down the line as well, just to see how it compares. Its a very attractive idea to just have a one box solution that can do so much, so well.

Btw, now im testing mojo2 directly to Soundartist ls35a, 83db efficient, 11ohm, fairly nearfield 1.5m, in the middle of the room. Its not loud, obviously, but for quiet listning it works well. Not as resolving as fostexes, but very round, full and sweet.  Most importantly, the speakers are "gone" and the depth perception in this setup is immense.


----------



## Pulcino

bridger2086 said:


> We shall see, I will be testing all inputs coax, optical and usb to mojo, and report here. Supposedly, there should be an improvment across the board, with suppressed noise playing from an even blacker background, aiding in all the finer things in music like depth perception, instrument separation, timbre etc. but honestly I'm not expecting much as mojo seems to be taking care of the signal pretty great actually. I suppose it can vary depending on the dac and its capabilities. I might get a poly down the line as well, just to see how it compares. Its a very attractive idea to just have a one box solution that can do so much, so well.
> 
> Btw, now im testing mojo2 directly to Soundartist ls35a, 83db efficient, 11ohm, fairly nearfield 1.5m, in the middle of the room. Its not loud, obviously, but for quiet listning it works well. Not as resolving as fostexes, but very round, full and sweet.  Most importantly, the speakers are "gone" and the depth perception in this setup is immense.


I also am waiting for my Poly, use an iPad via USB now with high res music from Amazon music. But my first gen auralic aries via optical sounded much better so I hope to get the same with the Poly. The idea is to have just one pack Mojo2Poly for all my music sessions: IEMs on the go, Passive high sensitivity speaker my room, active speaker in the living room. And Moyo2 DSP helps optimising all set ups. Super minimalistic, AirPlay for the family needs, SD card for max quality for me.


----------



## bridger2086

Pulcino said:


> I also am waiting for my Poly, use an iPad via USB now with high res music from Amazon music. But my first gen auralic aries via optical sounded much better so I hope to get the same with the Poly. The idea is to have just one pack Mojo2Poly for all my music sessions: IEMs on the go, Passive high sensitivity speaker my room, active speaker in the living room. And Moyo2 DSP helps optimising all set ups. Super minimalistic, AirPlay for the family needs, SD card for max quality for me.


Beautiful!  I think Chord should charge you extra money, you are getting so much value Keep us posted! Only thing that could be worse maybe is due to wireless connection of the poly, many users reported hardline (ethernet) improoved sq over using wifi with pi2aes, but poly is a different thing.


----------



## beardyweirdy

I have just changed my phone to an Android device (usb c). I previously used a Cayin USB C to lightening cable with my iPhone. 

Anyone know what  the appropriate cable is  to connect the mojo 2 to a USB C connection? I guess that a usb C to usb C charging cable will not work ?


----------



## captblaze

beardyweirdy said:


> I have just changed my phone to an Android device (usb c). I previously used a Cayin USB C to lightening cable with my iPhone.
> 
> Anyone know what  the appropriate cable is  to connect the mojo 2 to a USB C connection? I guess that a usb C to usb C charging cable will not work ?


You need C to C OTG cable for that


----------



## beardyweirdy

Thanks. Any links, I can’t find one


----------



## Nick24JJ (Jun 25, 2022)

beardyweirdy said:


> I have just changed my phone to an Android device (usb c). I previously used a Cayin USB C to lightening cable with my iPhone.
> 
> Anyone know what  the appropriate cable is  to connect the mojo 2 to a USB C connection? I guess that a usb C to usb C charging cable will not work ?


Bought and kept this one, bought and returned this one, both work(ed) great with my Android phone, the POCO F2 PRO. 
Second one, returned cause it was a bit longer for my needs.

When inquiring about these two cables, I got the following response from Chord Support:

_To reiterate; direct cables are not supposed to work with Android devices at all. The Standard demands an OTG adapter plus cable (although the cable can be short). I can only recommend the things we know work but, if you've ordered those cables and Xiaomi seems to be doing something different, it won't damage the Mojo to try them._

Both of these cable work fine with my phone, without any issue at all.


----------



## captblaze

beardyweirdy said:


> Thanks. Any links, I can’t find one


I have 2 different length cables from DD Hifi that I bought from their official Aliexpress store. 10cm and 20cm


----------



## Cheaplad

beardyweirdy said:


> Thanks. Any links, I can’t find one


I am using this https://www.ddhifi.com/productinfo/401430.html


----------



## Nick24JJ

Cheaplad said:


> I am using this https://www.ddhifi.com/productinfo/401430.html


Looks like a nice little cable! Even though my current one works fine, I've placed an order for a straight plug 8cm one, it will work fine with my Qudelix 5K, as well. 
Thank you


----------



## surfgeorge (Jun 26, 2022)

It's taken a while but after many iterations and prototypes the 3D printed case design for the Mojo 2 - Hiby R3 stack is finally ready!
choe-mojo-2-case-for-stacking-with-hiby-r3

The optional transport box for the original Mojo-Hiby R3 case still fits, if the 2 case parts for Mojo 2 and HiBy R3 are sanded to a smooth surface finish. I will be posting a slightly larger version for those who don't want to spend the effort of sanding the case.

Additionally I am working on a design for standalone use of the Mojo 2, and a case for the Mojo 2 - Poly combo.
Should be ready within the next couple of days.

PS: Feel free to PM me if you have questions!


----------



## bridger2086

Guys was there ever a published chart that correlates output voltages from mojo2 with volume "colors". I've just ordered Pass AmpCamp, that can take no more than 1.6V before clipping, would like to try Mojo in the dac/pre duty with it.


----------



## msq123

bridger2086 said:


> Guys was there ever a published chart that correlates output voltages from mojo2 with volume "colors". I've just ordered Pass AmpCamp, that can take no more than 1.6V before clipping, would like to try Mojo in the dac/pre duty with it.



This is from Rob Watt’s presentation


----------



## Progisus

I know cases have been covered extensively but just in case (haha) it helps someone. I simply reused my original case with no modifications. The piece covering the +ball provides guard and locating feel for the vol up button while in the pocket. It presses easily.


----------



## shizzin

surfgeorge said:


> It's taken a while but after many iterations and prototypes the 3D printed case design for the Mojo 2 - Hiby R3 stack is finally ready!
> choe-mojo-2-case-for-stacking-with-hiby-r3
> 
> The optional transport box for the original Mojo-Hiby R3 case still fits, if the 2 case parts for Mojo 2 and HiBy R3 are sanded to a smooth surface finish. I will be posting a slightly larger version for those who don't want to spend the effort of sanding the case.
> ...


I would appreciate one for my hiby r6 pro + a mojo 2 potentially actually


----------



## weexisttocease

My Poly has randomly stopped working and I don't know anymore what to do. I already uninstalled the Go Figure App, downloaded it again but it stopped to recognize the Poly. What it is possible to do to make it work again?


----------



## surfgeorge

weexisttocease said:


> My Poly has randomly stopped working and I don't know anymore what to do. I already uninstalled the Go Figure App, downloaded it again but it stopped to recognize the Poly. What it is possible to do to make it work again?


Did you try manual configuration as described in chapter 8?


----------



## Nick24JJ

Do you, guys, believe that there is going to be a Poly 2, an upgrade, any time soon? Like, next year for example?


----------



## weexisttocease

surfgeorge said:


> Did you try manual configuration as described in chapter 8?


I tried once but nothing happened. I'll try it again today.


----------



## wazzupi

Nostoi said:


> My new choice for portable headphone with the Mojo 2 is, by far, the Ultrasone Signature Pro. I've been through a stack of portable headphones with the Mojo 2 - Liric, Aeon Noire, WP900 - but this pairing is dynamite. Punchy, dynamic, with a balanced tonality and simply outstanding imaging and soundstage. From ambient to black metal, they work across on all genres, digging deep in details and reproducing music with top notch clarity. The fact they're also actually portable with the Mojo2/Hiby fitting in the case, too, is a big bonus. Can't recommend enough!


Does the mojo2 sound good with the rognir ?


----------



## Nostoi

wazzupi said:


> Does the mojo2 sound good with the rognir ?


Just tested it; very good. Mojo 2 has plenty of power to drive them. Results are dynamic and punchy. Obviously, sounds better when you pair with an amp like the C9 or the Bakoon HPA-01M, but for minimalist set-up, you're good to go. Mojo 2 has the transparency to do the Rognir justice.


----------



## headmanPL

beardyweirdy said:


> I have just changed my phone to an Android device (usb c). I previously used a Cayin USB C to lightening cable with my iPhone.
> 
> Anyone know what  the appropriate cable is  to connect the mojo 2 to a USB C connection? I guess that a usb C to usb C charging cable will not work ?


That's what I use. My Xperia came with a USB c to USB C charging cable. It plays through Mojo 2 without a problem. Always worth checking that whatever app you use to play your music has the ability to output audio directly, rather than pre processed by the phone. The first time I played music using the USB C cable, I couldn't believe how much the sound was altered compare to via Poly hotspot


----------



## Kentajalli

headmanPL said:


> That's what I use. My Xperia came with a USB c to USB C charging cable. It plays through Mojo 2 without a problem.


Some android phones need the cable to be OTG wired. Otherwise the phone won't switch to host operation.


headmanPL said:


> Always worth checking that whatever app you use to play your music has the ability to output audio directly, rather than pre processed by the phone. The first time I played music using the USB C cable, I couldn't believe how much the sound was altered compare to via Poly hotspot


Neutron and UAPP for sure do, just to name two.
Frankly - just about any Android phone (specially without a SIM card) can act as a quality DAP. Just put one of those apps onto it, hey presto, you have a DAP with large screen, good battery life and plenty of storage!
What more one wants!
You can even add streaming services, it has wifi!


----------



## stinga

Nick24JJ said:


> Do you, guys, believe that there is going to be a Poly 2, an upgrade, any time soon? Like, next year for example?


Is that wishful thinking or based on something else?

My Poly generally works quite well.


----------



## ZeDuK

I use my Mojo 2 with my computer (MacBook Pro) and my smartphone (iPhone).
The connection between the MBP and the Mojo with a USB C to USB C cable works perfectly.
On the other hand, the connection between the iPhone and the Mojo with a lightning to USB C cable does not work. However, it is indeed a synchronization cable.
I need to use a camera kit adapter with a USB A to micro USB or USB C cable.
Not very practical.
Do you have suggestions for cables that can be used for a direct connection, without an adapter ?


----------



## rocketron

ZeDuK said:


> I use my Mojo 2 with my computer (MacBook Pro) and my smartphone (iPhone).
> The connection between the MBP and the Mojo with a USB C to USB C cable works perfectly.
> On the other hand, the connection between the iPhone and the Mojo with a lightning to USB C cable does not work. However, it is indeed a synchronization cable.
> I need to use a camera kit adapter with a USB A to micro USB or USB C cable.
> ...


Look at ddhifi cables.


----------



## ZeDuK

Thanks, you've experienced these issue too with lightning cable ?


----------



## yapp

ZeDuK said:


> Do you have suggestions for cables that can be used for a direct connection, without an adapter ?


I'm very happy with this one connecting my iPhone 12 mini to Mojo 2:
DD ddHiFi MFi06 Light-ning to USB TypeC Data Cable to Connect iOS Devices with USB-C DAC / AMP


----------



## rocketron

No issues with the ddhifi cables.


----------



## ZeDuK

I've found this :
https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005004234740742.html
But kind of short (the same for the MFi06), I like to keep my phone on my hand.

Do you have an idea why an Apple official cable doesn't work while it's designed to a data link ?


----------



## rocketron

All work perfectly.
Longer cable is a Hidiz and a Fiio usbc to micro.


----------



## Another Audiophile

I got a lotoo usb c to lighting and stoped working following the latest iPhone update


----------



## rocketron

Another Audiophile said:


> I got a lotoo usb c to lighting and stoped working following the latest iPhone update


That’s a thing I was worried about.
The Apple updates.
Years ago when the OG Mojo came out Fiio did a cable that worked .
Until Apple did a update.
Hence why I bought a ddhifi lightning to usbc adapter.
You can use most usbc otg cables with it.
Unless these cables have a proper Apple chip in them there’s always a risk.


----------



## Pulcino

rocketron said:


> That’s a thing I was worried about.
> The Apple updates.
> Years ago when the OG Mojo came out Fiio did a cable that worked .
> Until Apple did a update.
> ...


Right, this is a real problem, my Fiio cable doesn’t work 😢


----------



## paulrbarnard

Pulcino said:


> Right, this is a real problem, my Fiio cable doesn’t work 😢


I had the same issue. I bought a ddhifi and it works perfectly.


----------



## BryceS (Jun 28, 2022)

Pulcino said:


> Right, this is a real problem, my Fiio cable doesn’t work 😢



I had what is perhaps the same Fiio cable, Lightning to micro USB, light grey in colour with a fabric wrap ?  That is actually made by ddhifi. It was designed for the Fiio Q5 and worked perfectly for the Q5S I had but it would not work for anything else at all, not even a simple Schiit Modi 3.

I use a ddhifi Lightning to USB-C adapter and any of several USB-C cables for iPhone application and it works flawlessly with everything I’ve ever tried it with.


----------



## lowrider007

Just grabbed one of these from Peter Tyson for £399, fingers crossed I can get this to work well as a desktop DAC between my PC and headphone amp, I'd prefer to run on mains rather than battery, that being the case I'm guessing the ifi 5v iPower power supply is the best bet?


----------



## Musicophilesblog

lowrider007 said:


> Just grabbed one of these from Peter Tyson for £399, fingers crossed I can get this to work well as a desktop DAC between my PC and headphone amp, I'd prefer to run on mains rather than battery, that being the case I'm guessing the ifi 5v iPower power supply is the best bet?


You’ll find a statement from Rob Watts himself a bit higher up in this thread that he assumes that the choice of power supply for desktop,mode shouldn’t be very critical. I’m running mine off an older iPad USB charger.


----------



## surfgeorge

Musicophilesblog said:


> You’ll find a statement from Rob Watts himself a bit higher up in this thread that he assumes that the choice of power supply for desktop,mode shouldn’t be very critical. I’m running mine off an older iPad USB charger.


One word of caution - I hear a hum when charging my Hugo2Go with my old iPad charger.
It does not matter in my situation as I usually run it on batteries, but I noticed the hum when I left the charger connected.

On the other hand I had no issues listening to the Mojo2Poly while charging it with an iFi iPower.


----------



## Derivative

lowrider007 said:


> Just grabbed one of these from Peter Tyson for £399, fingers crossed I can get this to work well as a desktop DAC between my PC and headphone amp, I'd prefer to run on mains rather than battery, that being the case I'm guessing the ifi 5v iPower power supply is the best bet?


Good price! is that new or open box?
honestly I can't see anything better out there at that price, for the SQ and the versatility.


----------



## lowrider007 (Jun 29, 2022)

Derivative said:


> Good price! is that new or open box?
> honestly I can't see anything better out there at that price, for the SQ and the versatility.



Open box, it appears they have more as it still says they have stock, so a bargain if anyone else wants one.


----------



## Somafunk

lowrider007 said:


> Just grabbed one of these from Peter Tyson for £399,



That’s how I bought my mojo 2 and poly, both open box items from Peter Tyson and both in absolutely perfect condition with a combined saving of £150 which almost paid for an additional purchase of 7hz timeles, you’d never have known either the mojo 2 or poly were open box.


----------



## imacaverage (Jun 29, 2022)

a very pleasant combination with the monarch mk2 - a very lively middle, as well as a nice deep bass, with u12t it’s more boring


----------



## stormwrx

imacaverage said:


> a very pleasant combination with the monarch mk2 - a very lively middle, as well as a nice deep bass, with u12t it’s more boring



I found that the U12T sounded more exciting on the Mojo 2 with one click of crossfeed enabled - it brought the vocals more forward.


----------



## lowrider007

I've just hooked up my Mojo to my phone using Spotify as a source, I noticed that the sample rate is showing as green (96kHz), is this right?, I thought Spotify streamed at 44.1kHz? is it being upsampled? and if so will this degrade the sound sound quality in any way?


----------



## SRKRAM

lowrider007 said:


> I've just hooked up my Mojo to my phone using Spotify as a source, I noticed that the sample rate is showing as green (96kHz), is this right?, I thought Spotify streamed at 44.1kHz? is it being upsampled? and if so will this degrade the sound sound quality in any way?


Android phones resample USB audio. Different manufactures resample to different rates; My Samsung resamples everything to 48kHz, and also applies the system sound mixer and volume control, so I would have to put the phone's volume to max. There are differing opinions and experiences on how much SRC (sample rate conversion) degrades quality. I tested this a couple of years ago and could hear a noticeable difference, but YMMV - Try to test it yourself if you can, for example using an iOS device (since they don't resample) or on Windows by setting the system sample rate to 44.1k.

This is why a lot of people use Tidal with UAPP, since it has its own driver which bypasses the Android audio stack.


----------



## field3d (Jun 30, 2022)

Hello. I have the iPad Pro with USB C output. I need to charge my iPad and at the same time supply the USB C data from the iPad to the mojo 2. In other words a kind of USB C splitter to connect to the iPad via the USB C and one output to data of mojo2 and other output for charge iPad. Is possible?  What type of cable, splitter or device I need for this? Or is impossible to use to charge the iPad while is supplying the data to the mojo2? Also what typ of cable USB C to USB C male to male I need from the iPad to the mojo 2?


----------



## iDesign

field3d said:


> Hello. I have the iPad Pro with USB C output. I need to charge my iPad and at the same time supply the USB C data from the iPad to the mojo 2. In other words a kind of USB C splitter to connect to the iPad via the USB C and one output to data of mojo2 and other output for charge iPad. Is possible?  What type of cable, splitter or device I need for this? Or is impossible to use to charge the iPad while is supplying the data to the mojo2? Also what typ of cable USB C to USB C male to male I need from the iPad to the mojo 2?


https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MUF82AM/A/usb-c-digital-av-multiport-adapter


----------



## Pulcino

Hi, all my USB C cables work between iPad and Mojo2, the original Apple but also shorter Amazon noname cables. Never tried a splitter or hub but guess it would also work. For me the sound quality from iPad USB C is not on par with toslink/optical, that’s why I ordered a Poly. I hope even AirPlay to Poly sounds better than USB C. Let you know as soon as my Poly arrives.


----------



## surfgeorge

Pulcino said:


> Hi, all my USB C cables work between iPad and Mojo2, the original Apple but also shorter Amazon noname cables. Never tried a splitter or hub but guess it would also work. For me the sound quality from iPad USB C is not on par with toslink/optical, that’s why I ordered a Poly. I hope even AirPlay to Poly sounds better than USB C. Let you know as soon as my Poly arrives.


Looking forward to your impressions! I have had the Poly for a week and SQ wise it's the best I have heard from Mojo 2, but I hadn't tested the M2 on optical in. Maybe need to try this weekend...


----------



## Terco

First apologies if this was asked before I checked the last 10 pages and I couldn't find anything about my problem, I hear the most loud distortion for about 2 seconds then goes away and come back I had to drop my iems out of my ears, it was so painful, anyone had experience something like this with the Mojo? I'm scare to use it again, this happened twice.


----------



## dsrk (Jul 1, 2022)

Terco said:


> First apologies if this was asked before I checked the last 10 pages and I couldn't find anything about my problem, I hear the most loud distortion for about 2 seconds then goes away and come back I had to drop my iems out of my ears, it was so painful, anyone had experience something like this with the Mojo? I'm scare to use it again, this happened twice.


No, not so far in this thread as far as I know. There are reports from a lot of users and me about the white noise but not anything about this.

Have you tried resetting the device once, different connections optical, coaxial and different cables? If you already did, it could be defective. I would advise you to get a replacement.


----------



## surfgeorge

Terco said:


> First apologies if this was asked before I checked the last 10 pages and I couldn't find anything about my problem, I hear the most loud distortion for about 2 seconds then goes away and come back I had to drop my iems out of my ears, it was so painful, anyone had experience something like this with the Mojo? I'm scare to use it again, this happened twice.


Sorry to hear that! This is scary and dangerous when listening with efficient IEMs!

This phenomenon has been discussed in the thread under the term "white noise"
I have experienced it with the original Mojo, not sure now if I had it happen on the M2 as well, but others have reported it. It happens only when using USB input, and in my experience I could always attribute it to an issue with the cable. For me this happened most commonly with lightning to micro-USB cables (I use Meenova cables) but also with regular USB cables connected to the PC.
I had at least one brand new cable that had this issue and other cables developed it over time.
Exchanging the cable has resolved it for me in every case.

If you want to be even safer maybe you can use the coax and optical inputs which are immune to this issue.
The Poly is another safe option.


----------



## Kentajalli

Terco said:


> First apologies if this was asked before I checked the last 10 pages and I couldn't find anything about my problem, I hear the most loud distortion for about 2 seconds then goes away and come back I had to drop my iems out of my ears, it was so painful, anyone had experience something like this with the Mojo? I'm scare to use it again, this happened twic


Distortion? what kind of distortion?
Do you mean a loud white noise?


----------



## Terco

surfgeorge said:


> Sorry to hear that! This is scary and dangerous when listening with efficient IEMs!
> 
> This phenomenon has been discussed in the thread under the term "white noise"
> *I have experienced it with the original Mojo...*



Yeah that's the reason why I sold my Mojo 1 couple years ago I thought this problem was solved with Mojo 2 , any suggestion for cables? Im using this DD Hifi cable:

https://audio46.com/products/dd-ddh...o-type-c-usb-otg-cable?variant=40836006183102



Kentajalli said:


> Distortion? what kind of distortion?
> Do you mean a loud white noise?



Yeah white noise.


----------



## Ivan Reis (Jul 1, 2022)

surfgeorge said:


> Sorry to hear that! This is scary and dangerous when listening with efficient IEMs!
> 
> This phenomenon has been discussed in the thread under the term "white noise"
> I have experienced it with the original Mojo, not sure now if I had it happen on the M2 as well, but others have reported it. It happens only when using USB input, and in my experience I could always attribute it to an issue with the cable. For me this happened most commonly with lightning to micro-USB cables (I use Meenova cables) but also with regular USB cables connected to the PC.
> ...


I've had this problem more than once using Poly + Mojo2 with Apple Music or Tidal (the same problem happened also using USB C cable).

Every time I was using my iPod Touch as a source.

The problem completely disappeared (both on Poly and on USB C) when I abandoned Apple Music and Tidal and started using Qobuz exclusively (I've been using it daily for more than 3 months with no problems, both on Poly and USB C)


----------



## Kentajalli

Terco said:


> Yeah white noise.


Aha!
An old and well known issue, one that Chord has repeatedly failed to address.
It happens, when the digital signal received by the USB input chip gets glitches on it. This can send Chord DACs crazy! when they go crazy, they go into full output white noise mode. Madness! They should go silent.
Remedy is also readily available - just make sure they receive no glitches 🧐
By that I mean, make sure your player is on bit-perfect mode, it is not crashing or stuttering, and most importantly, the cable you use is quality! Basic cable is fine, but not crap ones, and a ferrite core, wouldn't go amiss. 
My Huawei phone, running Neutron media player, and a DIY cable, is yet to cause any glitches.
Also, my PC running jRiver media player, with a standard cable (and a ferrite clip-on) has been trouble free.
Stay away from expensive Audiophile USB cables, keep to well known brands no more than £20 max, after this you get quality snake oil!
Indeed, I can not remember last time mine went puffffffff.....


----------



## lowrider007 (Jul 1, 2022)

lowrider007 said:


> I actually got a response from Chord today regarding my question, they recommend 3v, maybe because I'm connecting it to two devices?
> 
> _"Dear Sir, thanks for your email,
> Yes you can, this will work fine. Attached is the information for setting a 3v level equivalent to the original Mojo line out.
> ...



I'm quoting my own post because I've had a bit of a back and forth with Chord support, I was given the above instructions to set the Mojo 2 to 3v, as you can see the instructions specifically state in capital letters that the two volume buttons should be "BLUE", yet if you look at the slide originally posted by Rob Watts here,





It says VIOLET is 3v, BLUE is 1.19-1.5v, I've asked 4 times now this very simple question, which is correct, the slide posted by Rob (Violet 3v), or BLUE which is stated in the instructions from Chord support?, but they refuse to answer the question, how can a company design a clever device like this but can't answer a simple question?

Chord, @Rob Watts, Ed from support, which is correct, BLUE or VIOLET to attain 3v?


----------



## amarkabove

lowrider007 said:


> I'm quoting my own post because I've had a bit of a back and forth with Chord support, I was given the above instructions to set the Mojo 2 to 3v, as you can see the instructions specifically state in capital letters that the two volume buttons should be "BLUE", yet if you look at the slide originally posted by Rob Watts here,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


So here's the thing... they're the same. 41 clicks starting from the first point of the high range, which is what they're telling you to do, will get you to what is listed as Violet on @Rob Watts's chart, as each color has three clicks before the next one. It very much seems like the unit Chord is using to explain to you is on the low brightness setting and also maybe not being photographed with proper white balance. Look at the indicator light to the left. On my unit, that ball is white and in the photos they sent you its a weird muted purple.


----------



## lowrider007

amarkabove said:


> So here's the thing... they're the same. 41 clicks starting from the first point of the high range, which is what they're telling you to do, will get you to what is listed as Violet on @Rob Watts's chart, as each color has three clicks before the next one. It very much seems like the unit Chord is using to explain to you is on the low brightness setting and also maybe not being photographed with proper white balance. Look at the indicator light to the left. On my unit, that ball is white and in the photos they sent you its a weird muted purple.



You're correct, it is the same thing, I understand that, it's just that they specifically make a point of stating "BLUE", capitalised, and this is within an instruction Doc that they send out to people that require this information, this is very misleading when based off Rob's slide which says Violet is 3V and it's clearly looks Violet when setting it to 3v, but Chord support, more specifically Ed, doesn't seem to want to concede that.


----------



## amarkabove

lowrider007 said:


> You're correct, it is the same thing, I understand that, it's just that they specifically make a point of stating "BLUE", capitalised, and this is within an instruction Doc that they send out to people that require this information, this is very misleading when based off Rob's slide which says Violet is 3V and it's clearly looks Violet when setting it to 3v, but Chord support, more specifically Ed, doesn't seem to want to concede that.


That's because Rob's slide isn't an official Chord document. The most variety of color they show in the manual is 10, and there are 15 colors on Rob's. Ed is going off of the only thing he can go off of, official Chord documentation. Rob's slide is just more precise.


----------



## lowrider007 (Jul 1, 2022)

amarkabove said:


> That's because Rob's slide isn't an official Chord document. The most variety of color they show in the manual is 10, and there are 15 colors on Rob's. Ed is going off of the only thing he can go off of, official Chord documentation. Rob's slide is just more precise.



I'm sorry but that is very lame reasoning, the actual device itself does show the range of colours depicted on @Rob Watts slide, and quite accurately, the fact that they aren't in the manual is beside the point, there is no information regarding colour/voltage correlation in the manual anyway, the fact is, the colour stated in the "How to attain 3v output" Doc is not the colour on the device @ 41 clicks, it is Violet, stating it is Blue is misleading, just correct the Doc, I am not the only person to find this is an issue.


----------



## amarkabove

lowrider007 said:


> I'm sorry but that is very lame reasoning, the actual device itself does show the range of colours depicted on @Rob Watts slide, and quite accurately, the fact that they aren't in the manual is beside the point, there is no information regarding colour/voltage correlation in the manual anyway, the fact is, the colour stated in the "How to attain 3v output" Doc is not the colour on the device @ 41 clicks, it is Violet, stating it is Blue is misleading, just correct the Doc, I am not the only person to find this is an issue.


At the end of the day, they gave you the correct information of 41 clicks. Arguing about what word they use to describe the color is a moot point, especially when not everyone sees the color the same way.


----------



## bridger2086

Kentajalli said:


> Aha!
> An old and well known issue, one that Chord has repeatedly failed to address.
> It happens, when the digital signal received by the USB input chip gets glitches on it. This can send Chord DACs crazy! when they go crazy, they go into full output white noise mode. Madness! They should go silent.
> Remedy is also readily available - just make sure they receive no glitches 🧐
> ...


Oh, one more here on the loud white noise wagon. Has happened 3 or so times in the last month. Luckily I was using it as a dac to drive the speakers. First i had it coupled to the amp and i thought the amp got fried. Lately I'm driving passive speakers directly with the mojo2, and it happened 2 more times. Than I deducted it must be either mojo2 (thought unlikely), so I was blaming my streamer. Its a RPI4 running directly from its USB with Ropieee XL, streaming Qobuz through Bubble UPNP.

My RPI has a hat (PI2AES), which I will be using as soon as I decide on which type of powersupply i want to run. I dont want to bring this up with Chord if using a quality source is a non issue. Will be trying USB/Coax/Optical with pi2aes, but would really like to not have the fear of my speakers blasting out at full volume. You'd be surprised how loud a mojo can drive an efficient horn speaker.


----------



## bridger2086

One more thing about the output voltage when coupled to an amp. Is 3V really always the best way to go? I don't think I'm imagining it, but i think the sound is clearer and background darker when I set it to ca. 2V and up the gain on the amp. Of course it sounds better still with mojo driving the speakers directly. Whats your experiences?


----------



## Nick24JJ (Jul 1, 2022)

Terco said:


> First apologies if this was asked before I checked the last 10 pages and I couldn't find anything about my problem, I hear the most loud distortion for about 2 seconds then goes away and come back I had to drop my iems out of my ears, it was so painful, anyone had experience something like this with the Mojo? I'm scare to use it again, this happened twice.


I have also experienced this when I first bought and used the Mojo 2, a few months ago. IF you are using a Windows computer make sure to mute all Windows sounds. On your [Windows] player use WASAPI exclusive, as well. I am using my Mojo 2 with the stock cable that came with it. I have not faced any issue after applying this. I agree that this is a dreadful/horrible noise. It should never occur, no matter what.

PS: earlier in this thread, a member posted a link to an article, when Apple was sued because a teenager in the US almost lost his hearing due to something similar with Apple buds. Chord should know better...


----------



## Pulcino

Hi, Poly arrived. Over AirPlay for my ears with IEM Fiio FD7 better than iPad USB, less harshness, SD card not yet used, will test tomorrow.


----------



## lowrider007

bridger2086 said:


> One more thing about the output voltage when coupled to an amp. Is 3V really always the best way to go? I don't think I'm imagining it, but i think the sound is clearer and background darker when I set it to ca. 2V and up the gain on the amp. Of course it sounds better still with mojo driving the speakers directly. Whats your experiences?



I agree, what I did was volume match it with the internal DAC in my Deckard as a reference which turned out to be around 2v on the Mojo, Rob Watts himself said that 3v was abit hot for some devices.


----------



## lowrider007 (Jul 1, 2022)

amarkabove said:


> At the end of the day, they gave you the correct information of 41 clicks. Arguing about what word they use to describe the color is a moot point, especially when not everyone sees the color the same way.


How on earth is it a moot point when Chord make a point of capitalising the word "BLUE", they are very specific about that part of the instructions, hardly moot, especially also when you consider the whole menu system on the Mojo is based on colours!, it's extremely important, you want to argue the toss that's fine, but you'd be hard pressed to argue that colours aren't important on the Mojo.


----------



## field3d

iDesign said:


> https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MUF82AM/A/usb-c-digital-av-multiport-adapter


Thank you


----------



## Progisus

lowrider007 said:


> How on earth is it a moot point when Chord make a point of capitalising the word "BLUE", they are very specific about that part of the instructions, hardly moot, especially also when you consider the whole menu system on the Mojo is based on colours!, it's extremely important, you want to argue the toss that's fine, but you'd be hard pressed to argue that colours aren't important on the Mojo.


I agree that the mojo 2 menu is colour and not clicks.


----------



## Rob Watts

lowrider007 said:


> I'm quoting my own post because I've had a bit of a back and forth with Chord support, I was given the above instructions to set the Mojo 2 to 3v, as you can see the instructions specifically state in capital letters that the two volume buttons should be "BLUE", yet if you look at the slide originally posted by Rob Watts here,
> 
> 
> 
> ...



My slide is correct.



bridger2086 said:


> One more thing about the output voltage when coupled to an amp. Is 3V really always the best way to go? I don't think I'm imagining it, but i think the sound is clearer and background darker when I set it to ca. 2V and up the gain on the amp. Of course it sounds better still with mojo driving the speakers directly. Whats your experiences?



With a lot of pre-amps or integrated amps 3v will be too hot, with blue being more appropriate. If you find it sounding warmer or smoother with blue, then run with that setting.


----------



## ubs28 (Jul 1, 2022)

Terco said:


> Yeah that's the reason why I sold my Mojo 1 couple years ago I thought this problem was solved with Mojo 2 , any suggestion for cables? Im using this DD Hifi cable:
> 
> https://audio46.com/products/dd-ddh...o-type-c-usb-otg-cable?variant=40836006183102
> 
> ...



I guess the Chord Poly fixes the white noise issue.


----------



## iDesign (Jul 1, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> PS: earlier in this thread, a member posted a link to an article, when Apple was sued because a teenager in the US almost lost his hearing due to something similar with Apple buds. Chord should know better...


Not "almost lost his hearing." His eardrum was ripped open by the loud tone of the AmberAlert. The white noise issue isn't much different and audiophiles are often using sensitive deep fitting in ear monitors where the risks are even higher. All Chord DACs should mute when the USB synchronization fails. 

https://www.macworld.com/article/70...-airpods-amber-alert-new-lawsuit-alleges.html
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/05/17/apple-airpods-pro-amber-alert-lawsuit/


----------



## Terco

ubs28 said:


> I guess the Chord Poly fixes the white noise issue.



That is a $800 dollars fix... For that money I will take my iBasso DX320 all day, I don't know how I feel about the Mojo 2, I'm honesty scared to used it, sad because this is not a minor problem and probably fixable before it was released.


----------



## dsrk (Jul 2, 2022)

Terco said:


> That is a $800 dollars fix... For that money I will take my iBasso DX320 all day, I don't know how I feel about the Mojo 2, I'm honesty scared to used it, sad because this is not a minor problem and probably fixable before it was released.


I don't call it a fix at all, the poly.
I am not experiencing the white noise issue anymore because I am using optical. That's not a fix either, that's a workaround.

If your source is mobile phone then there is no option but to use the USB.

It's a shame that this beautiful device is having such a dreadful issue.

I really hope Chord would fix this issue very soon.


----------



## Pulcino

dsrk said:


> I don't call it a fix at all, the poly.
> I am not experiencing the white noise issue anymore because I am using optical. That's not a fix either, that's a workaround.
> 
> If your source is mobile phone then there is no option but to use the USB.
> ...


I love my Poly, sounds so much better than iPad USB even over AirPlay from iPhone, all my Music from Amazon Music. Super convenient, iPhone as remote, Mojo2 Poly my Stereo both for my active speakers and mobile with my IEMs. I’m a happy customer.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Jul 2, 2022)

Terco said:


> First apologies if this was asked before I checked the last 10 pages and I couldn't find anything about my problem, I hear the most loud distortion for about 2 seconds then goes away and come back I had to drop my iems out of my ears, it was so painful, anyone had experience something like this with the Mojo? I'm scare to use it again, this happened twice.


It would be helpful for the community, owners and potential buyers, if you would describe a bit the circumstances under which the white noise occurred. Were you using a computer? Desktop or laptop? Mac or Windows? Were you using a smartphone or a DAP? Listening to your own source files (FLACs?) or a streaming service?

Finally, all this information should be reported to Chord support and their response posted here.


----------



## Soundizer

My short list is:
Chord Mojo 2
IFi Go bar gold
iFi Diablo


Most important consideration is best sound quality for specifically driving my Focal Clear MG headphones.

Any thoughts here?


----------



## Another Audiophile

Soundizer said:


> My short list is:
> Chord Mojo 2
> IFi Go bar gold
> iFi Diablo
> ...


Specifically for the focal I would put on top the IFi Gryphon actually.


----------



## hakunamakaka

Soundizer said:


> My short list is:
> Chord Mojo 2
> IFi Go bar gold
> iFi Diablo
> ...



EQ and imaging capabilities would be a winner for me so Mojo 2. Clear has a bit of graininess & peaks in treble, thus with longer listening sessions I used to get headaches. Of course I could tame it with EQ, but than headphones lost it's character and in the end I sold Clear's. I'm lurker on M2 myself as I've read it has better implemented EQ than what you get through a software so maybe I'll try to re-unite my love with Clears too.


----------



## Terco

Nick24JJ said:


> It would be helpful for the community, owners and potential buyers, if you would describe a bit the circumstances under which the white noise occurred. Were you using a computer? Desktop or laptop? Mac or Windows? Were you using a smartphone or a DAP? Listening to your own source files (FLACs?) or a streaming service?
> 
> Finally, all this information should be reported to Chord support and their response posted here.



Samsung S21, DD Hifi Cable, 64audio U12T and streaming Tidal.

I was listening Jazz in my bed with the lights off trying to relax when the white noise came really loud.


----------



## Soundizer

Another Audiophile said:


> Specifically for the focal I would put on top the IFi Gryphon actually.


You think the Gryphon will deliver better sound quality then Diablo? I don’t use Bluetooth features


----------



## Soundizer

hakunamakaka said:


> EQ and imaging capabilities would be a winner for me so Mojo 2. Clear has a bit of graininess & peaks in treble, thus with longer listening sessions I used to get headaches. Of course I could tame it with EQ, but than headphones lost it's character and in the end I sold Clear's. I'm lurker on M2 myself as I've read it has better implemented EQ than what you get through a software so maybe I'll try to re-unite my love with Clears too.


I had similar experience with my previously owned Clears, but the Clear MG does not have sibilance or sharpness at all. So not an issue.


----------



## lowrider007

Soundizer said:


> You think the Gryphon will deliver better sound quality then Diablo? I don’t use Bluetooth features



How will you be using these devices? if at a desk I would go Diablo, lot of money though.


----------



## Musicophilesblog (Jul 2, 2022)

Soundizer said:


> My short list is:
> Chord Mojo 2
> IFi Go bar gold
> iFi Diablo
> ...


Didn't directly try the Diablo nor the Gold bar, but in a direct A/B comparison at my local dealer I found the Mojo 2 more natural and musical than the Ifi micro iDSD Signature to drive my Focal Utopia as a travel setup, and ended up buying it. The dealer had the Diablo as well, but he said the iDSD is as good if not better if you don't need the additional power.

The Mojo is a bit quirky for the usability, but once you get used to the color menu it really is a great tool.


----------



## lowrider007 (Jul 2, 2022)

Terco said:


> Samsung S21, DD Hifi Cable, 64audio U12T and streaming Tidal.
> 
> I was listening Jazz in my bed with the lights off trying to relax when the white noise came really loud.



That's quite worrying, luckily I'm using mine mainly for desktop duty though an amp, would've liked to take it out now again but using IEM's I'd be too scared.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Jul 2, 2022)

Terco said:


> Samsung S21, DD Hifi Cable, 64audio U12T and streaming Tidal.
> 
> I was listening Jazz in my bed with the lights off trying to relax when the white noise came really loud.



So, you were using your smartphone which was lying on a steady position on your bed, I assume, with a (very) decent cable.

I'd be really interested to know how Chord support would explain this.

And, I'm really sorry this happened to you, I can only imagine how awful it must have been...


----------



## Another Audiophile (Jul 2, 2022)

Soundizer said:


> You think the Gryphon will deliver better sound quality then Diablo? I don’t use Bluetooth features


I haven’t tried the Diablo but you don’t need all this power. I compared the gryphon with the mojo 2 and have my review here on head fi. They gryphon is the benchmark for portable devices.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ifi-audio-xdsd-gryphon.25530/reviews#review-28240


----------



## Soundizer

Another Audiophile said:


> I haven’t tried the Diablo but you don’t need all this power. I compared the gryphon with the mojo 2 and have my review here on head fi. They gryphon is the benchmark for portable devices.
> https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ifi-audio-xdsd-gryphon.25530/reviews#review-28240


Thank you. Excellent review.


----------



## Soundizer

lowrider007 said:


> How will you be using these devices? if at a desk I would go Diablo, lot of money though.


Desk only. It will not leave my home as i use Bluetooth headphones on the go.

Also it should have good optical for connecting to a TV.


----------



## Soundizer

I cannot think of a desktop which sounds as good as Diablo. Diablo is my max budget. 

I just returned RME ADI 2 abd that horrible TOPPING DX5. They are not even close to sound quality of Diablo which i was sampling for a week only


----------



## Edyeded86

Hello all.

I just received my Mojo 2 today to pair with my IE 900's. Wandering if there's an easier way to connect to iPhone than using the camera cable with Mojo's included micro usb cable? Will another cable like the filo usb c to lightening cable work (without changing the music quality?


----------



## hakunamakaka

Soundizer said:


> I had similar experience with my previously owned Clears, but the Clear MG does not have sibilance or sharpness at all. So not an issue.



I haven't heard MG, but even OG Clear is a very good headphone which delivers in a technical realm of things. The good thing is that you plug it into something like Mojo and you are getting nearly maximum out of it, which is not the case when you start toying with TOTL stuff.  While Utopia surely delivered I still felt it was being held back, not to mentioned harder to drive flagships.

I went through loads of portable/mid tier daps and even though differences are usually small, but mojo stood out with it's imaging capabilities and to my ears brings closest to the music. I didn't mind a bit intimate presentation of OG Mojo


----------



## Menkau-ra

Edyeded86 said:


> Hello all.
> 
> I just received my Mojo 2 today to pair with my IE 900's. Wandering if there's an easier way to connect to iPhone than using the camera cable with Mojo's included micro usb cable? Will another cable like the filo usb c to lightening cable work (without changing the music quality?


I am using Lotoo Type C to Lightning OTG cable V2


----------



## ducnsh

Does anyone use mojo2 with sensitive iem like 64 Audio Trio? I used to have hiss background problem on 64 Nio and Trio with both Hugo2 and Mojo1.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Menkau-ra said:


> I am using Lotoo Type C to Lightning OTG cable V2


Was also using this one but stopped working following the latest iPhone update. It’s not a certified Apple lighting cable


----------



## Edyeded86

Another Audiophile said:


> Was also using this one but stopped working following the latest iPhone update. It’s not a certified Apple lighting cable


I have a FiiO OTG cable that actually works , but I actually think that the camera adapter and micro usb cable sounds slightly better? Maybe I’m imagining the difference?


----------



## Menkau-ra

Edyeded86 said:


> I have a FiiO OTG cable that actually works , but I actually think that the camera adapter and micro usb cable sounds slightly better? Maybe I’m imagining the difference?


Only if it uses higher resolution, maybe.


----------



## Soundizer

Another Audiophile said:


> Was also using this one but stopped working following the latest iPhone update. It’s not a certified Apple lighting cable


that's the issue they stop working after major iOS updates, because they are not MFI. The only solution is MFI cables, maybe iFi


----------



## Another Audiophile

Soundizer said:


> that's the issue they stop working after major iOS updates, because they are not MFI. The only solution is MFI cables, maybe iFi


True. Any MFI certified cable is the solution


----------



## imacaverage

Terco said:


> Samsung S21, DD Hifi Cable, 64audio U12T and streaming Tidal.
> 
> I was listening Jazz in my bed with the lights off trying to relax when the white noise came really loud.


also encountered this

when listening from mac studio through a proprietary apple cable


----------



## imacaverage

I had to switch to coax






I'm not ready to go through this again ... I'm from Ukraine - I thought that a shell hit my house


----------



## yoshi88

Sorry if this question has been answered. I'm currently using HD650, if I were to set it at lower voltage, does it affect the sound quality that it could produce for my HD650. Or it's  better set it at higher voltage, if yes, is it indigo/violet?


----------



## dsrk

yoshi88 said:


> Sorry if this question has been answered. I'm currently using HD650, if I were to set it at lower voltage, does it affect the sound quality that it could produce for my HD650. Or it's  better set it at higher voltage, if yes, is it indigo/violet?


Are you connecting it to an AMP?
Anything below blue is not dynamic enough for me.
On quieter recordings I am setting it past indigo. Anything above it starts to distort.


----------



## yoshi88

dsrk said:


> Are you connecting it to an AMP?
> Anything below blue is not dynamic enough for me.
> On quieter recordings I am setting it past indigo. Anything above it starts to distort.


Thanks for the reply!

Nope, Im currently connecting Mojo2 via usb-c and micro-usb directly to my motherboard and using it as desktop mode.

Currently im using green and my windows volume at around 60percent. Should I max out the windows volume setting and then just play around with the volume from Mojo2?


----------



## Nick24JJ

yoshi88 said:


> Thanks for the reply!
> 
> Nope, Im currently connecting Mojo2 via usb-c and micro-usb directly to my motherboard and using it as desktop mode.
> 
> Currently im using green and my windows volume at around 60percent. *Should I max out the windows volume setting and then just play around with the volume from Mojo2?*


Yes


----------



## dsrk

yoshi88 said:


> Thanks for the reply!
> 
> Nope, Im currently connecting Mojo2 via usb-c and micro-usb directly to my motherboard and using it as desktop mode.
> 
> Currently im using green and my windows volume at around 60percent. Should I max out the windows volume setting and then just play around with the volume from Mojo2?


It's better to max out the volume on your PC and adjust volume on Mojo 2.


----------



## rush1

ducnsh said:


> Does anyone use mojo2 with sensitive iem like 64 Audio Trio? I used to have hiss background problem on 64 Nio and Trio with both Hugo2 and Mojo1.


I auditioned 64Audio Tia Trio with Mojo 2 last week... I didn't recall any hiss. Anyway I plan to audition again next week, shall revert if I do hear hiss with those.


----------



## beardyweirdy

Good evening
Has anyone used the Mojo 2 with the lcd 3? If so, could you share the DSP settings that equate to the recommended Audeze settings.
I am using an amp, is there enough juice to drive the Audeze?


----------



## chesebert (Jul 3, 2022)

beardyweirdy said:


> Good evening
> Has anyone used the Mojo 2 with the lcd 3? If so, could you share the DSP settings that equate to the recommended Audeze settings.
> I am using an amp, is there enough juice to drive the Audeze?


Works, but not optimal is how I would describe the paring. It's a portal solution so gotta keep your expectations in check.

If you are using a separate amp, then mojo 2 has no problem putting out a good clean signal to the amp. You will need a good front end to get the best out of mojo 2.


----------



## vlach

beardyweirdy said:


> Good evening
> Has anyone used the Mojo 2 with the lcd 3? If so, could you share the DSP settings that equate to the recommended Audeze settings.
> I am using an amp, is there enough juice to drive the Audeze?


It's hard to tell if your amp has enough juice to drive the LCD-3 if you don't tell us which amp you have...


----------



## beardyweirdy

Hi
I am using a topping A30 Pro connected to mojo 2 via 3.5mm to analogue.
The question was also whether the mojo 2 would drive them on its own.
I was also wondering whether a more expensive amp would make any difference; some recommended the Bryson bha 1


----------



## David67

Sadly, I will be returning my Chord Mojo 2 DAC tomorrow due to multiple reports of white noise which is a shame as I was looking forward to hearing hi-res music via Apple Music on my iPhone. It's simply a risk I'm not prepared to take.


----------



## Menkau-ra

Soundizer said:


> that's the issue they stop working after major iOS updates, because they are not MFI. The only solution is MFI cables, maybe iFi


my iPhone has latest updates and still works fine.


----------



## Edyeded86

David67 said:


> Sadly, I will be returning my Chord Mojo 2 DAC tomorrow due to multiple reports of white noise which is a shame as I was looking forward to hearing hi-res music via Apple Music on my iPhone. It's simply a risk I'm not prepared to take.


I use Apple Music hi res via mojo 2 and iPhone with no problem?


----------



## David67

Edyeded86 said:


> I use Apple Music hi res via mojo 2 and iPhone with no problem?



That's great to read though I'm sure you can appreciate my apprehension given that I've already lost my sight and don't wish to affect my hearing. That said, for those of you using Mfi-certified cables, have you experienced any white noise issues?


----------



## Edyeded86

David67 said:


> That's great to read though I'm sure you can appreciate my apprehension given that I've already lost my sight and don't wish to affect my hearing. That said, for those of you using Mfi-certified cables, have you experienced any white noise issues?


I get it. Having that anxious anticipation of random white noise can take away from the listening experience!

Is the white noise issue reputed to be random whilst listening to music, or just when you turn the mojo 2 on?


----------



## David67 (Jul 3, 2022)

Edyeded86 said:


> I get it. Having that anxious anticipation of random white noise can take away from the listening experience!
> 
> Is the white noise issue reputed to be random whilst listening to music, or just when you turn the mojo 2 on?



I haven't even charged it up yet. According to what I've read here in this thread from multiple users, the issue is occurring while listening to music either in desktop mode or mobile use. I'm not concerned with the former as I will only be using it with my iPhone. Another member mentioned this problem a couple of pages back WHILE listening to jazz music on their iPad when connected to the DAC.


----------



## Somafunk

Absolutely no issues using iPhone X/iPad pro with mojo 2 and using own ALAC files or with Apple Music/tidal/roon  seems rather premature to send it back on the very rare chance you may experience noise which i doubt could cause hearing loss, perhaps a bit of discomfort at the most. 

You mention that you have lost your sight?, may I ask just how on earth do you operate the mojo?, how do you operate your phone?


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## WorksUnit (Jul 3, 2022)

Somafunk said:


> You mention that you have lost your sight?, may I ask just how on earth do you operate the mojo?, how do you operate your phone?


......

@joe


----------



## David67 (Jul 3, 2022)

Somafunk said:


> Absolutely no issues using iPhone X/iPad pro with mojo 2 and using own ALAC files or with Apple Music/tidal/roon  seems rather premature to send it back on the very rare chance you may experience noise which i doubt could cause hearing loss, perhaps a bit of discomfort at the most.
> 
> You mention that you have lost your sight?, may I ask just how on earth do you operate the mojo?, how do you operate your phone?



Apple devices are fully accessible due to the built in screen reader known as VoiceOver.

VoiceOver is a built-in screen reader that describes aloud what appears on your computer screen: it speaks the text that's in documents and windows.

https://www.apple.com/voiceover/info/guide/_1121.html

Android devices have TalkBack built in but I think most visually impaired people prefer Apple.

Although I can't really identify the coloured balls on a Mojo 2, counting the number of clicks is easier than asking a family member to go through settings on a digital screen. That said, it will still take me time to get used to the menu.


----------



## Somafunk

David67 said:


> That said, it will still take me time to get used to the menu.



In that case why did you not choose a dac/amp with tactile buttons for operating status feedback?, not ashamed to say I initially choose the mojo as I liked the coloured balls and quirky method of operation, that I consider it to sound good was an added bonus.


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## David67 (Jul 3, 2022)

Somafunk said:


> In that case why did you not choose a dac/amp with tactile buttons for operating status feedback?, not ashamed to say I initially choose the mojo as I liked the coloured balls and quirky method of operation, that I consider it to sound good was an added bonus.



Re your suggestion, I wouldn't even know WHERE TO BEGIN LOOKING. Besides, I chose the Mojo 2 due to its reputation for SQ. I figured the settings wouldn't be difficult to manage.

"To accommodate the extra button, Chord has reduced the size of the Mojo’s control spheres, with the two middle volume buttons sensibly bigger than the
power and menu ones either side of it. Their smaller size and close positioning means that rather than haphazardly poking a finger in their general direction
and likely rolling it over the right one, a bit more precision is required to plant it where you want it. For many no doubt, that slight inconvenience
will be worth it for the extra functions the menu brings – that is, if they have the patience for the convoluted colour coding it requires. You don’t need
to have colour vision deficiency to not get on with this kind of ‘display’, but you will need Chord’s (admittedly, neatly spelled out) instruction manual
to have any hope of navigating it all."

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/chord-mojo-2


----------



## vlach

beardyweirdy said:


> Hi
> I am using a topping A30 Pro connected to mojo 2 via 3.5mm to analogue.
> The question was also whether the mojo 2 would drive them on its own.
> I was also wondering whether a more expensive amp would make any difference; some recommended the Bryson bha 1


I think a more powerful amp like the BHA-1 would make a significant difference.


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## dsrk (Jul 3, 2022)

beardyweirdy said:


> Hi
> I am using a topping A30 Pro connected to mojo 2 via 3.5mm to analogue.
> The question was also whether the mojo 2 would drive them on its own.
> I was also wondering whether a more expensive amp would make any difference; some recommended the Bryson bha 1


Mojo 2 drives LCD2C well enough but with A30 Pro or EF400 there is effortlessness, dynamics and smoothness. For a portable source Mojo 2 is not bad at all.

A30 Pro is good enough, it powers my HD6XX and LCD2C with ease. You can hardly find any difference between A30 Pro and BHA-1 if your source is Mojo 2.
Mojo 2 is an excellent device but if you are investing that much on an AMP, you can hear improvements with much better source like Hugo 2 or any other DAC with balanced output.

If you are not going to upgrade your source, then I would stick with Mojo 2 and A30 Pro.


----------



## syazwaned

dsrk said:


> Mojo 2 drives LCD2C well enough but with A30 Pro or EF400 there is effortlessness, dynamics and smoothness. For a portable source Mojo 2 is not bad at all.
> 
> A30 Pro is good enough, it powers my HD6XX and LCD2C with ease. You can hardly find any difference between A30 Pro and BHA-1 if your source is Mojo 2.
> Mojo 2 is an excellent device but if you are investing that much on an AMP, you can hear improvements with much better source like Hugo 2 or any other DAC with balanced output.
> ...


For desktop and headphone usage, would you recommend Ef400 over chord mojo? I already have Questyle M15 for portability usage, been thinking to add one desktop setup.


----------



## ChrisGB

David67 said:


> Sadly, I will be returning my Chord Mojo 2 DAC tomorrow due to multiple reports of white noise which is a shame as I was looking forward to hearing hi-res music via Apple Music on my iPhone. It's simply a risk I'm not prepared to take.


I had the white noise issue only when using the Mojo 2 with my Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro S. I think it was a case of the CPU not being quite able to keep up with feeding / controlling the audio driver. I never had any problem using it with my workstation or phone or with a DAP. The white noise will only be heading damage loud if you have very high sensitivity headphones or IEMs.


----------



## dsrk

syazwaned said:


> For desktop and headphone usage, would you recommend Ef400 over chord mojo? I already have Questyle M15 for portability usage, been thinking to add one desktop setup.


EF400 is a nice sounding DAC/AMP, sound is very dynamic and smooth even at lower volume it keeps the dynamics. It has enough power in SE for my headphones (HD6XX and LCD2c) but I have yet to test its balanced power as I have been waiting for my balanced cables to arrive. 

It's short on features, only USB in (no optical, coaxial, bluetooth and analog in).

If you have harder to drive headphones, then Yes. Else, Mojo 2 is more than enough.


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## David67 (Jul 4, 2022)

ChrisGB said:


> I had the white noise issue only when using the Mojo 2 with my Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro S. I think it was a case of the CPU not being quite able to keep up with feeding / controlling the audio driver. I never had any problem using it with my workstation or phone or with a DAP. The white noise will only be heading damage loud if you have very high sensitivity headphones or IEMs.



Only use headphones but have yet to decide which to buy having owned wireless previously. Obviously, it all depends on whether or not I keep the DAC.


----------



## paulrbarnard

ChrisGB said:


> I had the white noise issue only when using the Mojo 2 with my Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro S. I think it was a case of the CPU not being quite able to keep up with feeding / controlling the audio driver. I never had any problem using it with my workstation or phone or with a DAP. The white noise will only be heading damage loud if you have very high sensitivity headphones or IEMs.


One occurrence here too. In the first couple of days of use. Mine instance was down to a badly inserted microUSB cable in to the Mojo2. I was using the iPhone camera connector with a short USB to micro USB cable. I took care inserting the cable after that and subsequently moved to a lightning to USB-C cable and have never had a reoccurrence. 
I was wearing Shure 846 IEM which are in the very sensitive category. The noise was certainly loud enough to cause me to rip the IEM from my ears but I would have needed to leave them in for a while for damage to set in I think.


----------



## Edyeded86

paulrbarnard said:


> One occurrence here too. In the first couple of days of use. Mine instance was down to a badly inserted microUSB cable in to the Mojo2. I was using the iPhone camera connector with a short USB to micro USB cable. I took care inserting the cable after that and subsequently moved to a lightning to USB-C cable and have never had a reoccurrence.
> I was wearing Shure 846 IEM which are in the very sensitive category. The noise was certainly loud enough to cause me to rip the IEM from my ears but I would have needed to leave them in for a while for damage to set in I think.


What lightening to usb c cable are you using? Do you notice a difference in sound quality when comparing lightening to usbc to canasta adapter to micro usb?


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## Nick24JJ (Jul 4, 2022)

David67 said:


> Sadly, I will be returning my Chord Mojo 2 DAC tomorrow due to multiple reports of white noise which is a shame as I was looking forward to hearing hi-res music via Apple Music on my iPhone. It's simply a risk I'm not prepared to take.


I think that your thought to return the Mojo 2 is at least justified. You could contact Chord Support, provide them your current and, eventually, future setup and ask for advice/guidance on how to avoid this horrible white noise. Chances are that you will receive a typical response, like the Mojo 2 does not have any issue or it will function perfectly etc but if you push them a bit, they might provide some decent advice. Try to ask the reason why can this occur in the first place.

My personal and subjective opinion is that every Mojo 2 owner is prone to this white noise defect, especially if the Mojo 2 is used as a mobile device.


----------



## paulrbarnard

Edyeded86 said:


> What lightening to usb c cable are you using? Do you notice a difference in sound quality when comparing lightening to usbc to canasta adapter to micro usb?


I use the DDHIFI sort cable with right angle connections. It has worked 
flawlessly. 




My iPhoneX (that’s an old phone for picture purposes) has been updated to iOS 15.5 since using it and no issues. 

I have to say I hear no difference between the camera connector and the DDHIFI cable but that might be simply my ears. The big differences come from the source. I find QoBuz to be a great source of files but a poor streamer. I use Roon when at home and that is a better listen, still sourcing files from QoBuz.  I use Vox when travelling for local iPhone files. Vox gives me the best sound quality but not the Roon radio and playlists which I enjoy. I also use Vox for upsampling my old iTunes AAC library when travelling if I don’t have cheap network access. 

At home I switch to airplane mode to avoid the GSM chirping as I live in a very poor mobile coverage area. No need to do that if you have 4G coverage.


----------



## syazwaned

dsrk said:


> EF400 is a nice sounding DAC/AMP, sound is very dynamic and smooth even at lower volume it keeps the dynamics. It has enough power in SE for my headphones (HD6XX and LCD2c) but I have yet to test its balanced power as I have been waiting for my balanced cables to arrive.
> 
> It's short on features, only USB in (no optical, coaxial, bluetooth and analog in).
> 
> If you have harder to drive headphones, then Yes. Else, Mojo 2 is more than enough.


thank you friend. For the limited USB in, I might have to invest on Ifi Zen Stream to transport music from my source to ef400 wirelessly


----------



## BryceS

I don't have a Mojo 2 but have an original Mojo and like it a great deal.

I use the Mojo exclusively with a Fiio M11 Plus DAP and have never had white noise issues using Apple Music, Qobuz or Tidal.

I had bad white noise issues that happened after only minutes of listening every time without fail when running a Schiit Modi 3 with Unison USB off the Fiio DAP. I tried about 5 cables and all did the same thing. Using an iPhone or an iPad as the source no issue at all. With a Schiit Modi Multibit that doesn't have Unison USB I have no issue with any source.

My point is, I have read all sorts of ideas about what causes the Mojo and Mojo 2 white noise from specific cables to specific sources and even bumping the connection slightly. I wonder if Chord's USB implementation isn't simply rather more fussy than some and it doesn't respond well to certain devices USB management.


----------



## headmanPL

I've been running Mojo 2 since it became available. I use it both for desktop and mobile. I've not had the white noise issue once. Though I don't doubt those who have written here. I think as long as you look after your cable and make sure it's seated correctly at both ends, you should be ok. At the very least it's too good a device to send back without at least trying it first


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## beardyweirdy (Jul 4, 2022)

I did get a bit of RFI initially; I was using a short USB C to lightening cable (came with the Cayin R2R dongle) It happened when the mojo 2 and iPhone 8 were very close.
I called the vendor and I could tell by the tone in his voice that he didn't believe me; 'Hmmm....we 've never had a problem....well, we will see if we can replicate this blah blah...blah...wont be the Mojo 2 etc etc'

I ended up keeping it, as it sounds good and it may wall be the cable; just can't be arsed buying another cable as I've only heard it several times.


----------



## dsrk

headmanPL said:


> I've been running Mojo 2 since it became available. I use it both for desktop and mobile. I've not had the white noise issue once. Though I don't doubt those who have written here. I think as long as you look after your cable and make sure it's seated correctly at both ends, you should be ok. At the very least it's too good a device to send back without at least trying it first


I agree that it's too good of a device to be sent back. The white noise issue is typical but it has nothing to do with the cables.


----------



## Edyeded86

paulrbarnard said:


> I use the DDHIFI sort cable with right angle connections. It has worked
> flawlessly.
> 
> My iPhoneX (that’s an old phone for picture purposes) has been updated to iOS 15.5 since using it and no issues.
> ...


Have you had a chance to compare Apple Music Lossless with the DDHIFI cable? You could be right that it is effected by streaming, but I never find there's a problem with streaming when using camera adapter?


----------



## imacaverage

dsrk said:


> I agree that it's too good of a device to be sent back. The white noise issue is typical but it has nothing to do with the cables.


yes, from the correspondence with support, I concluded that this is a source problem, in my case it is Mac Studio

support response:
"if the loss of sync includes sending more than one sample rate- something that affects OSX- the device will try and decode it in the first instance. There is not an established way of preventing a USB controller from doing this."

but the fact is that I also have cayin ru6, which also sometimes has this problem, but unlike mojo, it does not start yelling at full volume, but instead of playing the audio stream, it starts to click softly


----------



## paulrbarnard

Edyeded86 said:


> Have you had a chance to compare Apple Music Lossless with the DDHIFI cable? You could be right that it is effected by streaming, but I never find there's a problem with streaming when using camera adapter?


I have never streamed Apple Music as I use QoBus the majority of the time.  I do have an extensive, historic, iTunes library on my devices that I updated to AAC lossless with an Apple Music subscription, but I only use that when I am on planes or on expensive roaming tariffs not while streaming.  My comments on quality were to the perceived quality of the sound using the various apps.


----------



## Nick24JJ

dsrk said:


> I agree that it's too good of a device to be sent back. The white noise issue is typical *but it has nothing to do with the cables.*


Exactly! The white noise has nothing to do with cables. When I first bought the Mojo 2 a few months ago, I had the white noise occurring on 2 different occasions, my posts are here together with the response from Chord support. I have been always using the stock cable that came with the Mojo 2. If that is not an appropriate cable, why is then Chord providing it? Because it does not have to do with the cable. It has to do with the USB connection the Mojo 2 is using. I was connecting it on my Windows 11 Pro laptop which functions perfectly! What is the problem then? It is the Mojo 2 USB implementation. I am not technically savvy to explain it, so simply put: when losing it, it should go silent and not shout. 

And, if other measures are required, like using Optical or certain settings on Windows, like muting Windows Sounds or using WASAPI exclusive etc, there should be some tutorial/recommendations on the website. How to set up, to avoid the white noise.


----------



## Kentajalli

Nick24JJ said:


> Exactly! The white noise has nothing to do with cables. When I first bought the Mojo 2 a few months ago, I had the white noise occurring on 2 different occasions, my posts are here together with the response from Chord support. I have been always using the stock cable that came with the Mojo 2. If that is not an appropriate cable, why is then Chord providing it? Because it does not have to do with the cable. It has to do with the USB connection the Mojo 2 is using. I was connecting it on my Windows 11 Pro laptop which functions perfectly! What is the problem then? It is the Mojo 2 USB implementation. I am not technically savvy to explain it, so simply put: when losing it, it should go silent and not shout.
> 
> And, if other measures are required, like using Optical or certain settings on Windows, like muting Windows Sounds or using WASAPI exclusive etc, there should be some tutorial/recommendations on the website. How to set up, to avoid the white noise.


In your case and experience, the white noise was probably not due to cables, however, others, me included, have had the cable issue.
It is either this or that, but it is there nevertheless, whatever triggers it.


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## ubs28 (Jul 4, 2022)

I suspect it also a cable issue as I never had the white noise issue with the Chord Poly + Mojo 1. And I use super sensitive IEM's like the Campfire Andromeda.

When i had the Mojo 2 for the weekend, luckly I was only testing it with the AFC 2 Noire and with the Poly. Else Chord might have made me deaf.


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## bridger2086

This LOWN (loud white noise) issue is really bothering me and I'm reluctant to do any headphone listening because of it. Rather hard to relax into music with a persistant fear of headphones going bang at any random moment. I would sure like a definitive solution to this from Chord ( @Rob Watts ).


----------



## joshnor713

bridger2086 said:


> This LOWN (loud white noise) issue is really bothering me and I'm reluctant to do any headphone listening because of it. Rather hard to relax into music with a persistant fear of headphones going bang at any random moment. I would sure like a definitive solution to this from Chord ( @Rob Watts ).


I feel like it's more beneficial for people to complain to Chord directly (email Chord support). Rob designs the DAC part. If this is a system problem, that's Chord's deal. Don't like to see people jump on Rob when there's a problem. He isn't even employed by Chord; he's a consultant for them.


----------



## Headphiguy

I wonder if anyone can clarify the sampling limit of the Mojo 2’s optical input? I used to have the original Mojo and the manual for that (still on their website) stated 44 to 192kHz. The manual for my Mojo 2 does not include that specification although the Chord website says ‘96kHz optical input’ in its description of the DAC’s features. When I feed the M2 with a 192kHz optical signal it displays as if it were 192 (blue in colour) but am not sure if this is then being processed as such or instead being downsampled in some way.


----------



## chesebert

does mojo even resample the data (I thought only mscaler does)? In any case any resampling would occur in the FPGA and not be limited only to toslink input.


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## bridger2086 (Jul 5, 2022)

joshnor713 said:


> I feel like it's more beneficial for people to complain to Chord directly (email Chord support). Rob designs the DAC part. If this is a system problem, that's Chord's deal. Don't like to see people jump on Rob when there's a problem. He isn't even employed by Chord; he's a consultant for them.


My understandig is that Rob designed the whole thing, thats why I tagged him. Might have come across as complaing, but really, probably like others who are experiencing this, I would just like a definite answer (preferably from the designer) on what is causing this and weather there is a solution. Than I think people can make an informed decision if and how they want to act on it.


----------



## joshnor713

bridger2086 said:


> My understandig is that Rob designed the whole thing, thats why I tagged him. Might have come across as complaing, but really, probably like others who are experiencing this, I would just like a definite answer (preferably from the designer) on what is causing this and weather there is a solution. Than I think people can make an informed decision if and how they want to act on it.


Nothing wrong with complaining if it's justified (which in this case it is). Didn't mean it as a negative thing. Only meant that it's more likely Chord does something about it if their support channel gets flooded with the same compliants.

If you search the thread, there was an answer as to why it's happening. Chord said it occurs when there's conflict in sampling rate. Unfortunately, they haven't spoke about a solution, and even worse, I don't think they said they working on a solution. It's wrong to ignore it, and I think people should both complain to Chord support and return it/refuse to buy until it's addressed.


----------



## imacaverage

another batch of correspondence with support:

I:
"I agree that the problem is in Macs on m1 pro and m1 max processors (I tested both with Mac Studio on m1 max and with a macbook on m1 pro), but my main claim is precisely that mojo turns into maximum sound mode. I also have a Cayin RU6 that also has this problem, but when this problem occurs, it starts to intermittently click at the same volume it was playing before the crash, so this does not create problems when listening to highly sensitive in-ear headphones. In mojo, this is a problem, it is not safe - you can lose your hearing!"

Support:
"To clarify, it doesn’t turn up to full volume. It’s playing at the set volume, however what is being played possesses no dynamic so it’s the loudest signal possible at that volume setting. we also suspect that Cayin stops because it doesn't support the sample rate of the noise (it usually jumps to 768kHz). We have an M1 Mac and we are looking to see if anything can be done. Care has to be taken because, if Apple subsequently issues a fix, it risks an incompatibility issue. "


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## David67 (Jul 5, 2022)

joshnor713 said:

If you search the thread, there was an answer as to why it's happening. Chord said it occurs when there's conflict in sampling rate. Unfortunately, they haven't spoke about a solution, and even worse, I don't think they said they working on a solution. It's wrong to ignore it, and I think people should both complain to Chord support and return it/refuse to buy until it's addressed.

Which is why I'm returning mine tomorrow and then contacting Chord support concerning the matter. Nearly £500 for a DAC which can potentially harm your ears is simply not acceptable regardless of how good it sounds.


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## ChrisGB (Jul 5, 2022)

imacaverage said:


> another batch of correspondence with support:
> 
> I:
> "I agree that the problem is in Macs on m1 pro and m1 max processors (I tested both with Mac Studio on m1 max and with a macbook on m1 pro), but my main claim is precisely that mojo turns into maximum sound mode. I also have a Cayin RU6 that also has this problem, but when this problem occurs, it starts to intermittently click at the same volume it was playing before the crash, so this does not create problems when listening to highly sensitive in-ear headphones. In mojo, this is a problem, it is not safe - you can lose your hearing!"
> ...



This makes perfect sense and ties in with my experience. Although the noise sounds loud and it can be startling, it certainly wasn't any louder than the peaks in the program material and using Quad ERA-1, nowhere near loud enough to cause hearing damage.

Personally, I'd persevere with the Mojo 2. I only sent mine back because the sound quality was not as good in some respects as I was looking for. I enjoyed the overall feel and musicality of it though, so I tried and kept a Hugo 2 instead.


----------



## amarkabove

imacaverage said:


> another batch of correspondence with support:
> 
> I:
> "I agree that the problem is in Macs on m1 pro and m1 max processors (I tested both with Mac Studio on m1 max and with a macbook on m1 pro), but my main claim is precisely that mojo turns into maximum sound mode. I also have a Cayin RU6 that also has this problem, but when this problem occurs, it starts to intermittently click at the same volume it was playing before the crash, so this does not create problems when listening to highly sensitive in-ear headphones. In mojo, this is a problem, it is not safe - you can lose your hearing!"
> ...


I know for a while my M1 Pro MacBook was having issues with sample rate popping sounds just in the built in speakers. Deleting the audio pref plist files helped solve it. It's possible it'll help with the Mojo as well. I know when I first tried using the Mojo2 I was getting white noise but that stopped after switching to a different cable. I can also confirm that the white noise I was getting was by no means deafening, but I also tend to listen to things at low volumes anyways do to needing my ears for my career, which would point towards their first point actually being correct, even if it isn't entirely helpful.


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## DavidYH328 (Jul 5, 2022)

Hi y’all who have M1 Pro/Max MBPs,

Slight detour from the white noise problem discussed here (which I also had but was while using AK SR25 + A90 as my desk dac/amp), how does the Mojo 2 sound compared to the built in dac/amp of the MBP? I was given the impression that MBPs since 2018 sound as good as the Mojo 1 (not sure if credible), so not sure if it’s worth purchasing a Mojo 2 solely as a sound quality upgrade.


----------



## rwelles

DavidYH328 said:


> I was given the impression that MBPs since 2018 sound as good as the Mojo 1 (not sure if credible), so not sure if it’s worth purchasing a Mojo 2 solely as a sound quality upgrade.


Curious as to your source(s)... Personally, I find this claim to be improbable but not necessarily impossible.


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## DavidYH328 (Jul 5, 2022)

rwelles said:


> Curious as to your source(s)... Personally, I find this claim to be improbable but not necessarily impossible.


Sorry I should clarify that these claims were made by other people’s online comparisons. It’s impossible for me to demo since the closest shop in stock is 9 hrs drive away… I do not own a Mojo, just looking to get the Mojo 2 hence the question. As for my own sources, I use tidal/& roon for streaming and local files are mostly dxd and 24/192.


----------



## RIGATIO

Hi guys, have a question. Thinking about getting the Mojo2 + Poly combo (usb cables are not an option as i will be using it like a dap).
I now have iBasso dx320 with amp13 as an option of changing the sound flavor when needed paired with Monarch MkII. Also ordered IFI go bar gold and AK Kann Max to choose the best option for a portable use. 
The dx320 paired with the Monarch sounds plain fantastic, very dynamic, punchy, refined, detailed and somehow "wet" in notes. Also imaging and 3d staging is mind blowing- around a head impression with great depth. But the size of the dx320 doesnt really make my life easier and im traveling quite a lot this year, besides im a typical portable guy- dont care for a desktop gear much. For my pc i have Zen Dac V2 paired with Sundaras and im happy. The dx320 outperforms it significantly.

Do you think, the Mojo 2 + Poly combo could be a step up from the dx320, Kann Max? The size of this combo will still be more portable than the dx320 (but less than the Kann Max). Im planning to use my Samsung S20 as a Media center to stream to the Poly.

How is the sound of the Mojo/Poly vs Mojo through the usb?

Thank you for any advice and cmoparisons in advance!


----------



## amarkabove

DavidYH328 said:


> Hi y’all who have M1 Pro/Max MBPs,
> 
> Slight detour from the white noise problem discussed here (which I also had but was while using AK SR25 + A90 as my desk dac/amp), how does the Mojo 2 sound compared to the built in dac/amp of the MBP? I was given the impression that MBPs since 2018 sound as good as the Mojo 1 (not sure if credible), so not sure if it’s worth purchasing a Mojo 2 solely as a sound quality upgrade.


The internal DAC in recent MBP's is fantastic. But it still can't provide the detail and soundstage of a Mojo or other quality external DAC. Also, diving around on Mac OS's audio settings isn't exactly the easiest, and you can't actually do any EQ'ing without a third party app.


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## surfgeorge (Jul 6, 2022)

RIGATIO said:


> How is the sound of the Mojo/Poly vs Mojo through the usb?


IME Mojo 2 sounds better with Poly than with a cable connection to the phone.
I was comparing the Mojo 2 to my Hugo2Go and with Mojo 2 - iPhone pairing the difference was quite clear, with Mojo2Poly I got the impression that it was closer.
Hugo 2 is still better, more open, detailed, dynamic, as it should be. But the difference became smaller and the Mojo 2 started showing some of the Hugo 2 magic.

If you use iPhone then you can play directly from Tidal or Qbouz to Mojo2Poly through AirPlay, limited to CD quality.
With MConnect Lite App you can also stream HiRes data using the cell data connection.
In both cases you need to activate the Hotspot on your phone to allow Poly to connect.
One issue I have with Mconnect though is that it drains the phone battery, even when not playing anything. I really need to kill the app to stop the power drain.


----------



## bridger2086

I agree that LOWN doesnt go to max volume, instead maxes out at the set volume. This isnt a so scary when youre listening to compressed/loudness-mixed music, but most classical music is mixed way down to keep all the range and than some.

Just to make sure, is using coax/optical immune to this loud noise?


----------



## Rob Watts

bridger2086 said:


> My understandig is that Rob designed the whole thing, thats why I tagged him. Might have come across as complaing, but really, probably like others who are experiencing this, I would just like a definite answer (preferably from the designer) on what is causing this and weather there is a solution. Than I think people can make an informed decision if and how they want to act on it.


Chord are of course, and have been, looking into the issue. But in all the many years I have been using the current USB firmware, I have never ever had such an issue. And so far, Chord have not been able to reliably replicate the issue. Also, if you follow the guidance - use exclusive mode only - the issue seems to be extremely rare. Moreover, the output noise is not full output - the maximum that Mojo 2 can deliver - but the maximum level at that volume setting.


----------



## imacaverage

bridger2086 said:


> I agree that LOWN doesnt go to max volume, instead maxes out at the set volume. This isnt a so scary when youre listening to compressed/loudness-mixed music, but most classical music is mixed way down to keep all the range and than some.
> 
> Just to make sure, is using coax/optical immune to this loud noise?


through usb the problem arose every day on different cables (including the complete one), through coax for three days no problem

I have all the tracks normalized through the Audaсity plugin, and as a rule, this lowers the volume level, so the maximum level at which white noise is played is prohibitively loud for me


----------



## stormwrx

Hi, anyone using the Mojo 2 with Focal Clears (the OG version)? Would appreciate your impressions, as well as recommended EQ settings on the Mojo 2.


----------



## lowrider007 (Jul 6, 2022)

I've been considering getting a Poly, has there been any news on Spotify Connect support or is that off the table now?


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

Somafunk said:


> That’s how I bought my mojo 2 and poly, both open box items from Peter Tyson and both in absolutely perfect condition with a combined saving of £150 which almost paid for an additional purchase of 7hz timeles, you’d never have known either the mojo 2 or poly were open box.



Some people make judgements very quickly and then return.


----------



## captblaze

AnalogEuphoria said:


> Some people make judgements very quickly and then return.


Fear of missing out is another hallmark of this hobby.

Informal poll..
Do IEMs sound a bit darker with one click of crossfeed?


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

captblaze said:


> Fear of missing out is another hallmark of this hobby.
> 
> Informal poll..
> Do IEMs sound a bit darker with one click of crossfeed?



Any kind of adjustments like channel balance or crossfeed seem to make the sound darker imo.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

bridger2086 said:


> Just to make sure, is using coax/optical immune to this loud noise?



As far as im aware the issue is only with usb input.


----------



## Alenotta

DavidYH328 said:


> Hi y’all who have M1 Pro/Max MBPs,
> 
> Slight detour from the white noise problem discussed here (which I also had but was while using AK SR25 + A90 as my desk dac/amp), how does the Mojo 2 sound compared to the built in dac/amp of the MBP? I was given the impression that MBPs since 2018 sound as good as the Mojo 1 (not sure if credible), so not sure if it’s worth purchasing a Mojo 2 solely as a sound quality upgrade.


I'm using the M1 MacBook Pro Max with it right now. It just arrived in the mail. I've tested it with Empyreans / ZMF Verité Closed / DCA Aeon RT Closed. This is going to sound much, much better than your internal DAC forrrrr sure. I have a desktop setup of a Liquid Platinum and SMSL m400 which I absolutely love. When you EQ this thing it gets pretty close to the sound of a decent desktop situation. I was really impressed out of the box, but one thing I realized I needed to do today was go into my audio midi settings in Mac OS. I always forget to adjust this because my other DAC uses MQA. Crank that rate all the way up and you won't be limited to 44.1 from Tidal or whatever you stream. After I did that I was really blown away. Oh, and if you have a nice XLR cable don't forget that you're going to need to adapt it down to 3.5 which you want to do in a way that doesn't totally change the quality of your cable. I was originally using a Grado adapter which sounded great, but then changed to a simple metal TRS to 3.5 and that really restored a lot of the high end detail and sense of space. Anyway, so far I'm a big fan. It is sort of expensive for a little portable, but honestly when you hear it you'll think it has desktop level sound.


----------



## DavidYH328

Alenotta said:


> I'm using the M1 MacBook Pro Max with it right now. It just arrived in the mail. I've tested it with Empyreans / ZMF Verité Closed / DCA Aeon RT Closed. This is going to sound much, much better than your internal DAC forrrrr sure. I have a desktop setup of a Liquid Platinum and SMSL m400 which I absolutely love. When you EQ this thing it gets pretty close to the sound of a decent desktop situation. I was really impressed out of the box, but one thing I realized I needed to do today was go into my audio midi settings in Mac OS. I always forget to adjust this because my other DAC uses MQA. Crank that rate all the way up and you won't be limited to 44.1 from Tidal or whatever you stream. After I did that I was really blown away. Oh, and if you have a nice XLR cable don't forget that you're going to need to adapt it down to 3.5 which you want to do in a way that doesn't totally change the quality of your cable. I was originally using a Grado adapter which sounded great, but then changed to a simple metal TRS to 3.5 and that really restored a lot of the high end detail and sense of space. Anyway, so far I'm a big fan. It is sort of expensive for a little portable, but honestly when you hear it you'll think it has desktop level sound.


Thanks for the write up! The reason I ask is because of how much better my IER-Z1Rs sound straight out of my M1Max MBP   compared to balanced out of my SR25, with much more authority in the bass and quite a larger soundstage. And the satisfaction I get from that makes me doubt there'll be a significant upgrade from the Mojo 2. If only I'm able to demo...


----------



## Alenotta

DavidYH328 said:


> Thanks for the write up! The reason I ask is because of how much better my IER-Z1Rs sound straight out of my M1Max MBP   compared to balanced out of my SR25, with much more authority in the bass and quite a larger soundstage. And the satisfaction I get from that makes me doubt there'll be a significant upgrade from the Mojo 2. If only I'm able to demo...


I don't use any IEMS so I'm probably not the best person to solve that mystery. I'd guess it may have to do with a synergy between the headphones and the output impedance of the new headphone jack on the Mac. A higher output impedance would probably make the bass feel more authoritative potentially? The mojo is nice because you can dial in the EQ and it doesn't sound like the you've altered the music. If you are happy with the way those are working currently with the MacBook don't mess with it haha. The MacBook headphone jack sounds great.


----------



## surfgeorge (Jul 7, 2022)

stormwrx said:


> Hi, anyone using the Mojo 2 with Focal Clears (the OG version)? Would appreciate your impressions, as well as recommended EQ settings on the Mojo 2.


I use that pairing and it sounds great.
I also have the Hugo2Go, and most of the time I use that because it has a more defined stage, more definition and detail and even better bass texture and extension, but the Mojo 2 is really close for the price and arguably better value. I don't use any EQ with the Clears, their tonality is excellent and I use Dekoni Velour and Dekoni Stellia pads for adapting their tuning and an even more defined sound.

EDIT: a few more words about the synergy between Mojo 2 and Focal Clears - Mojo2 has really good PRAT for such a small device making music sound very energetic and lively, it has good definition and detail and good imaging. IMO that matches with the strengths of the Focal Clears. The smooth nature of Mojo 2 on the other hand pairs well with the Clear's treble, preventing harshness.


----------



## msz38

dsrk said:


> Anything below blue is not dynamic enough for me.


You are 100% right. I have a similar feeling. Below blue everything gets flat and spaceless.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

Alenotta said:


> I'm using the M1 MacBook Pro Max with it right now. It just arrived in the mail. I've tested it with Empyreans / ZMF Verité Closed / DCA Aeon RT Closed. This is going to sound much, much better than your internal DAC forrrrr sure. I have a desktop setup of a Liquid Platinum and SMSL m400 which I absolutely love. When you EQ this thing it gets pretty close to the sound of a decent desktop situation. I was really impressed out of the box, but one thing I realized I needed to do today was go into my audio midi settings in Mac OS. I always forget to adjust this because my other DAC uses MQA. Crank that rate all the way up and you won't be limited to 44.1 from Tidal or whatever you stream. After I did that I was really blown away. Oh, and if you have a nice XLR cable don't forget that you're going to need to adapt it down to 3.5 which you want to do in a way that doesn't totally change the quality of your cable. I was originally using a Grado adapter which sounded great, but then changed to a simple metal TRS to 3.5 and that really restored a lot of the high end detail and sense of space. Anyway, so far I'm a big fan. It is sort of expensive for a little portable, but honestly when you hear it you'll think it has desktop level sound.



Why would you buy chord and avoid its internal upsampling? I wouldn't recommend that, just use a bitperfect software which will switch sample rates on the fly and let the mojo do the hard work.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

msz38 said:


> You are 100% right. I have a similar feeling. Below blue everything gets flat and spaceless.



I have found it to be very dynamic even at the lowest volumes, it could just be your preference that you enjoy louder sound more.


----------



## Alenotta

AnalogEuphoria said:


> Why would you buy chord and avoid its internal upsampling? I wouldn't recommend that, just use a bitperfect software which will switch sample rates on the fly and let the mojo do the hard work.


Hmm you must know more than I do about it. I've not used bitperfect before. I'm usually cautious about installing stuff that messes with the system audio, but maybe I'll give it a go if it is highly recommended. I definitely noticed a big positive difference when I changed my sample rate in audio midi setup while streaming Tidal. I'm sure there are better ways to do things. Like I said the mojo just landed here so I'm figuring it out. But by all means drop some knowledge.


----------



## elira

AnalogEuphoria said:


> I have found it to be very dynamic even at the lowest volumes, it could just be your preference that you enjoy louder sound more.


Some headphones get better at higher volumes. And also some people like to listen at high volumes, the experience is different.


----------



## stormwrx

surfgeorge said:


> I use that pairing and it sounds great.
> I also have the Hugo2Go, and most of the time I use that because it has a more defined stage, more definition and detail and even better bass texture and extension, but the Mojo 2 is really close for the price and arguably better value. I don't use any EQ with the Clears, their tonality is excellent and I use Dekoni Velour and Dekoni Stellia pads for adapting their tuning and an even more defined sound.
> 
> EDIT: a few more words about the synergy between Mojo 2 and Focal Clears - Mojo2 has really good PRAT for such a small device making music sound very energetic and lively, it has good definition and detail and good imaging. IMO that matches with the strengths of the Focal Clears. The smooth nature of Mojo 2 on the other hand pairs well with the Clear's treble, preventing harshness.



Thanks for your impressions. I received the Focal Clears and am testing them out with the Mojo 2. So far, I have not heard any of the harshness that some have heard in the treble on the Clears. I am running the Mojo 2 EQ with +1db at 20hz and +2db at 125hz and am enjoying the added warmth / low end. I'll have to try those Dekoni pads you listed as well.


----------



## dsrk

AnalogEuphoria said:


> I have found it to be very dynamic even at the lowest volumes, it could just be your preference that you enjoy louder sound more.


That depends on the sensitivity of the headphones used. I was answering the ideal volume range particularly for HD650/HD6XX.


----------



## msz38 (Jul 8, 2022)

AnalogEuphoria said:


> I have found it to be very dynamic even at the lowest volumes, it could just be your preference that you enjoy louder sound more.


Definitely not. Curious about your post I checked it out. It is a matter of my setup, perhaps the amplifier,  perhaps the mojo2. And I admit that I don't know if you can suspect the mojo2 or another part of the setup here, but it is not a volume issue


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

dsrk said:


> That depends on the sensitivity of the headphones used. I was answering the ideal volume range particularly for HD650/HD6XX.



That’s what I’m using with mojo 2 around the house as well. Try out an amplifier and see how it goes.


----------



## dsrk

AnalogEuphoria said:


> That’s what I’m using with mojo 2 around the house as well. Try out an amplifier and see how it goes.


I have tried a lot of portable AMPs and finally settled with Mojo 2. I don't think there is any other portable DAC/AMP better than Mojo 2 especially in its form factor.


----------



## amarkabove

Alenotta said:


> Hmm you must know more than I do about it. I've not used bitperfect before. I'm usually cautious about installing stuff that messes with the system audio, but maybe I'll give it a go if it is highly recommended. I definitely noticed a big positive difference when I changed my sample rate in audio midi setup while streaming Tidal. I'm sure there are better ways to do things. Like I said the mojo just landed here so I'm figuring it out. But by all means drop some knowledge.


Why aren't you just using exclusive mode in Tidal? If you do that, then Tidal will be able to change the bit rate as it needs to.


----------



## Alenotta

amarkabove said:


> Why aren't you just using exclusive mode in Tidal? If you do that, then Tidal will be able to change the bit rate as it needs to.


Oh nice I didn’t know exclusive mode did that on its own. That is what I use with my SMSL m400 DAC. I’ll try that with the mojo thanks!


----------



## AnalogEuphoria (Jul 13, 2022)

Removed.


----------



## Thompsonkirk (Jul 9, 2022)

A search of the thread didn’t answer my question:
Is there any consensus about best equalization for classical listening?  jazz isn’t bad without eq, but classical seems to need some help.
I’m using Qobuz and Meze Advar IEMs while away from home (might try Andromeda 2020 later).
Compared to my desktop system I hear less bass and slightly excess treble. Theres no adjustment for 6-8khz, so would I be better off (a) boosting 125, (b) reducing 3k and 20k, (c) a bit of both, or (d) something else?
I don’t want to explore this rabbit-hole if there’s already a consensus about what to try first.
TIA for advice!
And BTW, I’m impressed by improvement of Mojo2 over ver. 1. But you need a good upgrade of Chord’s little computer-grade cable connector to hear the whole difference. I’m using AQ Forest, which makes a notable difference, and will try Cardas Clear at home.
Kirk


----------



## Edyeded86

Thompsonkirk said:


> A search of the thread didn’t answer my question:
> Is there any consensus about best equalization for classical listening?  jazz isn’t bad without eq, but classical seems to need some help.
> I’m using Qobuz and Meze Advar IEMs while away from home (might try Andromeda 2020 later).
> Compared to my desktop system I hear less bass and slightly excess treble. Theres no adjustment for 6-8khz, so would I be better off (a) boosting 125, (b) reducing 3k and 20k, (c) a bit of both, or (d) something else?
> ...


Would the difference in cable make difference to connect to other sources too (iPhone , iPad  via camera connector etc)?

Do you have a link to cable - can’t seem to find it.


----------



## dsrk (Jul 9, 2022)

Thompsonkirk said:


> A search of the thread didn’t answer my question:
> Is there any consensus about best equalization for classical listening?  jazz isn’t bad without eq, but classical seems to need some help.
> I’m using Qobuz and Meze Advar IEMs while away from home (might try Andromeda 2020 later).
> Compared to my desktop system I hear less bass and slightly excess treble. Theres no adjustment for 6-8khz, so would I be better off (a) boosting 125, (b) reducing 3k and 20k, (c) a bit of both, or (d) something else?
> ...


You can try this excellent Mojo 2 DSP calculator if you can get the desired result.
Or you need to depend on the source equalization, for PC Equalizer APO (with PEQ you can cut the exact frequencies, you can take Advar's frequency graph as a reference) and for mobile any system wide EQ.
For Qobuz, you can try UAPP which has very good PEQ. 
You can try cutting the higher frequencies on the UAPP and try boosting the bass on Mojo 2, this way it will be more effective.


----------



## calbu

imacaverage said:


> yes, from the correspondence with support, I concluded that this is a source problem, in my case it is Mac Studio
> 
> support response:
> "if the loss of sync includes sending more than one sample rate- something that affects OSX- the device will try and decode it in the first instance. There is not an established way of preventing a USB controller from doing this."
> ...


I think that's the real question that probably has remain unanswered: why does the volume change?


----------



## imacaverage

calbu said:


> I think that's the real question that probably has remain unanswered: why does the volume change?


no, everyone found out - the volume does not change, just the noise is reproduced at the maximum level, while what was played before the noise is a track normalized by loudness, in which the level nowhere exceeds half
so if you listen to loud tracks (often with a low dynamic range), then there will be no particular problem


----------



## Alenotta

imacaverage said:


> no, everyone found out - the volume does not change, just the noise is reproduced at the maximum level, while what was played before the noise is a track normalized by loudness, in which the level nowhere exceeds half
> so if you listen to loud tracks (often with a low dynamic range), then there will be no particular problem


Man this hasn't happened to me yet but I'm on a MacBook Pro M1 and now I'm scared. Is it going to blow my ears out of my head?


----------



## imacaverage

Alenotta said:


> Man this hasn't happened to me yet but I'm on a MacBook Pro M1 and now I'm scared. Is it going to blow my ears out of my head?


yes it is very unpleasant, because of this I had to order poly


----------



## Musicophilesblog

Alenotta said:


> Man this hasn't happened to me yet but I'm on a MacBook Pro M1 and now I'm scared. Is it going to blow my ears out of my head?


I'm using an M1 MacBook Air with Audirvana Studio and never had a white noise issue.


----------



## Edyeded86

imacaverage said:


> yes it is very unpleasant, because of this I had to order poly


How does having the poly make a difference?


----------



## Edyeded86

Just my observations so far: the Mojo 2 sounds better (across apple devices - iPhone, iPad) when using the camera adapter (couple with micro usb). I’m not sure why, but I can hear a difference when using camera adapter and usb c to lightening (OTG), and usb c to usb c cable.

For those interested, paired with Sennehiser IE 900.


----------



## imacaverage

Edyeded86 said:


> How does having the poly make a difference?


with poly you don't need to use usb


----------



## Edyeded86

imacaverage said:


> with poly you don't need to use usb


Oh I see, so the usb cable is what’s causing the white noise (pops) i guess? 

I like poly too, but majority of the music i listen to is via Apple Music, so still need to stay connected to my main sources (iPhone, iPad, MacBook). 

Great solution for people that buy music though…


----------



## AussieMick

And Poly just sounds very much better than a laptop or mobile device.


----------



## Edyeded86 (Jul 9, 2022)

AussieMick said:


> And Poly just sounds very much better than a laptop or mobile device.


Surely doesn’t add anything to the sound if you’ve already got the Mojo 2?


----------



## surfgeorge

Edyeded86 said:


> Surely doesn’t add anything to the sound if you’ve already got the Mojo 2?


I don't know exactly how it is doing it, but I also hear a SQ improvement with Poly over the other connection methods I have tried. The same thing happened when I added the 2Go to the Hugo 2.
The music and stage kind of opens up a little, is cleaner, has more texture and detail, it's a bit like a veil is lifted.


----------



## rwelles

Edyeded86 said:


> Surely doesn’t add anything to the sound if you’ve already got the Mojo 2?


It's not about what the Poly adds, it's what the Poly doesn't add, i.e., noise.


----------



## HiFiHawaii808

surfgeorge said:


> I don't know exactly how it is doing it, but I also hear a SQ improvement with Poly over the other connection methods I have tried. The same thing happened when I added the 2Go to the Hugo 2.
> The music and stage kind of opens up a little, is cleaner, has more texture and detail, it's a bit like a veil is lifted.


My original experience with the Poly a couple years ago and the sound quality improvement it produced over USB is the reason I subsequently bought a 2Go for my Hugo 2 and a Bluesound Node 2i streamer for my desktop system.

Streaming direct to the device is superior to USB.    I would love for someone to explain why this is true technically.


----------



## Nick24JJ

HiFiHawaii808 said:


> My original experience with the Poly a couple years ago and the sound quality improvement it produced over USB is the reason I subsequently bought a 2Go for my Hugo 2 and a Bluesound Node 2i streamer for my desktop system.
> 
> Streaming direct to the device is superior to USB.    I would love for someone to explain why this is true technically.


The Bluesound Node will be my next buy, if Chord will not come out with a Poly 2. And, if I won't attempt to use a Raspberry Pi, after all.


----------



## Headphiguy

Nick24JJ said:


> The Bluesound Node will be my next buy, if Chord will not come out with a Poly 2. And, if I won't attempt to use a Raspberry Pi, after all.


I have recently bought a WiiM Mini (just GBP 90) and it fulfills all the streaming needs to my M2 at a fraction of the cost of other options. It was simple to set up, sounds great over its optical connection (no USB concerns), and has features no other device I know has, such as bit-perfect streaming from Amazon Music HD up to 24/192, as well as Qubuz up to 24/192 bit-perfect, Spotify/Tidal connect and Airplay 2. Even the iOS control app is well executed with the interface very similar to Sonos for the streaming services. The developers seem to be introducing new functionality every month (casting straight from the AMHD app is apparently due imminently as are improvements to gapless playback) and so I can see this becoming a very popular addition to complement all types of DAC. I find the device simply astonishing at the price.


----------



## hakunamakaka

Headphiguy said:


> I have recently bought a WiiM Mini (just GBP 90) and it fulfills all the streaming needs to my M2 at a fraction of the cost of other options. It was simple to set up, sounds great over its optical connection (no USB concerns), and has features no other device I know has, such as bit-perfect streaming from Amazon Music HD up to 24/192, as well as Qubuz up to 24/192 bit-perfect, Spotify/Tidal connect and Airplay 2. Even the iOS control app is well executed with the interface very similar to Sonos for the streaming services. The developers seem to be introducing new functionality every month (casting straight from the AMHD app is apparently due imminently as are improvements to gapless playback) and so I can see this becoming a very popular addition to complement all types of DAC. I find the device simply astonishing at the price.


Wiim Mini seems a better version of poly. More functionality and can be used in various setups, not just M2. Does it needs to be powered with external PSU ?


----------



## Headphiguy

hakunamakaka said:


> Wiim Mini seems a better version of poly. More functionality and can be used in various setups, not just M2. Does it needs to be powered with external PSU ?


It is powered via USB C. A USB A to C cable is included (as is an optical cable and others). It is small and, in theory, I presume a powerbank could be used but, unlike the Poly, it seems mainly designed for static WiFi use (+/- multiroom, if desired), even though Bluetooth and Airplay 2 are connection options too.


----------



## paulrbarnard (Jul 9, 2022)

Mojo2 on the edge with Audeze LCD5?

I just picked up a pair of LCD5 as I’m travelling in the US and I found a pair in stock. I listened in store with my Mojo2 and the LCD5 seemed a little lacking in the bass department. I then tried them with the TT2 the store uses for auditioning and the bass was instantly where I had expected it to be.  I will be using these at home mainly with a DAVE and/or Woo WA7 so not a big deal but given I'm travelling with the Mojo2 thought it worth mentioning that I’m experiencing what must be the bounds of the Mojos output stage. It really is not a big deal as adding a few dB of EQ saves the day and I am currently sat in a chair in my hotel room throughly enjoying some Agnes Obel.

What headphones to others think are at the edge of usability with the Mojo2.

Edit: no idea why my fingers typed Focal instead of Audeze. Corrected it in the post.


----------



## AussieMick

Edyeded86 said:


> Surely doesn’t add anything to the sound if you’ve already got the Mojo 2?


The electrical noise that can travel down a usb cable and really mess with the sound quality. Nothing to do with the bits; they arrive intact and we hear music. But when you get an electrically super noisy environment like a computer, that noise travels. It’s why things like AudioQuest Jitterbugs and Telos Macro Q make such a difference. Galvanic isolation helps, but doesn’t get it all. Optical doesn’t suffer from it, but is an inherently high jitter format. Poly and 2Go are electrically quite devices connected directly. Much, much better. 
As you move up the streamer market the designers spend a lot more of the budget on cleaning up power supplies and output stages, like Innuos and Auralic and others.


----------



## chaotic_angel

Hello, expecting my Mojo 2 to arrive now. Question, on this adapter to be able to use 4.4 BAL, will I get double power from both the headphone out?


----------



## Nostoi

chaotic_angel said:


> Hello, expecting my Mojo 2 to arrive now. Question, on this adapter to be able to use 4.4 BAL, will I get double power from both the headphone out?


No same power, still single ended, just more convenient. I also have this adapter and find it works very well if you don't mind the extra bulk.


----------



## Chris Kaoss

chaotic_angel said:


> Hello, expecting my Mojo 2 to arrive now. Question, on this adapter to be able to use 4.4 BAL, will I get double power from both the headphone out?


No.
It's just a balanced to se adapter.


----------



## dsrk

chaotic_angel said:


> Hello, expecting my Mojo 2 to arrive now. Question, on this adapter to be able to use 4.4 BAL, will I get double power from both the headphone out?


No, I would rather get DDHIFI - DJ44C which is much better and cheaper.


----------



## Nostoi

dsrk said:


> No, I would rather get DDHIFI - DJ44C which is much better and cheaper.


Hm, not in my experience. Had most of the DD adapters. Nicely priced, but in terms of build and reliability, you get what you pay for.


----------



## Edyeded86

AussieMick said:


> The electrical noise that can travel down a usb cable and really mess with the sound quality. Nothing to do with the bits; they arrive intact and we hear music. But when you get an electrically super noisy environment like a computer, that noise travels. It’s why things like AudioQuest Jitterbugs and Telos Macro Q make such a difference. Galvanic isolation helps, but doesn’t get it all. Optical doesn’t suffer from it, but is an inherently high jitter format. Poly and 2Go are electrically quite devices connected directly. Much, much better.
> As you move up the streamer market the designers spend a lot more of the budget on cleaning up power supplies and output stages, like Innuos and Auralic and others.


Thanks for this. Interesting to read! So,in essence the poly mojo 2 pair has a better power supply thus better sound quality? If this is true, does cables used also make a difference (currently using the micro usb to apple canasta adapter)


----------



## AussieMick

Edyeded86 said:


> Thanks for this. Interesting to read! So,in essence the poly mojo 2 pair has a better power supply thus better sound quality? If this is true, does cables used also make a difference (currently using the micro usb to apple canasta adapter)


Poly improves things partly by being battery powered and removing mains noise. I’m assuming it’s also better because it’s made specifically for Mojo. 
Cables…well some are convinced they help and some are convinced they don’t. There seem to be a number of different reasons why. All you can do is try a few and decide for yourself. Try to sort of ignore comments that are aggressively one way or the other. In the end it’s wether or not you think the difference is there. 
Cheers
Mick


----------



## Nick24JJ (Jul 10, 2022)

Nostoi said:


> Hm, not in my experience. Had most of the DD adapters. Nicely priced, but in terms of build and reliability, you get what you pay for.


I agree! Recently I got two DD ddHiFi DJ35AR adapters. I use them to connect my IEMs which all have 2.5mm cables, to be used with my Qudelix-5K. Both of these adapters cause a "tsk-tsk" noise, like screeching, on both of the headphone outputs of my Mojo 2. I am getting this noise If I will rotate them a bit. The volume is also reduced. I need to find the right spot to listen to music. It also works if I will rotate them for a few seconds and then it seems to stop. This was an AliExpress purchase, otherwise I would have returned them, already. This does not happen if I will connect a 3.5mm cable directly. 

Now I am waiting for a DD ddHiFi TC05 to arrive. I really hope it will function properly.


----------



## Progisus

I’ve had nothing but good experience with all my DDHIFI adapters. 3.5,4.4,2.5


----------



## BryceS

I have the plastic bodied 2.5mm to 3.5mm and 4.4mm DDhiFi adapters and several of the metal body ones in other configurations.

Without exception the metal bodied ones work flawlessly but the two plastic ones will cut out on a channel if moved around and disturbed.

I can't say I have noticed any sound quality problem with the plastic ones only that the connections can obviously be disturbed easily stopping the sound on one side.


----------



## wazzupi

Nostoi said:


> No same power, still single ended, just more convenient. I also have this adapter and find it works very well if you don't mind the extra bulk.


Why does this exist? If you just buy a simple adapter to make 4.4mm to 3.5mm I don’t see the point ?


----------



## wazzupi (Jul 10, 2022)

What’s the best cable to buy  to use from my iPhone to the mojo 2 ? https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Lightning-USB3-Camera-Adapter/dp/B01F7KJDIM/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?crid=1XRXQO89CJ4HL&keywords=apple+camera+kit&qid=1657496242&sprefix=apple+camera+kit,aps,118&sr=8-5


https://www.amazon.com/Certified-Lightning-Converter-Charging-Splitter/dp/B08THFB3FQ


----------



## chaotic_angel

Progisus said:


> I’ve had nothing but good experience with all my DDHIFI adapters. 3.5,4.4,2.5


Nice set up!
is that the original Mojo case?
Is original Mojo and Mojo 2 have same form and size?


----------



## McMIK

Hey All—I'm new here but have been loving my Mojo 2. It _was_ my favorite audio gear purchase because it appreciably improves the sound of anything I've plugged into it. My primary source is my iPhone 13 Mini and I thought I tracked down the perfect cable for the pair: the FiiO LT-LT1 Lightning to USB-C. Within about an hour of use I discovered the dreaded 'random noises.' Curiously, the M2 never did this with the stock micro USB or Apple USB-C. It's baffling that Chord would leave this flaw for so long. I emailed support and Ed got back to me right away stating that the _*only*_ Lightning solution that works reliably is the Apple OTG dongle. So it seems I need to decide if this is a fatal flaw, live with the issue and tip-toe around the white noise, or live with a massive dongle daisy chain.

I see y'all are raving about some of the ddHIFI adapters, but I swore them off after I felt burned by the TC35 Pro Mountain dongle DAC. Interestingly, it suffers similar connectivity issues, where the slightest giggle could interrupt the connection and cause the DAC to reboot. No white noise fortunately, or if so it only happened twice and I thought it was an Apple Music problem. I fixed the issue by wrapping a little teflon floss around the base of the lightning connector. This mechanically stablized the connection and fixed the issue. Fortunately the FiiO cable has much better tolerances than the ddHIFI lightning connector which fit sloppily and was installed at about 85° rather than square.

The issue with the LT-LT1 cable seems similarly mechanical, but more difficult to reproduce. So far it is mostly triggered by mechanical movement when the connection is newly established. So I've been turning the volume down, tampering with the connection and reseating the cables if necessary. Once the cable is reseated, the connection seems normal and resilient to disturbances. I will have to observe this more, but needing to reseat makes me wonder if the connection is susceptible to the slightest amount of contamination on the lightning contacts. The white noise bursts or distortion are limited to the volume setting, so I can work around it but it worries me when listening to classical music. Sometimes when the white noise occurs, it is permanent and the connection has to be re-established to fix it.

Considering my ddHIFI woes and I've seen it reported that other Chord products suffer this issue sometimes even with the factory cable. Is this a wider USB issue? I wish there was a detailed technical explanation by Chord or another expert. It's tough to know which piece of gear could have a hardware issue. (ddHIFI/Audio46 offered to replace the TC35 Pro, but I declined after finding the floss fix, I may through some on the LT1 but it seems to be triggered by bending the cable.) Thanks for reading my rambles!


----------



## Nick24JJ (Jul 11, 2022)

McMIK said:


> ...
> 
> Thanks for reading my rambles!


No "rambles" at all, and I'd like to thank you for your detailed report! Personally, I prefer it much better than the one line response of the type "never had any issue, works perfectly for me". I have bought quite a few products from AliExpress. The ONLY products I have faced an issue, ever, are those 2  DD ddHiFi DJ35AR adapters, I mention above. I have already contacted them but it takes days for their customer service to read and reply. 👎👎Hope the DD ddHiFi TC05 I'm expecting this week will function properly. We will see...

Welcome, btw!


----------



## Another Audiophile

Guys, I have a brand new battery from chord electronics for the mojo OG if anyone in the UK is looking for one.


----------



## dizcotec

chaotic_angel said:


> Nice set up!
> is that the original Mojo case?
> Is original Mojo and Mojo 2 have same form and size?


Yes, you can fit Mojo2/Poly into the original Mojo/Poly leather case. It's just that one button is covered, which doesn't really matter, as you can still press the button.


----------



## BryceS

McMIK said:


> Hey All—I'm new here but have been loving my Mojo 2. It _was_ my favorite audio gear purchase because it appreciably improves the sound of anything I've plugged into it. My primary source is my iPhone 13 Mini and I thought I tracked down the perfect cable for the pair: the FiiO LT-LT1 Lightning to USB-C. Within about an hour of use I discovered the dreaded 'random noises.' Curiously, the M2 never did this with the stock micro USB or Apple USB-C. It's baffling that Chord would leave this flaw for so long. I emailed support and Ed got back to me right away stating that the _*only*_ Lightning solution that works reliably is the Apple OTG dongle. So it seems I need to decide if this is a fatal flaw, live with the issue and tip-toe around the white noise, or live with a massive dongle daisy chain.
> 
> I see y'all are raving about some of the ddHIFI adapters, but I swore them off after I felt burned by the TC35 Pro Mountain dongle DAC. Interestingly, it suffers similar connectivity issues, where the slightest giggle could interrupt the connection and cause the DAC to reboot. No white noise fortunately, or if so it only happened twice and I thought it was an Apple Music problem. I fixed the issue by wrapping a little teflon floss around the base of the lightning connector. This mechanically stablized the connection and fixed the issue. Fortunately the FiiO cable has much better tolerances than the ddHIFI lightning connector which fit sloppily and was installed at about 85° rather than square.
> 
> ...



I use a *ddHiFi TC28i* lightning to USB-C adapter whenever I want to use my iPhone to connect to an audio device, an original Mojo included. It appears that it contains essentially or exactly the same innards as the Apple Camera Kit dongle and in my experience has been 100% as effective as the Apple cable.


https://www.ddhifi.com/productinfo/94995.html


It works flawlessly with everything I have connected it to including Mojo, iFi Gryphon, Diablo and Zen DAC and two flavours of Schiit DAC.


These might be worth a look also but I have not used them:

https://www.ddhifi.com/productinfo/1287647.html

https://www.ddhifi.com/productinfo/545951.html


I have never had much luck with Fiio cables, they seem to be best left to connecting their own gear regardless that the plug set up might seem appropriate - YMMV but it doesn't seem like it !  I had a lightning to micro cable for a Fiio Q5S and while it worked great with that it simply did not work for anything else at all, some wort of specific wiring set up I can only assume.

Another foolproof option is to buy a DAP that supports Coaxial or optical out and connect via that, no USB concerns at all. I usually use a Moon Audio cable from my Fiio M11 Plus to my Mojo.


----------



## Progisus

chaotic_angel said:


> Nice set up!
> is that the original Mojo case?
> Is original Mojo and Mojo 2 have same form and size?


Thanks. That is the orignal M1 case. Poly/Mojo2 are the same size. Only the + button is covered but I think of it as a guard or way to find buttons while in pocket.


----------



## McMIK

BryceS said:


> I use a *ddHiFi TC28i* lightning to USB-C adapter whenever I want to use my iPhone to connect to an audio device, an original Mojo included.


So what type of cable do you use after the adapter? Would a regular USB-C work? The new iPad Mini with USB-C works with the M2 and an apple USB-C, but I need more portability.


BryceS said:


> I have never had much luck with Fiio cables...


Part of me wonders if this is just cable and or hardware lottery, several other users report success. @HTML @againa how are your LT-LT1cables? No noise?


----------



## BryceS

McMIK said:


> So what type of cable do you use after the adapter? Would a regular USB-C work? The new iPad Mini with USB-C works with the M2 and an apple USB-C, but I need more portability.
> 
> Part of me wonders if this is just cable and or hardware lottery, several other users report success. @HTML @againa how are your LT-LT1cables? No noise?



Yes just a normal USB-C cable C to C in your case. ddHiFi TC05 is very nice and comes in two lengths and straight or L connectors, I use a longer straight one for iFi Gryphon desktop but for portable the short ones might be better for you.

I don’t have that Fiio cable, I no longer have any Fiio cables. After early bad experiences with Fiio cables simply not working with other devices outside of their own I don’t even look at them now.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Jul 11, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> I agree! Recently I got two DD ddHiFi DJ35AR adapters. I use them to connect my IEMs which all have 2.5mm cables, to be used with my Qudelix-5K. Both of these adapters cause a "tsk-tsk" noise, like screeching, on both of the headphone outputs of my Mojo 2. I am getting this noise If I will rotate them a bit. The volume is also reduced. I need to find the right spot to listen to music. It also works if I will rotate them for a few seconds and then it seems to stop. This was an AliExpress purchase, otherwise I would have returned them, already. This does not happen if I will connect a 3.5mm cable directly.
> 
> Now I am waiting for a DD ddHiFi TC05 to arrive. I really hope it will function properly.


I'd like to leave here ddHIFI's response about my issue:

_Hi, thanks for your message to us. 
Since the DJ35AR plug is made of rhodium plated copper, which is very sensitive to all kinds of marks, such as finger prints, dust, etc. please try to use a piece of clean cloth to clean the plug before use to make sure it works perfectly._

I am listening right now with my 7Hz Timeless + XINHS 4 Cores Graphene 2.5mm + ddHiFi DJ35AR and I've tried that. It seems to reduce the issue but not eliminate it, entirely. Anyone, any ideas if I can use some solution on these connectors?

Thank you and apologies for the off-topic. Many people are buying these adapters, thought it can be helpful.


----------



## wazzupi

hmm for some reason I can hear everything except my Qobuz on my iphone via camera kit OTG and usb a to usb c cable using my mojo 2 ?? anyone know a fix ?


----------



## BryceS

Nick24JJ said:


> I'd like to leave here ddHIFI's response about my issue:
> 
> _Hi, thanks for your message to us.
> Since the DJ35AR plug is made of rhodium plated copper, which is very sensitive to all kinds of marks, such as finger prints, dust, etc. please try to use a piece of clean cloth to clean the plug before use to make sure it works perfectly._
> ...



It seems reasonable to think the plastic body adapters are harder to keep in spec, I've had nothing but perfect results with the metal bodied ddHiFi adapters and two plastic ones I have give connection issues if disturbed.

Have you looked at the Geekria straight line (not right angle) 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter from Amazon ?  I've got one coming along with a 2.5mm to 1/4 inch if you were interested in a comparison to the plastic ddHiFi ones.


----------



## Nick24JJ

BryceS said:


> It seems reasonable to think the plastic body adapters are harder to keep in spec, I've had nothing but perfect results with the metal bodied ddHiFi adapters and two plastic ones I have give connection issues if disturbed.
> 
> Have you looked at the Geekria straight line (not right angle) 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter from Amazon ?  I've got one coming along with a 2.5mm to 1/4 inch if you were interested in a comparison to the plastic ddHiFi ones.


Personally, I will not invest further in such adapters, I will be purchasing the appropriate cables from now on. But if you think such comparisons will help the community make more informed decisions, it would be great to read your impressions. Please, though, post a link to the products + include your audio chain.

Thanks


----------



## Nick24JJ

A very immersive and engaging experience (7Hz Timeless)


----------



## BryceS

Nick24JJ said:


> Personally, I will not invest further in such adapters, I will be purchasing the appropriate cables from now on. But if you think such comparisons will help the community make more informed decisions, it would be great to read your impressions. Please, though, post a link to the products + include your audio chain.
> 
> Thanks



That’s fine Nick, if you have sorted out other options all good.

By comparison I meant does it connect properly, I don’t need to advise on my “audio chain” to establish that. Adapter to Mojo, does it work reliably when disturbed yes or no.

What else am I going to comment on that the rest of the gear matters, unless you think the adapter is going to alter the sound, if they do the difference is beyond my hearing.


----------



## chaotic_angel

does Mojo 2 have Line Out function?


----------



## McMIK (Jul 11, 2022)

@chaotic_angel: No explicit line out mode on the Mojo 2, but they advise you to set the volume to 3v with 41 clicks + from zero as I recall.

Now back to my iPhone & white noise woes. This evening I picked up an official *Apple USB3 Camera Adapter*, as seems to be the only OTG solution that is MFi Certified. The second time I plugged it in, I got *prompted to update it*. I guess that helps soften the costly investment.

I plugged in the stock Mojo 2 cable and as soon as I hit play on this new track, I notice it sounds... better!? So I pulled out the better cans and did some A/B. My initial impression was using the Apple Camera Adapter just sounds cleaner and clearer. After several takes, the FiiO LT-LT1 cable seems to introduce the faintest amount of buzz to some transients and dynamics seem compressed ever so slightly. This was my hi-res demo track. The FiiO cable introduced slight grain to the sitar and the ambient glass tone was slightly grating, plugging back into the Apple adapter brought back that clear lifelike sound that we all love! Tomorrow I'll test more and see if the Apple Adapter also reduces the cellular interference I was getting with the FiiO. Looks like I need to set up a return for the FiiO LT-LT1.


----------



## Menkau-ra

McMIK said:


> @chaotic_angel: No explicit line out mode on the Mojo 2, but they advise you to set the volume to 3v with 41 clicks + from zero as I recall.
> 
> Now back to my iPhone & white noise woes. This evening I picked up an official *Apple USB3 Camera Adapter*, as seems to be the only OTG solution that is MFi Certified. The second time I plugged it in, I got *prompted to update it*. I guess that helps soften the costly investment.
> 
> I plugged in the stock Mojo 2 cable and as soon as I hit play on this new track, I notice it sounds... better!? So I pulled out the better cans and did some A/B. My initial impression was using the Apple Camera Adapter just sounds cleaner and clearer. After several takes, the FiiO LT-LT1 cable seems to introduce the faintest amount of buzz to some transients and dynamics seem compressed ever so slightly. This was my hi-res demo track. The FiiO cable introduced slight grain to the sitar and the ambient glass tone was slightly grating, plugging back into the Apple adapter brought back that clear lifelike sound that we all love! Tomorrow I'll test more and see if the Apple Adapter also reduces the cellular interference I was getting with the FiiO. Looks like I need to set up a return for the FiiO LT-LT1.


did you notice if the bitrate was changed with the cable?


----------



## wazzupi

I'm using this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08THFB3FQ?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details and it seems to work fine no complaints so far and with stock micro cable.


----------



## Omshanti

McMIK said:


> @chaotic_angel: No explicit line out mode on the Mojo 2, but they advise you to set the volume to 3v with 41 clicks + from zero as I recall.


Is it 2V after 41 clicks ? The coler Indigo is achieved with the high volume white light indicator on.


----------



## tombrisbane

McMIK said:


> Now back to my iPhone & white noise woes. This evening I picked up an official *Apple USB3 Camera Adapter*, as seems to be the only OTG solution that is MFi Certified. The second time I plugged it in, I got *prompted to update it*. I guess that helps soften the costly investment.



Seems to be the only thing that doesn’t give white noise bursts.  I have the dd Hifi L shaped lightning to C, and the little Lightning to C adapter and get white noise bursts with both.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

chaotic_angel said:


> does Mojo 2 have Line Out function?



Just set the volume to whatever works best for your amplifier.


----------



## chaotic_angel

apart from Hiby R3 series, what sub $200 DAP with touch screen, work best with Mojo 2 via coax in, please?


----------



## surfgeorge

chaotic_angel said:


> apart from Hiby R3 series, what sub $200 DAP with touch screen, work best with Mojo 2 via coax in, please?


What are you looking for that the R3 does not offer?
I have been using the original R 3 with the original Mojo and it's been working brilliantly for playing the files stored on the SD card.
Clean and fast user interface, blind operation of the Mojo and R3 when in the pocket, good battery life.
The only limitation is that I have always kept Wifi off to prevent RFI, so I never used it with internet radio, streaming or HiBy App remote control.

I now have the Chord Poly for the Mojo 2 and it sounds great and works really well in my home Wifi environment, but out and about I really miss the simplicity of the Mojo/R3 stack... Really thinking what I should do, since for home use I have the Hugo2Go combo, and the Mojo2Poly was mainly planned for office and travel, which it does not fulfill that well to be honest.


----------



## chaotic_angel

surfgeorge said:


> What are you looking for that the R3 does not offer?
> I have been using the original R 3 with the original Mojo and it's been working brilliantly for playing the files stored on the SD card.
> Clean and fast user interface, blind operation of the Mojo and R3 when in the pocket, good battery life.
> The only limitation is that I have always kept Wifi off to prevent RFI, so I never used it with internet radio, streaming or HiBy App remote control.
> ...


thanks, have you ever compared sound from the usb to usb VS usb to 3.5 coax? wondering which one has better sound...


----------



## surfgeorge

chaotic_angel said:


> thanks, have you ever compared sound from the usb to usb VS usb to 3.5 coax? wondering which one has better sound...


Yes, I have compared it quite extesively and there are differences, but I find it a little hard to objectively say which one is better.
The USB connection sounds a little brighter and "more detailed" the Coax connection sounds a bit smoother.
I first preferred the USB connection, later changed to Coax.

Since then I have bought the Hugo2 added the 2Go, then Mojo 2 and Poly.
I should go back to test the inputs on the Mojo 2 to figure out the differences...


----------



## chaotic_angel

surfgeorge said:


> Yes, I have compared it quite extesively and there are differences, but I find it a little hard to objectively say which one is better.
> The USB connection sounds a little brighter and "more detailed" the Coax connection sounds a bit smoother.
> I first preferred the USB connection, later changed to Coax.
> 
> ...


Thanks again, exactly as my guess, coax is more "musical" and smooth. 
My Mojo 2 is coming soon.... wonder if I need to get the R3 or stay with my, android with UAPP.


----------



## ubs28

Some people said the Chord Mojo (1) sounded better than the Hugo 2, yet it seems alot of people are buying the Mojo 2, while the Mojo 2 is simply a Mojo 1 that tries to sound like a Hugo 2.

So what is going on?


----------



## wazzupi

ubs28 said:


> Some people said the Chord Mojo (1) sounded better than the Hugo 2, yet it seems alot of people are buying the Mojo 2, while the Mojo 2 is simply a Mojo 1 that tries to sound like a Hugo 2.
> 
> So what is going on?


I disagree… mojo 2 is better than the mojo 1 in features and technical performance but sounds nothing like a Hugo 2 imo. I preferred the mojo 2 to the Hugo 2 when I a/b’ed it at a local shop.


----------



## Nostoi (Jul 14, 2022)

ubs28 said:


> Some people said the Chord Mojo (1) sounded better than the Hugo 2, yet it seems alot of people are buying the Mojo 2, while the Mojo 2 is simply a Mojo 1 that tries to sound like a Hugo 2.
> 
> So what is going on?


Eh? Never heard any claims the Mojo 1 sounds better or even like the Hugo 2. The Mojo 1 has a warm tint to it, whereas the Hugo 2 is decidedly neutral. Mojo 2 is much, much closer to Hugo 2 and quite far apart from Mojo 1.

Moreover, Mojo 2 is notably more refined in every respect than Mojo 1. Mojo 1 sounds muddy in comparison, with soft imaging and a lack of refinement. Mojo 2 is more precise with much better technical performance. I sold my Mojo 1 the minute I heard Mojo 2.


----------



## dsrk

Nostoi said:


> Eh? Never heard any claims the Mojo 1 sounds better or even like the Hugo 2. The Mojo 1 has a warm tint to it, whereas the Hugo 2 is decidedly neutral. Mojo 2 is much, much closer to Hugo 2 and quite far apart from Mojo 1.
> 
> Moreover, Mojo 2 is notably more refined in every respect than Mojo 1. Mojo 1 sounds muddy in comparison, with soft imaging and a lack of refinement. Mojo 2 is more precise with much better technical performance. I sold my Mojo 1 the minute I heard Mojo 2.


True.
Mojo 1 and 2 are different sounding. I actually prefer Mojo 1's warm signature but Mojo 2 is clearly ahead with more power and features.


----------



## Nostoi

dsrk said:


> True.
> Mojo 1 and 2 are different sounding. I actually prefer Mojo 1's warm signature but Mojo 2 is clearly ahead with more power and features.


Quite. I can see the Mojo 1 having an enduring appeal - it's warm, smooth, and relaxed. The signature of the Mojo 2 is a departure from this. Probably one could EQ the Mojo 2 to sound like the Mojo 2, but personally I'm a big fan of the Mojo 2 direction.


----------



## wazzupi

dsrk said:


> True.
> Mojo 1 and 2 are different sounding. I actually prefer Mojo 1's warm signature but Mojo 2 is clearly ahead with more power and features.


I feel the mojo 2 still has plenty of warmth… which is why I said they sound more the same in technical performance it sounds way closer to a Hugo 2. Best way to put it, I think it takes the best part of Hugo 2 and mojo and put it in the mojo 2 but never reaching Hugo 2 performance.


----------



## Nostoi

wazzupi said:


> I feel the mojo 2 still has plenty of warmth… which is why I said they sound more the same in technical performance it sounds way closer to a Hugo 2. Best way to put it, I think it takes the best part of Hugo 2 and mojo and put it in the mojo 2.


Spot on - Mojo 2 is best part of Mojo 1 and Hugo 2. Well put.

Mojo 2 definitely does something the Hugo 2 doesn't. Despite having both, I don't always go for Hugo 2. The Mojo 2 also easily holds its own on a technical level.


----------



## dsrk

wazzupi said:


> I feel the mojo 2 still has plenty of warmth… which is why I said they sound more the same in technical performance it sounds way closer to a Hugo 2. Best way to put it, I think it takes the best part of Hugo 2 and mojo and put it in the mojo 2 but never reaching Hugo 2 performance.


I would call Mojo 2 mostly neutral with a hint of warmth and smoothness. Mojo 1 was Calyx M level of warm.


----------



## Edyeded86 (Jul 14, 2022)

surfgeorge said:


> What are you looking for that the R3 does not offer?
> I have been using the original R 3 with the original Mojo and it's been working brilliantly for playing the files stored on the SD card.
> Clean and fast user interface, blind operation of the Mojo and R3 when in the pocket, good battery life.
> The only limitation is that I have always kept Wifi off to prevent RFI, so I never used it with internet radio, streaming or HiBy App remote control.
> ...


I'd not really considered using a source like the R3 (or any other tbh) to pair with the Mojo 2 over my iPhone 13 pro. I can see what the benefits are - sd card support, external dap for when on go, smaller frame/carrying convenience.

Also, you mention RFI? What is this? How does Wifi effect the sound, please?

I guess what I'd need to know is:

1. sound quality differences between iPhone/mojo 2 vs R3/mojo 2 (if any).
2. Re the R3 - sound quality differences using coax to mojo 2 vs usb c to mojo 2.
3. How snappy/fast the interface is (obviously the benefit of iPhone is that its lightening fast).
4. Does R3 support Apple Music lossless too?

Would be grateful for your feedback.


----------



## captblaze

@Edyeded86 Here is a chart that explains all the connection possibilities.


----------



## Edyeded86

captblaze said:


> @Edyeded86 Here is a chart that explains all the connection possibilities.


Thank you for this - very useful. Going to order from Amazon (via prime) to demo with the coax cable.


----------



## jarnopp

Nostoi said:


> I sold my Mojo 1 the minute I heard Mojo 2.


I love Mojo 2; will never sell Mojo 1!


----------



## chaotic_angel

So this came at dinner time, nevermind the snack photo bomb 😂


----------



## Nostoi

jarnopp said:


> I love Mojo 2; will never sell Mojo 1!


They compliment each other well, for sure.


----------



## chaotic_angel

Helo, I am charging using 2.5 A adapter, Blue on menu is ON. Now the led charging shows Green. While mojo 2 is now getting very warm, is it normal?


----------



## dsrk

chaotic_angel said:


> Helo, I am charging using 2.5 A adapter, Blue on menu is ON. Now the led charging shows Green. While mojo 2 is now getting very warm, is it normal?


Yes it's normal it does get hot. 
Green means it's charging from 60-80%. Blue is 80-100%.
Menu - Blue is some what fast and White is max fast charging. Green is slow charging.


----------



## Alenotta

Edyeded86 said:


> Oh I see, so the usb cable is what’s causing the white noise (pops) i guess?
> 
> I like poly too, but majority of the music i listen to is via Apple Music, so still need to stay connected to my main sources (iPhone, iPad, MacBook).
> 
> Great solution for people that buy music though…


I did try a OTG cable for my iPhone from amazon that made some loud noises when it wiggled. I thought was the cable so I sent that back and got the official apple one which seems fine. I haven't had any white noise pops listening to Tidal via USB C to the Mojo 2. Fingers crossed it stays that way.


----------



## chaotic_angel

Occasional and intermittent crackling popping noise, android cellphone UAPP 
STILL EXISTS!! 😞
My usb C to C is 30cm already ..


----------



## subwoof3r

chaotic_angel said:


> mojo 2 is now getting very warm


Personally, since I use my Mojo 2 as a desktop solution only, I bought *this cheap 120mm* (but quiet) fan at amazon.
Mine is 24/7 fresh.
Even if we say that M2 can handle such warm, its always better and safe for all components inside it


----------



## headmanPL

subwoof3r said:


> Personally, since I use my Mojo 2 as a desktop solution only, I bought *this cheap 120mm* (but quiet) fan at amazon.
> Mine is 24/7 fresh.
> Even if we say that M2 can handle such warm, its always better and safe for all components inside it


Mojo2 doesn't get anywhere near as warm as Mojo1 could. A tip for Mojo1 (which also works for Mojo2), was to stand it up so that it is stood on the thin end where the Chord logo is engraved and the LED orbs are the topside. It really worked, especially when charging and listening. Mojo2 runs a lot cooler, but it's how I stand it if I am charging and listening. I bought the Mojo1 in December 2015. It still gives 6 hours listening time on the original battery, so I think this helps.


----------



## dsrk

subwoof3r said:


> Personally, since I use my Mojo 2 as a desktop solution only, I bought *this cheap 120mm* (but quiet) fan at amazon.
> Mine is 24/7 fresh.
> Even if we say that M2 can handle such warm, its always better and safe for all components inside it


I use similar setup to cool down Mojo 2 especially when I am charging and listening to it. 
I actually bought the fan for Topping A30 Pro which really gets hot, Mojo 2 doesn't nearly get as hot. But it does get hot when charging and using it at the same time.


----------



## Kentajalli (Jul 15, 2022)

dsrk said:


> I use similar setup to cool down Mojo 2 especially when I am charging and listening to it.
> I actually bought the fan for Topping A30 Pro which really gets hot, Mojo 2 doesn't nearly get as hot. But it does get hot when charging and using it at the same time.


I like that! very impractical for mobile use, but I like that.
This should now be obvious that _an outer case_ for a device that gets warm, is not a good idea.
On Mojo Classic, I traced the source of the heat to the charge-pump circuit (circuit under side, an inductor and accompanying components). The battery never got warm by itself.
Chord has decided not to bind this section thermally to the outer case, in an attempt to keep the case cool. they have attached the battery to the upper shell (the coolest part) to save the battery.
With all due respect to Chord, I don't think it works as intended in practice.
Since the device sits on its rubber legs, all the heat from the charge circuit rises, and the heat from the FPGA and the input chip will add to it, to finally hit the underside of the battery.
The little foam insulation pad they use on the underside of the battery, only helps with hotspots, but heat will ultimately get to the battery.
I thought of a different a way!  
I used a simple heat transfer pad  attached to the bottom shell, and thermally _did bind_ the charge circuit to the bottom shell!
Now, Mojo2's case is not as well-made as Mojo1, so the top shell does not make perfect contact with the bottom shell, which is good for my purpose.
The heat from the charge circuit gets transferred quickly to the bottom shell and starts to dissipate out because of its large size and mass, all the while, the top shell is somewhat insulated from the bottom shell (because it does not make full contact with it).
In practice, while charging and specially charging and listening, the bottom shell gets hotter than before (as expected and intended), but after thermal equilibrium sets in, the top shell (the important section) remains cooler than before. I argue that the faster heat dissipation of the bottom shell saves the battery, which is attached to the top shell.
Bottom line, at least don't suffocate it in a leather case. Turn it upside down, or on its side in use (to keep the battery cool) or do the simple Mod. if you like.


----------



## Edyeded86

Has anyone tested different connection cables between mojo 2 and source to see if it make a difference in SQ? 

I tried using my Fiio (usb c to lightening) OTG cable from mojo to iPhone, but found that the usb micro and apple adapter produces a better sound quality? Has anyone else tried any other variations to iPhone?


----------



## headfry (Jul 15, 2022)

Edyeded86 said:


> Has anyone tested different connection cables between mojo 2 and source to see if it make a difference in SQ?
> 
> I tried using my Fiio (usb c to lightening) OTG cable from mojo to iPhone, but found that the usb micro and apple adapter produces a better sound quality? Has anyone else tried any other variations to iPhone?


Absolutely big improvements can be had, but there are those that claim that since it's "digital" any properly designed USB cable will sound the same (the signal is actually analogue carrying a digital signal and is susceptible to noise and other detriments).  If you're curious, try a cable upgrade - they're not all expensive - and return it if it doesn't make enough of a difference.  I don't use an iPhone but use an iPad Pro and going from the stock generic cable to the Curious Hugo Link with Audioquest Jitterbug made my Mojo's sound go from that of a cheaper DAC (e.g. Dragonfly Red) to a high end DAC and I've been happy with it since, now with M2.

Here's a good video on the topic:    

For those that don't believe there are sound quality differences that's fine - I'm not challenging your findings, I'm reporting what I'm experiencing.


----------



## Kentajalli

headfry said:


> Absolutely big improvements can be had, but there are those that claim that since it's "digital" any properly designed USB cable will sound the same


Please include me and Rob Watts to _those_.


headfry said:


> (the signal is actually analogue carrying a digital signal and is susceptible to noise and other detriments).


Mind boggles!


----------



## paulrbarnard

Kentajalli said:


> Please include me and Rob Watts to _those_.
> 
> Mind boggles!


+1. 
There are significant differences between cables for mobile use, but that is related to length, connectors and aesthetics. The first two of those can have an impact on sound from a reliability perspective but not from a quality perspective, assuming the conductors are not made of damp string. The third factor can certainly have an substantial influence subjectively.

My considerations for a cable for a portable  device is; short, right angle connectors and solid connection. I use a DDHIFI cable which was overly expensive for what it is but very capably fulfills my primary requirements.


----------



## AussieMick

Why the sarcasm and negativity? Can’t we just be nice?


----------



## McMIK (Jul 15, 2022)

chaotic_angel said:


> Has anyone tested different connection cables between mojo 2 and source to see if it make a difference in SQ?





Edyeded86 said:


> I tried using my Fiio (usb c to lightening) OTG cable from mojo to iPhone, but found that the usb micro and apple adapter produces a better sound quality? Has anyone else tried any other variations to iPhone?


Yes absolutely, I had to return the FiiO cable. A few pages back I wrote a detailed description of the differences I could hear.

I’m gonna follow Chords advice: the only MFi Apple Certified solution is the Apple Camera Adapter. I found a significant difference and get almost 0 RF interference, where as it was quite bad with the fiio cable.


----------



## headfry (Jul 15, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> Please include me and Rob Watts to _those_.
> 
> Mind boggles!


....then why do so many hear _substantial_ sound and music quality improvements listening to a file on an SD card in Poly over a generic USB cable connection.

????


----------



## Kentajalli

headfry said:


> ....then why do so many hear _substantial_ sound and music quality improvements listening to a file on an SD card in Poly over a generic USB cable connection.
> 
> ????


I don't know, but that is not necessarily due to a USB cable.
It reminded me of a typical religious question:
- I don't believe in god.
- You don't? Then tell me who made the earth and the sky, you and me?
- I don't know.
- See, god exists!

Digital audio is immune to noise, it is digital, it is either on or off, flickering is irrelevant. Like Morse Code, only its existence and duration matters, a bit of hum on the signal, does not change the message, once decoded. And digital signal is not analogue really, they just call it digital!
Now Chord portable DACs can not afford the power drain, so have no isolation on USB input. So if there is noise on the USB input, although it would make no issue to the actual digital signal, the noise can creep into the ground plane of the device and affect the analogue section.
But it also requires another connection to the ground plane for this noise to have a current flow! A noisy player plugged into a Mojo, running on batteries and headphones, can not have a noise current flow on the ground plane, so the noise does it no harm - only if you use it as a desktop DAC connected to an amp. Now you have two connections to the ground wire, and noise may flow into the system.
At any rate, a standard USB cable always suffices.
Note that, standard phone chargers do not have a ground wire , so plugging in a charger while listening does not affect the device either.

In short, God may exist or not, we have no evidence for it - but as Keyser Soze said, I am afraid of him!
So there . . . .


----------



## rocketron

Kentajalli said:


> I don't know, but that is not necessarily due to a USB cable.
> It reminded me of a typical religious question:
> - I don't believe in god.
> - You don't? Then tell me who made the earth and the sky, you and me?
> ...


👍👍 
But who made God?


----------



## headfry (Jul 15, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> I don't know, but that is not necessarily due to a USB cable.
> It reminded me of a typical religious question:
> - I don't believe in god.
> - You don't? Then tell me who made the earth and the sky, you and me?
> ...


yeah, as long as others don't judge that many users have a different experience in this area.

Listening to my generic stock USB cable versus my Curious Hugo Link _to me_ is night and day. To someone else
it could sound the same, but that isn't my experience. And I paid CAD $125 used for it, so not a huge expenditure.

Since the 1's and 0's are carried as an analogue signal through the USB cable, it is possible that
it is prone to the same issues that other cables can have - such as headphone cables, interconnects....
regardless, just because there may not be fully convincing theoretical/scientific explanations
(although there is currently quite a bit) doesn't necessarily invalidate those that hear an improvement.


----------



## Kentajalli

headfry said:


> Since the 1's and 0's are carried as an analogue signal through the USB cable, it is possible that
> it is prone to the same issues that other cables can have - such as headphone cables, interconnects....
> regardless, just because there may not be fully convincing theoretical/scientific explanations
> (although there is currently quite a bit) doesn't necessarily invalidate those that hear an improvement.


But they are NOT carried over as an analogue signal!
First you falsely say since " 2 + 2 = 22 " then you use that to come to a wrong conclusion!
Just look up the definition of an Analogue signal - it means a varying signal in concert to another , this is exactly what a digital signal is NOT.
It is either 0 or it is 1 - it is never 1.5 or 0.7 - even if noise causes it, it wouldn't matter, when it is above 0.6, it is assumed as 1 and when less than 0.4 it is assumed as 0.
Another example, you have seen old war movies in which two ships send signals by code using a handheld floodlight.
The two ships talk to each other, regardless of any sea mist in between! don't they? are you telling me if the light should dim a little occasionally, it can make a difference to the message being transmitted?


----------



## rocketron

Another way too think of it is.
Your tv is digital it converts the digital too light.
Light is a wave form.
You can’t see digital as you can’t hear digital.
We are human and only receive analog be it in light or sound.
Both are wave forms.
Hope that makes sense??


----------



## headfry (Jul 15, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> But they are NOT carried over as an analogue signal!
> First you falsely say since " 2 + 2 = 22 " then you use that to come to a wrong conclusion!
> Just look up the definition of an Analogue signal - it means a varying signal in concert to another , this is exactly what a digital signal is NOT.
> It is either 0 or it is 1 - it is never 1.5 or 0.7 - even if noise causes it, it wouldn't matter, when it is above 0.6, it is assumed as 1 and when less than 0.4 it is assumed as 0.
> ...


...you're welcome to that view but that's not my understanding, but regardless I go with what my ears are telling me.

Did you watch the video I posted? If so, your thoughts?


----------



## Kentajalli

headfry said:


> ...you're welcome to that view but that's not my understanding, but regardless I go with what my ears are telling me.
> 
> Did you watch the video I posted? If so, your thoughts?


You made me watch that!
few points:
- To test a USB cable the man has used the digital signal from a player, put it through a DAC and then put it through an ADC and then compared the audio and digital signals.
If he had done it right, with absolute correct timing and absolute level matching, he may have had better results, there are just too many variables here at play, to say absolutely it was the cable.
- Any RF noise mentioned does not originate from the cable! the cable is just a conduit. the RF is either at the player and/or at the other device the DAC is connected to. If the RF noise finds a way to _flow _through different ground planes it can cause an issue. The USB cable can filter some of it out, if it employs a ferrite core or two, but that is about it.
- A faulty USB cable, a substandard one can cause glitches in the sound, but even that can not alter the digital signal as a whole.
- Any effect the noise or RF may produce (the brightness in sound he mentions) , is due to the noise creeping into the analogue section of the DAC. At any rate the DAC he used being a Hugo TT2, has _Galvanic Isolation _on its USB input, so RF finds it very difficult to get through! IIRC the filter works at -120dB.
If you want to know what your USB cable sound is, connect your DAC with optical cable, and compare with USB.
On a TT2, I bet 999999 out of 1000000 can not even a measure a difference, let alone hear one. (optical by default is noise free - until someone make a fancy one!)


----------



## AussieMick

Optical isn’t noise free at all. The send and receive chips for optical  create their own noise, too. Have you listened to what Nuno Vittorino, Paul McGowan, Darren Myers, Garth Powell and others say on the topic of noise and measurement of such?


----------



## Kentajalli (Jul 15, 2022)

AussieMick said:


> Optical isn’t noise free at all. The send and receive chips for optical  create their own noise, too. Have you listened to what Nuno Vittorino, Paul McGowan, Darren Myers, Garth Powell and others say on the topic of noise and measurement of such?


Noise on a digital signal is irrelevant - so let it be noisy! It won't matter. You can even inject some if you like.
Furthermore, whatever noise there maybe, it can not pollute the DAC, as there are no electrical connections.
You do know that the Voyager spacecraft uses a similar error-correction to a humble CD audio. Yet it can send accurate noise free pictures, from a tiny transmitter from the edge of the solar system and beyond to earth, exposed to huge amounts of noise on the way. The sun to name one!


----------



## Somafunk

headfry said:


> ...you're welcome to that view but that's not my understanding, but regardless I go with what my ears are telling me.
> 
> Did you watch the video I posted? If so, your thoughts?



Wish I’d known this back in uni, I could‘ve really stood out with that level of critical reasoning, my professor would have given me a big gold star and a special seat in the corner with a hat to wear, I imagine he’d also ban me from the pcb station and playing with soldering irons.

And the video?, less said about that the better as there is so much to critique regarding his reviews and methodology it would take less time for you do a 4yr degree course in electronic engineering and gain an understanding of what you are talking about.


----------



## Edyeded86

paulrbarnard said:


> +1.
> There are significant differences between cables for mobile use, but that is related to length, connectors and aesthetics. The first two of those can have an impact on sound from a reliability perspective but not from a quality perspective, assuming the conductors are not made of damp string. The third factor can certainly have an substantial influence subjectively.
> 
> My considerations for a cable for a portable  device is; short, right angle connectors and solid connection. I use a DDHIFI cable which was overly expensive for what it is but very capably fulfills my primary requirements.


Is this the cable you are using ?

https://m.aliexpress.com/item/1005002559819525.html

Do you find any difference in SQ when connected vs the lightening adapter and stock micro usb?


----------



## DecentLevi (Jul 16, 2022)

Finally got my mojo on today - Mojo 2 used from a good German seller. This thing is a micro brick with the force of an army to unleash delectable fidelity. A small miracle really. My distant memory tells me this has gotta be somewhere in the ballpark of 75% close to the Qutest I formerly had.

I got it connected to my new custom-built tube amp from Ultrasonic Studios that I call Finyssey (Odyssey-Infinity hybrid)




_shown with former DAC and a few random tubes momentarily balanced in front for the photo_​
A few observations after a few hours of use:
- The Mojo 2 REALLY needs a tube amp to shine. Comparing it with HD-600 (with upgraded silver cable and ferrite clamps) directly to the Mojo 2 gave a sound that while pleasing and definitely hi-fi and resolving, sounded fairly dull, flabby and congested in comparison with connected to this beast of a tube amp where the soundstage is much bigger, more sparkle, well defined imaging and instrument separation and far better PRaT including faster transient response.
- Upsampling to 192Khz / 32bit really improves things a LOT vs. redbook standard (that's the highest mine seems to go with coax cable connected to my DDC). The details and soundstage / 3D effect really pops out more
- If using as a preamp, the chosen Y-cable (3.5mm to dual RCA) really makes a difference.

Of course YMMV by quite a lot, not all tube amps are created equal, and even the audio cable, gain setting and which tubes are used can make a big difference.


----------



## DecentLevi

And does anyone have advice for a recommended Y-cable? I need one made of fine materials for a top experience. I tried it with a WG series from SKW (Chinese made) shown below, but to me it sounded quite congested, flabby, dark and hardly detailed. I have a really hard time believing the internals of this cable are really as shown from their product photo:






This standard design (but very good bang for the buck) Evergreen cable from Audioquest to me was a night/day improvement between the Mojo 2 and tube amp, sounding so much more open, balanced and detailed.




I may just go up to the next higher cable options from Evergreen such as Golden Gate, Big Sur, or Sydney - unless any other ideas?


----------



## Rebel Chris

I don't hear any difference between cables (silver, copper, different shielding etc). My advice: buy the cheapest audio quest and the Sydney, try it. I think you will send the Sydney back


----------



## DecentLevi

Rebel Chris said:


> I don't hear any difference between cables (silver, copper, different shielding etc). My advice: buy the cheapest audio quest and the Sydney, try it. I think you will send the Sydney back


If your hearing or associated equipment are up to par, you WILL hear a difference with cables. I also added a cheapo freebie Y-cable from a 3rd world country and while the dynamics were actually good, I got a much more complete 'picture' with fuller bass and deeper into the scene of the recording with the Evergreen cable. My hefty tube amp is revealing enough to show it.


----------



## Kentajalli

DecentLevi said:


> If your hearing or associated equipment are up to par, you WILL hear a difference with cables. I also added a cheapo freebie Y-cable from a 3rd world country and while the dynamics were actually good, I got a much more complete 'picture' with fuller bass and deeper into the scene of the recording with the Evergreen cable. My hefty tube amp is revealing enough to show it.


Or perhaps your amp is sensitive to input cables, possibly capacitance or inductance.
At any rate, since you already have the amp, and it is a hobby after all - then get whatever that pleases you.
I doubt if anyone can recommend anything, or you should take their recommendation.
The book says, a non-faulty, low impedance, low capacitance, low inductance interconnect cable of any make or material is the same.
Though I found out that solid single core cable for my headphone sounded best, but it would be stiff!
So I used fully annealed pure silver wire (for its softness) to make my own! it is not as soft as some, but practical, and sounds good and measures the least resistance, capacitance and inductance compared to anything I could measure that was prebuilt.


----------



## chaotic_angel

Analyzing USB vs Coax
USB is sharper, brighter and more analytical
Coax more "dull" overall presentation but maintain all goodness of USB in.


----------



## DecentLevi

Kentajalli said:


> Or perhaps your amp is sensitive to input cables, possibly capacitance or inductance.
> At any rate, since you already have the amp, and it is a hobby after all - then get whatever that pleases you.
> I doubt if anyone can recommend anything, or you should take their recommendation.
> The book says, a non-faulty, low impedance, low capacitance, low inductance interconnect cable of any make or material is the same.
> ...


An amp "being sensitive to input cables" - that is a property of any good amp, but it's called being "resolving". My Mojo 2 is connected to a multi-thousand $$ tube amp from a boutique builder in Poland who's respected on these forums (link on last page) and there's nothing wrong with it. It's just revealing enough to hear nuance differences including cables. I am getting great sound from the Evergreen cable from Audioquest, but am always interested in seeing how much better things can get.

Also I hope to not have thrown anybody off with my post on the last page in that the Mojo 2 needs a tube amp to sound good. At least as is the case for me, and a few others who have tried it with full size headphones we noticed it does benefit from an external amp; although it definitely does still sound good and gets _loud_ enough directly. But I'd imagine strictly for IEM duties, the Mojo 2 direct would be all you need.


----------



## headfry (Jul 18, 2022)

DecentLevi said:


> An amp "being sensitive to input cables" - that is a property of any good amp, but it's called being "resolving". My Mojo 2 is connected to a multi-thousand $$ tube amp from a boutique builder in Poland who's respected on these forums (link on last page) and there's nothing wrong with it. It's just revealing enough to hear nuance differences including cables. I am getting great sound from the Evergreen cable from Audioquest, but am always interested in seeing how much better things can get.
> 
> Also I hope to not have thrown anybody off with my post on the last page in that the Mojo 2 needs a tube amp to sound good. At least as is the case for me, and a few others who have tried it with full size headphones we noticed it does benefit from an external amp; although it definitely does still sound good and gets _loud_ enough directly. But I'd imagine strictly for IEM duties, the Mojo 2 direct would be all you need.


or for fairly efficient headphones, the M2 powers my very efficent Grado SR225e and GR10e IEM's beautifully,  but even my classic GS1000i's,which are fairly inefficient and sounded underwhelming through the OG (M1) but sounds great with Mojo 2, with a little tweaking of the eq. The crossfeed and especially the eq are major features to me, I love how they are customizable in real time during music listening and are totally transparent/non lossy. As I've stated previously, I consider the M2 to be a completely successful upgrade from the original and well worth the price (for me).

Also, it appears that some listen more intently and are more sensitive to nuances of sq. Of course there are genres which benefit more from
more accurately resolving equipment, since I bought the M2 I've been listening a lot more to classical, jazz and more appreciate than before complex, tight
pop and rock. For example, Stravinsky's Firebird (especially the Infernal Dance of King Kastchei) I now love, Gentle Giant's live recording Playing the Fool (1977)
absolutely blew me away, thanks to the Mojo 2's fidelity to the recording.


----------



## lycos

Sorry, trying to understand why do people use Hiby R3 pro as Streamer for Mojo2?
Is it responsive compared to newer Shanling M3x? Or maybe cheap Android phones?


----------



## chaotic_angel

lycos said:


> Sorry, trying to understand why do people use Hiby R3 pro as Streamer for Mojo2?
> Is it responsive compared to newer Shanling M3x? Or maybe cheap Android phones?


it is the similar form / dimension factor if both stacked, and R3s can work either usb c to usb or usb c to 3.5 coax. 
There is 3d print stacking case for R3 & Mojo


----------



## Edyeded86

lycos said:


> Sorry, trying to understand why do people use Hiby R3 pro as Streamer for Mojo2?
> Is it responsive compared to newer Shanling M3x? Or maybe cheap Android phones?


Not sure if I'm correct in saying this but my understanding was that android phones in general do not sample at bit perfect rate without USB APP Pro? Or is that for MQA only?


----------



## lycos

Edyeded86 said:


> Not sure if I'm correct in saying this but my understanding was that android phones in general do not sample at bit perfect rate without USB APP Pro?



Yes thats correct. But was curious why R3 Pro? Not Shanling M3x or any other daps? 
@chaotic_angel explained it well above


----------



## Kentajalli

lycos said:


> Yes thats correct. But was curious why R3 Pro? Not Shanling M3x or any other daps?
> @chaotic_angel explained it well above


USB audio pro is not the only app that can do bit-perfect output on Android, but is one of them.


----------



## Edyeded86

lycos said:


> Yes thats correct. But was curious why R3 Pro? Not Shanling M3x or any other daps?
> @chaotic_angel explained it well above


I demo’s the R3 last week, but opted to return and continue using my iPhone 13 pro for following reasons:

1. Qobuz support/interface not great.
2. Slower than a smartphone.
3. SQ via coax/usb c wasn’t as full (imo) as with iPhone.


----------



## chaotic_angel

Edyeded86 said:


> I demo’s the R3 last week, but opted to return and continue using my iPhone 13 pro for following reasons:
> 
> 1. Qobuz support/interface not great.
> 2. Slower than a smartphone.
> 3. SQ via coax/usb c wasn’t as full (imo) as with iPhone.


Wow, I am curious on number 3 

Anyone able to explain why so?


----------



## seadog123

Apologies if this has been asked before.
I want to give my Mojo2 a try via Innious Zen Mini Digital OPT out into Mojo2 and then 3.5mm out to 2 RCA cable into my Topping A90D.

Do I just set the Mojo2 to max volume and adjust the A90D volume to suit ?


----------



## dsrk

seadog123 said:


> Apologies if this has been asked before.
> I want to give my Mojo2 a try via Innious Zen Mini Digital OPT out into Mojo2 and then 3.5mm out to 2 RCA cable into my Topping A90D.
> 
> Do I just set the Mojo2 to max volume and adjust the A90D volume to suit ?


You need to set the volume on Mojo 2 to Color Indigo anything above it starts to distort.


----------



## dsrk

Rob Watts said:


> From my Mojo 2 presentation:
> 
> 
> 
> So for 2v you need to set both volume LEDs to indigo (that's the first colour above blue).





seadog123 said:


> Apologies if this has been asked before.
> I want to give my Mojo2 a try via Innious Zen Mini Digital OPT out into Mojo2 and then 3.5mm out to 2 RCA cable into my Topping A90D.
> 
> Do I just set the Mojo2 to max volume and adjust the A90D volume to suit ?


Please find above Rob's post to achieve 2v output by setting the volume on Mojo 2 to Indigo.


----------



## seadog123

Wonderful ! Thanks so much, I’ll give it a whirl.


----------



## Chibs

seadog123 said:


> Apologies if this has been asked before.
> I want to give my Mojo2 a try via Innious Zen Mini Digital OPT out into Mojo2 and then 3.5mm out to 2 RCA cable into my Topping A90D.
> 
> Do I just set the Mojo2 to max volume and adjust the A90D volume to suit ?


Once you're on high gain on the mojo, press the volume up button 41 times so it's @ the optimal voltage.


----------



## bridger2086

Pressing + 41 times after high gain lands you at 3v output (last violet). I found this might be a bit "hot" for some amps, with 2v (indigo) being more in line with what some amps expect to see in terms of input voltage. So do try both.


----------



## Chibs

bridger2086 said:


> Pressing + 41 times after high gain lands you at 3v output (last violet). I found this might be a bit "hot" for some amps, with 2v (indigo) being more in line with what some amps expect to see in terms of input voltage. So do try both.


Was using 3 Volts with my Hegel, how many clicks after high gain would indigo / 2 volts be?


----------



## chaotic_angel

Hi, silly question, have any one found sound changes while Mojo2 inside tight case?
let say, Dignis , Mitter etc.


----------



## Edyeded86

chaotic_angel said:


> Hi, silly question, have any one found sound changes while Mojo2 inside tight case?
> let say, Dignis , Mitter etc.


I use the official chord leather case and never had an issue..

How does the sound change?

Is your mojo 2 running hot?


----------



## chaotic_angel

Edyeded86 said:


> I use the official chord leather case and never had an issue..
> 
> How does the sound change?
> 
> Is your mojo 2 running hot?


Well in my experience with dignis case, sound less open than the non case usage 😆 nevermind tho this might just me.

Relatively hot


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

you are imagining it.


----------



## Kentajalli

chaotic_angel said:


> Well in my experience with dignis case, sound less open than the non case usage 😆 nevermind tho this might just me.
> 
> Relatively hot


Posts like this, give head-fi a name!


----------



## UNOE

I bought mojo 1 on release. Pretty lame to know this doesn't support LDAC or any wireless solution without a bulky poly. I would have bought a second mojo if it was all wireless. Plus took way to long for mojo 2 to come out and not include wireless.


----------



## Menkau-ra

UNOE said:


> I bought mojo 1 on release. Pretty lame to know this doesn't support LDAC or any wireless solution without a bulky poly. I would have bought a second mojo if it was all wireless. Plus took way to long for mojo 2 to come out and not include wireless.


I agree, BT is absolutely must to have these days.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Menkau-ra said:


> I agree, BT is absolutely must to have these days.


I agree, completely! I wish they would upgrade Poly, as well.


----------



## Kentajalli

Chord Dacs are all about sound quality and not convenience.
Even LDAC degrades the sound noticeably.
Even the BT on Poly was an afterthought. the network side, is bit perfect!
If you need BT, choose something from ifi, much cheaper, smaller and on LDAC, probably same sound quality as any DAC. the BT is the bottleneck.
I used the BT on my Hugo2 once, to know I never need to do it again.
Same goes for BT LDAC on my Topping DX7 pro, it degrades the sound too much (for me).


----------



## Menkau-ra

Kentajalli said:


> Chord Dacs are all about sound quality and not convenience.
> Even LDAC degrades the sound noticeably.
> Even the BT on Poly was an afterthought. the network side, is bit perfect!
> If you need BT, choose something from ifi, much cheaper, smaller and on LDAC, probably same sound quality as any DAC. the BT is the bottleneck.
> ...


BT is absolutely fine if I want to use streaming services. I want to have just 1 devices that does it all, instead of having many for  different purposes.


----------



## Kentajalli

Menkau-ra said:


> BT is absolutely fine if I want to use streaming services. I want to have just 1 devices that does it all, instead of having many for  different purposes.


That is a fair comment, but I did say, convenience is not what they are made for.


----------



## the teh

chaotic_angel said:


> Hi, silly question, have any one found sound changes while Mojo2 inside tight case?
> let say, Dignis , Mitter etc.


I find the sound changes (to be somewhat muffled) too when the M2 is hot. Anyone?


----------



## Menkau-ra

Kentajalli said:


> That is a fair comment, but I did say, convenience is not what they are made for.


BT is very cheap now days. By adding BT to Mojo people would have nothing to complain about. It could be a perfect portable device.


----------



## amarkabove

Menkau-ra said:


> BT is very cheap now days. By adding BT to Mojo people would have nothing to complain about. It could be a perfect portable device.


It has nothing to do with being cheap/expensive to add. It has everything to do with prioritizing sound quality and not changing the architecture of the circuit. Does BT really add that much extra connivence when the Mojo has to be in your pocket regardless? It's not like this is a BTR5 or GoBlu that's small enough to clip to a collar and reduce the dangling wires.


----------



## UNOE

amarkabove said:


> It has nothing to do with being cheap/expensive to add. It has everything to do with prioritizing sound quality and not changing the architecture of the circuit. Does BT really add that much extra connivence when the Mojo has to be in your pocket regardless? It's not like this is a BTR5 or GoBlu that's small enough to clip to a collar and reduce the dangling wires.


I just want to be able to use it when I’m watching movies. I still use direct connection for music. Would be nice to it to have to buy another device when I want to use my headphones and watch a movie on the go from my phone or my nvidia Shield at home that has LDAC. People are not dialed in to hifi all day long you know what I mean.


----------



## dsrk

Hi Guys,

I bought Hifiman EF400 last month and it completely spoiled me with it's warm, smooth and lush sound. I was not liking the Mojo 2 (Cowon PM2 optical out) sound anymore (I always prefer warm sound), I could not listen to a single song completely. So, I decided to sell Mojo 2 and buy a warmer sounding DAP. So I bought Hiby RS6 as few days ago and listed my Mojo 2 for sale. I got curious how Mojo 2 will sound with RS6 as transport. And to my SURPRISE the pairing sounded wonderful for me. I don't have a clue.....

I was not at all convinced with people telling that Mojo 2 with Poly sounds much better than phone or anything else......I BELIEVE you now .
You can argue that RS6 is expensive to use as a transport but I don't care.


----------



## Pulcino

dsrk said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> I bought Hifiman EF400 last month and it completely spoiled me with it's warm, smooth and lush sound. I was not liking the Mojo 2 (Cowon PM2 optical out) sound anymore (I always prefer warm sound), I could not listen to a single song completely. So, I decided to sell Mojo 2 and buy a warmer sounding DAP. So I bought Hiby RS6 as few days ago and listed my Mojo 2 for sale. I got curious how Mojo 2 will sound with RS6 as transport. And to my SURPRISE the pairing sounded wonderful for me. I don't have a clue.....
> 
> ...


Transports and cables play a big role, we would not have products like an Auralic Aries if this wouldn’t really matter.


----------



## vlach

dsrk said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> I bought Hifiman EF400 last month and it completely spoiled me with it's warm, smooth and lush sound. I was not liking the Mojo 2 (Cowon PM2 optical out) sound anymore (I always prefer warm sound), I could not listen to a single song completely. So, I decided to sell Mojo 2 and buy a warmer sounding DAP. So I bought Hiby RS6 as few days ago and listed my Mojo 2 for sale. I got curious how Mojo 2 will sound with RS6 as transport. And to my SURPRISE the pairing sounded wonderful for me. I don't have a clue.....
> 
> ...


So the Cowon used as transport sounds different than the RS6 used as transport? That's interesting. How is the RS6 connected to the Mojo?


----------



## dsrk

vlach said:


> So the Cowon used as transport sounds different than the RS6 used as transport? That's interesting. How is the RS6 connected to the Mojo?


Yes, USB. With RS6 it sounds lively and warm.
I used M11 Pro via USB earlier but I couldn't find any difference. It was nothing special and was not paying much attention to find the difference.
I was very dismissive of the transports sounding different.


----------



## KevinJB (Sep 10, 2022)

Planning to upgrade my Mojo I’ve had for 5 years to a Mojo2, DAVE is something I would really like but too expensive for me  maybe one day
Kev


----------



## MgMGM

Hi to all......Had the Mojo 2    two months now, I got the original mojo upon release and have had the Hugo TT2 for nearly 3 years. The mojo2 is an unbelievable piece of kit. It seriously cuts the the gap between OG mojo and TT2. So much so , Ive got to think were does that leave Hugo2,   at £1995   and Mojo2 at £500  that is a massive £1495 more. You can get a whole lot of IEM for that kind of money.!. The EQ on the mojo2 is fantastic and really not as complicated as it might first  seem....So in conclusion the Mojo2 offers incredible value for money,   pull the plug on one  Kevin JB in Yorkshire you wont regret it!!. Also massive thumbs up  Mr Watts.     PS.    Was big fan of the little bit and upgraded to the enlightenment, back in the day.!. Anyway folks,  enjoy ya tunes.


----------



## KevinJB (Sep 10, 2022)

Thanks I think it will be on my wish list for this Christmas 
Kev


----------



## vlach

dsrk said:


> Yes, USB. With RS6 it sounds lively and warm.
> I used M11 Pro via USB earlier but I couldn't find any difference. It was nothing special and was not paying much attention to find the difference.
> I was very dismissive of the transports sounding different.


Can the Cowan be connected via USB instead of optical to even things out?


----------



## dsrk

vlach said:


> Can the Cowan be connected via USB instead of optical to even things out?


No, it doesn't support USB transport.


----------



## ChrisGB

KevinJB said:


> Sounds like a good move, the cross feed also is a feature that really interests me. The only thing putting me off the Hugo 2 is if it can be serviced and have batteries replaced. £2500 is a lot for something if I can’t have it repaired or batteries replaced. I’ve emailed Chord today to get advice on the servicing.
> Cheers
> Kev


You can buy the batteries and DIY replace or send the unit in for the work to be done if you are not confident with screwdrivers. Hugo 2 is available for under £2000. Given the choice of Hugo 2 or Mojo 2, I owned both but kept the Hugo 2. Mojo 2 is very, very good, but IMO, highly resolving headphones show the Hugo 2 to be a sizeable step up in resolution of texture and detail.


----------



## Kentajalli

I concur.
Mojo2 has great value for money.
But,  a mint used Hugo2 @ £1000 from eBay has the same value for money.
Mojo2 is trying to be a Hugo2 ! 
If you don't need the DSP and low gain feature of Mojo2, for sound quality, try to stretch to a used Hugo2 .
Hugo2 is also larger!


----------



## Andrewteee

Agreed, for size and cost the MJ2 is phenomenal. It’s my travel setup and I don’t feel I’m missing anything. I can be anywhere and have the kind of hifi that soothes my soul. I also use it around the house.


----------



## surfgeorge

ChrisGB said:


> You can buy the batteries and DIY replace or send the unit in for the work to be done if you are not confident with screwdrivers. Hugo 2 is available for under £2000. Given the choice of Hugo 2 or Mojo 2, I owned both but kept the Hugo 2. Mojo 2 is very, very good, but IMO, highly resolving headphones show the Hugo 2 to be a sizeable step up in resolution of texture and detail.


I still have both the Hugo2Go and Mojo2Poly.
I had somehow half expected that I would sell the Hugo, but like Chris I hear more resolution and texture, bigger stage and more focused imaging with the Hugo 2. The music is also more dynamic and energetic.
Certainly these differences are bigger with my best IEM and headphones (Sony IER-M9 and Focal Clear) but still very relevant with lesser transducers.
Considering the prices for a used Hugo2 I think it’s great value too.


----------



## Amberlamps

Does anyone know how to get the Russian RT / Russia Today radio on poly.

if someone knows how to find the link so that I can hear the bull schiit that is being fed to normal russians, since europe does not broadcast RT anymore, since it’s been bannzored by the admins at sky q.


----------



## Pulcino

Amberlamps said:


> Does anyone know how to get the Russian RT / Russia Today radio on poly.
> 
> if someone knows how to find the link so that I can hear the bull schiit that is being fed to normal russians, since europe does not broadcast RT anymore, since it’s been bannzored by the admins at sky q.


Perfect point, free journalism should include free lies, I’m fine with adding a banner or warning information but the free world should allow any information.


----------



## LabelH

Just want to check in for Mojo2 appreciation. It's alright for portable setup hd800s


----------



## Pulcino

LabelH said:


> Just want to check in for Mojo2 appreciation. It's alright for portable setup hd800s


You use a really expensive transport for your Mojo2.


----------



## Amberlamps

Pulcino said:


> Perfect point, free journalism should include free lies, I’m fine with adding a banner or warning information but the free world should allow any information.



I’m just wondering on what Russia/Putin is telling brainwashed subjects everyday, it reminds me of that dude in Iraq was telling the world that Baghdad was not being bombed, just as cruise missiles flew past him and the next thing we heard was Boooooom headshot.



LabelH said:


> Just want to check in for Mojo2 appreciation. It's alright for portable setup hd800s



Cool pic dude, my H800S have been abused and thrown about, and no longer look like a pair of HD800S.  I need a new pair of can’s to be honest but I can’t afford them. Also, I was wanting to buy mojo 2, but I can’t afford either. Since january of this year, I haven’t got anything to look forward to and My health is getting worse, hence why I haven’t been on the forums and more or less not posting.

Saying that, I do have my O.G mojo & poly which is good enough for me.


----------



## miketlse

Amberlamps said:


> I’m just wondering on what Russia/Putin is telling brainwashed subjects everyday, it reminds me of that dude in Iraq was telling the world that Baghdad was not being bombed, just as cruise missiles flew past him and the next thing we heard was Boooooom headshot.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hi Steve, I noticed that you weren't posting much. PM me and we can catch up.


----------



## Amberlamps

miketlse said:


> Hi Steve, I noticed that you weren't posting much. PM me and we can catch up.



Hi Mike, my Chinese take out is nearly here, I will message you when I have finished, it shouldn’t take long, but it’s good to see that you are still here


----------



## kenk

I have both the Mojo 1 and the Mojo 2. As a long time owner of the Mojo 1 I feel qualified to chime in. I've also been inside the Mojo 1 and personally modded it (the stock capacitors were hissing), so I replaced them with some vintage black gates which improved things quite a bit. Mod aside, I'm going to avoid controversey and say much of the improvement could likely be due actually having bad capacitors). The black gates do measure well. Would they sound better than a in spec SMD cap... who knows?

The Mojo 2 is better in every way; it has more fidelity and finesse in the high frequency range and has a cleaner mid bass; also the desktop mode fixes the battery issue with the Mojo 1. I also find the cross feed function very handy for my CIEM Ultimate Ears. EQ is handy, but not something I really need (I try to avoid colored gear - or make mods to fix them). Is the Mojo 2 a earth shattering upgrade over the stunningly good Mojo 1? No. The Mojo 2 however a very meaningful upgrade, and I expect it to last a long time. I appreciate the well made design of the case, and that real time was taken to design the DAC and not just take a reference design from ESS or AKM. Having studied these, its surprising how little design goes into some DACs. I applaud the Chord folks for really engineering something!

In portable terms, I also have the very excellent L&P W2, and I felt (with the latest firmware) it was better than the Mojo 1, but that the Mojo 2 is better.


----------



## vlach

kenk said:


> I also have the very excellent L&P W2, and I felt (with the latest firmware) it was better than the Mojo 1


Enormous statement.


----------



## rush1

Hi All,
Is it ok to use 20-25W fast charger to charger Mojo 2 and/or Poly?
I tried once and the light on Mojo turns white on charging -maximum charging I suppose-. But I still wonder if its ok for prolonged use with fast charger.
Thanks before, Happy listening to all


----------



## dsrk

rush1 said:


> Hi All,
> Is it ok to use 20-25W fast charger to charger Mojo 2 and/or Poly?
> I tried once and the light on Mojo turns white on charging -maximum charging I suppose-. But I still wonder if its ok for prolonged use with fast charger.
> Thanks before, Happy listening to all


Yes, Mojo 2 supports fast charging. But for prolonged battery life, it is recommended to use slow charging whenever feasible.


----------



## Kentajalli

dsrk said:


> Yes, Mojo 2 supports fast charging. But for prolonged battery life, it is recommended to use slow charging whenever feasible.


@dsrk is correct about Mojo2 fast charging.
However, beware that what Chord refers to as *Fast Charging *is not the same as what phone manufacturers mean by fast charging.
For a phone, fast charging means, in conjunction with an appropriate _Fast-Charger _that is smart, and has multiple output voltages, the phone can _Ask _the fast-charger to switch its voltage to 9V or more, to engage fast charging on the phone.
*In Chord's case *it is not so! Chord requires 5V all the time, 9V would damage it - However chargers can have 1A or 2A  or more output. Chord devices try to pull 2A from the charger in order to go to fast-charge mode, if the charger can not handle it, i.e. the 5V rail drops voltage, then Chord devices switch to standard charge current of 1A.
Bottom line, one needs a genuine 2A or more standard charger for Chord, and not what is typically referred to as a _Fast-charger._


----------



## miketlse (Aug 1, 2022)

rush1 said:


> Hi All,
> Is it ok to use 20-25W fast charger to charger Mojo 2 and/or Poly?


[Edited]
Not long after Mojo 1 shipped, @Rob Watts warned that some fast chargers pose an over -voltage risk to the Mojo circuits. I don't know if that also applies to Mojo 2, but better safe than sorry.


----------



## imacaverage

I bought a wire with a display that shows current and voltage, so mojo 2 only takes 5 volts / 1.25 amps maximum, and the closer to full charge the current drops to 0.4 amps

and all this happens either on a two-ampere charge, or on a powerful charge capable of delivering 3 or more amperes


----------



## Hamuraii (Aug 1, 2022)

Hello guys,

1st post.

*Mojo 2* is on the way, hope to get my hands on it this week.

*Neumann ND20* are my headphones, due to working in a loud Factory, I picked closed back with most isolation that will not make my ears bleed after 8 hours of listening to music and podcasts, and if they get scratched a bit its ok, these are tools used in my trade.


My simple mobile setup is :


*LD West Leather Holsters* (https://www.ldwest.com/)
      There is an option to buy *Dual Phone Pouches  *(https://www.ldwest.com/collections/holster-parts/products/v2-dual-phone-pouches)
      Keeping it secure, happy, little to no movement inside, and cable/phone jacks wont experience violent angled tugs.
      wont have any option to interact with the device, does not matter, just press play and let the playlist roll.

*Right side : iPhone 13 ProMax  *MFI USB-C <> Lightning cable 1.2m

   I'll only have to reach inside, with left arm, to get the iPhone out, to interact.
   With muscle memory, its going to be faster than digging out your phone from the pocket and back.

*Left side : Mojo 2 *w. leather case. inside the leather Holster.

*Top side :  Neumann ND20 closed back
*Due to working in a loud Factory, -34db isolation. * 
*Shorter headphone cable from LD West left holster to headphone, with head tilt and rotation slack, maybe 30cm long (chest to ears length).
   Mojo 2 headphone jacks will point upwards
   USB-C <> Lightning down
   iPhone will go into right holster, head 1st, so the bottom sticks out, forming a slack bridge from *Mojo 2* <> *iPhone


Quality thick cotton t-shirt, covering the naked torso.*

*LD West Holster over the t-shirt, with Mojo2, iPhone 13ProMax and cables routing.

Quality thick long sleeve jumper, over all of the gear.  


>>Conceal Carry Mobile HiFi   *


Do you have experience with Neumann ND20 + Mojo2 setup ?

I hope the warm musical nature of the Mojo will, make the Neuman's smile.

How does the EQ work making them a little bit more warm and musical, thinking bit of a V-shape, curve ?

Thank you.


----------



## shawty552

Haven't been able to find anything about this anywhere else on the net, but these claims of "lossless" DSP have piqued my interest...

I'm a novice when it comes to DSP, but since any EQ move - even in the analogue domain - will introduce phase shifts, how can the Mojo 2 circumvent this? Is it using some kind of very low-latency linear-phase EQ? Or does the "lossless" part simply imply that all operations are being oversampled @ 16x (705kHz), leading to barely any aliasing/artifacts?

Would love to read more about this, it seems like a very revolutionary invention!


----------



## Musicophilesblog

shawty552 said:


> Haven't been able to find anything about this anywhere else on the net, but these claims of "lossless" DSP have piqued my interest...
> 
> I'm a novice when it comes to DSP, but since any EQ move - even in the analogue domain - will introduce phase shifts, how can the Mojo 2 circumvent this? Is it using some kind of very low-latency linear-phase EQ? Or does the "lossless" part simply imply that all operations are being oversampled @ 16x (705kHz), leading to barely any aliasing/artifacts?
> 
> Would love to read more about this, it seems like a very revolutionary invention!




Have a look at this lecture by the developer.


----------



## surfgeorge (Aug 2, 2022)

Mojo2Poly case is ready!
I have to say I really like it! The shape fits the Mojo 2 perfectly, looks great and allows for some cooling.
And I love how the gold color contrasts the black aluminum 

*Files uploaded on Cults3D chord-mojo2poly-case*


----------



## Kentajalli

surfgeorge said:


> Mojo2Poly case is ready!
> I have to say I really like it! The shape fits the Mojo 2 perfectly, looks great and allows for some cooling.
> And I love how the gold color contrasts the black aluminum


I like it! More pictures please, from different angles.
What sets this cover apart from others, is the fact that Mojo2 can breathe! it is not cooked up inside, can dissipate its heat!
Generally I am against putting any device that heats up inside a cover, but _This _works!
Good job.


----------



## surfgeorge (Aug 2, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> I like it! More pictures please, from different angles.
> What sets this cover apart from others, is the fact that Mojo2 can breathe! it is not cooked up inside, can dissipate its heat!
> Generally I am against putting any device that heats up inside a cover, but _This _works!
> Good job.


*Files uploaded on Cults3D **chord-mojo2poly-case*


----------



## Derivative

Hamuraii said:


> Hello guys,
> 
> 1st post.
> 
> ...


The EQ is simple to use once you get the hang of it, and offers a decent amount of flexibility in terms of tuning the sound to your preferences. Best thing would be to experiment with the 4 bands and the crossfeed until you hit a combination that satisfies. I think the DSP in the Mojo2 is well implemented and a key feature that makes it stand out from the previous model and the competition (to some degree).


----------



## chaotic_angel

surfgeorge said:


>


Nice job! how to insert both Poly and Mojo?
Secondly which one have better sound, usb in from any device or Poly?


----------



## KelFab

If the case is made from PLA, beware of deformations due to the heat of the device (PLA glass transition temperature is around 60°C).


----------



## shawty552 (Aug 2, 2022)

Musicophilesblog said:


> Have a look at this lecture by the developer.



Thank you! Great explanation. This is boundary pushing stuff. Rob Watts - you're one of a kind. Keep pushing the envelope.

If I understand this correctly, then "lossless" in Chord's usage simply means that two opposite EQ moves (i.e. +6dB 120Hz -> -6dB 120Hz) will null perfectly down to -301dB. Phase alteration of the signal still happens around the frequency of the EQ band - anything else would mess with the laws of physics, as I suspected.

Still mind-blowing stuff.


----------



## jarnopp

Hamuraii said:


> How does the EQ work making them a little bit more warm and musical, thinking bit of a V-shape, curve ?
> 
> Thank you.


You can try this spreadsheet to get a feel for the curve and see what sounds best:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ge-95-of-thread.885405/page-182#post-16822912

Happy listening!


----------



## surfgeorge (Aug 2, 2022)

chaotic_angel said:


> Nice job! how to insert both Poly and Mojo?
> Secondly which one have better sound, usb in from any device or Poly?


Thanks!
You insert in the Mojo2Poly from below into the top part (yellow in the rendering) and close the case with the base plate (green) that snaps into place.
Yes, the SQ with Poly is a little better than with other USB sources IMO. Playing files stored on the SD card is even better IMO.



KelFab said:


> If the case is made from PLA, beware of deformations due to the heat of the device (PLA glass transition temperature is around 60°C).


Thanks, I am aware of these limitations. I used PETG for my cases in the past, but this one is indeed made from PLA. Mojo2Poly stays really cool and I will always protect it from exposure to heat, so it should not be any issue. And in the worst case I'd just print a new case 

*EDIT: Files uploaded on Cults3D **chord-mojo2poly-case*


----------



## chips (Aug 3, 2022)

Hello,

Am currently using Tidal trial out of iphone connected to the mojo2 and it's showing 44.1khz(red) sample red. May I know anyone else with the same setup, what sample rate are you getting and how can I improve the sample rate? And any other streaming app to recommend for best audio output from the iphone? It's currently connected to the mojo2 via a ddhifi cable. Thanks

Unfortunately,Qobuz is not available in the country where I reside.


----------



## surfgeorge

chips said:


> Hello,
> 
> Am currently using Tidal trial out of iphone connected to the mojo2 and it's showing 44.1khz(red) sample red. May I know anyone else with the same setup, what sample rate are you getting and how can I improve the sample rate? And any other streaming app to recommend for best audio output from the iphone? It's currently connected to the mojo2 via a ddhifi cable. Thanks


I have been using Tidal for 2-3 years, and my understanding is that Tidal does not support native HiRes files but rather just the proprietary MQA files, which is supposed to pack HiRes information into the 16/44 FLAC format. Chord DACs do not support MQA files, and Rob Watts has been outspoken about his opinion that MQA actually reduces SQ. However, since Tidal standard now supports FLAC files it is a very cost effective solution.

Qobuz is a streaming service with HiRes support. I have been using it for a few months in parallel to Tidal, and I find it to sound better, even with regular 16/44 files. Qobuz also offers purchase of music for downloading and local storage, both 16/44 and HiRes formats. As such I find it the better "audiophile" platform.
YMMV


----------



## Another Audiophile

surfgeorge said:


> However, since Tidal standard now supports FLAC files it is a very cost effective solution.


I don't think this is true. They don't stream redbook CD quality but the 1411 kbps MQA master version of it.


----------



## surfgeorge

Another Audiophile said:


> I don't think this is true. They don't stream redbook CD quality but the 1411 kbps MQA master version of it.


Tidal calls it "lossless CD Quality" which I would assume means 16/44


----------



## Another Audiophile

surfgeorge said:


> Tidal calls it "lossless CD Quality" which I would assume means 16/44


Not really. CD quality doesn't make it redbook and certainly not flac. Do you see any mention on the format streamed? As far as I know is the CD quality MQA master. For example Qobuz streams Flac 16/44


----------



## surfgeorge

Another Audiophile said:


> Not really. CD quality doesn't make it redbook and certainly not flac. Do you see any mention on the format streamed? As far as I know is the CD quality MQA master. For example Qobuz streams Flac 16/44


From TIDAL:



From Wikipedia:
The audio bit rate for a _Red Book_ audio CD is 1,411,200 bits per second (1,411 kbit/s) or 176,400 bytes per second; 2 channels × 44,100 samples per second per channel × 16 bits per sample.

So you are right, it is 1411 kbps, which incidentially seems to be red book CD quality


----------



## Soundizer

Anyone tried Mojo with a TV via Optical connection?

If so how does it manage Surround Sound - Dolby 5.1/Atmos. Can it convert to Stereo?

The previous original Mojo couldn’t handle it and most new Sony TV’s don’t do Stereo conversion on 5.1 via Optical anymore. Used to.


----------



## miketlse

surfgeorge said:


> Tidal calls it "lossless CD Quality" which I would assume means 16/44


I suspect some marketing BS. MQA is a lossy encoding, so I struggle to understand how that aligns with the lossless FLAC codec. 
Maybe someone can enlighten me.


----------



## Another Audiophile (Aug 3, 2022)

surfgeorge said:


> From TIDAL:
> 
> From Wikipedia:
> The audio bit rate for a _Red Book_ audio CD is 1,411,200 bits per second (1,411 kbit/s) or 176,400 bytes per second; 2 channels × 44,100 samples per second per channel × 16 bits per sample.
> ...


Basically what they stream is the mqa master in 1411 kbps which are inherently lossy. Not flac files and flac or redbook is nowhere mentioned in tidal’s side.


----------



## Musicophilesblog (Aug 3, 2022)

Another Audiophile said:


> Basically what they stream is the mqa master in 1411 kbps which are inherently lossy. Not flac files and flac or redbook is nowhere mentioned in tidal’s side.


Maybe it’s just me but how about moving the 1036th iteration of an MQA discussion elsewhere? Not sure about the relevance for the Chord Mojo.


----------



## Feischmaker

If i were to use Mojo 2 with Windows 10, do I need to install driver, or can i just plug and play?


----------



## Hamuraii

Feischmaker said:


> If i were to use Mojo 2 with Windows 10, do I need to install driver, or can i just plug and play?



With every digital devices, you have to install a driver, so windows can 'talk' to the new device.


it's plug and play on the Macintosh OS.


Windows is spaghetti, you need sauce to bind the mess on your fork.


----------



## Feischmaker

Hamuraii said:


> With every digital devices, you have to install a driver, so windows can 'talk' to the new device.
> 
> 
> it's plug and play on the Macintosh OS.
> ...


interesting, because i found most of other DAC I used to be plug and play with Win10. 
I wonder what makes the difference with Chord


----------



## Hamuraii

it uses inhouse, secret sauce, that's not the same as all other DACs, using the same Chinese sweet sour chilly sauce.


----------



## Chibs

Hamuraii said:


> With every digital devices, you have to install a driver, so windows can 'talk' to the new device.
> 
> 
> it's plug and play on the Macintosh OS.
> ...


This made me LOL


----------



## Kentajalli

Hamuraii said:


> With every digital devices, you have to install a driver, so windows can 'talk' to the new device.
> it's plug and play on the Macintosh OS.
> Windows is spaghetti, you need sauce to bind the mess on your fork.


On Windows 10, without any drivers, plugging a Chord DAC into a USB is enough! Don't really need the ASIO driver, just tell your player to use Chord DAC on WASAPI, done finished!
But the ASIO has additional benefits like buffers and DOP, but it is not a necessity.
You see with Windows, you can have _options _if you want to - With _Mac, _it decides for you, and gives you no options, tweaking it is possible, but would be hard.
So your food can easily benefit from _Sauces _or not ! It is not a pre-decided food-tray with no options, like aeroplane food.
But the Windows vs Mac is a very old and long long discussion, for another day.


----------



## imacaverage




----------



## chaotic_angel

imacaverage said:


>


I envy, still working out how to connect with my Poly now. Great Set up btw.

When charging the Poly alone, using 2A charges head - it shows solid White color, what is the sign of fully charged? and how many hours needed?


----------



## ubs28 (Aug 6, 2022)

Menkau-ra said:


> BT is absolutely fine if I want to use streaming services. I want to have just 1 devices that does it all, instead of having many for  different purposes.



Just buy the Apple AirPods Max, trust me.

My Apple AirPods Max sounds better than the AFC 2 Noire + 2Go + Hugo 2 when bluetooth is used.

I don’t know how you can screw up bluetooth this bad, but Chord managed to do it.

I believe there have been a few firmware updates since then, but I highly doubt Chord fixed the bluetooth sound quality.


----------



## joshnor713

chaotic_angel said:


> When charging the Poly alone, using 2A charges head - it shows solid White color, what is the sign of fully charged? and how many hours needed?


When the light goes out. Many hours


----------



## Pulcino

joshnor713 said:


> When the light goes out. Many hours


I always charge both together over night. The pink Color shows me both are full charged and Mojo2 in desktop mode. Since connected once I kept Poly and Mojo2 together.


----------



## Gus141

Hi, first-time Chord user; owner of a new Mojo 2 (just unwrapped it and charging it up to full before listening). I’ve read the complete thread and don’t recall any USB users mentioning if they like the micro-USB connection better than the new USB-C port. Any thoughts? I have great cables for either connection, just wondering if sound quality was noticed different between the two.

Cheers
Gus


----------



## captblaze

Gus141 said:


> Hi, first-time Chord user; owner of a new Mojo 2 (just unwrapped it and charging it up to full before listening). I’ve read the complete thread and don’t recall any USB users mentioning if they like the micro-USB connection better than the new USB-C port. Any thoughts? I have great cables for either connection, just wondering if sound quality was noticed different between the two.
> 
> Cheers
> Gus


USB C is a more robust connection. Other than that they are identical


----------



## Pulcino

Gus141 said:


> Hi, first-time Chord user; owner of a new Mojo 2 (just unwrapped it and charging it up to full before listening). I’ve read the complete thread and don’t recall any USB users mentioning if they like the micro-USB connection better than the new USB-C port. Any thoughts? I have great cables for either connection, just wondering if sound quality was noticed different between the two.
> 
> Cheers
> Gus


Go optical if you can, it will sound better, only if you have a very good USB transport you may come close to it.


----------



## Hamuraii

Just got my Mojo2 to day.

Had bought an MFi Lightning to USB-C cable, took a risk, it stated on the box.

Come home, hook the mojo2 to a standard 5v dirty USB charger, get a red light, means, needs more juice, just wanted to see the red light.

Hook Mojo2 up to a quality USB-C and USB-A charger that can give near 3 amps juice, mojo is at red blinking status, meaning the battery is near dead.

takes about 4 hours or less, to get it up to blue light, meaning near or fully charged, the little led next to micro-usb charger socket.

Long story short, have it all setup.


iPhone 13 ProMax, new lightning to USB-C MFi cable, Mojo2 <> Neumann ND20 headphones.

and.........


Does not work, the iBone does not register the Mojo2, just a case of, computer say's NO.

*Do we have a list of 2022 Lighting to USB-C cables that work with the mojo2 ?

        Did read Audioquest made cables that work ?*


My secret sauce has failed, but just installed the drivers and did play a bit with Tidal via USB-C to USB-C 


I just can't and wont get that horrible 'camera-dongle-mess-adaptor'


also, just have the HiFi on Tidal, but only got red light on the power button, meaning was getting rather or lowest sound quality, will have to investigate better tomorrow, been a long day, only did mess about with the gismo for an hour or so.


----------



## Somafunk (Aug 6, 2022)

Hamuraii said:


> Do we have a list of 2022 Lighting to USB-C cables that work with the mojo2 ?
> 
> Did read Audioquest made cables that work ?




This DDhifi lightning to usb C audio cable here should work fine with mojo 2, ddhifi also has a Lightning to usb C audio cable that also powers dongles but should still work with mojo 2 , I’ve been waiting so long for that second DDhifi cable to be in stock in the uk that I ended up buying a poly, haven’t regretted it one bit.

I dunno if Audioquest do a suitable cable, personally I wouldn’t buy one from them if they did.


----------



## Misunari

Hamuraii said:


> Do we have a list of 2022 Lighting to USB-C cables that work with the mojo2 ?



I've been using the Cayin CS-L2C for a while now and it hasn't failed me so far.


----------



## Hamuraii

Somafunk said:


> This DDhifi lightning to usb C audio cable here should work fine with mojo 2, ddhifi also has a Lightning to usb C audio cable that also powers dongles but should still work with mojo 2 , I’ve been waiting so long for that second DDhifi cable to be in stock in the uk that I ended up buying a poly, haven’t regretted it one bit.
> 
> I dunno if Audioquest do a suitable cable, personally I wouldn’t buy one from them if they did.



txn m8,

have been looking at the DDhifi for a while, the lightning adaptor, with dual, USB-C out, data and power.


----------



## Chris Kaoss

Hamuraii said:


> Just got my Mojo2 to day.
> 
> Had bought an MFi Lightning to USB-C cable, took a risk, it stated on the box.
> 
> ...


As long as the sample rate indicator is the same as Mojo, red light means 44.1 kHz, eg. Redbook.
Guess you're fine with just Hifi on Tidal.


----------



## Hamuraii

Misunari said:


> I've been using the Cayin CS-L2C for a while now and it hasn't failed me so far.



Hey, had ordered the R2R Cayin R2R dac, with the bonus, getting the lightning cable from Cayin.

but, 

Jumped on the Mojo2, due to having its own battery, and not draining the phone.


*The legendary unicorn cabled-tale, I'm chasing after, has/is* : 

   One meter long  [ iPhone and Mojo2 conceal carry LD West holsters ]

   Magnetic  [ Lighting male and USB male left secure in both devices]  

   Lightning to USB-C [ One day, iBone will have USB-C ] 

   90 degree [LD West conceal carry holsters, mobile, moving setup at work] 

   Power and Data One Unicorn to Rule Them All.


----------



## Hamuraii

Chris Kaoss said:


> As long as the sample rate indicator is the same as Mojo, red light means 44.1 kHz, eg. Redbook.
> Guess you're fine with just Hifi on Tidal.



Dont like Tidal, Qobuz is not available in my country.

Got Apple Music on a Surfacebook 2 [SB2 is crap I know]. 

Have the mojo2 hooked up to iTunes, Win10 64bit

Windows Mojo2 Driver Properties, under Advanced tab, bumped up to 192KHz 24bit 2 channel.

Got a blue light.

Guess that just means due to my selection on the driver drop down menu, 192Khz ?

Babbies 1st swim in the deep dac pool.


----------



## Chris Kaoss

My advice is, to use "exclusive mode" of your different music player all the time.
So you'll ensure to get the best possible quality directly to your dac via bit perfect stream.
No need to let Windows do the work, your dac/Mojo is better at.


----------



## Kentajalli

WASAPI is to aim for, if there is exclusive mode, choose it.
The way you are doing it, is not good.


----------



## Hamuraii

Kentajalli said:


> WASAPI is to aim for, if there is exclusive mode, choose it.
> The way you are doing it, is not good.


tnx m8, noticed had 'direct sound' in iTunes, switched to windows session' 

I read Wasabi and had other images come to mind ;]


----------



## rlanger (Aug 8, 2022)

I absolutely love the sound of the Mojo 2, but the dreaded white noise is seriously giving me a rash.

Fortunately, I don't use IEMs so the sound isn't blasting my head off. But, it is happening once every couple or few days, so it's a real PITA.

I'm tethered to my desk, connected to my laptop, and I've tried a couple of different USB cables, both -C and micro, with no luck. 

Anyone have any inexpensive fixes they can suggest trying?


----------



## aneprash

How about pairing with sensitive iems?


----------



## aneprash

Also i didnt get the point of keeping both usb C and Micro Usb


----------



## surfgeorge

aneprash said:


> Also i didnt get the point of keeping both usb C and Micro Usb


That was necessary to keep the Mojo 2 compatible with the Chord Poly streaming module.
It leads to an akward design but makes a lot of sense. Mojo2Poly is not for everyone, but if it suits your use case it is a mighty little DAC/Amp/Streamer


aneprash said:


> How about pairing with sensitive iems?


I briefly owned the Tansio Mirai Sands which are very sensitive and was surprised to hear background hiss.
Would be interesting to hear from Andromeda users.

With the Chord DAC/Amps you need to think about the use case. IMO they do not compete with DAPs in terms of user friendlyness when used out and about, but for more stationary applications for home listening, as DAC in the stereo system, home & office use or for travelling they work really well. In terms of SQ they excell with live acoustic music IMO where they reproduce music with great realism and dynamics.


----------



## Derivative

Still enjoying M2 as the core of my basic desktop set-up. 
Recently acquired the Empyrean and the EQ + Xfeed on the M2 takes them to another level, to my ears.

Now thinking of ways I can get incremental improvements in SQ.
I currently run the M2 directly from laptop through the USB-C port, and mostly using battery power. Source is Qobuz.
Signal then goes to LP G109 amp through 3.5mm to RCA cable. I'm happy with the amp for now.

What are fellow head-fiers thoughts on the following:
1 - ifi iPower supply: as mentioned I use M2 mostly on battery power so not certain this is useful, but I'd consider if the consensus is that it makes a difference to use it powered by the ifi.
2 - galvanic isolator, most likely something from Intona, to clean up the USB signal. Also considering Wyred 4 Sound's Recovery.
3 - USB to optical converter, so the M2 is receiving an optical signal. I read that it sounds better through the optical input. 
4 - better cables: I use sturdy but basic cables. This would be my lowest priority but still interested in exploring.

Combining some or all of the above is definitely possible, but being fairly new to all this I'd love to hear others' thoughts. Also, have I missed anything from the list? Many thanks for any advice.


----------



## Kentajalli

Derivative said:


> What are fellow head-fiers thoughts on the following:
> 1 - ifi iPower supply: as mentioned I use M2 mostly on battery power so not certain this is useful, but I'd consider if the consensus is that it makes a difference to use it powered by the ifi.


Even a decent Samsung 2A phone charger would do very nicely, mojo2 is designed to work with such a PSU, if you can not hear any changes between the Samsung wall wart and batteries, you won't achieve much going for a "better" PSU, though you can have fun with it.


Derivative said:


> 2 - galvanic isolator, most likely something from Intona, to clean up the USB signal. Also considering Wyred 4 Sound's Recovery.


Good idea! get a Topping HS-01 isolator for £50, it is as good as any, is tiny and won't cost the earth.


Derivative said:


> 3 - USB to optical converter, so the M2 is receiving an optical signal. I read that it sounds better through the optical input.


You could, but HS-01 is just as effective.


Derivative said:


> 4 - better cables: I use sturdy but basic cables. This would be my lowest priority but still interested in exploring.


Yep, lowest priority indeed.


----------



## Derivative

Kentajalli said:


> Even a decent Samsung 2A phone charger would do very nicely, mojo2 is designed to work with such a PSU, if you can not hear any changes between the Samsung wall wart and batteries, you won't achieve much going for a "better" PSU, though you can have fun with it.
> 
> Good idea! get a Topping HS-01 isolator for £50, it is as good as any, is tiny and won't cost the earth.
> 
> ...


thank you for the sensible advice, appreciate it. Particularly for bringing the Topping to my attention. 
Another question if that's ok, do you think it's worthwhile getting the ioslator _and _the usb/optical converter? or would that just be overkill?


----------



## Kentajalli

Derivative said:


> thank you for the sensible advice, appreciate it. Particularly for bringing the Topping to my attention.
> Another question if that's ok, do you think it's worthwhile getting the ioslator _and _the usb/optical converter? or would that just be overkill?


One or the other.
I go for the Topping. There is nothing magical about optical! If the USB connection is noise free, it sounds and measures just as good as optical.
Beware that on optical you are limited to 192kHz max. with a good cable, Chord specifies 96kHz because 192kHz is not guaranteed! Though it mostly is stable.
USB is guaranteed to 768kHz FWIW.


----------



## Derivative

Kentajalli said:


> One or the other.
> I go for the Topping. There is nothing magical about optical! If the USB connection is noise free, it sounds and measures just as good as optical.
> Beware that on optical you are limited to 192kHz max. with a good cable, Chord specifies 96kHz because 192kHz is not guaranteed! Though it mostly is stable.
> USB is guaranteed to 768kHz FWIW.


Thanks again, that's very clear. I'll focus on cleaning up the USB connection and take it from there. The investment is looking much smaller than initially envisaged, I'm grateful for your advice!


----------



## Kentajalli

Derivative said:


> Thanks again, that's very clear. I'll focus on cleaning up the USB connection and take it from there. The investment is looking much smaller than initially envisaged, I'm grateful for your advice!


How do you clean up the USB?


----------



## Derivative

Kentajalli said:


> How do you clean up the USB?


I've got a little brush, maybe use some soapy water??


----------



## Kentajalli (Aug 8, 2022)

Derivative said:


> I've got a little brush, maybe use some soapy water??


You are kidding, right!
for any contact cleaning, this spray is better than the most.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hosa-Deoxit-Contact-Cleaner-Spray/dp/B00006LVEU/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1FZ6RI67E1GTY&keywords=deoxit&qid=1659968868&sprefix=deoxit,aps,128&sr=8-1
You only need a tiny puff on cable jacks and any sockets, it is safe.
For the plastic bits, either leave them alone or use cream cleaner on a damp sponge (not wet).


----------



## Derivative

Kentajalli said:


> You are kidding, right!
> for any contact cleaning, this spray is better than the most.
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hosa-Deoxit-Contact-Cleaner-Spray/dp/B00006LVEU/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1FZ6RI67E1GTY&keywords=deoxit&qid=1659968868&sprefix=deoxit,aps,128&sr=8-1
> You only need a tiny puff on cable jacks and any sockets, it is safe.
> For the plastic bits, either leave them alone or use cream cleaner on a damp sponge (not wet).


Yes definitely kidding. Nevertheless thanks for the pointers.
"cleaning the USB" was my badly worded way of saying I'm going to focus on getting an isolator to reduce noise (if any) from the USB port.
For the potential outlay it's worth the experiment,.


----------



## Earbones (Aug 8, 2022)

Hmmm… Have been mulling over picking up an M2 (despite my shock at the imo awful, slap-dash final exterior design, which I noted in this thread back when the unit dropped) but the recent discussion here is giving me pause.

The M2 is a device that is still a bit hard to get, despite some large stock fulfillment in the last couple of days at a few places. Meaning that historically, at this point on HeadFi, this thread should be a lovefest of delirious, orgyastic heights right about now… but it appears to be a bit muted, honestly. And on that other headphone site, the M2 discussion is positively lukewarm.

Maybe I’m being cautious with my $775, but that money, while not dizzying, is a bit more than the <$500 “take the gamble and maybe flip it” investment I usually regard as safe in this hobby. I dunno. Maybe it’s a nose thing... I can’t help smelling that perhaps something is off. At this point in the M1’s release, these forums were hot and steamy with the Mojo lust… it could do no wrong (this was before the battery stuff, obviously). Things seem comparatively room-temp for the M2 at the same juncture.

I mean, people obviously like it, but most people like anything new and shiny they’ve just dropped close to a grand on. The amount of small complaints, fixes, etc troubles me a bit.

Does anybody know what I mean? How  after a while on this forum, you kind of develop a “product thread sixth-sense”, and can begin to tell the stuff that is legit fantastic, and will have staying power as a favorite… and the stuff that gets love at first, until the shininess wears off and people start writing what they really feel in a year of so? I can’t tell if my spidey-sense is tingling here or not.

Anyway, maybe I’m rambling. Maybe nobody knows what I’m talking about. I sometimes don’t myself, ha ha. Half of me really wants to take the gamble and pick the M2 up. The other half wants to wait a year or so and see what the final consensus is. Again, based on the not-exactly-lukewarm-but-not-exactly-rabid response here (and a bit worse other places), I could see the Mojo 2 being looked at in wildly different ways in 12-24 months… From a legit improvement on the M1, to an HD660-esque “side-grade”, to worse.

Decisions… to do it or not… hmmmm…


----------



## Derivative (Aug 8, 2022)

Earbones said:


> Hmmm… Have been mulling over picking up an M2 (despite my shock at the awful, slap-dash final design, which I noted in this thread back when the unit dropped) but the recent discussion here is giving me pause.
> 
> The M2 is a device that is still a bit hard to get, despite some large stock fulfillment in the last couple of days at a few places. Meaning that historically, at this point on HeadFi, this thread should be a lovefest of delirious, orgyastic heights right about now… but it appears to be a bit muted, honestly. And on that other headphone site, the M2 is even getting a bit bashed... almost.
> 
> ...


I understand where you're coming from. My feeling is the overall game has perhaps caught up with Chord, and the premium may not be as justifiable as it once was. And that's a good thing, competition is necessary. I wasn't in the hobby when the M1 released, but I imagine it was a clear step above other DACs at or around the price, hence its success. Now we're spoiled for choice.

For me the investment was very easy to justify: £450 retail, £200 recouped from selling my M1, that's a net £250 for a brand new example of the latest entry level DAC from a well regarded digital audio company. And supporting a UK manufacturer to boot.
No the SQ delta to M1 is not night and day, but to me there's enough there to justify the upgrade. In my view the DSP is unquestionably a great value add, it's simple and intuitive and offers just enough flexibility without overwhelming the user the way the RME ADI-2 does for example. And it works a treat.

As for the issues, in particular the white noise: I got my unit in late March, and it suffered from this for a few days. I played around with the PC / streaming settings, got a slightly better cable for good measure, and have not encountered the issue over the subsequent 5 months of daily listening. I hope others who experienced it have managed to get it under control too., but I also understand if this puts people off.


----------



## Headphiguy

Derivative said:


> I understand where you're coming from. My feeling is the overall game has perhaps caught up with Chord, and the premium may not be as justifiable as it once was. And that's a good thing, competition is necessary. I wasn't in the hobby when the M1 released, but I imagine it was a clear step above other DACs at or around the price, hence its success. Now we're spoiled for choice.
> 
> For me the investment was very easy to justify: £450 retail, £200 recouped from selling my M1, that's a net £250 for a brand new example of the latest entry level DAC from a well regarded digital audio company. And supporting a UK manufacturer to boot.
> No the SQ delta to M1 is not night and day, but to me there's enough there to justify the upgrade. In my view the DSP is unquestionably a great value add, it's simple and intuitive and offers just enough flexibility without overwhelming the user the way the RME ADI-2 does for example. And it works a treat.
> ...


I would agree with pretty much all that Derivative has mentioned. I followed the same route, trading in my M1, although I note the M2 price has since increased to £495 which may help explain its current widespread availability in the UK.
Personally, I found the SQ improvement to be larger than I had expected in all aspects, which may also be partly down to being able to use the EQ to complement its output to my headphones (there is now no way I would consider upgrading to a more expensive Chord DAC until that EQ feature trickles up). 
However, the biggest change for me has been that I am now using it much more extensively in my home hifi setup than I ever did with the M1. There are probably three main reasons for this. Firstly, to me, the sound using CD/hi-res streaming seems hugely improved over M1 in this situation. Secondly, I am far more comfortable leaving it attached to the mains, and thirdly, the WiiM Mini now works as an ideal streamer to the M2, allowing remote control of bit-perfect music streaming services with no fear of white noise (it’s an optical connection).
So for me the reason for little activity on this forum is because I am now listening to more music post-M2/Wiim.


----------



## headfry (Aug 8, 2022)

Headphiguy said:


> I would agree with pretty much all that Derivative has mentioned. I followed the same route, trading in my M1, although I note the M2 price has since increased to £495 which may help explain its current widespread availability in the UK.
> Personally, I found the SQ improvement to be larger than I had expected in all aspects, which may also be partly down to being able to use the EQ to complement its output to my headphones (there is now no way I would consider upgrading to a more expensive Chord DAC until that EQ feature trickles up).
> However, the biggest change for me has been that I am now using it much more extensively in my home hifi setup than I ever did with the M1. There are probably three main reasons for this. Firstly, to me, the sound using CD/hi-res streaming seems hugely improved over M1 in this situation. Secondly, I am far more comfortable leaving it attached to the mains, and thirdly, the WiiM Mini now works as an ideal streamer to the M2, allowing remote control of bit-perfect music streaming services with no fear of white noise (it’s an optical connection).
> So for me the reason for little activity on this forum is because I am now listening to more music post-M2/Wiim.


Yes, I'm in agreement that the sound of the M2 is an important sound upgrade from the OG (M1), the biggest improvements for me are:

- the bass/midbass is much improved with better resolution and clarity
- the imaging/soundstage is even more focused and precise
- overall better clarity and excellent coherence
-  the dynamics are noticeably better!

Very precise and musical sounding, although the M1 is still very good!

Those that didn't hear big differences may have been limiting its potential with accompanying equipment, (see my previous posts if interested).
Also, there are plenty of other excellent DACS to choose from, some much cheaper. I'm just reporting what works for me.

Price considered, with my equipment I prefer the M2's musicality to that of the Hugo 2!

When using my Grado GR10e IEM's I find leaving the cross feed on the lowest (red) setting adds even more solidity and punch to the sound.
I've figured out the best eq settings and I now wouldn't want to give up these features. It took some experimentation
over a few months to figure out the very best eq with each of my three headphones.

As I've stated previously, different gear for different users. The M1 is still a really good performer and can sound stellar in the right setup.
The M2 is overall fully worth the price to me and is good enough that I'm not interested in any upgrades...fully satisfying!

To those that are skeptical of Chord products and of Rob Watts designs - I say that for me the proof is in the listening.


----------



## Derivative

Headphiguy said:


> So for me the reason for little activity on this forum is because I am now listening to more music post-M2/Wiim.


An excellent reason!


----------



## rlanger

Derivative said:


> I understand where you're coming from. My feeling is the overall game has perhaps caught up with Chord, and the premium may not be as justifiable as it once was. And that's a good thing, competition is necessary. I wasn't in the hobby when the M1 released, but I imagine it was a clear step above other DACs at or around the price, hence its success. Now we're spoiled for choice.
> 
> For me the investment was very easy to justify: £450 retail, £200 recouped from selling my M1, that's a net £250 for a brand new example of the latest entry level DAC from a well regarded digital audio company. And supporting a UK manufacturer to boot.
> No the SQ delta to M1 is not night and day, but to me there's enough there to justify the upgrade. In my view the DSP is unquestionably a great value add, it's simple and intuitive and offers just enough flexibility without overwhelming the user the way the RME ADI-2 does for example. And it works a treat.
> ...


What streaming settings and cable helped to resolve your white noise issue, because I've had no luck?


----------



## headfry

rlanger said:


> What streaming settings and cable helped to resolve your white noise issue, because I've had no luck?


In my case, avoiding moving the cable connection resolved the issue. YMMV.


----------



## Somafunk

edit : wrong thread


----------



## Gus141 (Sep 23, 2022)

Earbones said:


> Hmmm… Have been mulling over picking up an M2 (despite my shock at the imo awful, slap-dash final exterior design, which I noted in this thread back when the unit dropped) but the recent discussion here is giving me pause.
> 
> The M2 is a device that is still a bit hard to get, despite some large stock fulfillment in the last couple of days at a few places. Meaning that historically, at this point on HeadFi, this thread should be a lovefest of delirious, orgyastic heights right about now… but it appears to be a bit muted, honestly. And on that other headphone site, the M2 discussion is positively lukewarm.
> 
> ...


Exactly my thoughts before I decided to jump on the recent in-stock situation and order one. I was wondering, why doesn’t this thread have more activity? Maybe my Spidey-Sense was on to something here too and this wasn‘t a great product.  Well, after listening for a lot of hours over the last 3 days since I received it, I can honestly say, I’m not disappointed.

I don’t keep a sig current, but my current gear is: Sony headphones/IEMs (MDR-Z1R, IER-Z1R, IER-M9, MDR-1A [OG, which I like better than Mark2 version]); basic DAPs (Sony ZX507, FiiO M11+LTD); iPads and iPhones with DACs (Mojo 2, L&P W2 [OG], Paw S2); desktop setup: LUMIN U1 Mini  > RME ADI-2 DAC (with a nice PEQ for the MDR-Z1R). Speaking of PEQ, I can’t listen to the MDR-Z1R without it; the IER-Z1R, on the other hand, need no PEQ. This is noteworthy in this thread since the IER-Z1R sound *awesome* on the Mojo 2 with no EQ, but I needed the DSP on the Mojo 2 to get the MDR-Z1R close to where I’m used to it sounding (compared to my PEQ settings in the RME ADI-2 DAC, and UAPP Toneboosters 10-band PEQ on my Android devices). I got it close (see below). Also, the MDR-1A (with a little EQ), and the IER-Z1R (with no EQ) sound sublime. I know, how could I still love such a flawed headphone like the MDR-1A? Well, I have 2 pairs, and love them; really an underrated headphone, IMO. But my main driver is the IER-Z1R, which has just perfect synergy with the Mojo 2.

For me, the Mojo 2 sounds very resolving and accurate, but it makes my kit sound different than with any other gear.  For instance, my Sony headphones/IEMs, which usually have recessed mids and accentuated bass and treble (e.g., V-shaped) are behaving a little differently than I’m used to: the mids are less recessed, and the treble is a little too strong in some cases (easily handled with the Mojo 2 DSP), and the bass benefits from some boost.

Note: for me, Crossfeed (CF) is interesting with my kit; it doesn’t just mix left and right channels, it raises the mids and adds some bass; so, in some cases the EQ needs to be modded when the CF changes. I find CF-Red lifts the mids just the right amount for my Sony V-shaped kit for some songs with obvious recessed mids; so even if I say Crossfeed is OFF, I will switch it on if the vocals seem dull or pushed back. I find CF-Green doesn’t change the mids any more than CF1-Red but collapses the sound-stage and adds more bass, if fact, too much for my liking with the bass-heavy Sony kit I use, so I don’t use CF-Green. I will use CF-Blue sometimes for old wide stereo mixes or mono stuff though.

Here are some EQs I came up with that work well, and which are visualized using the Excel tool published here a few pages back, by @jarnopp ,thanks for building that tool.
Since the DSP is not like PEQ, and this Excel tool is just an approximation, and also there is something going on with the mids and bass even without DSP, I find it’s more trial-and-error-and-listening than like creating a PEQ correction curve; so take it with a grain of salt.
…

EQ (for *MDR-Z1R*):
+2, +1, -2, 0
Crossfeed-Red: MDR-Z1R has such great soundstage, but the Mojo 2 Crossfeed-Red setting just makes the MDR-Z1R sound correct to my ears with my EQ shown below. I don’t use CF-Green, and I’ll use CF-Blue only rarely with old wide stereo mixes or mono stuff.

If bass is too much for a song, reduce 20Hz to +1 temporarily; otherwise, the added bass balances the treble peak that I can’t dial out with this rudimentary DSP without burying the already recessed mids and lower treble.






This is the best I can make the MDR-Z1R sound on the Mojo2; it’s OK. In contrast, the 10-band (Oratory1990) PEQ on my Android DAPs with UAPP (via ToneBoosters add-on) is perfect (even better than my custom PEQ on the RME ADi-2 DAC for the MDR-Z1R).  Plus the EQ (shown in next graph) for the MDR-1A make that much smaller/lighter/convenient headphone (MDR-1A) sound great, and a better choice for mobile use. 

Also, the *IER-Z1R* IEMs are perfect on the Mojo2 with _no EQ_ _or Crossfeed_ (and my preferred pairing with the Mojo2), so I’m not sure how often I’ll use the MDR-Z1Rs on Mojo2.

So… IMO…**my** best headphone/earphones for the mojo 2 are the IER-Z1R with no DSP…by far; they sound perfect on the mojo 2. If my ears need a break from having something jammed in them, I’ll use the MDR-Z1R, unless if I need something more portable, in which case I’ll use the MDR-1A.
…
EQ (for *MDR-1A*) :
+1, -1, 0 , 0
No Crossfeed usually (it seems to muddy the presentation on the MDR-1A). But I did like some songs with Crossfeed-Red. And if you really love sub-bass, +2, -1, 0, 0, w/ Crossfeed-Red, is cool every now and then.




I know this looks like an EQ that barely modifies the sound, but that little dip removes an annoying bass resonance for me, and nothing else needs modification for me for the 1A to sound great with the Mojo 2.

…
*TLDR: *Although those DSP settings for the MDR-Z1R and MDR-1A helps them sound great on the Mojo 2, I’m mostly listening with IER-Z1R IEMs with *no EQ*, and it is the best they have ever sounded; but I like to use Crossfeed Red as necessary for the song if the mids seem too recessed; Crossfeed Blue only rarely, for old mixes with very wide left/right channel separation, or mono stuff.

Cheers,
Gus

(edited: changed DSP slightly after more time listening)
….
(edited to add *IER-M9* EQ):
+2, 0, 0, +1
No Crossfeed. Crossfeed Red or Green was a little muddy when I tried it, but lowering 20Hz to +1 would compensate if I wanted CF.





edited: to update my impressions of Crossfeed.


----------



## Derivative

rlanger said:


> What streaming settings and cable helped to resolve your white noise issue, because I've had no luck?


I do the following:
- in Windows sound control panel, I set the Mojo to 48khz / 24 bit. 
- In Qobuz, I specify playback through Wasapi Exclusive Mode.

The cable I use is this one: https://www.lindy.co.uk//cables-ada...-cable-10gbps-5a-pd-anthra-line-p11704/s11864

Hope this helps, happy to provide more details.


----------



## Kentajalli

Derivative said:


> I do the following:
> - in Windows sound control panel, I set the Mojo to 48khz / 24 bit.
> - In Qobuz, I specify playback through Wasapi Exclusive Mode.
> 
> ...


Exclusive mode helps. but mostly it is the cable.
expensive fancy ones are worse.


----------



## rlanger

Derivative said:


> I do the following:
> - in Windows sound control panel, I set the Mojo to 48khz / 24 bit.
> - In Qobuz, I specify playback through Wasapi Exclusive Mode.
> 
> ...


I'll give it a shot. Thanks.


----------



## rlanger

Kentajalli said:


> Exclusive mode helps. but mostly it is the cable.
> expensive fancy ones are worse.


I've been using Exclusive Mode. No help. And, I've tried 3 different cables so far.


----------



## headmanPL

I've been with Mojo 2 since the UK launch date and had retained my Mojo 1 until recently. I was always happy with Mojo 1, but I am pleased to say Mojo 2 is just a better product. I will say it's not universal. There are a few tracks/albums I loved the way Mojo 1 reproduced, and Mojo 2 being different, doesn't have the same magic for them. But Mojo 2 with the cross feed and DSP (I only adjust the bass shelf) has transformed my Grado headphones. So many tracks and albums sound unlike anything else. Randomly flicking through my music I've been amazed at how so many tracks sound so right. Having seen Eric Clapton many times at the Royal Albert Hall, I was always disappointed at how the 24 nights album sounded. Mojo 2 fixes that, and I can hear and feel the Albert Hall accoustics.

Female vocals in particular are just so much better. Jane Siberry recordings sound amazing and her voice is infinitely more expressive and realistic than I've heard on any DAC. Back to back comparison with Mojo 1, "It can't rain all the time", doesn't even sound like the same recording. I don't know why but the difference is huge.
Considering I'd been happy with Mojo 1 for many years, I hadn't expected to be so surprised at how good music can sound with Mojo 2. The happy reality is that I frequently find myself listening to a familiar track, sitting back in surprise at how it sounds, then playing it again because the music was so good.
It's debatable how much the competition caught up with Mojo 1's sound, but for my ears, Mojo 2's improvements aren't subtle.


----------



## imacaverage

measurements for charging with different cables:

cable from mojo 2:






cable from poly:





Charger:


----------



## bascurtiz (Aug 9, 2022)

I also got the 'white noise blasts' or 'audio mutes spontenously' after a while.
I even had these sponteous audio drop-outs of the mojo 2, like this:
 (using battery only)

 (using charger through micro-USB)

I haven't pin-pointed it down yet, what's causing this.
I do know - after i contacted support - Ed suggested to put the audio-resolution back to 16-bit/48khz.
Since that time - I think - I didn't have anymore 'white noise blasts'.
But that's *NO* solution - I mean, I buy this expensive DAC since it can achieve such high resolution like 384khz/32-bits.
Then I want to use it too!

He also asked what happens when using Audirvana, jRiver or Roon.
I tested it for 3 hours straight in Roon, and no audio drop-out whatsoever... 

The audio dropouts do happen, when using foobar, VLC, youtube (Google Chrome) or playing a random game.

A friend of mine suggested to use the WASAPI plugin for foobar, so I've got that installed by now.
Will need to play more music through it, to determine if that's a solution.
But then again, it's no solution for all the other apps above 

Just last night for example, I watch a serie in VLC I downloaded in 2k: After I watched the 1st episode, all good.
Then 20 mins in, the 2nd episode, the sound disappears.

My friend suggests me to use the COAX input instead of the USB input.
What I've read so far is that the audio dropouts only seem to occur when using USB, so this could be *THE* solution.
However I'm not really following how this would work?

First of all, my motherboard doesn't have a COAX output, but it does have OPT S/PDIF:





This cable I ordered:






Setup:
- Asus Prime X370 Pro motherboard
- Windows 10
- Chord Mojo 2
- USB cable that came with the Mojo
- Random micro-USB charger 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



- Output 1 of Mojo 2: Jack 3.5mm to XLR to Genelec 8030 speakers
- Output 2 of Mojo 2: Jack 3.5mm to VGA to Logitech Z5500 subwoofer only.

Question:
1. Isn't the motherboard (with it's own soundcard) then producing the sound, when I connect S/PDIF out of mobo into input of the Chord Mojo 2?

NOTE: I've ordered the above TOSlink cable to connect between mobo and Mojo 2, which I'll receive in two days, so I'll let u guys also know if this is a solution.


----------



## iDesign (Aug 10, 2022)

It’s really disappointing to see how Chord has handled the communications on the white noise issue and they still remain largely quiet. I‘ve seen employees of Chord appear in the “Users who are viewing this thread” list at the bottom of the page and it is disconcerting they’re reading the discussions and consciously choosing to stay silent. They’re allowing dealers to continue selling devices with a known USB firmware bug and watching customers helplessly troubleshoot the issue.


----------



## bascurtiz

@iDesign 
I know right?!
I'm in the same ball park whereas others mentioned, they are just afraid to ''go loud'' cause the 'white noise' might occur...
I've put it back to 32-bits/384khz, being aware, that the white noise might sound once again, so i'll keep it on low volume for now.
...Just to check if indeed - lowering it to 48khz/16-bit - is a semi work-around to get rid off the white noise.

Meanwhile I also ordered a COAX bracket, since my motherboard seems to have a connection for it, according to the manual:





Why?
According to my friend and I googled it, TOSlink supports up to 192khz/24-bit.
He works in a studio as a day job and recommends COAX over TOSlink, since it doesn't have any limitations.

I'm still searching for a COAX RCA to mini-RCA (from bracket to Mojo 2), which seems really hard to find.
Anyone any luck with such?


----------



## Kentajalli (Aug 9, 2022)

bascurtiz said:


> Question:
> 1. Isn't the motherboard (with it's own soundcard) then producing the sound, when I connect S/PDIF out of mobo into input of the Chord Mojo 2?


Yes and No!
If the digital audio information is somehow tampered with, then it can be said that the internal sound card is in the loop. By that I mean, if you choose direct sound in Windows to output to digital sound card.
If you however, choose WASAPI exclusive mode of the sound card digital output, then the Coax or optical output of the sound card becomes merely a "piece of wire" in the chain, meaning music is bypassed through the internal sound card.
Beware though of a minor issue. Even with the best of systems and cables, digital out is limited to 192kHz, when USB can handle 768kHz. A minor issue, because sonically, 192kHz is as good as any! However, should you have any audio higher is sampling frequency (1 in a million), then it has to be downsampled.

BTW, optical is better, because you get electrical isolation too.


----------



## bascurtiz

@Kentajalli 
Thanks for your solid answer!


----------



## Headphiguy

bascurtiz said:


> @iDesign
> I know right?!
> I'm in the same ball park whereas others mentioned, they are just afraid to ''go loud'' cause the 'white noise' might occur...
> I've put it back to 32-bits/384khz, being aware, that the white noise might sound once again, so i'll keep it on low volume for now.
> ...


I queried the optical TOSlink capability of the M2 with Chord, because the M1 manual specified 192/24 but the M2 manual made no mention while the Chord website actually stated 96kHz for the new model. They replied that they were just being conservative because 96 was the specified TOSlink optical limit. In fact, 192/24 works fine over optical with the M2, even with a bundled cable.


----------



## Kentajalli

Headphiguy said:


> I queried the optical TOSlink capability of the M2 with Chord, because the M1 manual specified 192/24 but the M2 manual made no mention while the Chord website actually stated 96kHz for the new model. They replied that they were just being conservative because 96 was the specified TOSlink optical limit. In fact, 192/24 works fine over optical with the M2, even with a bundled cable.


At 96 they can guarantee stable connection.
Use a decent transmitter and cable, 192 is stable all the time.


----------



## Gus141

I don’t use Desktop Mode. I charge with the Mojo 2 off.  When I charge the Mojo 2 every time, I just wait for purple on the Menu button and Purple on the Battery Status LED and then unplug. Am I correct in assuming that the battery is charged to 100% when I do this?


----------



## Earbones (Aug 10, 2022)

So I took the gamble and bought the M2. Here are some initial thoughts:

*Build/Design: *

I’m not revising my original thoughts on the images I saw online too much.

-In person, the four sphere buttons are less obtrusive than I thought, but the rear connectivity ports design appears half-executed and, frankly, slap-dash. I think this is a case of Rob stubbornly wanting to stick with Micro USB and finally acquiescing to the demands for USB-C at the zero hour. This is not a dig at Rob- stubbornness is a trait I excel at, and a trait I value in my friends and work partners. It belies a passion of belief that I think makes for interesting, creative people. That said, it can also bite you in the ass sometimes… Like when you dig your teeth in and hang on to an obsolete connection standard for the insane reason of compatibility with a more than half-decade old streamer add-on (that has never worked particularly well and is in dire need of a sequel itself), and you end up with a ridiculous prototype-like rear on an otherwise, in my opinion, beautiful design. Just for example.

-The four sphere buttons, which some see as one sphere button too far, do not bother me much. Sure, there is a learning curve, and if this device were a brand new model line, I might have more to say on the complexity of the 4 spheres and the multiple function hats they wear. But as this device is a sequel, and many of it’s users will be coming from the M1, I think it’s fine. Maybe not the most user-friendly for new Mojo users, but it is what it is. It’s a unique learning curve, but not a particularly difficult or unintuitive one.

*Sound:*

The sound is certainly a departure from the original Mojo’s signature, and to my ears, more in keeping with the classic Chord house sound than the M1 ever was. The warmth is there, but it’s not a heavy down comforter of warmth like it was with the M1. Clarity and detail have both been improved, particularly in the bass, the sub-band of which reaches somewhat lower than the original, yet presents with a more natural and detailed timbre. Soundstage has improved vastly, making for a less intimate listen than the original. The highs maintain the sweetness of the M1, but avoid rounding off, resulting in better detail there as well. The mids are simply sublime. They are among of the best I’ve heard, bar none, at any price point. Perfect.

So does the M2 sound better than the M1? Well, “sound superiority” is always a loaded proposition. Perception of sound is not identically uniform across individuals, so even objective listening, were such a thing possible, cannot truly define superiority, unless you’re painting with enormously broad strokes. And as even objective listening isn’t possible, we’re down, once again, to the classic HeadFi construct- that is to say a completely subjective personal opinion. So take my thoughts as you will.

Yes, personally, I think the Mojo 2 sounds better than the Mojo 1. Like, a _lot_ better. And I always really liked the M1, but did occasionally find it a bit too warm for my taste at any given time, a bit too sparse on detail at times as well.

On the other hand, I personally think the Mojo 1 has a more “special” sound than the Mojo 2… The M1 sounds like nothing else, and it is perfectly balanced for what it is and it’s price point. It’s a modern classic, along the lines of the Sennheiser HD600/650. Are there a lot of better headphones around that price point these days? Sure. Are there a lot of headphones around that price point that package their sound as uniquely perfectly and cohesively, that have as strong a _point of view_, for lack of a better term? No. Not many- if at any at all. If I had to choose which DAC/amp to use on the daily, I’d certainly pick the M2 over the M1… while at the same time acknowledging that, at least for me, the M2 isn’t the uniquely special device that the M1 is.

Part of that comes down to the M2 aligning itself more closely with the classic Chord sound, while the M1 unapologetically took that house sound and did it’s own thing with it. I have read more than a few reviews stating that the M2’s sound lands somewhere between the M1 and the Hugo 2- and I understand why some would say that… The M1 is a very warm device with deep and very nearly wooly bass, while the H2 features a somewhat cooler, leaner, analytical sound with well-controlled and grippy bass. The M2’s sound temperature lands somewhere between the M1 and the H2, so it’s a natural comparison.

The thing is, like the M1, I don’t think the H2 is a typical example of the classic Chord sound. The H2 also does it’s own thing, perhaps in the opposite direction. For me, beyond a meet-in-the-middle sound temperature, the M2 aligns very little with the M1 or H2. No, If I were to pick a DAC/amp in Chord’s lineup that the M2 sounds most like, it would be the Dave. And perhaps that is why I have a hard time thinking of it as a device destined to be a modern classic. Because while the M1‘s unique take on the Chord sound allowed it to eschew comparison, the M2 finds itself measured against a $14,000 flagship, and in my opinion, perhaps the best-sounding DAC/amp in the hobby.

And here’s the thing, it doesn’t do too poorly. If this review so far has given the impression that I am lukewarm on the M2, let me put that to rest right now- the Mojo 2 is a hell of a device. Even throwing out all that tricky diminishing-returns math that comes into play when discussing ultra high-end exotic flagship devices, there is absolutely not $13,225 between the Mojo 2 and the Dave. I would not be disappointed in the M2’s sound at $3,000. Seriously. Which is obviously high praise, but before you get too excited, I also think the Dave should be priced around $9,000, even with that diminishing returns math, because prices have just gone, I’m sorry, ****ing bananas- but hey, there are jackasses who’ll pay $14,000 for it, so well done, Chord.

In any event, the Mojo 2‘s sound is a fantastic buy at $775, and perhaps truer to the original idea of the Mojo as an inexpensive gateway into the Chord house sound. While the Mojo 1 went all Cool Hand Luke and walked it’s own path into instant classic-dom, the Mojo 2 takes the harder and less glamorous road… that of the budget-ish entry-level model aiming high at the gauntlet thrown down by the Dave- an impossible thing to achieve at the price point, but a noble (and shockingly competent) attempt.


----------



## kennyb123

A Mojo 2 just landed here today.  After allowing it to charge for a bit, I moved my Poly over to it so I could do some listening of tracks off the SD card that had been scaled with PGGB.  Tough to quantify the improvement over the Mojo 1, but the Mojo 2 is clearly more transparent without giving away what made Mojo 1 a pleasure to listen to.  I really like how well the upper frequencies have opened up.

Rob Watts had mentioned that he used a single capacitor warm up the sound in Mojo 1 and that was eliminated from the Mojo 2.  Good riddance, I say.  I will not miss it.


----------



## lowrider007

This has been my Fav combo with the Mojo 2 of late, the good old K240MKII's, highly underrated headphone these days imo, they have great synergy with the Mojo 2, fantastic tonality, the K240's really do have some magic sauce that I haven't found in other headphones.


----------



## gylyf

bascurtiz said:


> @iDesign
> I know right?!
> I'm in the same ball park whereas others mentioned, they are just afraid to ''go loud'' cause the 'white noise' might occur...
> I've put it back to 32-bits/384khz, being aware, that the white noise might sound once again, so i'll keep it on low volume for now.
> ...


I’ve been using this COAX cable from a Japanese brand called Onso with my M2:

https://hisago-denzai.com/products/onso-coxc_01_32r

I’m very happy with it.


----------



## bascurtiz

gylyf said:


> I’ve been using this COAX cable from a Japanese brand called Onso with my M2:
> 
> https://hisago-denzai.com/products/onso-coxc_01_32r
> 
> I’m very happy with it.


Aww bummer. It doesn't ship to Europe. 
Thanks for the suggestion though, this indeed is what I'm looking for.
I'm now eyeballing this cable. Would that do?


----------



## surfgeorge

bascurtiz said:


> Aww bummer. It doesn't ship to Europe.
> Thanks for the suggestion though, this indeed is what I'm looking for.
> I'm now eyeballing this cable. Would that do?


You can register at amazon.co.jp and order the cable from there:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Coaxi...o&qid=1660220023&sprefix=onso+,aps,232&sr=8-6

Amazon will show you the total price including shipping and import costs, and may even refund you if the importation is cheaper than anticipated.
I have ordered stuff several times and never had an issue. Delivery times were also very short, in the range of a week or less.


----------



## Derivative

My Mojo2 is running _really _hot with the currently elevated temps in London, especially when charging but also during unplugged playback.
I genuinely thought the hot running was solved vs M1 but this is as hot as the M1 got.
I can't imagine this will do damage, but I can't help but feel a little worried... anyone had the same experience?


----------



## Derivative

Earbones said:


> So I took the gamble and bought the M2. Here are some initial thoughts:
> 
> *Build/Design: *
> 
> ...


Interesting insight based on your experience, thanks for sharing. 
What did you think of the EQ and crossfeed? I've been seriously impressed by their implementation.


----------



## gylyf (Aug 11, 2022)

Derivative said:


> My Mojo2 is running _really _hot with the currently elevated temps in London, especially when charging but also during unplugged playback.
> I genuinely thought the hot running was solved vs M1 but this is as hot as the M1 got.
> I can't imagine this will do damage, but I can't help but feel a little worried... anyone had the same experience?


Mine runs quite warm when just playing and runs very hot when playing and charging, which I can't imagine is good for the long-term health of the battery. For that reason, I've been avoiding charging and playing at the same time.


----------



## dsrk

Derivative said:


> My Mojo2 is running _really _hot with the currently elevated temps in London, especially when charging but also during unplugged playback.
> I genuinely thought the hot running was solved vs M1 but this is as hot as the M1 got.
> I can't imagine this will do damage, but I can't help but feel a little worried... anyone had the same experience?





gylyf said:


> Mine runs quite warm when just playing and runs very hot when playing and charging, which I can't imagine is good for the long-term health of the battery. For that reason, I've been avoiding charging and playing at the same time.


It does get hot especially when playing and charging. If you are worried about it's life in the long run, you can use portable USB powered fan to cool it down. I have been using the fan for a while now and it really works.


----------



## Another Audiophile

dsrk said:


> It does get hot especially when playing and charging. If you are worried about it's life in the long run, you can use portable USB powered fan to cool it down. I have been using the fan for a while now and it really works.


or maybe let it work as intended? Whats's next? a portable fridge for the mojo? Lol just kidding but i can see the faces of my friends. They think mojo is a strange device let alone if i start plugging fans...


----------



## dsrk

Another Audiophile said:


> or maybe let it work as intended? Whats's next? a portable fridge for the mojo? Lol just kidding but i can see the faces of my friends. They think mojo is a strange device let alone if i start plugging fans...


😄

I don't use fan with Mojo 2 at all because I only use it as portable.

I just posted pic just as an example that people who are worried about the heat can use it like that.

I actually bought the fan for my Topping A30 Pro which gets seriously hot especially in summer here in India the temperature goes beyond 40 degrees celsius.


----------



## imacaverage (Aug 11, 2022)

Another Audiophile said:


> or maybe let it work as intended? Whats's next? a portable fridge for the mojo? Lol just kidding but i can see the faces of my friends. They think mojo is a strange device let alone if i start plugging fans...



yes, the second mojo also heats up (although not as much as the first), I have to use such a radiator in the form of an apple studio display


----------



## Derivative

dsrk said:


> It does get hot especially when playing and charging. If you are worried about it's life in the long run, you can use portable USB powered fan to cool it down. I have been using the fan for a while now and it really works.


I think that's a sensible idea in this heat. Despite the widow being wide open there's no breeze from outside and the room gets quite warm... can even use the fan myself!


----------



## headmanPL

Derivative said:


> I think that's a sensible idea in this heat. Despite the widow being wide open there's no breeze from outside and the room gets quite warm... can even use the fan myself!


Like Mojo1, if you stand M2 on it's thin side, so the orbs are facing up, the M2 runs much cooler


----------



## Another Audiophile

dsrk said:


> 😄
> 
> I don't use fan with Mojo 2 at all because I only use it as portable.
> 
> ...


As an engineer my self I expect the maker to provide ambient min and max operating temperature. Since nothing is mentioned in the manual then the operation should be unrestricted to iso conditions up to 40o Celsius ambient. Therefore I would operate it as it is.


----------



## Derivative

headmanPL said:


> Like Mojo1, if you stand M2 on it's thin side, so the orbs are facing up, the M2 runs much cooler


Excellent idea, thanks


----------



## Hamuraii

Guys,

after ordering the 3rd Lightning to USB-C MFi cerd, data cable, all of them do nothing while connecting the iPhone13 ProMax with Mojo2 


>>>  Kross, Swiss made, MFI cert.

>>>  Satechi, MFI Data/power cable

>>>  Baseus, magnetic cable, male lightning 


At my rate, I might juts buy a packet of Barilla Pasta and stick in in the mojo with meatballs on iPhone ........


Anyone have a cable that just works, plug and play, Iphone 13ProMax Lighting  to Mojo USB-C


----------



## paulrbarnard (Aug 11, 2022)

Hamuraii said:


> Guys,
> 
> after ordering the 3rd Lightning to USB-C MFi cerd, data cable, all of them do nothing while connecting the iPhone13 ProMax with Mojo2
> 
> ...


The DDHIFI ones work perfectly.


----------



## Hamuraii

paulrbarnard said:


> The DDHIFI ones work perfectly.




problem, need a cable thats meter long or 1.2m maybe.

due to work, mobile carry on the go setup.

Guess, best option is the DDHIFI adaptor, Lightning to USB-C 

But I wonder if that also will go bust, with next software iOS update ;/


thanks for the reply.


----------



## vlach

Derivative said:


> Excellent idea, thanks


This is how i used to operate the M1 at my desktop before i removed the battery. The sticky feet don't provide huge clearance but it does increase the airflow underneath the unit and i liked the angle it was at.


----------



## paulrbarnard (Aug 11, 2022)

Hamuraii said:


> problem, need a cable thats meter long or 1.2m maybe.
> 
> due to work, mobile carry on the go setup.
> 
> ...


It’s possible a short DDHIFI cable with a usbc extender cable might work.

I always update to the latest iOS and still working well so far.


----------



## Kentajalli (Aug 11, 2022)

Hamuraii said:


> problem, need a cable thats meter long or 1.2m maybe.
> due to work, mobile carry on the go setup.


Here is what I made earlier:

 



About a meter long, 3mm thick.
A tiny USB-C for my android phone, and a right angle micro-USB for DAC.
That's not all! look closely .... the little square box is actually a USB hub and 500GB storage that holds most of my music, the little ferrite core after it, has a common-mode RF-filter wound on it for ground and +5V USB line.
Once it is connected to a phone, laptop etc. the DAC and the 500GB storage are both recognized.

Just for fun


----------



## Chris Kaoss

New definition of an audiophile storage cable. ^^

Pretty nice. 👍
Now, i need one myself.


----------



## Kentajalli

Chris Kaoss said:


> New definition of an audiophile storage cable. ^^
> 
> Pretty nice. 👍
> Now, i need one myself.


During CanJam, I showed it to guys at Chord Electronics.
At first he said, yeah, very nice, trying to hand it back - then I explained what those attachments were!
He then took a deeper look, from a couple of angles, and showed it to the other guy.
The Chinese (reckon so) guy at Hifiman exclamation was "500 gigabytes?? Seriously?"


----------



## Chris Kaoss

Guess this would be the best cable for Apple user I've seen to date. 
The holy grail for iphone music lover. ^^

Well done.
So glad my Xperia has a card slot, but this cable includes a backup drive as well.

What is the reader you've used, if I may ask?


----------



## Somafunk (Aug 13, 2022)

Hamuraii said:


> Guys,
> 
> after ordering the 3rd Lightning to USB-C MFi cerd, data cable, all of them do nothing while connecting the iPhone13 ProMax with Mojo2



Data cables do not work with the mojo 2 as you have found out, they need to have audio pass through function.

I’m rather disappointed by chord as they could very easily design and make a cable that works perfectly well with a lightning but for some reason they choose not to produce such an item for their most popular portable device, I guess they do not wish to pay apple for the licensing deal to implement the lightning connector


----------



## Kentajalli (Aug 11, 2022)

Chris Kaoss said:


> Guess this would be the best cable for Apple user I've seen to date.
> The holy grail for iphone music lover. ^^


Nope, it is pure USB, so no iphones.


Chris Kaoss said:


> Well done.
> So glad my Xperia has a card slot, but this cable includes a backup drive as well.


Mine does too, but being Huawei, it is limited to 256GB.
Also using the same cable with a laptop or PC, your music goes with you.


Chris Kaoss said:


> What is the reader you've used, if I may ask?


No reader! there is a two port USB 2 HUB, connection from USB-C goes into its input. it has two ports, one goes to the DAC by cable, the other to a tiny USB flash drive.
Then both the hub and flash drive are tightly packed in a copper plate enclosure for heat dissipation and strength. The whole thing is covered by heatshrink.
I had to experiment with HUBs and drives, to find one: small enough and low consumption and fastest write speeds.
Writing 500GB at 10MB a second takes a long time.
This contraption, uses about 80mA in use (supplied by phone), and write speeds of 35MB a second.
USB 3 was too power hungry.


----------



## lowrider007

Response back from Chord regarding Spotify being supported with Poly, 

_"This is still very much on the to do list. It's harder than it sounds because of a quirk of what Poly 'counts as' but it's still in the plan.
All the best"_

Fingers crossed this eventually comes to fruition, would love to own a Poly and Spotify support would be the clincher for me.


----------



## Another Audiophile

lowrider007 said:


> Response back from Chord regarding Spotify being supported with Poly,
> 
> _"This is still very much on the to do list. It's harder than it sounds because of a quirk of what Poly 'counts as' but it's still in the plan.
> All the best"_
> ...


Sure, something in 2055


----------



## Alan Billington

Hi LowRider… what use case are you looking to achieve with Spotify and Poly? I only use Spotify with my Poly / iPhone via wifi


lowrider007 said:


> Response back from Chord regarding Spotify being supported with Poly,
> 
> _"This is still very much on the to do list. It's harder than it sounds because of a quirk of what Poly 'counts as' but it's still in the plan.
> All the best"_
> ...


----------



## lowrider007

Alan Billington said:


> Hi LowRider… what use case are you looking to achieve with Spotify and Poly? I only use Spotify with my Poly / iPhone via wifi


I'm on android unfortunately so I can't use Airplay, I'm assuming that was going to be your suggestion?


----------



## Pulcino

I‘m hoping Amazon Music is a priority, too. A native integration as Auralic is doing it would allow to improve sound quality. Air play simply doesn’t sound as good as even redbook CD from SD card.


----------



## bascurtiz

surfgeorge said:


> You can register at amazon.co.jp and order the cable from there:
> https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Coaxial-Digital-Audio-Cable-coxc_02_32r_075/dp/B0B78G2Y58/ref=sr_1_6?crid=19EQA9AXNV50N&keywords=onso&qid=1660220023&sprefix=onso+,aps,232&sr=8-6
> 
> Amazon will show you the total price including shipping and import costs, and may even refund you if the importation is cheaper than anticipated.
> I have ordered stuff several times and never had an issue. Delivery times were also very short, in the range of a week or less.



Thanks! I did that, looks like it can indeed now be shipped - though the cable is out of stock, but...
Turns out the website of my motherboard refers to a _different_ mobo when it comes down to the S/PDIF connector 






That link refers to: https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/...33_MB_Pin_Definition_v2_print_vendor_only.pdf
In other words, a motherboard (A320M-A instead of X370-PRO) with no S/PDIF out, hence the connector on-board _*sighs*_

Meanwhile I already ordered the COAX-bracket, but shipping it back will cost me 15 bucks - not worth it on a product of 18 bucks. 
Anyone who lives in The Netherlands and wants to buy the bracket from me, let me know!
In mint condition ofcourse (can't use it, since my mobo doesn't have the connector) 

In the end, it seems the TOSlink cable is doing its job: I don't have 'white noise blasts' nor 'audio dropouts' or 'audio mutes' anymore!


----------



## Alan Billington

lowrider007 said:


> I'm on android unfortunately so I can't use Airplay, I'm assuming that was going to be your suggestion?


Wow. Hadn’t realised Poly wasn’t readily available to android / Spotify market. Jeez. My use case is ideal, but it shows what a minority im in then. Good luck 👍


----------



## Hamuraii

*Update  

My cable quest with the magical lightning fruit wizard of iOZ*











ddHiFi TC28i Pro Lightning Male to Female USB OTG and Power Adapter for iOS devices​






ddHiFi TC09S USB-C to USB-C OTG Data Cable with Double Shielded Structure, 50cm​







*Neumann ND20, Silver Plated+OCC cable, 2.5mm to 3.5mm, 0.7m







LD West, Mojo2 and iPhone13 ProMax Conceal Carry Holster









YES
*


----------



## Johnfg465vd

So I stopped following this thread after the official release cause I was disappointed with the design of the unit, I'm currently in the market for a portable DAC after selling my Gryphon and am torn between giving this a try and RS2 DAP.

From what I read, Mojo 2 is an obvious improvement over Mojo but I wanted to know if a couple of specific things are improved with the Mojo 2.

1. I saw some posts mention white noise issue with the unit, what's that about?

2. With the Mojo, it traded soundstage size for more depth and precision to my ears when compared to competition, I was however a bit disappointed with soundstage height, when A/B'ing it with micro iDSD Signature, the Signature had a grander stage and was more immersive to my ears. Has the stage width and height improved?

3. Mojo sounded like it pushed a lot of detail upfront, micro detail or background sounds were pushed forward a bit so they were more noticeable, but it kinda sounded like using volume normalizer to me, paired with Sundara which is already a bit bright sounding, overall pairing sounded too fatiguing. Is Mojo 2 more Dynamic sounding than before?

4. Some people also complained about hiss from headphone output, considering I'll primarily be using IEMs, this is a deal breaker for me if true. any comments on hiss?

5. I saw some mention the unit gets better sounding after keeping it on for 20-30 mins, why is that? I noticed a similar effect with my RU6 & A30 Pro, where keeping them on for a few mins removed some edginess in the treble.


----------



## headfry (Aug 14, 2022)

Johnfg465vd said:


> So I stopped following this thread after the official release cause I was disappointed with the design of the unit, I'm currently in the market for a portable DAC after selling my Gryphon and am torn between giving this a try and RS2 DAP.
> 
> From what I read, Mojo 2 is an obvious improvement over Mojo but I wanted to know if a couple of specific things are improved with the Mojo 2.
> 
> ...


Soundstage height and overall size on Mojo 2 is about the same with a better sense of depth and space.
Once I stopped moving the micro USB connection cable during playback have only
experienced one white noise in 6 months - not a big deal and some users don't experience it.
The biggest difference with Mojo 2 over M1 is that the bass has greater detail and texture, On Mojo 1 the weight, 
tone of bass is good but sounds to me somewhat
smoothed-over when compared with the rest of the frequency range. As a result coherence is now great on the M2.

Yes, Mojo 2 has better dynamics than the 1.

I use the Grado GR10e IEMs, I don't hear hiss and they sound amazing, I really like them with the crossfeed on minimum (red).

The Mojo 2 is noticeably a bit brighter compared with M1, I drop the 3k band by 1 db and it sounds great
on two of my headphones and similar in tonal balance to the M1. On my high end Grados I actually boost the
3k and 20k by 1 db each!

The DSP is a fantastic addition and I love having it, eg and crossfeed without any loss of quality.

We all hear and react differently so I recommend you audition the Mojo 2 to see if it works as well for you.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

headfry said:


> Soundstage height and overall size on Mojo 2 is about the same with a better sense of depth and space.
> Once I stopped moving the micro USB connection cable during playback have only
> experienced one white noise in 6 months - not a big deal and some users don't experience it.
> The biggest difference with Mojo 2 over M1 is that the bass has greater detail and texture, On Mojo 1 the weight,
> ...


Thanks for the detailed response.

Sucks that soundstage isn't wider, I agree about the Bass of Mojo, it had good body/density but wasn't as textured.

So the white noise has something to do with moving the micro USB Cable while in use? is it the same with Type-C?

I've read that it is brighter but it does not have the artifacts or glare in the treble that some DACs have right? similar to Mojo.

The DSP is one of the reasons I'm considering M2, never been a fan of EQ, it always altered sound in a way I never liked. Hopefully this DSP is more transparent.

Sadly, no way to audition gear where I'm from, at least not in an easy or convenient way.

Finally, any users of Mojo 2 and RS6 or N6ii with R2R board? I know it's a subjective thing but I'm curious to hear what your thoughts are between R2R and FPGA? I have the RU6 but it's not fair to compare a device of that size and cost against Mojo/Mojo 2.


----------



## ohrbegd (Aug 14, 2022)

I cancelled my plan to upgrade to high-end DAP. Instead, I bought Chord Mojo 2 and use it with my iPod touch 7th gen as a transport using Fiio LT-LT1. Definitely worth it. Now, I just need an end-game IEM and I will be good for 5 years. Hopefully, the audio technology will not advance that fast or I will be screwed. 😂


----------



## rwelles

Johnfg465vd said:


> Finally, any users of Mojo 2 and RS6 or N6ii with R2R board? I know it's a subjective thing but I'm curious to hear what your thoughts are between R2R and FPGA? I have the RU6 but it's not fair to compare a device of that size and cost against Mojo/Mojo 2.


I have both. Love 'em both a lot. But if I had to give one of them up, it'd be the RS6. Mojo 2 is simply amazing!! esp. with the Poly.


----------



## Menkau-ra

ohrbegd said:


> I cancelled my plan to upgrade to high-end DAP. Instead, I bought Chord Mojo 2 and use it with my iPod touch 7th gen as a transport using Fiio LT-LT1. Definitely worth it. Now, I just need an end-game IEM and I will be good for 5 years. Hopefully, the audio technology will not advance that fast or I will be screwed. 😂


That’s what I did. Mojo2 + Mest2, IE600 and S12. I am all set.


----------



## chaotic_angel

any one using Hiby R3 Pro Saber, USB C to 3.5 coax ....?
I just realized when using usb c to c/micro = volume is fixed, while usbc to 3.5 coax, R3 volume is still working.


----------



## ohrbegd

chaotic_angel said:


> any one using Hiby R3 Pro Saber, USB C to 3.5 coax ....?
> I just realized when using usb c to c/micro = volume is fixed, while usbc to 3.5 coax, R3 volume is still working.


I owned Hiby R3 Pro Saber, but have not tried the cable yet. What do you mean by volume is fixed? Is it the locked digital volume?


----------



## surfgeorge

chaotic_angel said:


> any one using Hiby R3 Pro Saber, USB C to 3.5 coax ....?
> I just realized when using usb c to c/micro = volume is fixed, while usbc to 3.5 coax, R3 volume is still working.


That is correct.
With the coax cable you could use the HiBy R3's volume control, but I personally always made sure that the volume was set to 100% to avoid any processing of the digital signal. The USB connection has fixed output, but sounds a bit brighter. Coax sounds smoother with darker background IMO.


----------



## chaotic_angel

ohrbegd said:


> I owned Hiby R3 Pro Saber, but have not tried the cable yet. What do you mean by volume is fixed? Is it the locked digital volume?


fixed = the vol button can not be operate


----------



## ohrbegd

chaotic_angel said:


> fixed = the vol button can not be operate


Then it is locked. 


surfgeorge said:


> That is correct.
> With the coax cable you could use the HiBy R3's volume control, but I personally always made sure that the volume was set to 100% to avoid any processing of the digital signal. The USB connection has fixed output, but sounds a bit brighter. Coax sounds smoother with darker background IMO.


As he said you should max your volume first on your DAP. I think Mojo also stated something similar in general to make sure your source is at max volume and control it via Mojo.


----------



## chaotic_angel

surfgeorge said:


> That is correct.
> With the coax cable you could use the HiBy R3's volume control, but I personally always made sure that the volume was set to 100% to avoid any processing of the digital signal. The USB connection has fixed output, but sounds a bit brighter. Coax sounds smoother with darker background IMO.


I see, thanks for confirming. Yes I found coax is less analytical and based on my experience better the source better sounding too. Shanling EM5 vs Hiby R3 Saber.


----------



## chaotic_angel

surfgeorge said:


> That is correct.
> With the coax cable you could use the HiBy R3's volume control, but I personally always made sure that the volume was set to 100% to avoid any processing of the digital signal. The USB connection has fixed output, but sounds a bit brighter. Coax sounds smoother with darker background IMO.


I saw you have Poly too, how do you find R3 vs Poly, let say via same usb input in Mojo 2


----------



## ohrbegd (Aug 16, 2022)

ohrbegd said:


> Then it is locked.
> 
> As he said you should max your volume first on your DAP. I think Mojo also stated something similar in general to make sure your source is at max volume and control it via Mojo.


I stand corrected. I thought it would be like the first photo, but I know what you mean now as in the second one. Just tested it myself due to curiosity. The digital volume does not affect anything. 😂


----------



## surfgeorge

ohrbegd said:


> I stand corrected. I thought it would be like the first photo, but I know what you mean now as in the second one. Just tested it myself due to curiosity. The digital volume does not affect anything. 😂


That's with your setup using the micro-USB cable from the R3 to the Mojo. 
When you use the USB-C to Coax cable, the R3's volume control changes the digital signal going to the Mojo. In that case you need to make sure it's set to 100% on the R3.


----------



## ohrbegd

surfgeorge said:


> That's with your setup using the micro-USB cable from the R3 to the Mojo.
> When you use the USB-C to Coax cable, the R3's volume control changes the digital signal going to the Mojo. In that case you need to make sure it's set to 100% on the R3.


Achsoo. I get it now 😂. I did not pay attention to it since in my use case it does not matter anyway. I just tested it since someone was asking about this and I was like, lemme try.


----------



## lowrider007 (Aug 16, 2022)

Had the Mojo 2 for a few weeks now, tbh I wasn't immediately impressed using it as a DAC only in my chain, but since using it as a portable headphone dac/amp this thing has blown me away, I've been choosing this over my Audeze Deckard desktop amp, that thing has tons of power but I've been enjoying the Mojo 2 more, sounds absolutely sublime, really making me think what the Hugo 2 could do!?


----------



## ohrbegd (Aug 17, 2022)

lowrider007 said:


> Had the Mojo 2 for a few weeks now, tbh I wasn't immediately impressed using it a DAC only in my chain, but since using it as a portable headphone dac/amp this thing has blown me away, I've been choosing this over my Audeze Deckard desktop amp, that thing has tons of power but been enjoying the Mojo 2 more, sounds absolutely sublime, really making me think what the Hugo 2 could do!?


Mojo 2 is my first buy for a Hi-Fi setup above 500 Euro, I was sceptical at first about the interface etc but now I can‘t wait to listen to the next song with my current Senn. IE300. It really is special.


----------



## surfgeorge (Aug 16, 2022)

ohrbegd said:


> Mojo 2 is my first buy for Hi-Fi setup above 500 Euro, I was about skeptical at first about the interface etc but now I can‘t wait to listen to the next song with my current Senn. IE300. It really is special.


I think that is the biggest praise you can give to any piece of audio equipment!
What I found special about the Mojo, and later the Hugo 2, was that it's not just a "new toy syndrome" but a lasting effect.



lowrider007 said:


> Had the Mojo 2 for a few weeks now, tbh I wasn't immediately impressed using it a DAC only in my chain, but since using it as a portable headphone dac/amp this thing has blown me away, I've been choosing this over my Audeze Deckard desktop amp, that thing has tons of power but been enjoying the Mojo 2 more, sounds absolutely sublime, really making me think what the Hugo 2 could do!?


Hugo 2 adds clarity, detail, separation, dynamics, imaging focus, better definition most apparent in bass. Bass extension is also better. Music sounds more alive. Trailing edges of notes have additional information that's not available on the Mojo 2.
Mojo 2 sounds a bit like the music is played in a well damped room, with good leading edge definition of notes and "straight" decay. Hugo 2 is like playing in a real venue, with the room reflections audible, a somewhat faster, lighter and airier feel. You can hear the notes being reflected of the walls, and there's a more lively reverb.
Considering the current prices for used Hugo 2 it's really good value IMO if you have the appropriate drivers to deliver the SQ Hugo 2 is capable of.

BTW - really interesting tracks recommended by Rob Watts here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-17097843


----------



## Chris Kaoss

Thank you, George. 

Guess someone has to audition the Mojo 2 besides the Hugo 2.   
The DSP on the Mojo 2 is very tempting, though.


----------



## Andrewteee

ohrbegd said:


> Mojo 2 is my first buy for Hi-Fi setup above 500 Euro, I was about skeptical at first about the interface etc but now I can‘t wait to listen to the next song with my current Senn. IE300. It really is special.


The Mojo 2 is one the less expensive things I've purchased this year, but it is a dream device. I love every moment with it. I had done a lot of research and really did not know what to expect, but the Mojo 2 was fantastic from day one. To imagine all of that is inside that cute little box (I love the industrial design).


----------



## surfgeorge

Chris Kaoss said:


> Thank you, George.
> 
> Guess someone has to audition the Mojo 2 besides the Hugo 2.
> The DSP on the Mojo 2 is very tempting, though.


I am doing that all the time! 
Hugo2Go at home and Mojo2Poly at the office, on the go and sometimes also at home, comparing to the H2Go.
I thought I would sell the H2Go after getting the Mojo 2, but no way.


----------



## headfry (Aug 16, 2022)

Chris Kaoss said:


> Thank you, George.
> 
> Guess someone has to audition the Mojo 2 besides the Hugo 2.
> The DSP on the Mojo 2 is very tempting, though.


I have no interest in upgrading to the Hugo 2, as when I auditioned it with my headphones I heard differences and some improvements - much larger soundstage,
higher resolution, better dynamics  - but in the setup used the sound _for me _was overall not an improvement musically over Mojo 1, now with Mojo 2 I have the upgrade I wanted for a relatively reasonable outlay and oh so portable (I love light, portable gear that performs amazingly). 
The Hugo 2 is great, not knocking it but at this point if you have Mojo 2 and are satisfied with it I would
consider waiting for Hugo 3 to come out (who knows when that will be? It's a guessing game), at that point a used Hugo 2 will hopefully
be much less and perhaps Hugo 3 will have the DSP eq (Mojo 2 has the same crossfeed DSP as Hugo 2).

If you're interested and have the ability to do so at a nearby store for example I do recommend listening to the Hugo 2 for yourself  as we all perceive differently.


----------



## Chris Kaoss

headfry said:


> I have no interest in upgrading to the Hugo 2, as when I auditioned it with my headphones I heard differences and some improvements - much larger soundstage,
> higher resolution, better dynamics  - but in the setup used the sound _for me _was overall not an improvement musically over Mojo 1, now with Mojo 2 I have the upgrade I wanted for a relatively reasonable outlay and oh so portable (I love light, portable gear that performs amazingly).
> The Hugo 2 is great, not knocking it but at this point if you have Mojo 2 and are satisfied with it I would
> consider waiting for Hugo 3 to come out (who knows when that will be? It's a guessing game), at that point a used Hugo 2 will hopefully
> ...


I'll for sure.
Atm, the Mojo 2 is more appealing to me couz of the size and DSP. (Coming from Mojo OG)

But let's see what Hugo 2 can 2 4 me.


----------



## ohrbegd

surfgeorge said:


> That's with your setup using the micro-USB cable from the R3 to the Mojo.
> When you use the USB-C to Coax cable, the R3's volume control changes the digital signal going to the Mojo. In that case you need to make sure it's set to 100% on the R3


Regarding this, I can control the volume on my phone connected to Mojo2, I am quite surprised. Could you explain why is it different in case of Hiby R3?


----------



## ohrbegd

I found an interesting thing about Mojo2 on my android phone and iPod, both with Apple Music. On my iPod the lossless audio shows red led which is 44 kHz however on my android phone it shows blue led which is 192 kHz. Does anyone know anything about this?


----------



## headfry

ohrbegd said:


> I found an interesting thing about Mojo2 on my android phone and iPod, both with Apple Music. On my iPod the lossless audio shows red led which is 44 kHz however on my android phone it shows blue led which is 192 kHz. Does anyone know anything about this?


if AM is set to HiRes Lossless on the iPod - assuming latest version of IOS - then it also should be outputting the correct resolution:

How to turn lossless on or off​
Go to Settings > Music.
Tap Audio Quality.
Tap Lossless Audio to turn it on or off. From here, you can choose the audio quality for streaming and downloading audio.
Lossless for a maximum resolution of 24-bit/48 kHz
Hi-Res Lossless for a maximum resolution of 24-bit/192 kHz


----------



## ohrbegd

headfry said:


> if AM is set to HiRes Lossless on the iPod - assuming latest version of IOS - then it also should be outputting the correct resolution:
> 
> How to turn lossless on or off​
> Go to Settings > Music.
> ...


I already set this up prior. That was why I was confused 😅


----------



## headfry

ohrbegd said:


> I already set this up prior. That was why I was confused 😅


what version of IOS?


----------



## ohrbegd

headfry said:


> what version of IOS?


15.6. It will be the last one before iOS 16 release.


----------



## headfry (Aug 17, 2022)

ohrbegd said:


> 15.6. It will be the last one before iOS 16 release.


Try playing a song from Coldplay's "A Head Full of Dreams" - what color is the light? 

Now on the Android, do even older, low resolution files play with the high resolution light  - e.g. try playing a track from
Spirit, "Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus" - (which are 44.1 kz)?


----------



## ohrbegd

headfry said:


> Try playing a song from Coldplay's "A Head Full of Dreams" - what color is the light? On the Android,
> do even older, low resolution files play with the high resolution light  - e.g. try playing a track from
> Spirit, "Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus" - (which are 44.1 kz)?


I have "Fix you" which is high res so of course, it shows blue led. I just tried it on my iPad and it was the same as on my iPod. On android when I play 44 kHz song, the blue led shows up, guess it has something to do with upsampling? I mean on my iPad and iPod it just plays the default sampling rate as the track but on my android, it upscales the sampling rate even though the track is 44 kHz that is why blue led shows up. I guess I formulated my question wrongly earlier. I guess this is just android thingy?


----------



## headfry

ohrbegd said:


> I have "Fix you" which is high res so of course, it shows blue led. I just tried it on my iPad and it was the same as on my iPod. On android when I play 44 kHz song, the blue led shows up, guess it has something to do with upsampling? I mean on my iPad and iPod it just plays the default sampling rate as the track but on my android, it upscales the sampling rate even though the track is 44 kHz that is why blue led shows up. I guess I formulated my question wrongly earlier. I guess this is just android thingy?


Yes, it appears that the Android is upsampling every file to 192kz, well known issue.


----------



## ohrbegd

headfry said:


> Yes, it appears that the Android is upsampling every file to 192kz, well known issue.


I did not know about this, since I could not distinguish it when using my ibasso dc-03. I just noticed this since I bought Mojo 2. It is good to know. Thank you for answering my dumb questions 😂😂😂


----------



## maninacape

Johnfg465vd said:


> So I stopped following this thread after the official release cause I was disappointed with the design of the unit, I'm currently in the market for a portable DAC after selling my Gryphon and am torn between giving this a try and RS2 DAP.
> 
> From what I read, Mojo 2 is an obvious improvement over Mojo but I wanted to know if a couple of specific things are improved with the Mojo 2.
> 
> ...


I'm sorta in the same situation. I'm considering the Mojo 2, Gryphon and newly released Topping G5. Leaning towards the G5 right now, but I'm really piqued by the M2's EQ. What made you give up the Gryphon, if you don't mind my asking?


----------



## Johnfg465vd

maninacape said:


> I'm sorta in the same situation. I'm considering the Mojo 2, Gryphon and newly released Topping G5. Leaning towards the G5 right now, but I'm really piqued by the M2's EQ. What made you give up the Gryphon, if you don't mind my asking?


A couple of things

1. I downgraded from the micro iDSD Signature which to my ears is a better sounding device. To me, it sounds better than the Mojo 1 & Gryphon.
2. I got used to not having to use balanced cables with Mojo & Signature but with the Gryphon, there's not enough power and image separation with Single-Ended Output so I'm forced to use 4.4 Out for best sound.
3. It did not power my planars well, I was easily reaching above 90 on volume even with Balanced Out which meant the headroom was not great either. Same story when using something like Meze 99C or P1 with Single-Ended Output, I was reaching 80/100 on volume.
4. I thought I'd get more use out of Bluetooth, but Gryphon is still a big device and I don't use Headphones while on the go, so carry a bigger device outside did not make much sense. My previous Bluetooth DACs like BTR5, xCAN, XA-10, BC3... were easier to carry. If I ever need it, I'll probably get the BTR7 instead for Bluetooth, I'm happy with my LG G8x for portable use so....

There are other things like less battery life (compared to Signature), price (IMO it's over priced) but above ones are the main reasons I sold it. Kind of depends on your taste I guess, it's still a good sounding device, If you want something to kick back and relax, it'll give you a nice laid back sound without sacrificing on details and a decently wide soundstage. I'm familiar with Mojo, to my ears it had an opposite sound signature, more intense, a lot of detail, in a non-fatiguing way but still very attention garbing, intimate but more precise imaging, no distortion (Gryphon has it at higher volumes). I'm guessing Mojo 2 will have a similar sound signature but with a few improvements overall.

I read about G5, seems like a good device that ticks all the boxes for a powerful portable DAC. I might give either the G5 or Colibri a try next.


----------



## maninacape

Johnfg465vd said:


> A couple of things
> 
> 1. I downgraded from the micro iDSD Signature which to my ears is a better sounding device. To me, it sounds better than the Mojo 1 & Gryphon.
> 2. I got used to not having to use balanced cables with Mojo & Signature but with the Gryphon, there's not enough power and image separation with Single-Ended Output so I'm forced to use 4.4 Out for best sound.
> ...


Thanks for the details. I'll add the Colibri to my list.


----------



## surfgeorge (Aug 18, 2022)

Johnfg465vd said:


> I'm familiar with Mojo, to my ears it had an opposite sound signature, more intense, a lot of detail, in a non-fatiguing way but still very attention garbing, intimate but more precise imaging, no distortion (Gryphon has it at higher volumes). I'm guessing Mojo 2 will have a similar sound signature but with a few improvements overall.


To my ears Mojo 2 has a quite different signature compared to the original Mojo.
Mojo OG is more mid focused with forward but sweet and detailed mids, silky highs and a warm bass. To me the OG excells at vocals and emotion, but gives up a bit of definition, and bass and treble appear almost a bit rolled off or recessed.

Mojo 2 is much more linear in its response with more presence, definition and extension in bass and treble.
It is much closer to the Hugo 2 in this aspect, also closer in dynamics but not reaching the level of the H2.

There were people who preferred the original Mojo's sound signature to that of the Hugo 2, and those will likely still prefer the OG sound.
Mojo 2 is for those who seek a neutral yet natural and well defined sound signature.
BTW - the EQ feature does not make the Mojo 2 sound like the original. I tried.


----------



## rlanger

I too, much prefer the 2 over the OG. At first, I also wasn't keen on the micro-usb implementation and the haphazard usb-c port, but in practice, it's really a non-issue.

The eq is truly game-changing though, as I can dial in the perfect amount of bass and treble, depending on the song. And it takes less than 3 seconds to do so. Once you are used to it, you will know exactly how many button presses are required to adjust the desired frequency.

One thing I rarely see mentioned, however, is how great the volume control is on the MOJO. I love that I can adjust the volume by a single dB with just a simple button press.


----------



## bascurtiz

bascurtiz said:


> This cable I ordered:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Well, it works... No more audio dropouts or white noise blasts, but max. output is 96khz/24-bit 
It simply refuses to play anything recorded above that (blinking red power-button).

According to my studio friend that's the difference between cheap and more expensive cables  
So I bought the AudioQuest Forest instead, and... yep: he was right (dark blue power-button, while playing 192khz/24-bit) !


----------



## Kentajalli

bascurtiz said:


> Well, it works... No more audio dropouts or white noise blasts, but max. output is 96khz/24-bit
> It simply refuses to play anything recorded above that (blinking red power-button).
> 
> According to my studio friend that's the difference between cheap and more expensive cables
> So I bought the AudioQuest Forest instead, and... yep: he was right (dark blue power-button, while playing 192khz/24-bit) !


Your friend is actually mostly right. It also depends on the sender as well, Mojo2 can manage 192kHz with a decent cable and decent sender.
This is the cable I got:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/374008934560
And this is the sender I got for my PC:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255497349738
I get 192kHz on my Hugo2 and Topping DX7pro, no issues!
It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive.


----------



## Headphiguy

I am coming to the conclusion I might have reached my real-world end-game for my main hifi by spending under £400. I traded in my M1 for an M2 and bought a WiiM Mini, with the M2 connected to my existing 1980s Mission amp and speakers. Not exactly a high-end setup but the AmazonMusicHD-Wiim-M2 front end has transformed almost every aspect of the sound. Most of the albums I listen to from the last 50 or 60 years are either 24/96 or 24/192 through AMHD and the recent WiiM firmware update has added the option of bit-perfect casting from the native Amazon app to the existing bit-perfect Sonos-like WiiM streaming app. Even the optical cable bundled with the Wiim works at 24/192 reliably.
I know I could spend (much) more on an even better sounding system but as I seem to now be listening to new versions of every album, I feel I have got to that part of the ROC curve which is the optimum balance between SQ and cost.
Count me satisfied.


----------



## surfgeorge

My god, the SQ available nowadays in a small, portable system is simply amazing!!
On a bus with Mojo2Poly, Sony IER-M9 with CEMA PS cable and EP-NI1000 tips, listening to the CD „Vox Cosmica“ by Hirundo Maris on Qobuz….  Heaven….


----------



## rwelles

I'd STILL love to buy one of these cases in the US...


----------



## ohrbegd

surfgeorge said:


> My god, the SQ available nowadays in a small, portable system is simply amazing!!
> On a bus with Mojo2Poly, Sony IER-M9 with CEMA PS cable and EP-NI1000 tips, listening to the CD „Vox Cosmica“ by Hirundo Maris on Qobuz….  Heaven….


What kind of case is that? Looks really good. I got the mitter one.


----------



## Nostoi

surfgeorge said:


> My god, the SQ available nowadays in a small, portable system is simply amazing!!
> On a bus with Mojo2Poly, Sony IER-M9 with CEMA PS cable and EP-NI1000 tips, listening to the CD „Vox Cosmica“ by Hirundo Maris on Qobuz….  Heaven….


Good job on the case - looks good in situ!


----------



## surfgeorge

rwelles said:


> I'd STILL love to buy one of these cases in the US...


I have a friend in the US with a printer, I will check if he could help out and PM you!


----------



## Knee Deep In Epoxy

Just received my Mojo 2 after a three month wait. 

Have it hooked up to my Samsung mobile via USB micro, and driving my HifiMan Arya V2. Astonishing volume levels achievable. Way way more than I'd need and I love the to tonality and presentation of this pairing. Listening through Qbuz

My only concern is that i hear crackles here and there in certain songs. I don't think it's the recordings as I hear them in different parts of the songs when I re-listen. It probably happens 2-4 times per track (when it happens)

Anyone else had this experience?

Could it be interference from my mobile? I am using a short usb cable and browsing/typing while listening.


----------



## Kentajalli

Knee Deep In Epoxy said:


> Just received my Mojo 2 after a three month wait.
> 
> Have it hooked up to my Samsung mobile via USB micro, and driving my HifiMan Arya V2. Astonishing volume levels achievable. Way way more than I'd need and I love the to tonality and presentation of this pairing. Listening through Qbuz
> 
> ...


It could be that you are not outputing bit perfect.
If you are an avid Qubuz user, get USB audio player pro, from Google play.
it is cheap enough, it is a good player, has Qubuz support and equaliser .
Above all it figures itself out to output correctly to your Mojo2 .


----------



## Knee Deep In Epoxy

Kentajalli said:


> It could be that you are not outputing bit perfect.
> If you are an avid Qubuz user, get USB audio player pro, from Google play.
> it is cheap enough, it is a good player, has Qubuz support and equaliser .
> Above all it figures itself out to output correctly to your Mojo2 .


Thanks for the tip. I have USB audio player pro but never used it before. I'll give it a go.


----------



## Knee Deep In Epoxy

Kentajalli said:


> It could be that you are not outputing bit perfect.
> If you are an avid Qubuz user, get USB audio player pro, from Google play.
> it is cheap enough, it is a good player, has Qubuz support and equaliser .
> Above all it figures itself out to output correctly to your Mojo2 .


Wow!

Just tried it. The sound is pristine!

Thank you!


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

ubs28 said:


> Just buy the Apple AirPods Max, trust me.
> 
> My Apple AirPods Max sounds better than the AFC 2 Noire + 2Go + Hugo 2 when bluetooth is used.
> 
> ...



Similar findings here as well


----------



## AnalogEuphoria (Aug 23, 2022)

Earbones said:


> Hmmm… Have been mulling over picking up an M2 (despite my shock at the imo awful, slap-dash final exterior design, which I noted in this thread back when the unit dropped) but the recent discussion here is giving me pause.
> 
> The M2 is a device that is still a bit hard to get, despite some large stock fulfillment in the last couple of days at a few places. Meaning that historically, at this point on HeadFi, this thread should be a lovefest of delirious, orgyastic heights right about now… but it appears to be a bit muted, honestly. And on that other headphone site, the M2 discussion is positively lukewarm.
> 
> ...



I know what you mean and I feel Mojo 2 won't take off like 1 did, it was chords first affordable dac. people were lusting for a Hugo but couldn't afford it and then along came Mojo with glowing reviews that its very close to the technical performance of Hugo but more musical. I remember watching the thread back in 2015/16? blow up, same thing didn't happen here.

I think people are just already really happy with mojo 1 or have moved on to other things outside of chord. Chifi has took over headfi in the past few years, ultra cheap iems, dongles and dac amps are ruling this place so the once affordable chord dac now looks overpriced compared to what's out there.


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

Headphiguy said:


> I am coming to the conclusion I might have reached my real-world end-game for my main hifi by spending under £400. I traded in my M1 for an M2 and bought a WiiM Mini, with the M2 connected to my existing 1980s Mission amp and speakers. Not exactly a high-end setup but the AmazonMusicHD-Wiim-M2 front end has transformed almost every aspect of the sound. Most of the albums I listen to from the last 50 or 60 years are either 24/96 or 24/192 through AMHD and the recent WiiM firmware update has added the option of bit-perfect casting from the native Amazon app to the existing bit-perfect Sonos-like WiiM streaming app. Even the optical cable bundled with the Wiim works at 24/192 reliably.
> I know I could spend (much) more on an even better sounding system but as I seem to now be listening to new versions of every album, I feel I have got to that part of the ROC curve which is the optimum balance between SQ and cost.
> Count me satisfied.



You don't need to spend crazy money to enjoy good sounding music.


----------



## chaotic_angel

chaotic_angel said:


> any one using Hiby R3 Pro Saber, USB C to 3.5 coax ....?
> I just realized when using usb c to c/micro = volume is fixed, while usbc to 3.5 coax, R3 volume is still working.


I posted some pages back that when using
Usb C to Coax from R3 the volume was still adjustable, now all of sudden it is becoming Fix / locked 😆😆 see picture.

All sound normal tho


----------



## ohrbegd

chaotic_angel said:


> I posted some pages back that when using
> Usb C to Coax from R3 the volume was still adjustable, now all of sudden it is becoming Fix / locked 😆😆 see picture.
> 
> All sound normal tho


This is interesting. I have never tried USB c to coax tho. I guess it is normal?


----------



## Derivative

surfgeorge said:


> My god, the SQ available nowadays in a small, portable system is simply amazing!!
> On a bus with Mojo2Poly, Sony IER-M9 with CEMA PS cable and EP-NI1000 tips, listening to the CD „Vox Cosmica“ by Hirundo Maris on Qobuz….  Heaven….


How does the on-the-go streaming work in practice - do you connect Poly to your phone's hotspot to give it an internet connection? or use a public wifi? I doubt it has the ability to have it's own connection hence the question.


----------



## Hamuraii (Aug 25, 2022)

Derivative said:


> How does the on-the-go streaming work in practice - do you connect Poly to your phone's hotspot to give it an internet connection? or use a public wifi? I doubt it has the ability to have it's own connection hence the question.



Poly becomes a WiFi Server.

You'd then on your phone, login to the Poly WiFi 2.4G network (does not work for WiFi 5G)

Just look up some Utube videos that show how it works.

Do not own a Poly but that's what I think how it works, you have to shut Poly down and boot it up as a WiFi server.

Just my .02 cents.


----------



## joshnor713

Derivative said:


> How does the on-the-go streaming work in practice - do you connect Poly to your phone's hotspot to give it an internet connection? or use a public wifi? I doubt it has the ability to have it's own connection hence the question.


You can either do as you say, connect it to your phone's mobile hotspot or it can have it's own hotspot and you can connect the phone to it via wifi (it will connect as you would to a router, though have no internet obviously). On iPhone, the phone can maintain cell tower internet either way, but on Android, you won't have internet if you connect to the Poly's hotspot.


----------



## surfgeorge

Derivative said:


> How does the on-the-go streaming work in practice - do you connect Poly to your phone's hotspot to give it an internet connection? or use a public wifi? I doubt it has the ability to have it's own connection hence the question.


You can store access information for multiple Wi-Fi networks in Poly if you are moving between locations, Poly then connects automatically to the available networks (I think prioritized in the order they have been added)

For mobile listening I switch on the personal hotspot of my phone, this allows Poly to connect to the phone while the phone can access streaming services through its data connection.

Then I can use the Tidal or Qobuz apps and choose Poly as an AirPlay Output.

But I feel sound quality is better when using MConnect Lite App on the phone, choose Poly as renderer and use the Tidal and Qobuz controls in MConnect. Of course MConnect also allows playing music stored on the SD card.

If you don’t have internet access through phone or Wi-Fi, (e.g. on a plane) Poly can provide a hotspot, you connect your phone and can then control Poly to play the music stored on the SD card. 

It took me some time to figure it out but it‘s working well now as long as you have decent internet and Wi-Fi connections.


----------



## okplayer

Hello,

Until my Poly arrives was going to run my mojo 2 to my samsung 20 note phone.  Any advice on a quality usb-c to usb-c cable for that?

thanks

Michael


----------



## okplayer

I should add ideally 3 feet or so


----------



## Chibs

Hey guys,
Got my mojo 2 in April and finally finished with the Review. The good, bad, and perhaps me looking ugly at times. Yes, very ugly haha 



Chibs


----------



## rlanger (Aug 26, 2022)

Chibs said:


> Hey guys,
> Got my mojo 2 in April and finally finished with the Review. The good, bad, and perhaps me looking ugly at times. Yes, very ugly haha
> 
> 
> ...



Awesome video. Really enjoyed it. Where in Ontario are you? I'm from Richmond Hill, but I live in Japan now.

I've recommended these before in this thread for charging the Mojo, but since you discussed it in your vid, I'll say it again. Get yourself one of these magnetic cables from Amazon and just leave the tip always connected to the Mojo. I inserted mine when I got it, and have never removed it since.

BTW, can anyone recommend a 15cm usb-c to usb-c cable that doesn't blast white noise?


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

rlanger said:


> Awesome video. Really enjoyed it. Where in Ontario are you? I'm from Richmond Hill, but I live in Japan now.
> 
> I've recommended these before in this thread for charging the Mojo, but since you discussed it in your vid, I'll say it again. Get yourself one of these magnetic cables from Amazon and just leave the tip always connected to the Mojo. I inserted mine when I got it, and have never removed it since.
> 
> BTW, can anyone recommend a 15cm usb-c to usb-c cable that doesn't blast white noise?



It’s better to use coax or optical until this usb thing has been worked out.


----------



## iDesign (Aug 27, 2022)

Chibs said:


> Hey guys,
> Got my mojo 2 in April and finally finished with the Review. The good, bad, and perhaps me looking ugly at times. Yes, very ugly haha
> 
> 
> ...



Good review though the white noise issue is not specific to cables or iOS. It has been reported in Apple iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Windows, Android, etc. and occurs with other Chord DACs such as the DAVE since they all share the same USB firmware. As I’ve said before, Chord DACs should have been designed to mute when the USB synchronization fails— ultimately _that_ is the critical safety feature missing.


----------



## Chibs

rlanger said:


> Awesome video. Really enjoyed it. Where in Ontario are you? I'm from Richmond Hill, but I live in Japan now.
> 
> I've recommended these before in this thread for charging the Mojo, but since you discussed it in your vid, I'll say it again. Get yourself one of these magnetic cables from Amazon and just leave the tip always connected to the Mojo. I inserted mine when I got it, and have never removed it since.
> 
> BTW, can anyone recommend a 15cm usb-c to usb-c cable that doesn't blast white noise?


Thanks man!
Magnetic cable is a great idea and I’ll look into it.


----------



## Charente

Chibs said:


> Hey guys,
> Got my mojo 2 in April and finally finished with the Review. The good, bad, and perhaps me looking ugly at times. Yes, very ugly haha
> 
> 
> ...



Interesting review ... and fun at the same time 

I've not tried M2 as a DAC only but it's unlikely to beat the Qutest that I have. I bought that as a result of first buying the M2, so the Chord 'buy-in' strategy worked on me !!


----------



## ohrbegd

Hi guys, since I don't have that much knowledge, would topping TCT1 work to connect a DAP/iPod to Mojo 2? I have fiio LT-T1 but sometimes I heard a noise on my left IEM channel. If anyone has any experience with this, please let me know.


----------



## miketlse

ohrbegd said:


> Hi guys, since I don't have that much knowledge, would topping TCT1 work to connect a DAP/iPod to Mojo 2? I have fiio LT-T1 but sometimes I heard a noise on my left IEM channel. If anyone has any experience with this, please let me know.


The Mojo2 is SE design, so using balanced TCT1 cables is overkill/pointless to provide a digital input to the Mojo2.


----------



## Hamuraii

Chibs said:


> Hey guys,
> Got my mojo 2 in April and finally finished with the Review. The good, bad, and perhaps me looking ugly at times. Yes, very ugly haha
> 
> 
> ...




LOL


----------



## ohrbegd

miketlse said:


> The Mojo2 is SE design, so using balanced TCT1 cables is overkill/pointless to provide a digital input to the Mojo2.


Do you have any recommendations regarding my case?


----------



## miketlse

ohrbegd said:


> Do you have any recommendations regarding my case?


I would have to check your use case in more detail.
For most use cases the generic best practice identified/described in the Mojo1 thread are still applicable to the Mojo2.
I see you mention an iPod. Mojo owners such as @musickid had success using an iPod touch as an input/music store for their Mojo1, so search for his posts to learn what worked well.
For usb input I found the Shanling M1 worked well as a DAP.
Otherwise I used optical input for my Mojo, and I would do the same if I buy a Mojo2.


----------



## ohrbegd

miketlse said:


> I would have to check your use case in more detail.
> For most use cases the generic best practice identified/described in the Mojo1 thread are still applicable to the Mojo2.
> I see you mention an iPod. Mojo owners such as @musickid had success using an iPod touch as an input/music store for their Mojo1, so search for his posts to learn what worked well.
> For usb input I found the Shanling M1 worked well as a DAP.
> Otherwise I used optical input for my Mojo, and I would do the same if I buy a Mojo2.


I usually paired my Mojo 2 with my iPod (Fiio LT-T1 cable) or Hiby R3 Pro Saber (generic c to c cable) most of the time and sometimes my MacBook (generic c to c). 

Thank you, your feedback is really helpful. 👌


----------



## Chibs (Aug 28, 2022)

iDesign said:


> Good review though the white noise issue is not specific to cables or iOS. It has been reported in Apple iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Windows, Android, etc. and occurs with other Chord DACs such as the DAVE since they all share the same USB firmware. As I’ve said before, Chord DACs should have been designed to mute when the USB synchronization fails— ultimately _that_ is the critical safety feature missing.


I’ve heard about the white noise issues with computers but didn’t expect it with iOS devices. Since I got that 50cm cable I haven’t experienced it at all, and it’s been around 4 months. So I’m assuming in my case, it was a matter of cable compatibility.  Really weird issue.
In any case, I’m happy to be rid of it and enjoying the crap outta this thing.




Chibs


----------



## ohrbegd

Chibs said:


> I’ve heard about the white noise issues with computers but didn’t expect it with iOS devices. Since I got that 50cm cable I haven’t experienced it at all, and it’s been around 4 months. So I’m assuming in my case, it was a matter of cable compatibility.  Really weird issue.
> In any case, I’m happy to be rid of it and enjoying the crap outta this thing.
> 
> Chibs


Which cable is it? 50 cm is too long. I got Fiio LT-T1 which is 10 cm to connect Mojo 2 to my iPod.


----------



## dsrk (Aug 28, 2022)

ohrbegd said:


> Which cable is it? 50 cm is too long. I got Fiio LT-T1 which is 10 cm to connect Mojo 2 to my iPod.


That's DDHIFI cable, you can get it in 8cm as well. I am using FiiO LT-TC1 cable but I think DDHIFI cable is a better one.


----------



## ohrbegd

dsrk said:


> That's DDHIFI cable, you can get it in 8cm as well. I am using FiiO LT-TC1 cable but I think DDHIFI cable is a better one.


Thanks!


----------



## Hamuraii

ohrbegd said:


> Thanks!


Did order the ddHiFi 50cm cable my self also the lightning to UBC adapter.

ETA two weeks, until Mobile Joy


----------



## Chibs (Aug 28, 2022)

ohrbegd said:


> Which cable is it? 50 cm is too long. I got Fiio LT-T1 which is 10 cm to connect Mojo 2 to my iPod.


As per my video



I don’t recommend this specific cable or the shorter DD Hifi cable. The 50 CM DD hifi was the only one that gave me no white noise issues. Also, it’s nice to have some extra length in actual day to day use (that’s also what she said)

Chibs


----------



## iDesign (Aug 28, 2022)

For what it’s worth, I have had no issues whatsoever with the Fiio LT-LT1 using an iPhone 13 Pro 256GB running iOS 16.0. The issue is more nuanced than simply the cable and it’s likely a background operation/task or hardware+software level combined with Fiio’s method of circumventing the MFI protocol that causes the USB synchronization to fail in the Mojo 2. Again, we know the issue is not specific to iOS or the LT-LT1 and occurs with Android, iPadOS, macOS, Windows, and other devices.


----------



## Chibs (Aug 28, 2022)

iDesign said:


> For what it’s worth, I have had no issues whatsoever with the Fiio LT-LT1 using an iPhone 13 Pro 256GB running iOS 16.0. The issue is more nuanced than simply the cable and it’s likely a background operation/task or hardware+software level combined with Fiio’s method of circumventing the MFI protocol that causes the USB synchronization to fail in the Mojo 2. Again, we know the issue is not specific to iOS or the LT-LT1 and occurs with Android, iPadOS, macOS, Windows, and other devices.



I've got an iPhone 13 Pro, 256 iOS 15.6.1 (the latest non beta version of ios)
The Fiio and shorter DD Hifi cable would consistently give me white noise issues. I also demoed Mojo 2 at a hifi store that also had the little fiio lighting cable and it happened once during that demo. This longer Dd Hifi 50cm has never done it in the 4 months since. have no reason to believe it wasn't the cable *in my case.* Perhaps there's sample variation in the cables? I have no idea. At least I'm not worried about getting blasted, that totally sucked.


----------



## iDesign (Aug 28, 2022)

Chibs said:


> I've got an iPhone 13 Pro, 256 iOS 15.6.1 (the latest non beta version of ios)
> The Fiio and shorter DD Hifi cable would consistently give me white noise issues. I also demoed Mojo 2 at a hifi store that also had the little fiio lighting cable and it happened once during that demo. This longer Dd Hifi 50cm has never done it in the 4 months since. have no reason to believe it wasn't the cable *in my case.* Perhaps there's sample variation in the cables? I have no idea. At least I'm not worried about getting blasted, that totally sucked.


It’s unlikely the length. It has more to do with background operations/tasks or hardware+software level combined with the method of circumventing the MFI protocol that these cable makers are using via embedded chips. At the end of the day, it’s why Chord should have added a mute function when the USB synchronization fails and it’s also why they need to act stop pretending there isn’t an issue with their USB firmware and encoder. The Fiio cable works with every other DAC— it’s not them, it’s Chord.


----------



## ohrbegd

iDesign said:


> For what it’s worth, I have had no issues whatsoever with the Fiio LT-LT1 using an iPhone 13 Pro 256GB running iOS 16.0. The issue is more nuanced than simply the cable and it’s likely a background operation/task or hardware+software level combined with Fiio’s method of circumventing the MFI protocol that causes the USB synchronization to fail in the Mojo 2. Again, we know the issue is not specific to iOS or the LT-LT1 and occurs with Android, iPadOS, macOS, Windows, and other devices.


I just had an unpleasant experience. I accidentally touched my Fiio LT-T1 when I was streaming from Apple Music on my iPod (iOS 15.6.1) and static noises blasted into my ear. 🤐


Chibs said:


> I've got an iPhone 13 Pro, 256 iOS 15.6.1 (the latest non beta version of ios)
> The Fiio and shorter DD Hifi cable would consistently give me white noise issues. I also demoed Mojo 2 at a hifi store that also had the little fiio lighting cable and it happened once during that demo. This longer Dd Hifi 50cm has never done it in the 4 months since. have no reason to believe it wasn't the cable *in my case.* Perhaps there's sample variation in the cables? I have no idea. At least I'm not worried about getting blasted, that totally sucked.


Is the software the case for this? My iPod won't get iOS 16 in the future unfortunately.


----------



## dsrk

The white noise issue is not related to cables and different cables don't prevent it. I used my mobile (Pixel 4a Android 13) with Mojo 2 for few days.
1. When even I get a call I get white noise
2. If I am using Neutron or any other player and play a video or streaming I get white noise.

I am sure it is caused by the DAC switching it's sample rate. And the issue is only prevented by using optical or coaxial input IMO.


----------



## ohrbegd (Aug 28, 2022)

dsrk said:


> The white noise issue is not related to cables and different cables don't prevent it. I used my mobile (Pixel 4a Android 13) with Mojo 2 for few days.
> 1. When even I get a call I get white noise
> 2. If I am using Neutron or any other player and play a video or streaming I get white noise.
> 
> I am sure it is caused by the DAC switching its sample rate. And the issue is only prevented by using optical or coaxial input IMO.


Regarding this, does anyone here have any experience with Cayin CS 40TC35? I could not find either this or the Hiby one here in Germany. I guess when I go back to Indonesia I will just buy the Cayin one. I don't want to order from overseas to avoid customs duties and taxes. 😂


----------



## iDesign (Aug 28, 2022)

dsrk said:


> The white noise issue is not related to cables and different cables don't prevent it. I used my mobile (Pixel 4a Android 13) with Mojo 2 for few days.
> 1. When even I get a call I get white noise
> 2. If I am using Neutron or any other player and play a video or streaming I get white noise.
> 
> I am sure it is caused by the DAC switching it's sample rate. And the issue is only prevented by using optical or coaxial input IMO.


Precisely. However, the issue is also more nuanced than switching sample rates or playing secondary media such as a video. We know this because it occurs even in exclusive mode and randomly during the playback of a track. In my opinion it lies in the Chord USB firmware and decoder. Its up to Chord to address the issue.



ohrbegd said:


> Is the software the case for this? My iPod won't get iOS 16 in the future unfortunately.


No. And I’ll tell you the developer betas of iPadOS 16 and macOS 13 have been uncharacteristically riddled with sloppy “working from home” bugs (e.g. powered activity utilizing 100% of the CPU!) and I suspect they will be delayed. You’re fortunate to be on iOS 15.6.1 which is stable.


----------



## Chibs (Aug 29, 2022)

ohrbegd said:


> I just had an unpleasant experience. I accidentally touched my Fiio LT-T1 when I was streaming from Apple Music on my iPod (iOS 15.6.1) and static noises blasted into my ear. 🤐
> 
> Is the software the case for this? My iPod won't get iOS 16 in the future unfortunately.



It will keep happening if it happened once. At least it did for me.

If you have an apple camera adapter and a usb a to c cable it won't, at least it didn't in my case. Same goes for ipad pro and straight usb c cable. I'm not going to speculate on nuances I don't understand. Just trying to help others with what worked for me.

Now I've listened to my Mojo 2 a tone since I got it and continue to do so, using apple music as my streaming service. Sometimes Apple music has tracks I can't get on Amazon,  and I'll hook up the Mojo / iPhone to my Hegel / Loudspeaker system (instead of my Bluesound node) . I would be so pi$$ed if that happened with that setup. Wife and kids too. My review would definitely not have been so glowing. If the problem ever happens with my 50cm cable, I'll update here. I don't suspect it will because with the Fiio, I'd get white noise blasts every session I used it. Not with the DDhifi 50 cm.

If it's Chord's problem, then yes it should definitely be acknowledged and addressed. My experience just leads me to believe otherwise.

Chibs


----------



## Musicophilesblog (Aug 29, 2022)

Chibs said:


> It will keep happening if it happened once. At least it did for me.
> 
> If you have an apple camera adapter and a usb a to c cable it won't, at least it didn't in my case. Same goes for ipad pro and straight usb c cable. I'm not going to speculate on nuances I don't understand. Just trying to help others with what worked for me.
> 
> ...


I've had my M2 for 2 months now and not a single issue of white noise. I mostly use Audirvana on a M1 MacBook Air feeding the Chord via USB-C, or several iPad/Iphones with the Qobuz app and the CCC.


----------



## herrbbiiee

Hi all
I'd like to tell you of my experience with the Mojo 2.
I bought it a week ago on the hope it would be a significant upgrade from my Xduoo XD05 plus. First impressions were great, not as good as my desktop dac/amp (to be expected), but really, really good for a small portable device. I listen to hi res files through media monkey on my android phone. After a while I noticed a faint crackle/pop noise as though the files were ripped from Vinyl, which upon replying the same track occurred at different points. These noises only happen on the mojo, through any source (phone or laptop) and through all 3 of my available usb cables.
Unfortunately once I heard this I couldn't "unhear" and it irritated the hell outta me. Today I returned the mojo to the shop for a refund.

I'm not sure how my experience aligns with the "white noise" issue people have described in previous posts. 

On the plus side, the past week has re-ignited my passion for music. I'm definitely due an upgrade from the Xduoo, may have a look at the gryphon, or new Topping. If Chord were to release a Mojo 2.1 one day, with current issues addressed (and even a usb c charging port) it would almost certainly be too tempting for me to pass on.

Andy


----------



## Johnfg465vd

herrbbiiee said:


> After a while I noticed a faint crackle/pop noise as though the files were ripped from Vinyl


Sounds like an EMI/Shielding problem, I remember hearing similar pops with EarMen Sparrow and returned it after some time, definitely very annoying. I don't remember seeing users complain about pops so maybe a defective unit?


herrbbiiee said:


> If Chord were to release a Mojo 2.1


Looking at Chords upgrade cycle, It will probably take +5 years for a new Mojo. They'll probably release a firmware update or something for white noise.


----------



## ohrbegd

Johnfg465vd said:


> Sounds like an EMI/Shielding problem, I remember hearing similar pops with EarMen Sparrow and returned it after some time, definitely very annoying. I don't remember seeing users complain about pops so maybe a defective unit?
> 
> Looking at Chords upgrade cycle, It will probably take +5 years for a new Mojo. They'll probably release a firmware update or something for white noise.


Correct me if I am wrong, I do not think Chord has ever released a firmware for Mojo 2, right? I am a Mac user so I do not know about Windows. Is it the case like Ibasso DC series? Like you can only upgrade the firmware through Windows.


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## rwelles

Johnfg465vd said:


> Looking at Chords upgrade cycle, It will probably take +5 years for a new Mojo. They'll probably release a firmware update or something for white noise.


I highly doubt there will be a firmware update. Mojo OG & 2 don't have a method for a user to update. It would have to be sent back to Chord or their local distributor. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings...


----------



## Johnfg465vd

rwelles said:


> I highly doubt there will be a firmware update. Mojo OG & 2 don't have a method for a user to update. It would have to be sent back to Chord or their local distributor. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings...


Ouch, I don't own the M2 but was considering getting one, the white noise problem has put my decision on hold.

I had the M1 and don't remember firmwares updates on that device either.


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## iDesign (Aug 29, 2022)

rwelles said:


> I highly doubt there will be a firmware update. Mojo OG & 2 don't have a method for a user to update. It would have to be sent back to Chord or their local distributor. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings...


Correct. It’s surprising in 2022 Chord hasn’t conceived a repair/return program to support firmware upgrades for all their FPGA based DACs. Not only would it allow them to resolve issues but continue to innovate and maintain customer loyalty. How many of you will buy a Mojo 3 to fix the white noise issue in your Mojo 2? Zero.


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## Nick24JJ (Aug 29, 2022)

Johnfg465vd said:


> Sounds like an EMI/Shielding problem, I remember hearing similar pops with EarMen Sparrow and returned it after some time, definitely very annoying. I don't remember seeing users complain about pops so maybe a defective unit?
> 
> Looking at Chords upgrade cycle, *It will probably take +5 years for a new Mojo*. ...


Exactly! What I find strange is why are they not upgrading the Poly? Does anyone know, please? I've asked Chord support once, Ed said, no Poly 2 he could discuss about, but they're still updating Poly OG. Are they?


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## herrbbiiee

Johnfg465vd said:


> Sounds like an EMI/Shielding problem, I remember hearing similar pops with EarMen Sparrow and returned it after some time, definitely very annoying. I don't remember seeing users complain about pops so maybe a defective unit?
> 
> Looking at Chords upgrade cycle, It will probably take +5 years for a new Mojo. They'll probably release a firmware update or something for white noise.



The unit I purchased was apparently a "demo" unit, but wouldn't surprise me if it was a return.

I'm listening to my xduoo now, missing the sound, eq and cross feed of the mojo. Maybe I was too hasty.....


----------



## Chibs

herrbbiiee said:


> The unit I purchased was apparently a "demo" unit, but wouldn't surprise me if it was a return.
> 
> I'm listening to my xduoo now, missing the sound, eq and cross feed of the mojo. Maybe I was too hasty.....


The Mojo is amazing. I would just buy a new one and enjoy. Not sure if you saw my YT review but it smoked the iDSD Signature. I’m not sure there’s a better portable right now. 

Chibs


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## rlanger

herrbbiiee said:


> The unit I purchased was apparently a "demo" unit, but wouldn't surprise me if it was a return.
> 
> I'm listening to my xduoo now, missing the sound, eq and cross feed of the mojo. Maybe I was too hasty.....


I agree with Chibs. It's so good that it's worth trying a new one.

I'm someone who's also experienced the white noise issue. But, a couple of days ago I switched to a new cable that I had on hand, and haven't experienced any white noise since. It's a 50cm cable and I'd prefer a 15cm cable, but if it solves the issue, I'll be a happy camper.

I can't think of any dac/amp combo under $1000 I would trade it for.


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## Soundizer

Is the white noise an issue via Optical connection?


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## surfgeorge (Aug 30, 2022)

Soundizer said:


> Is the white noise an issue via Optical connection?


No.
White noise ONLY occurs with the USB inputs.
Both the coaxial and optical inputs do not have this issue.

From a practical standpoint - I have had the original Mojo from 2018 and had the white noise issue quite a few times in the beginning.
It was at least partially caused by cable issues since replacing them solved it even though after a year or two cables tended to develop issues. Again, after exchanging the cables the white noise issues were gone.
The white noise also only happened with iPhones or computer as sources. It never occured when I used the Mojo with the HiBy R3 DAC as source.
In the end I have used the Mojo quite a lot over 4 years and most of the time without white noise issues.
Mojo 2 seems to behave in the same way, but I added the Poly a few months ago, so no more cables and no more white noise issues.

I'm not saying that the white noise is not a very unpleasant issue, only saying that I managed to almost completely avoid this issue over several years of use.


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## Soundizer

surfgeorge said:


> No.
> White noise ONLY occurs with the USB inputs.
> Both the coaxial and optical inputs do not have this issue.
> 
> ...


Thank you.  Surprised none of these YouTube reviewers even mentioned it on Mojo 1 or 2.

My Mojo 2 arrives tomorrow and this knowledge is very disappointing. 
Might even return without unboxing


----------



## Soundizer

Chibs said:


> Hey guys,
> Got my mojo 2 in April and finally finished with the Review. The good, bad, and perhaps me looking ugly at times. Yes, very ugly haha
> 
> 
> ...



Thank you just viewed it. Well done and really like the comparison between IDSD Signature. 

One thing that wasn’t clear to me is did you compare with 4.4 balanced into Signature?

The reason I ask is my previously owned IDSD Diablo sounded allot better [punchier and more kick] via 4.4balanced to Focal Clear MG compared to Diablo unbalanced headphone output.


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## Kentajalli (Sep 1, 2022)

Soundizer said:


> Thank you just viewed it. Well done and really like the comparison between IDSD Signature.
> 
> One thing that wasn’t clear to me is did you compare with 4.4 balanced into Signature?
> 
> The reason I ask is my previously owned IDSD Diablo sounded allot better [punchier and more kick] via 4.4balanced to Focal Clear MG compared to Diablo unbalanced headphone output.


I think an explanation is in order, regarding 4.4mm jack, balance out vs single-ended out:
Just an initial point to bear in mind, I am only talking about balanced out of a headphone amp.
*Balance out, what is it?*
When we are dealing with a battery operated headphone amplifier or a DAC/amp for headphones, we sometimes have a balance out.
The balance out, was designed to get more power out of a device that is battery powered.
The max. power output of any amp is directly related to how much power supply voltage it has access to. For a rechargeable device, it would be limited to 3.7V (one Li-Ion battery) or 7.4V (two batteries). This is not enough to produce 1W or more into a 32 ohm load. So to increase the power, we can use the battery twice! Have two amplifiers, each powered by the same battery, and have them work in a push-pull configuration.
Imagine if one amp can swing 5V, two amps can swing 10V, that means four times the power. This way we can have more power out.
The downsides are:
- faster battery depletion.
- two amplifiers means twice the noise and distortion.
- also means twice the output impedance.
But if your headphone needs the power, it is a small price to pay to get it. The jack that has this output is usually the 4.4mm.
*Single ended out:*
Simply means one amp for the output to feed the headphones. It may have enough power for more sensitive headphones and almost all IEMs.
This is the cleanest output! Contrary to the belief that balance has some magic incorporated.
Specially, if your DAC is a single-ended design by default, such as all Chord DACs. Chord portable DACs do not have balance (4.4mm) output.
Some DACs that are of balanced design by default, may marginally sound better on balance out, if that is the case, the reason is something else.
*So why does my headphone sound better on 4.4mm*
Most probably because your headphone is power hungry and behaves better with more power. Not all headphones do.
If single ended out has enough power capability and low impedance, on paper at least, it is superior to balance output.

*EDIT:* somebody sent me this, that should validate the above.
https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/audio-myth-balanced-headphone-outputs-are-better


----------



## Johnfg465vd

Soundizer said:


> Thank you just viewed it. Well done and really like the comparison between IDSD Signature.
> 
> One thing that wasn’t clear to me is did you compare with 4.4 balanced into Signature?
> 
> The reason I ask is my previously owned IDSD Diablo sounded allot better [punchier and more kick] via 4.4balanced to Focal Clear MG compared to Diablo unbalanced headphone output.


micro iDSD Signature does not have a true balanced amp so there is minimal to no difference in sound quality between the 6.35 & 4.4 Outputs. Also no power difference between the two outputs.


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## Soundizer (Aug 31, 2022)

Johnfg465vd said:


> micro iDSD Signature does not have a true balanced amp so there is minimal to no difference in sound quality between the 6.35 & 4.4 Outputs. Also no power difference between the two outputs.


OK, apologies as I assumed it did like my previously owned Diablo. The Diablo produced much much better sound quality performance via 4.4 to my Focal Clear MG then its non balanced outputs.

I don't know the science behind it but listening it was very obviously better.

but its not relevant here as you said the signature is not true balanced. got it.

I wish there was a comparison between Mojo 2 vs Diablo on head. cannot find such comparison..


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## Chibs (Aug 30, 2022)

Soundizer said:


> Thank you just viewed it. Well done and really like the comparison between IDSD Signature.
> 
> One thing that wasn’t clear to me is did you compare with 4.4 balanced into Signature?
> 
> The reason I ask is my previously owned IDSD Diablo sounded allot better [punchier and more kick] via 4.4balanced to Focal Clear MG compared to Diablo unbalanced headphone output.


As an other member suggested, it’s not true balanced and the 4.4’s just there for convenience. Having said that, when I had both Diablo and signature at the same time - I ended up returning Diablo and keeping the signature. The Diablo had much more power but I preferred the sound out of the signature. Diablo was also too powerful for my Focal Stellia’s so I wasn’t able to listen at lower volume. I feel Mojo blows them both away though. Size, features, build, and sound quality.

Chibs


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## alekc

Soundizer said:


> I wish there was a comparison between Mojo 2 vs Diablo on head. cannot find such comparison.


@Soundizer honestly speaking I think there is a good reasons for it as such comparison would be pointless considering Mojo 2 DSP and feature set. In that regard it would be closer to micro iDSD Signature but considering the fact that Signature still has a channel imbalance on low volumes (something not possible with both Mojo and Mojo 2) such comparison wouldn't be fair for both products IMHO.


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## Soundizer

alekc said:


> @Soundizer honestly speaking I think there is a good reasons for it as such comparison would be pointless considering Mojo 2 DSP and feature set. In that regard it would be closer to micro iDSD Signature but considering the fact that Signature still has a channel imbalance on low volumes (something not possible with both Mojo and Mojo 2) such comparison wouldn't be fair for both products IMHO.


Not sure I understand. Is it pointless because you think Diablo is a far better performance product?


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## alekc

Soundizer said:


> Not sure I understand. Is it pointless because you think Diablo is a far better performance product?


@Soundizer no, I think it is pointless since with Mojo 2 DSP you can have different sound signature, wile with Diablo you either have one you love or one you dislike. Take a look at ifi own page that explains my point regarding Signature vs Diablo: https://ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/iFi_Diablo_iDSDSignature_Chart_06-02.png






So while theoretically Signature would be better suited for such test/comparison with Mojo 2 it has flaws that Mojo 2 does not. Mojo 2 with its feature set is closer to "tuner" than "purist"  in ifi nomenclature. In Signature both Xbass and 3D are done in analog part, so it can not be treated as a direct competitor to Mojo 2 DSP, especially comparing it measurements.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

Chibs said:


> when I had both Diablo and signature at the same time - I ended up returning Diablo and keeping the signature


I preferred the Signature over Diablo & Gryphon too. I like the older iFi sound from Zen stack, micro iDSD Black/Sig... over the newer sound signature they are going for with their latest products.

For me, your comparision between Sig & Mojo 2 is what sold me on getting the Mojo 2.


----------



## Chibs

Johnfg465vd said:


> I preferred the Signature over Diablo & Gryphon too. I like the older iFi sound from Zen stack, micro iDSD Black/Sig... over the newer sound signature they are going for with their latest products.
> 
> For me, your comparision between Sig & Mojo 2 is what sold me on getting the Mojo 2.


Glad I could help!


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## Gus141

Chibs said:


> Glad I could help!


Yeah, I wish you had posted your video earlier  and I would have bought a mojo 2 on the first round of availability vs waiting months (but I’m a happy owner now).  Great video by the way; that amount of editing takes a lot of work; cheers!


----------



## jarnopp

herrbbiiee said:


> Hi all
> I'd like to tell you of my experience with the Mojo 2.
> I bought it a week ago on the hope it would be a significant upgrade from my Xduoo XD05 plus. First impressions were great, not as good as my desktop dac/amp (to be expected), but really, really good for a small portable device. I listen to hi res files through media monkey on my android phone. After a while I noticed a faint crackle/pop noise as though the files were ripped from Vinyl, which upon replying the same track occurred at different points. These noises only happen on the mojo, through any source (phone or laptop) and through all 3 of my available usb cables.
> Unfortunately once I heard this I couldn't "unhear" and it irritated the hell outta me. Today I returned the mojo to the shop for a refund.
> ...


The vinyl popping sound does not sound like the white noise issue nor the RFI sound. More like Mojo2 is not getting bit perfect signal. Can you describe your desktop chain and the way you are also feeding Mojo2?  I’d try to make sure it is a bit perfect signal with no DSP and try both USB in addition to optical.


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## herrbbiiee

jarnopp said:


> The vinyl popping sound does not sound like the white noise issue nor the RFI sound. More like Mojo2 is not getting bit perfect signal. Can you describe your desktop chain and the way you are also feeding Mojo2?  I’d try to make sure it is a bit perfect signal with no DSP and try both USB in addition to optical.


The mojo has been returned so won't be able to carry out additional tests.
My main use was through a samsung android phone using the following cable https://xduoo.net/product/type-c-to-type-c-cable/
The issue only seemed to occur with hi res files, ie 24/96 or 24/192.


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## miketlse

herrbbiiee said:


> The mojo has been returned so won't be able to carry out additional tests.
> My main use was through a samsung android phone using the following cable https://xduoo.net/product/type-c-to-type-c-cable/
> The issue only seemed to occur with hi res files, ie 24/96 or 24/192.


A bit hasty to return the Mojo 2 IMHO.
The Mojo1 could suffer similar pinprick sounds, but some were curable by:

adding a ferrite choke to usb cables
not trying to stream hires files that the phone cannot cope with, because the Mojo can upscale more accurately
using the Chord drivers - if there is a data error/corruption then the driver requests that a new data packet is sent
using the optical inputs - removes all the pinprick noise issues.
Return on experience from the many Mojo 1 owners.


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## herrbbiiee

miketlse said:


> A bit hasty to return the Mojo 2 IMHO.
> The Mojo1 could suffer similar pinprick sounds, but some were curable by:
> 
> adding a ferrite choke to usb cables
> ...



I may repurchase at a later date. Thanks for the tip re ferrite choke.


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## Hamuraii (Aug 31, 2022)

Question,

Think Mojo2 has problems or starts to stress, powering headphones at 250 ohms ?

its said, the Mojo 2 outputs 90mW @ 300 ohms ( to both headphone jacks on the device )


bellow states, 'nominal power handling capacity is 200mW (I'm thinking that's the 1770s power need, with out factoring volume ? oh god I have gone cross eyed )


Looking at :

Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro  250 ohms.​

*Technical Specs*

Transducer type                                                             Dynamic

Operating principle                                                       Closed

Frequency response                                                    5 – 40,000 Hz

Nominal impedance                                                     250 Ω

Nominal SPL                                                                     102 dB SPL (1 mW / 500 Hz)

Max. SPL                                                                            125 dB SPL (200 mW / 500 Hz)

T.H.D.                                                                                  < 0.05% (1 mW / 500 Hz)

Nominal power handling capacity                           200 mW

Sound coupling to the ear                                          Circumaural

Ambient noise attenuation                                       Velours: approx. 18 dBA Leatherette: approx. 21 dBA

Nominal headband pressure                                    Approx. 7.2 N

Weight (without cable)                                                               388 g


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## Chris Kaoss

Hamuraii said:


> Question,
> 
> Think Mojo2 has problems or starts to stress, powering headphones at 250 ohms ?
> 
> ...


Don't worry.
The Mojo will power these easily.

The 1770 is quite sensitive, which is the more important spec here.
200mW is the max power handling with ear bleeding volume level.

Mojo is capable to power my VO ( 300ohm/ 96 db 1mW) without effort (green to light blue).


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## dsrk

Hamuraii said:


> Question,
> 
> Think Mojo2 has problems or starts to stress, powering headphones at 250 ohms ?
> 
> ...


Mojo 2 powers my HD6XX easily, so it will not have any problems driving these 250 ohms Beyers with enough headroom left for quieter recordings. 

Considering its size Mojo 2 is probably the best portable DAC/AMP out there right now.


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## zhenhanhan

Progisus said:


> 在描述 mojo 2 的 UHD DSP 时，我觉得不应该参考 EQ。它确实改变了声音特性以匹配所连接的 iem。这是我的 iems 设置。仍在决定是否要针对 IE800 进行调整。
> 
> 
> 
> 仅此功能就是购买或升级到 mojo 2 的理由。


 Same evo user, thanks for sharing!


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## AnalogEuphoria

Hamuraii said:


> Question,
> 
> Think Mojo2 has problems or starts to stress, powering headphones at 250 ohms ?
> 
> ...



Absolutely more than capable.


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## Garpov (Sep 3, 2022)

I've had Mojo 2 for several months now, I was lucky enough to get one shortly after it was released.

I previously had Mojo 1 for roughly 5 years and have never experienced the white noise issue at all.

However, in the last 2 weeks I've had 2 disturbing experiences where the Mojo 2 has made a very loud whining sound through the headphones shortly after the power on cycle has completed.

Set up is PC as source connected to Mojo 2 via spdif out to optical in.

The first time it happened I powered on Mojo then powered on PC shortly afterwards. The PC had not booted to Windows yet when the Mojo finished power cycle and emitted a very loud whining noise, starting at a high pitch and descending lower for around a 1-2 sec duration, similar to the sound a balloon makes when quickly releasing the air from it. I had just put the headphones on my head at the time and managed to rip them off quickly because it was ear splitting. My wife actually ran in from the other room asking what the noise was (open back headphones).

The second time it happened the PC had fully booted into windows before I powered on Mojo, but it emitted exactly the same whining noise, luckily I didn't have headphones on this time.

I would appreciate an explanation from @Rob Watts as to whether the device is faulty or if this is another known issue?

Either way I feel I'm probably going to return the Mojo.


----------



## Headphiguy

Garpov said:


> I've had Mojo 2 for several months now, I was lucky enough to get one shortly after it was released.
> 
> I previously had Mojo 1 for roughly 5 years and have never experienced the white noise issue at all.
> 
> ...


I have not read any reports of white noise via optical in. Indeed, I was under the impression that this was a great way to avoid the problem, so your experience either suggests you have been incredibly unlucky or it is a function of your particular setup.
As a Mojo 1 and 2 owner like yourself I have thankfully not had any problems so far with the latter, using either USB via camera CCK or optical via a Wiim Mini.


----------



## Garpov

I'd like to clarify that this isn't white noise, it's a very distinctive whining sound which I assume is a different issue.


----------



## joshnor713

Garpov said:


> I'd like to clarify that this isn't white noise, it's a very distinctive whining sound which I assume is a different issue.


Doesn't sound right. Why not just get it replaced?


----------



## Garpov

I was hoping @Rob Watts would weigh in, or someone with similar issue so I could ascertain whether it's a faulty unit, in which case I'll get it replaced, or if it's a known issue in which case I'd be looking for a refund.


----------



## ohrbegd

Has anyone experienced anything like no click when turning on Mojo 2? sometimes it is happening and my music do not come out.


----------



## Rob Watts

Garpov said:


> I was hoping @Rob Watts would weigh in, or someone with similar issue so I could ascertain whether it's a faulty unit, in which case I'll get it replaced, or if it's a known issue in which case I'd be looking for a refund.


Never heard of this kind of issue - whining sound - from any of my DACs ever. Suggest you either turn it on after windows has successfully booted up, or if that doesn't work get the Mojo 2 replaced.


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## Garpov

Thank you @Rob Watts for the speedy response. Seeing as it happened even after Windows was fully booted, I'll get a replacement.


----------



## TheFrator

I acquired an IE600 as my first IEM. Ran it off the apple dongle for the first week and had the impression that it couldn't image whatsoever. All sounds overlapped and every piece of the drum kit in _Reflection_ by Tool was rendered in the same location.

I knew this imaging with the Apple dongle and IE600 was off because my desktop chain of Bifrost 2/64 -> Ferrum Oor -> LCD-5 places each piece of the intro drum sequence into 6 distinct areas (there’s center, center left, center lefter, far left, slightly right of center and far right). Then the cymbals start at 1:03 in the far left. So after writing my impression linked above, I hooked up the IE600 to my desktop chain and the lack of imaging disappeared. No longer was everything in one overlapping blob in front of me.

Since it’s a bit impractical to carry my desktop chain with me to work, I decided to do a shootout between the Qudelix 5K and Chord Mojo 2. Both are hooked up to my iPhone via USB.

I’m going to keep this comparison brief because I heard the difference between the Mojo 2 and 5K immediately. With _Reflection_ by Tool as the test track, the Mojo 2 creates the image I expect from my desktop setup- maybe not as accurate and precise but very very close. The Qudelix 5K is one blob again, albeit a slightly wider blob than the dongle. On the 5K, the far left and far right sounds from the drum kit are both rendered in the front and overlap the center drums.

I focus on imaging because it’s a binary criteria i.e. it’s either present or it’s not. Not some subjective term like clarity or timbre or dynamics. And I want to emphasize that these are my subjective, sighted impressions. I personally would love to do some volume-matched A/B testing so if anyone is in the Washington DC Metro area and wants to tinker with me sometime please PM me. I feel pretty confident that if I can only listen to the Lateralus album by Tool, I can distinguish between them. 

In short, the 5K is getting returned and the Mojo 2 is staying.


----------



## Chris Kaoss

TheFrator said:


> I acquired an IE600 as my first IEM. Ran it off the apple dongle for the first week and had the impression that it couldn't image whatsoever. All sounds overlapped and every piece of the drum kit in _Reflection_ by Tool was rendered in the same location.
> 
> I knew this imaging with the Apple dongle and IE600 was off because my desktop chain of Bifrost 2/64 -> Ferrum Oor -> LCD-5 places each piece of the intro drum sequence into 6 distinct areas (there’s center, center left, center lefter, far left, slightly right of center and far right). Then the cymbals start at 1:03 in the far left. So after writing my impression linked above, I hooked up the IE600 to my desktop chain and the lack of imaging disappeared. No longer was everything in one overlapping blob in front of me.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the suggestion.
Tuned in immediately to Reflection.
Sounds great with Mojo OG and VO. 
Will give it a shot with my FD5 soon.


----------



## rlanger

TheFrator said:


> I acquired an IE600 as my first IEM. Ran it off the apple dongle for the first week and had the impression that it couldn't image whatsoever. All sounds overlapped and every piece of the drum kit in _Reflection_ by Tool was rendered in the same location.
> 
> I knew this imaging with the Apple dongle and IE600 was off because my desktop chain of Bifrost 2/64 -> Ferrum Oor -> LCD-5 places each piece of the intro drum sequence into 6 distinct areas (there’s center, center left, center lefter, far left, slightly right of center and far right). Then the cymbals start at 1:03 in the far left. So after writing my impression linked above, I hooked up the IE600 to my desktop chain and the lack of imaging disappeared. No longer was everything in one overlapping blob in front of me.
> 
> ...


Yes, I believe you are correct in focusing on image because, without a quality image, you tend to lose all of the other details you mentioned, such as clarity, timbre, and dynamics. 

It's the instrument separation and position that helps to clearly define these details. And the Mojo 2 is fabulous in that respect.


----------



## TheFrator

Chris Kaoss said:


> Thanks for the suggestion.
> Tuned in immediately to Reflection.
> Sounds great with Mojo OG and VO.
> Will give it a shot with my FD5 soon.


Glad you like Reflection! First time hearing it? For me it's the perfect test track given how well it's recorded and tests the entire frequency spectrum.

How well does the Mojo OG drive your VOs? It drives my LCD-5s quite well I must say. And the EQ to cool down the midrange at 3kHz is perfect.


rlanger said:


> Yes, I believe you are correct in focusing on image because, without a quality image, you tend to lose all of the other details you mentioned, such as clarity, timbre, and dynamics.
> 
> It's the instrument separation and position that helps to clearly define these details. And the Mojo 2 is fabulous in that respect.


100%. Imaging has grown on my list of importance when it comes to audio. I love the ability to hear where an instrument is coming from in the song.


----------



## Chris Kaoss

TheFrator said:


> Glad you like Reflection! First time hearing it? For me it's the perfect test track given how well it's recorded and tests the entire frequency spectrum.
> 
> How well does the Mojo OG drive your VOs? It drives my LCD-5s quite well I must say. And the EQ to cool down the midrange at 3kHz is perfect.


Yes, was the first time.
Although Tool is in my stable for quite a while, I've to say. ^^

Mojo drives them very well, with slightly more authority driven by the R28, and Mojo as DAC, thou.
As a portable setup it's really impressive and a great pairing with the VO, which adresses the short comings of the VO perfectly, imo.


----------



## dsrk

TheFrator said:


> I acquired an IE600 as my first IEM. Ran it off the apple dongle for the first week and had the impression that it couldn't image whatsoever. All sounds overlapped and every piece of the drum kit in _Reflection_ by Tool was rendered in the same location.
> 
> I knew this imaging with the Apple dongle and IE600 was off because my desktop chain of Bifrost 2/64 -> Ferrum Oor -> LCD-5 places each piece of the intro drum sequence into 6 distinct areas (there’s center, center left, center lefter, far left, slightly right of center and far right). Then the cymbals start at 1:03 in the far left. So after writing my impression linked above, I hooked up the IE600 to my desktop chain and the lack of imaging disappeared. No longer was everything in one overlapping blob in front of me.
> 
> ...


Q5K may be a good dongle DAC with great PEQ but Mojo 2 is in a different league altogether IMO. Probably the best portable DAC/AMP available right now, especially considering its size and form factor.


----------



## Derivative

Derivative said:


> Still enjoying M2 as the core of my basic desktop set-up.
> Recently acquired the Empyrean and the EQ + Xfeed on the M2 takes them to another level, to my ears.
> 
> Now thinking of ways I can get incremental improvements in SQ.
> ...


So I ended up buying a Wyred 4 Sound Recovery from the Classifieds. It is marketed as a "USB reclocker" and sits between laptop and Mojo2 to hopefully reduce any noise from the laptop's USB port.
Initial listening impressions are positive: it's not a massive change in SQ but the background definitely comes across as "blacker". It's all incremental but for the outlay I think it's worth it and this will stay in the chain.
Signal remains bit-perfect in Exclusive Mode and laptop continues to recognise the Mojo2 directly (rather than the Recovery).
Interestingly: when playing certain 192khz tracks from Qobuz, I used to still get a little bit of white noise through Mojo2, nothing major but noticeable and I put it down to the sampling rate just being too much for the cables at times. This is now completely gone with the Recovery...

I also bought the Topping HS01 as kindly suggested by Kentajalli, awaiting delivery from Shenzenaudio. 
I will compare it to the Recovery and if both work well then one will go in my other listening set-up, RPi into Naim DAC-V1.


----------



## okan

Is anyone using campfire solaris og with mojo 2? I am planning to buy mojo 2 and I am curious if there is hissing.


----------



## Chrome_CW (Sep 6, 2022)

--


----------



## Chrome_CW

Garpov said:


> I've had Mojo 2 for several months now, I was lucky enough to get one shortly after it was released.
> 
> I previously had Mojo 1 for roughly 5 years and have never experienced the white noise issue at all.
> 
> ...




I've experienced the same issue twice as well - both times at power-up.

Mojo2 basically came on at full volume and played through what sounded like a couple of sine wave type of sounds. The first time I had my headphones on and I was honestly afraid it would cause hearing damage.....but since then I've just decided to power the Mojo2 on before putting the headphones on my ears.

Other than this, I'm really LOVING the unit and would rather NOT return it - especially since I bought it in Canada and live in the US and that is more complicated....but I would like to let @Rob Watts know that it isn't just one unit that has experienced this.

I think in both instances I was connected via USB-C...but am not 100% certain


----------



## Garpov

This is definitely the same issue I was describing.


----------



## Soundizer (Sep 8, 2022)

I just received Mojo 2 a few days ago and have about 15hours listening time, driving Focal Clear MG headphones.

*Delighted*:
1. Love the organic natural tonality. This is especially obvious compared to EsSabre DACS including previous experiences with RME-ADI2 and Topping DX5 Pro + (new 2022 model).
It is also a more natural sounding in delivery vs iFi Diablo/Signature.
2. Some improvements in air and space between instruments compared to Mojo 1.
3. More Silky/Smooth sounding vs iFi Diablo/Signature.

*Disappointed*:
1. iFi Diablo/Signature has far better air and space via 4.4 connection.
2. iFi Diablo/Signature delivers better slamming low end base via 4.4 connection. More enjoyable.


Will see how it goes, but might replace with previously owned Diablo.


----------



## lowrider007

What closed backed headphones do you guys recommend pairing with the Mojo 2?

I was thinking Dan Clark Audio Aeon closed but I'm in the UK and don't realy want to import them with all the added costs involved.


----------



## Soundizer

lowrider007 said:


> What closed backed headphones do you guys recommend pairing with the Mojo 2?
> 
> I was thinking Dan Clark Audio Aeon closed but I'm in the UK and don't realy want to import them with all the added costs involved.


Actually i have same predicament. Was thinking Aeon Noir 2, but not paying UK Price premium.
Otherwise considering Focal Radiance.


----------



## Nostoi

lowrider007 said:


> What closed backed headphones do you guys recommend pairing with the Mojo 2?
> 
> I was thinking Dan Clark Audio Aeon closed but I'm in the UK and don't realy want to import them with all the added costs involved.


DCA quite hard to drive from Mojo 2. What's your budget and tuning preference?


----------



## jarnopp

Nostoi said:


> DCA quite hard to drive from Mojo 2. What's your budget and tuning preference?


DCA Aeon2/Noire is not hard to drive from Mojo/Mojo2. It’s a great pairing (preferring the perforated pads, so Noire). Double red is sufficient for pop at ~80dB and double green for classical. Plenty of headroom, punch and detail from this combo. Even in the UK, it’s worth ordering.


----------



## Nostoi

jarnopp said:


> DCA Aeon2/Noire is not hard to drive from Mojo/Mojo2. It’s a great pairing (preferring the perforated pads, so Noire). Double red is sufficient for pop at ~80dB and double green for classical. Plenty of headroom, punch and detail from this combo. Even in the UK, it’s worth ordering.


Uh huh. Sure, Mojo 2 can technically drive them, but really - please trust me on this if you're considering the Noire especially - _not _to their full merits. Compare Mojo 2 to Mojo 2 plus external portable amp, it's night/day. Only then, can you see the dynamics the Noire is capable of.


----------



## lowrider007

Nostoi said:


> DCA quite hard to drive from Mojo 2. What's your budget and tuning preference?


About £500, if you look at my sig I enjoy all those headphones, not really a fan of beyerdynamic's though, recently I've been really enjoying my old  k240's with the Mojo 2, so it doesn't have to be expensive, I noticed on eBay there are some Focal Elegia's for around £250, I've never tried Focal before so would be interesting to see how they sound, would the Mojo 2 be able to power those ok?


----------



## Nostoi

lowrider007 said:


> About £500, if you look at my sig I enjoy all those headphones, not really a fan of beyerdynamic's though, recently I've been really enjoying my old  k240's with the Mojo 2, so it doesn't have to be expensive, I noticed on eBay there are some Focal Elegia's for around £250, I've never tried Focal before so would be interesting to see how they sound, would the Mojo 2 be able to power those ok?


No problem for Mojo 2 to drive Focal headphones. I did try the Elegia a while back with them and the pairing was pretty good, though clamp pressure was quite tight. At the price, I would also suggest Denon 7200/9200. Audio-Technica WP900 is a very nice pairing, though slightly spicy in top end. I'm actually enjoying Meze 99 with silver cable on Mojo 2 right now - nicely balanced, bass bloat tamed with cable, superbly comfortable. I went through most of the recent portable headphones from MSR7B to Meze Liric and probably find Meze 99 to hit the sweet spot on all fronts. If you want something a little more neutral, look at Austrian Audio Hi-X60.


----------



## DarknessEclipse (Sep 9, 2022)

lowrider007 said:


> What closed backed headphones do you guys recommend pairing with the Mojo 2?
> 
> I was thinking Dan Clark Audio Aeon closed but I'm in the UK and don't realy want to import them with all the added costs involved.


Can't recommend much as I only have Focal Elegia as closed back (with Dekoni Limited Edition Stellia pads). But I want to say that the pairing with the Mojo 2 + Poly is very nice, I could listed to them for hours and they are pretty enjoyable. I can't add my Cayin C9 to the chain (any mode) as I feel they do not sound as good. On the other hand, Focal Clear have a good synergy with it.


----------



## Andrewteee

I can attest that the DCA A2N are great with the Mojo 2. This is my travel and around-the-house setup.


----------



## Chibs (Sep 9, 2022)

lowrider007 said:


> What closed backed headphones do you guys recommend pairing with the Mojo 2?
> 
> I was thinking Dan Clark Audio Aeon closed but I'm in the UK and don't realy want to import them with all the added costs involved.





Soundizer said:


> Actually i have same predicament. Was thinking Aeon Noir 2, but not paying UK Price premium.
> Otherwise considering Focal Radiance.



The Noire is a fantastic paring with the mojo 2 in my experience.
Couple of thoughts I have on them.

1 - Don't worry about the extra £ they cost. You guys over in the UK got the Mojo 2 so much cheaper than us here in Canada / USA so it's a wash when you think of it.
2 - Mojo does a better job with EQ than the Noire's supplied tuning pads can.
3- They fold up really nicely for portability. I just wish the case allowed you to keep the headphone cable attached. It's so annoying to have to unplug and replug them every single time. I need to find a larger case that allows for this but i digress.
4 - Focal headphones are indeed awesome. Stellia / Celestee / Radiance 
5 - Focal's don't fold up and look more expensive while you're out and about. Sometimes I feel like I'm wearing Rolex around my ears 

I think that's it. I have both the Noire and Stellia and discuss the Mojo 2 with them in my review below.



Chibs


----------



## Soundizer

Chibs said:


> The Noire is a fantastic paring with the mojo 2 in my experience.
> Couple of thoughts I have on them.
> 
> 1 - Don't worry about the extra £ they cost. You guys over in the UK got the Mojo 2 so much cheaper than us here in Canada / USA so it's a wash when you think of it.
> ...



That’s excellent video. The Aeon Noire 2 is £849 / Focal Radiance is £1,199 in UK. 
I have listened to Radiance and it delivers incredible low end sub base like sub woofer. Not heard this Pow Base in any other dynamic driver headphone. 

No experience with Noire and so my understanding comes from Reviews only.


----------



## Soundizer

Chibs said:


> The Noire is a fantastic paring with the mojo 2 in my experience.
> Couple of thoughts I have on them.
> 
> 1 - Don't worry about the extra £ they cost. You guys over in the UK got the Mojo 2 so much cheaper than us here in Canada / USA so it's a wash when you think of it.
> ...



Hello Chibs,

I have been listening to Mojo 2 with Focal Clear MG.

I cannot tell any difference using Cross Feed modes so just leave off.

What is your experience with Stelia on Cross-feed/Mojo2?

Thank you


----------



## lowrider007 (Sep 10, 2022)

Chibs said:


> The Noire is a fantastic paring with the mojo 2 in my experience.
> Couple of thoughts I have on them.
> 
> 1 - Don't worry about the extra £ they cost. You guys over in the UK got the Mojo 2 so much cheaper than us here in Canada / USA so it's a wash when you think of it.
> ...




Fantastic video, thanks.

I've ended up putting a bid on some Focal Elegia's, they seem to go for a bag of chips here in the UK, also interested to see how focal sound as never tried them before.


----------



## Chibs

Soundizer said:


> That’s excellent video. The Aeon Noire 2 is £849 / Focal Radiance is £1,199 in UK.
> I have listened to Radiance and it delivers incredible low end sub base like sub woofer. Not heard this Pow Base in any other dynamic driver headphone.
> 
> No experience with Noire and so my understanding comes from Reviews only.


Thank you!
You can't go wrong with either choice TBH. I couldn't imagine not having both types (dynamic / planner magnetic) in my collection. If having both is an eventuality, it makes sense to get Radiance first since they're limited edition. Cant get them locally over here anymore.


Soundizer said:


> Hello Chibs,
> 
> I have been listening to Mojo 2 with Focal Clear MG.
> 
> ...


Cross feed (at least how I use it) is meant to be left off unless a recording's channel imbalance is annoying to listen to through headphones.
I give an example to the effect in that video I posted. Try it with that song and you'll see it's benefit.


lowrider007 said:


> Fantastic video, thanks.
> 
> I've ended up putting a bid some Focal Elegia's, they seem to go for a bag of chips here in the UK, also interested to see how focal sound as never tried them before.


Thank you!
Haven't tried Elegia's but if they're anything like the Celestee / Radiance/ Stellia, you're in good hands.
Now since you're in the UK are you referring to potato chips or french fries?


Chibs


----------



## cfranchi

How is HD600 with Chord Mojo 2 ?


----------



## dsrk

cfranchi said:


> How is HD600 with Chord Mojo 2 ?


I am using HD6XX 'which is very similar sounding' with Mojo 2. Excellent pairing especially when you engage UHD DSP. Mojo 2 has enough power to drive them reasonably well.


----------



## Soundizer

I am running 8 meter Optical Cable from my TV to Mojo 2. It is the cheapest Audioquest cable at about £60 for 8 meters - Audioquest Pearl.

Q1. Does this long 8 meter length have an impact on sound quality?

Q2. Also should it be kept away from a power cable because currently it is touching the power cable?


----------



## Kentajalli

Soundizer said:


> Q1. Does this long 8 meter length have an impact on sound quality?


If Mojo can lock on, specially on 192kHz signal, then no.


Soundizer said:


> Q2. Also should it be kept away from a power cable because currently it is touching the power cable?


You can wrap your power cords around the Toslink , it wouldn't matter.
The whole point of Optical! Dah  . .


----------



## ljnew

Johnfg465vd said:


> A couple of things
> 
> 1. I downgraded from the micro iDSD Signature which to my ears is a better sounding device. To me, it sounds better than the Mojo 1 & Gryphon.
> 2. I got used to not having to use balanced cables with Mojo & Signature but with the Gryphon, there's not enough power and image separation with Single-Ended Output so I'm forced to use 4.4 Out for best sound.
> ...


I had the same experience with gryphon. I could get my legend x all the way up to 90. Signature a lot better and NX7 much more powerful.


----------



## JSOppenheimer

cfranchi said:


> How is HD600 with Chord Mojo 2 ?


It's a very good pairing, absolutely no issues with power and Mojo 2's detailed-yet-not-clinical sound signature meshes well with HD600. As far as I know, there's no better portable companion for it, and if you'd want a serious improvement over Mojo 2, it's not gonna cost only the portability, but it will be a lot more costly in $$$ terms as well.


----------



## Andrew_WOT

Mojo 2 vs Gryphon from Moon Audio.


----------



## Epiteto

hi guys i'm very undecided whether to upgrade from 1 to 2.
I have fairly modest headphones I don't know if I could appreciate the difference (dt 1990, dt770 and philips x2hr)
What do you say?
Thank you!


----------



## BS5711

Andrew_WOT said:


> Mojo 2 vs Gryphon from Moon Audio.



It would have made more sense to use the potentially technically superior 4.4mm out of the Gryphon.

Why intentionally use an output that potentially reduces it’s performance, even if only marginally, only because the Mojo doesn’t use a balanced design ?

To me that is like racing two sports cars to see which one has the highest outright speed and not engaging “sport mode” on one because the other doesn’t offer mode selection.


----------



## Hamuraii

Can we have a list of recommended headphones over 1000 USD, closed and open that are tested and known to be a good match for the M2


----------



## captblaze

BS5711 said:


> It would have made more sense to use the potentially technically superior 4.4mm out of the Gryphon.
> 
> Why intentionally use an output that potentially reduces it’s performance, even if only marginally, only because the Mojo doesn’t use a balanced design ?
> 
> To me that is like racing two sports cars to see which one has the highest outright speed and not engaging “sport mode” on one because the other doesn’t offer mode selection.


What makes the 4.4mm output technically superior?


----------



## BS5711

captblaze said:


> What makes the 4.4mm output technically superior?


I actually said “potentially” technically superior.

I don’t know for a fact if it is outright better but ifi and a lot of other companies would have you believe it is and go to a lot of effort to make the products balanced.

If nothing else the power output of the 3.5mm is much lower than the 4.4mm and much lower than Mojo 2. Out of the 4.4mm the Gryphon has more power available than the Mojo 2 and that alone may be a factor in sound quality with full size headphones like the Focal used in the test.

My point is only that there is no logical reason to use the 3.5mm on the Gryphon and it MAY put the Gryphon at a disadvantage when it had another ace up its sleeve in the 4.4mm that MAY make an audible difference.

The threads on Head Fi are full of people that believe they can hear the difference a cable makes and use cables to tune sound, can hear dramatic differences from one amp or DAC to another and can hear the difference of balanced versus SE so why would those people not agree the Gryphon was intentionally limited in that comparison by using the 3.5mm ??


----------



## BS5711

Nostoi said:


> Uh huh. Sure, Mojo 2 can technically drive them, but really - please trust me on this if you're considering the Noire especially - _not _to their full merits. Compare Mojo 2 to Mojo 2 plus external portable amp, it's night/day. Only then, can you see the dynamics the Noire is capable of.



Agreed.

I have a Mojo original not a 2 but the power specs are essentially the same. The Mojo does *OK* with the Aeon but if pushed can certainly be made to distort. I think the Mojo does OK largely because its maximum power is at only 8 Ohms so has most of that available at the Aeons 13 Ohms. It'll work but it isn't what I'd reach for if more powerful amps were available.

I also think, only since Aeon Noire were brought up in discussion here, they are deceiving. Because they are so well tuned they can sound good even with less than optimal amping. I've run mine on a Woo WA6 tube amp that really doesn't have the current needed and they sound nice, they also sound pretty good on a tiny Bluetooth Shanling UP5 with a little less than 1/4 watt ..... but run them off Diablo and they are another level.


----------



## Derivative

Epiteto said:


> hi guys i'm very undecided whether to upgrade from 1 to 2.
> I have fairly modest headphones I don't know if I could appreciate the difference (dt 1990, dt770 and philips x2hr)
> What do you say?
> Thank you!


Do you have the chance to demo Mojo2 in your area? That could be one way to approach it.
Keep in mind the DSP features on Mojo2 which are quite good, especially if you don't use EQ on your computer.


----------



## captblaze

BS5711 said:


> I actually said “potentially” technically superior.
> 
> I don’t know for a fact if it is outright better but ifi and a lot of other companies would have you believe it is and go to a lot of effort to make the products balanced.
> 
> ...


I base my purchases on something other than potentially this or that. That is why I am curious about what actually makes 4.4 mm a better output (aside from being a bit more sturdy).


----------



## merinowool

captblaze said:


> I base my purchases on something other than potentially this or that. That is why I am curious about what actually makes 4.4 mm a better output (aside from being a bit more sturdy).



Well, for one, according to iFi's website, it pushes out 3 times the power into 32 ohms compared to the SE output.

When products that take advantage of balanced architecture achieve such superior numbers via balanced vs SE, my understanding is that they are optimized for balanced and achieve their best performance balanced.

Thus, in any comparison, the gryphon should ideally be used to it's full potential by using it's balanced output.  This is unrelated to single ended vs balanced in general.


----------



## BS5711

captblaze said:


> I base my purchases on something other than potentially this or that. That is why I am curious about what actually makes 4.4 mm a better output (aside from being a bit more sturdy).



Of course ….. but it’s not for me to go into the details of what is or isn’t better, even if I understood the finer points sufficiently to do do. Do some Google searching.


----------



## BS5711

merinowool said:


> Well, for one, according to iFi's website, it pushes out 3 times the power into 32 ohms compared to the SE output.
> 
> When products that take advantage of balanced architecture achieve such superior numbers via balanced vs SE, my understanding is that they are optimized for balanced and achieve their best performance balanced.
> 
> Thus, in any comparison, the gryphon should ideally be used to it's full potential by using it's balanced output.  This is unrelated to single ended vs balanced in general.



Exactly


----------



## Chibs (Sep 15, 2022)

BS5711 said:


> It would have made more sense to use the potentially technically superior 4.4mm out of the Gryphon.
> 
> Why intentionally use an output that potentially reduces it’s performance, even if only marginally, only because the Mojo doesn’t use a balanced design ?
> 
> To me that is like racing two sports cars to see which one has the highest outright speed and not engaging “sport mode” on one because the other doesn’t offer mode selection.


I see your point. The Mojo has a lot of power and they could have used the Gryphon balanced and still managed to get both volume matched. It may have been decided based on logistics. Perhaps they didn't have 4.4 available or maybe it was a different colour cable, giving away which amp was supposed to be hidden. No idea, just guessing.


BS5711 said:


> Agreed.
> 
> I have a Mojo original not a 2 but the power specs are essentially the same. The Mojo does *OK* with the Aeon but if pushed can certainly be made to distort. I think the Mojo does OK largely because its maximum power is at only 8 Ohms so has most of that available at the Aeons 13 Ohms. It'll work but it isn't what I'd reach for if more powerful amps were available.
> 
> I also think, only since Aeon Noire were brought up in discussion here, they are deceiving. Because they are so well tuned they can sound good even with less than optimal amping. I've run mine on a Woo WA6 tube amp that really doesn't have the current needed and they sound nice, they also sound pretty good on a tiny Bluetooth Shanling UP5 with a little less than 1/4 watt ..... but run them off Diablo and they are another level.


I bought The Aeon 2 Noire's specifically for portable use but have listened to them through the class A GSX mini on my desk. They do sound great! Is it worlds better than what the mojo 2 can do by itself? Not really. TBH I have more fun with them on the Mojo because I'm away from my desk .

Chibs


----------



## Chris Kaoss

Hamuraii said:


> Can we have a list of recommended headphones over 1000 USD, closed and open that are tested and known to be a good match for the M2


All headphones with a sensitivity higher than 90dB/ mW, i'd say. 

What will be a good match lies in the ears of the listener, but as the M2 features the DSP, the list is growing and not that limited, i think.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

captblaze said:


> What makes the 4.4mm output technically superior?


It depends on how the DAC/Amp was designed but generally in most devices with Differential (Balanced) design, you'll get more power, less crosstalk when using Balanced outputs which translates to better control (slam) and increased stereo separation. On these DAC/Amps the Single-Ended output can sound soft and sometimes intimate. Some of the gear I owned/used that fit in this category are Gryphon, BTR5, EF400, Sparrow... where with Balanced Out there was more slam, wider perceived soundstage with better Imaging compared to their Single-Ended Outputs. The differences aren't huge but it's enough that I have stuck to using Balanced out on these devices.

Then there are other DAC/Amps that have Single-Ended designs internally, with these devices, if there is a Balanced output it's mostly for convenience and won't provide any sonic benefits. Power output will also generally stay the same for both outputs. Some of the gear I owned/used that fit in this category are micro iDSD Signature, Topping A30 Pro, RU6... 

To be clear, I'm not saying that all Balanced DAC/Amps are better than their counter parts, just that with a truly Balanced DAC/Amp you will get better sound from it's Balanced Out.

In the case of Moon Audio Review, it would have made more sense to compare Gryphon (using 4.4 Out) vs Mojo 2.


----------



## surfgeorge

Epiteto said:


> hi guys i'm very undecided whether to upgrade from 1 to 2.
> I have fairly modest headphones I don't know if I could appreciate the difference (dt 1990, dt770 and philips x2hr)
> What do you say?
> Thank you!


The Mojo 1 and 2 sound quite different IMO in the sense that Mojo1 has a sweet and seductive sound with forward midrange and somewhat softer treble and bass.
Mojo 2 is way more neutral with equal weight from bass to treble.
These characteristics should come through with any headphone, the increased soundstage, detail and additional definition and dynamics could be more obvious with higher tier headphones.
IMO it comes down to whether to invest in an upgrade of your source or your headphones.
I'd ask myself if I want to keep building my headphone collection and needed a great source for that, then I'd go for the M2.
If $600 is my whole budget for a longer period of time I'd consider investing in a headphone upgrade (used)


----------



## BS5711

Johnfg465vd said:


> It depends on how the DAC/Amp was designed but generally in most devices with Differential (Balanced) design, you'll get more power, less crosstalk when using Balanced outputs which translates to better control (slam) and increased stereo separation. On these DAC/Amps the Single-Ended output can sound soft and sometimes intimate. Some of the gear I owned/used that fit in this category are Gryphon, BTR5, EF400, Sparrow... where with Balanced Out there was more slam, wider perceived soundstage with better Imaging compared to their Single-Ended Outputs. The differences aren't huge but it's enough that I have stuck to using Balanced out on these devices.
> 
> Then there are other DAC/Amps that have Single-Ended designs internally, with these devices, if there is a Balanced output it's mostly for convenience and won't provide any sonic benefits. Power output will also generally stay the same for both outputs. Some of the gear I owned/used that fit in this category are micro iDSD Signature, Topping A30 Pro, RU6...
> 
> ...



After seeing the comparison video and posting that the 4.4mm was potentially technically better I did an A/B listening test myself comparing the Gryphons 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs.

I used M11 plus into Gryphon via a short Moon Audio coaxial cable and used Shanling ME700 IEM figuring that being easy to drive the power difference between the outputs wouldn’t be a factor. I used a ddhifi 3.5mm male to 4.4mm female adapter so swapping was as quick as unplugging and plugging in. I volume matched just by ear but also tried the test with the volume intentionally higher and lower to see if that changed any perceived difference, it didn’t.

I listened several Diana Krall songs with for the most part only upright bass, piano and vocals so each part of the music already quite distinct - streamed in 24/96 from Apple Music.

I wouldn’t pretend to have the most highly refined hearing and of course there could be some placebo effect since I was listening for differences but my listening impression was pretty much as was pointed out above.

I am sure that the instrument separation was better out of the 4.4mm, there was a slightly better sense of a 3D soundstage, the vocals were further forward in the soundstage and the vocals seemed to come from a more defined location in the soundstage whereas out of the 3.5mm the vocals were from a bigger area in the soundstage.

With full size headphones, especially those not so easy to drive, the increase in power available may also factor in with better driver control.


----------



## paulrbarnard

BS5711 said:


> After seeing the comparison video and posting that the 4.4mm was potentially technically better I did an A/B listening test myself comparing the Gryphons 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs.
> 
> I used M11 plus into Gryphon via a short Moon Audio coaxial cable and used Shanling ME700 IEM figuring that being easy to drive the power difference between the outputs wouldn’t be a factor. I used a ddhifi 3.5mm male to 4.4mm female adapter so swapping was as quick as unplugging and plugging in. I volume matched just by ear but also tried the test with the volume intentionally higher and lower to see if that changed any perceived difference, it didn’t.
> 
> ...


Of course the sound stage was wider. It didn’t have to squeeze through such a narrow plug. It’s even better with 6mm


----------



## Chris Kaoss

paulrbarnard said:


> Of course the sound stage was wider. It didn’t have to squeeze through such a narrow plug. It’s even better with 6mm


Lol.


----------



## xenoVa (Sep 16, 2022)

I'd like to read a comparision between Apple dongle and Mojo 2. A comparision based on actual listening, not assumptions.
Such as iPhone+ Apple Music+ Dongle+ X Headphone  -----   vs ----    iPhone+ Apple Music+ Mojo 2 +X Headphone
Thanks


----------



## flvtch

I’ve had the mojo2poly combo since March and what a treat the pairing has been. I had my trepidations about the poly after reading about its initial teething problems after it’s release but I’m happy to report that this setup has been flawless so far and a big step up in both sound and user experience from my previous HiBy R6. 

I’ve been using the mojo2poly exclusively with my spiral ear SE5U CIEMs and I’m looking to get some phones; has anyone tried the Z1Rs? or has anyone discovered another good headphone synergy with their mojo2? I prefer a warmer profile but the DSP on the mojo2 means I’m not too limited on other choices. Budget around £1500-2000. Thanks in advance!


----------



## Andrewteee

xenoVa said:


> I'd like to read a comparision between Apple dongle and Mojo 2. A comparision based on actual listening, not assumptions.
> Such as iPhone+ Apple Music+ Dongle+ X Headphone  -----   vs ----    iPhone+ Apple Music+ Mojo 2 +X Headphone
> Thanks


Personal experience. iPhone plus Dragonfly Cobalt vs iPhone plus Mojo 2. Mojo wins in every way except size and weight. The Mojo 2 is very good!

Using Qobuz, Roon, Bandcamp.


----------



## vmiguel

BS5711 said:


> After seeing the comparison video and posting that the 4.4mm was potentially technically better I did an A/B listening test myself comparing the Gryphons 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs.
> 
> I used M11 plus into Gryphon via a short Moon Audio coaxial cable and used Shanling ME700 IEM figuring that being easy to drive the power difference between the outputs wouldn’t be a factor. I used a ddhifi 3.5mm male to 4.4mm female adapter so swapping was as quick as unplugging and plugging in. I volume matched just by ear but also tried the test with the volume intentionally higher and lower to see if that changed any perceived difference, it didn’t.
> 
> ...


Thank for your impressions.
Regarding the placebo effect, or any possible bias, you could get someone to plug and unplug without you seing it.


----------



## xenoVa

Andrewteee said:


> Personal experience. iPhone plus Dragonfly Cobalt vs iPhone plus Mojo 2. Mojo wins in every way except size and weight. The Mojo 2 is very good!
> 
> Using Qobuz, Roon, Bandcamp.



Thanks. Can you also compare Mojo 2 with Apple lightning to 3.5 mm dongle ?


----------



## Alan Billington

flvtch said:


> I’ve had the mojo2poly combo since March and what a treat the pairing has been. I had my trepidations about the poly after reading about its initial teething problems after it’s release but I’m happy to report that this setup has been flawless so far and a big step up in both sound and user experience from my previous HiBy R6.
> 
> I’ve been using the mojo2poly exclusively with my spiral ear SE5U CIEMs and I’m looking to get some phones; has anyone tried the Z1Rs? or has anyone discovered another good headphone synergy with their mojo2? I prefer a warmer profile but the DSP on the mojo2 means I’m not too limited on other choices. Budget around £1500-2000. Thanks in advance!


I used mojopoly then mojo2poly and absolutely love them both. The only thing which might potentially tear me away would be Hugo2 if it has DSP. Anyway I’ve always loved my UM Mest 2. Now upgraded to UM Mest Indigo at just over 2k if u get a deal. Everything there in spades. Bass. Detail. Extension. Layering. Can’t see me moving away as it just impressed me with everything I listen to still. Good luck


----------



## flvtch

Alan Billington said:


> I used mojopoly then mojo2poly and absolutely love them both. The only thing which might potentially tear me away would be Hugo2 if it has DSP. Anyway I’ve always loved my UM Mest 2. Now upgraded to UM Mest Indigo at just over 2k if u get a deal. Everything there in spades. Bass. Detail. Extension. Layering. Can’t see me moving away as it just impressed me with everything I listen to still. Good luck


Thanks, Alan - yep I’d be interested in a future Hugo upgrade with DSP. Thanks for the IEM suggestion, I’ll keep them in mind but Spiral Ears have won enough goodwill with me that any future IEM upgrade would mean their TOTL CIEMs would be front of the queue; love their warm resolving sound. Apologies, I should clarify I am looking for over-ear headphones that pair well with the mojo2. Thanks


----------



## meomap

flvtch said:


> Thanks, Alan - yep I’d be interested in a future Hugo upgrade with DSP. Thanks for the IEM suggestion, I’ll keep them in mind but Spiral Ears have won enough goodwill with me that any future IEM upgrade would mean their TOTL CIEMs would be front of the queue; love their warm resolving sound. Apologies, I should clarify I am looking for over-ear headphones that pair well with the mojo2. Thanks


Meze Liric is good hp with M2.


----------



## surfgeorge

xenoVa said:


> Thanks. Can you also compare Mojo 2 with Apple lightning to 3.5 mm dongle ?


Mojo 2 has a much larger and deeper stage, better imaging, clarity, detail and definition. Apple dongle sounds quite lifeless and mushed together in comparison. But the headphones or IEMs you are using will also influence how much difference it will make. My SONY IER-M9 benefit more from Mojo 2 compared to the Moondrop Variations.

Also don‘t expect differences like between different headphones. Source differences are somewhat strange as they appear small at first listen but are fundamental for sound quality. The best allegory I can think of would be that a source is like a camera‘s lens and sensor and the heaphone/IEM is the image processing. You want your lens and sensor to be as accurate as possible to give the best possible data. Image processing is then a matter of preference and taste, but it can never recover lost information. Like all allegories it is not totally accurate but I hope it hepls making my point clearer.


----------



## flvtch

meomap said:


> Meze Liric is good hp with M2.


Thank you, I’ve added to my shortlist for further research/testing. I’ll check out the liric thread.


----------



## rlanger (Sep 18, 2022)

Does anyone have both USB-C and Toslink plugged into Mojo 2 at the same time?

I'm using the WiiM Mini Streamer (which sounds great into the Mojo) plugged in via Toslink and I've got my PC plugged in via USB-C. The problem I'm having is that the Mojo will only playback from USB-C when both are plugged in. I can't get sound from Toslink.

If I unplug USB-C, then I get sound from the streamer through the Toslink input.

Any ideas?


----------



## BS5711

paulrbarnard said:


> Of course the sound stage was wider. It didn’t have to squeeze through such a narrow plug. It’s even better with 6mm


Sure …. and dual XLR be even better again.


----------



## miketlse

rlanger said:


> Does anyone have both USB-C and Toslink plugged into Mojo 2 at the same time?
> 
> I'm using the WiiM Mini Streamer (which sounds great into the Mojo) plugged in via Toslink and I've got my PC plugged in via USB-C. The problem I'm having is that the Mojo will only playback from USB-C when both are plugged in. I can't get sound from Toslink.
> 
> ...


I think the automatic input selection is the same on Mojo and Mojo 2, which means that the inputs are checked/selected in order of priority.
USB has priority 1, and is selected by default if Mojo 2 detects 5V on the VBUS pin of the plug/socket.

When you have both USB and Toslink plugged in (and switched on at the source) your Mojo 2 is detecting the 5V VBUS and selecting the input from your PC, even if your Streamer is switched on. 
When you unplug the USB cable (or alternatively switch your PC off), the 5V on the VBUS disappears, so the Mojo 2 will next check and use your Toslink input.
This is partly explained in this post for the Mojo


----------



## rlanger

miketlse said:


> I think the automatic input selection is the same on Mojo and Mojo 2, which means that the inputs are checked/selected in order of priority.
> USB has priority 1, and is selected by default if Mojo 2 detects 5V on the VBUS pin of the plug/socket.
> 
> When you have both USB and Toslink plugged in (and switched on at the source) your Mojo 2 is detecting the 5V VBUS and selecting the input from your PC, even if your Streamer is switched on.
> ...



I'm not sure I completely understand. I get the priority thing, and the manual states that selection of inputs should be automatic, depending on where the signal is coming from.

"Mojo 2 will auto-select the correct input when music is played to the device. Mojo 2 will prioritise specific inputs if all four are connected simultaneously. USB has priority followed by coaxial and then optical. It is only possible to connect one USB at a time (Micro-USB takes priority over USB-C)."


----------



## miketlse

rlanger said:


> I'm not sure I completely understand. I get the priority thing, and the manual states that selection of inputs should be automatic, depending on where the signal is coming from.
> 
> "Mojo 2 will auto-select the correct input when music is played to the device. Mojo 2 will prioritise specific inputs if all four are connected simultaneously. USB has priority followed by coaxial and then optical. It is only possible to connect one USB at a time (Micro-USB takes priority over USB-C)."


OK I will PM you with a deeper explanation, after I have cooked/eaten my dinner


----------



## rlanger

miketlse said:


> OK I will PM you with a deeper explanation, after I have cooked/eaten my dinner


That's kind of you.


----------



## Musicophilesblog

I recently dug out my old Beyerdynamic T90, which I bought to serve as a set up for longer term business travel in combination with a Dragonfly Red. 

Since Covid my business travel has been reduced to much less frequent and shorter trips, so I haven't really listened to the Beyers in a while. 

Now sitting on my terrace in the sun, feeding the T90 via the Mojo 2 Qobuz from my MacBook Air via USB-C. 

And starting to wonder, why would one actually need a better setup than this. The occasionally slightly aggressive treble of the T90 can easily be tamed with the Mojo's EQ, and the full detail of the Mojo sound is still there. 

Of course, when I go back to my main setup with the Utopia and HD800 I get more of everything, but I could easily live with this <1000$ setup in terms o pure musical enjoyment for quite a while.


----------



## rlanger (Sep 21, 2022)

Musicophilesblog said:


> I recently dug out my old Beyerdynamic T90, which I bought to serve as a set up for longer term business travel in combination with a Dragonfly Red.
> 
> Since Covid my business travel has been reduced to much less frequent and shorter trips, so I haven't really listened to the Beyers in a while.
> 
> ...


Agreed. My setup is just a shade over $1000 with the Hifiman Edition XS and I'm streaming Amazon HD through a WiiM Mini to the Mojo, and it's glorius.


----------



## SRKRAM

I'm just curios what DSP EQ settings LCD-X owners are using with their mojo 2s. I own 2021 LCD-X's and just add + 1 or 2 dB to each of the bass filters, and sometimes + 1 or 2 dB to the 20K peak filter.


----------



## Somafunk

A heads up for those folk looking for a lightning to usb c cable to dispense with the bulky apple camera connection kit.

Received this Fiio LT-LT1 cable tday so I can use my phone when poly runs out of juice, works fine on my iPhone XS/iOS 16 to mojo 2. Certainly less bulky than the apple CCK bulky dongle.

Fiio lightning to usb c cable here, i imagine you can also find it on Amazon/other retailers


----------



## Musicophilesblog

Somafunk said:


> A heads up for those folk looking for a lightning to usb c cable to dispense with the bulky apple camera connection kit.
> 
> Received this Fiio LT-LT1 cable tday so I can use my phone when poly runs out of juice, works fine on my iPhone XS/iOS 16 to mojo 2. Certainly less bulky than the apple CCK bulky dongle.
> 
> Fiio lightning to usb c cable here, i imagine you can also find it on Amazon/other retailers


Thanks. Just ordered it today.


----------



## cfranchi

Has anyone tried HE1000 v2 with Chord Mojo 2 ?


----------



## spruce

Is anybody else having issues with their iPhone freezing after using the Mojo2 with the lightning to USB camera adapter after the last iOS 16 update? I’ve reached out to Apple and apparently this issue has not been reported widely so I’ll need to reach out to Chord tomorrow…


----------



## rocketron

spruce said:


> Is anybody else having issues with their iPhone freezing after using the Mojo2 with the lightning to USB camera adapter after the last iOS 16 update? I’ve reached out to Apple and apparently this issue has not been reported widely so I’ll need to reach out to Chord tomorrow…


I don’t have Mojo 2 any more but can confirm no problems with ios16 and Questyle M15 .
No problems with other dongle dacs with ddhifi cables all work.


----------



## Musicophilesblog

spruce said:


> Is anybody else having issues with their iPhone freezing after using the Mojo2 with the lightning to USB camera adapter after the last iOS 16 update? I’ve reached out to Apple and apparently this issue has not been reported widely so I’ll need to reach out to Chord tomorrow…


Just tried and no issues here. CCC into generic USB cable Into Mojo.


----------



## SRKRAM

spruce said:


> Is anybody else having issues with their iPhone freezing after using the Mojo2 with the lightning to USB camera adapter after the last iOS 16 update? I’ve reached out to Apple and apparently this issue has not been reported widely so I’ll need to reach out to Chord tomorrow…


I haven't have any problems with ios 16 and Tidal into a Mojo 2 using the fiio lightning cable.


----------



## Ivan Reis

No issues here. Mojo2 - iPhone - iOS16


----------



## Chibs

Somafunk said:


> A heads up for those folk looking for a lightning to usb c cable to dispense with the bulky apple camera connection kit.
> 
> Received this Fiio LT-LT1 cable tday so I can use my phone when poly runs out of juice, works fine on my iPhone XS/iOS 16 to mojo 2. Certainly less bulky than the apple CCK bulky dongle.
> 
> Fiio lightning to usb c cable here, i imagine you can also find it on Amazon/other retailers





Musicophilesblog said:


> Thanks. Just ordered it today.


Let me know if you guys get that white noise issue.


----------



## Somafunk (Sep 22, 2022)

Been using it on & off for a couple days and no issues (so far), saying that, I’ve never experienced the white noise issue when using iPhone to CCK to usb to mojo 2 or iPad to usb c ugreen right angled cable to mojo 2. I use roon/tidal, Apple Music.

As I see it chord are being very cheap not supplying an mfi certified cable with the mojo, with the profit and exposure that the mojo has brought to chord electronics this is a money pinching oversight.


----------



## headmanPL

Somafunk said:


> Been using it on & off for a couple days and no issues (so far), saying that, I’ve never experienced the white noise issue when using iPhone to CCK to usb to mojo 2 or iPad to usb c ugreen right angled cable to mojo 2. I use roon/tidal, Apple Music.
> 
> As I see it chord are being very cheap not supplying an mfi certified cable with the mojo, with the profit and exposure that the mojo has brought to chord electronics this is a money pinching oversight.


Perhaps unfair as being an Android user, I'd be paying for something I'd have no use for. It could be helpful for an approved cable to be bundled for those that need it though.


----------



## spruce

Just submitted the following email to Chords support portal:

After updating my iPhone 13 Pro Max to iOS 16 every time I use the Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter with my Mojo 2 my iPhone freezes soon thereafter. This is the only time my iPhone freezes, so it seems to either be the software update on the iPhone or some compatibility issue with the Mojo 2 perhaps? Have you heard of this issue or tested this for any compatibility bugs. Thanks!


----------



## paulrbarnard

spruce said:


> Just submitted the following email to Chords support portal:
> 
> After updating my iPhone 13 Pro Max to iOS 16 every time I use the Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter with my Mojo 2 my iPhone freezes soon thereafter. This is the only time my iPhone freezes, so it seems to either be the software update on the iPhone or some compatibility issue with the Mojo 2 perhaps? Have you heard of this issue or tested this for any compatibility bugs. Thanks!


It will be interesting to hear what they say.  I have an iPhone 14 pro max on 16.0.1 and no issues with mojo2 via lightning to usb3 cable


----------



## Chibs (Sep 22, 2022)

spruce said:


> Just submitted the following email to Chords support portal:
> 
> After updating my iPhone 13 Pro Max to iOS 16 every time I use the Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter with my Mojo 2 my iPhone freezes soon thereafter. This is the only time my iPhone freezes, so it seems to either be the software update on the iPhone or some compatibility issue with the Mojo 2 perhaps? Have you heard of this issue or tested this for any compatibility bugs. Thanks!


Oh no, my 14pro max is coming soon. Is this what I have to look forward to? Just updated to ios 16 now. Going to test with 13 pro and see what happens. I'll let you know.


----------



## Chibs

Somafunk said:


> Been using it on & off for a couple days and no issues (so far), saying that, I’ve never experienced the white noise issue when using iPhone to CCK to usb to mojo 2 or iPad to usb c ugreen right angled cable to mojo 2. I use roon/tidal, Apple Music.
> 
> As I see it chord are being very cheap not supplying an mfi certified cable with the mojo, with the profit and exposure that the mojo has brought to chord electronics this is a money pinching oversight.


I agree with you. The Fiio BTR7 comes with such a cable if you pay a bit extra. No reason Chord couldn't have implemented this.
So far, my experience with the Btr7 is hot garbage but that's an other rant on to it's self.


----------



## SRKRAM

paulrbarnard said:


> It will be interesting to hear what they say.  I have an iPhone 14 pro max on 16.0.1 and no issues with mojo2 via lightning to usb3 cable


They may advise to contact apple since it's the iPhone which is crashing, unless they receive multiple reports in which case they may let apple know.


----------



## SRKRAM

Chibs said:


> I agree with you. The Fiio BTR7 comes with such a cable if you pay a bit extra. No reason Chord couldn't have implemented this.
> So far, my experience with the Btr7 is hot garbage but that's an other rant on to it's self.


Fiio are happy to charge extra for their own mifi lighting - USB-C cable. Chord include a USB-C cable, which I think is enough. Not everybody needs a lighting cable, and including one as standard would be wasteful and involve giving licence fees to apple.


----------



## Kentajalli

SRKRAM said:


> Fiio are happy to charge extra for their own mifi lighting - USB-C cable. Chord include a USB-C cable, which I think is enough. Not everybody needs a lighting cable, and including one as standard would be wasteful and involve giving licence fees to apple.


I think even the supplied usb cable is useless. It is just a token cable.


----------



## cfranchi

Has anyone compared Hifiman EF400 vs Chord Mojo 2 ?


----------



## kumar402

SRKRAM said:


> They may advise to contact apple since it's the iPhone which is crashing, unless they receive multiple reports in which case they may let apple know.


Looks like both will point to each other with consumer running in circle


----------



## Kentajalli

kumar402 said:


> Looks like both will point to each other with consumer running in circle


Since iOS and Android use their inbuilt drivers, I doubt it is Mojo's fault.
At any rate, I am a happy Android user. 
I don't indulge in the forbidden fruit!
it was forbidden for a reason.


----------



## Hamuraii

Sony MDR-Z1R are on the way,yes its like watching a 90s /kino 

its still good and will forever, be /kino

At work using, ND20s -34db passive isolation is nice, its not enough, factory work at contast 80/90 db with spikes way above, due to steam vents, at industiral levels.

Shure, 846s IEM, with 3M, Ear Muffs, the big fat black ones, both rated near -30db , with laws af physics, and mom spaghetti, I just want to not hear the factory rumble, mids and highs.


for the ultimate, 'I cant hera the universe setup, using the mojo2, IEM, with industrial ear muffs, at -40db min 


Why cant Sony make -50db Z1R


----------



## Chris Kaoss

Hamuraii said:


> Sony MDR-Z1R are on the way,yes its like watching a 90s /kino
> 
> its still good and will forever, be /kino
> 
> ...


Than you've to try out some etymotics with ear muffs. 
Guess that should do the trick.


----------



## Hamuraii

Thanks Chris 😎


----------



## zhenhanhan

Progisus said:


> I don’t feel one should refer to EQ when describing the UHD DSP of the mojo 2. It really does change the sound character to match the iem connected. Here are my settings for my iems. Still deciding if I want to adjust for the IE800(s).
> 
> 
> 
> This feature alone is a reason to buy or upgrade to the mojo 2.


I received my mojo2 yesterday and really enjoy this eq setting with my legend evo, thanks for sharing!
I notice the first column(Colour) is empty in some iem's setting which means turning Crossfeed off right?


----------



## captblaze

zhenhanhan said:


> I received my mojo2 yesterday and really enjoy this eq setting with my legend evo, thanks for sharing!
> I notice the first column(Colour) is empty in some iem's setting which means turning Crossfeed off right?


They crossfeed is the right button. The left button controls brightness of the orbs


----------



## johnnym

zhenhanhan said:


> I received my mojo2 yesterday and really enjoy this eq setting with my legend evo, thanks for sharing!
> I notice the first column(Colour) is empty in some iem's setting which means turning Crossfeed off right?


I read it as don't apply any EQ to that frequency, not turn off crossfeed, which is a different function. You can have EQ applied and use crossfeed at the same time as they are independent functions of UHD DSP.


----------



## Progisus

zhenhanhan said:


> I received my mojo2 yesterday and really enjoy this eq setting with my legend evo, thanks for sharing!
> I notice the first column(Colour) is empty in some iem's setting which means turning Crossfeed off right?


I never considered crossfeed as I am not a big fan. I understand why it is important to some though. I just used that cell for a note. I am still using these settings. Glad they helped.


----------



## zhenhanhan

johnnym said:


> I read it as don't apply any EQ to that frequency, not turn off crossfeed, which is a different function. You can have EQ applied and use crossfeed at the same time as they are independent functions of UHD DSP.


Yes, I found crossfeed is a very interesting sauce which changes the vocal imaging and soundstage as well (good for some monitors while not good for other).
The matching of eq & crossfeed requires a lot of patience and very sensitive ear.


----------



## zhenhanhan

Progisus said:


> I never considered crossfeed as I am not a big fan. I understand why it is important to some though. I just used that cell for a note. I am still using these settings. Glad they helped.


Many thanks, really helped.
I found the crossfeed somehow make some pop songs sound unnatural while optimize the separation of musical instruments in OST.
To compare the difference will be a interesting journey, glad to know your preference, help a lot


----------



## JSOppenheimer (Sep 24, 2022)

Crossfeed is one of those things where it's pretty hard to reach any conclusive decisions on whether to use it or not - on the other hand it kind of shrinks the soundstage and makes some music sound less exciting, but on the other hand it reduces listening fatigue and is absolutely essential with old stereo records that have unnaturally strong channel separation (eg. one instrument is mixed so that it _only_ appears on either left or right channel). And further than that, it also seems to depend on headphones how well it works, as a general rule I don't like it as much with warmer headphones (again, barring those old stereo records where I always use it).

So yeah, I've been dabbling around with different crossfeed implementations for over a decade now, yet I still keep toggling it on and off depending on the day, feeling, music and headphones I'm using. All I know is that I'm happy that it is an option with Mojo 2, and the implementation works well where and when it is needed.


----------



## Epiteto

What does the blinking blue LED mean during use, with the charger connected?
It is not indicated on the manual
Thank you


----------



## ChrisGB

Epiteto said:


> What does the blinking blue LED mean during use, with the charger connected?
> It is not indicated on the manual
> Thank you


From memory, the LED pulses when it is connected to the charger.

Just checked the manual, section 6.2 line 1.


----------



## SRKRAM

Here's my Mojo 2 stack. I got an old iPhone XS from my wife and stuck them together with picture mounting Command strips. They're like adhesive velcro, so I can separate them if needed, and I should be able to remove the strips without damaging the devices. 
I mounted the mojo this way up and offset so I can have the volume controls on top. I also put the mojo far enough down that it doesn't block the iPhone's power button. 
They're connected with the Fiio lightning to USB-C cable and I leave a micro USB to USB-C adaptor permanently plugged in for charging, so at least I only need 2 different charging cables around the house instead of 3. 
It works pretty nicely. The mojo is like a hand grip for the iPhone, and everything is quite accessible. It's also stable when I put it down. The command strips can each hold 5. 4kg, and there are 2 of them (or 4 if you count both sides), so if feels very secure.


----------



## Epiteto

ChrisGB said:


> From memory, the LED pulses when it is connected to the charger.
> 
> Just checked the manual, section 6.2 line 1.


Thank you Chris..
does intelligent desktop mode work even when the mojo is on? I mean, during use and with the charger always connected, does the battery not overcharge?


----------



## ChrisGB (Sep 24, 2022)

Epiteto said:


> Thank you Chris..
> does intelligent desktop mode work even when the mojo is on? I mean, during use and with the charger always connected, does the battery not overcharge?


That's the whole reason for intelligent desktop mode. If you leave the charger continually connected for around 24 hours, the unit preserves the battery.

Edit: If you disconnect and reconnect the charger, it fully charges and you need to leave it another day to get back to intelligent desktop mode.


----------



## Epiteto

ChrisGB said:


> Edit: If you disconnect and reconnect the charger, it fully charges and you need to leave it another day to get back to intelligent desktop mode.


Thank you very much!


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

Musicophilesblog said:


> And starting to wonder, why would one actually *need* a better setup than this. The occasionally slightly aggressive treble of the T90 can easily be tamed with the Mojo's EQ, and the full detail of the Mojo sound is still there.



Of course not, but we always *want* more in this hobby. Endgame is a fantasy imo.


----------



## Somafunk

ChrisGB said:


> Edit: If you disconnect and reconnect the charger, it fully charges and you need to leave it another day to get back to intelligent desktop mode.



It takes around 6 hours from flat recharge to go into desktop mode, I put my mojo on charge at lunchtime, it was in desktop mode at 7pm tnight when I got home


----------



## xenoVa

Hello. Based on what I read, when using Mojo with Android it doesn't work with streaming services.
Is this still the case ?


----------



## Nick24JJ

xenoVa said:


> Hello. Based on what I read, when using Mojo with Android it doesn't work with streaming services.
> Is this still the case ?


Mojo 2 works fine with Qobuz and Amazon Music Unlimited. With Qobuz you can have bit-perfect reproduction with UAPP. Amazon Music is not bit-perfect.


----------



## ChrisGB

xenoVa said:


> Hello. Based on what I read, when using Mojo with Android it doesn't work with streaming services.
> Is this still the case ?


I never had any problems using the Mojo 2 with Android. If you have a source device that doesn't apply Android's resampling you get bit perfect with both Amazon HD and Qobuz with no problem.


----------



## weexisttocease

xenoVa said:


> Hello. Based on what I read, when using Mojo with Android it doesn't work with streaming services.
> Is this still the case ?


You have no problem with Qobuz/Tidal and UAPP you have bit-perfect.


----------



## SRKRAM

I searched for 'chord mojo'  on Google earlier today and the top result was a sponsored result from ifi with the heading 'Chord Mojo DAC - The Future Of Home Music'. 
Seems a bit deceptive of @iFi audio to make their ads appear like links to Chord.


----------



## rwelles

Wait...WHAT?!?!? Someone on the interweb is being less than honest??? I'm shocked, I tell you, absolutely shocked!!


----------



## miketlse

SRKRAM said:


> I searched for 'chord mojo'  on Google earlier today and the top result was a sponsored result from ifi with the heading 'Chord Mojo DAC - The Future Of Home Music'.
> Seems a bit deceptive of @iFi audio to make their ads appear like links to Chord.


Not clear why you have a problem. 
When I search using 'chord mojo' I get a different dealer listed first, with chordelectronics in second place.
All the search results list the URL, so it is *quite obvious* which links are to dealers, reviews, or chord themselves.


----------



## Andrewteee

SRKRAM said:


> I searched for 'chord mojo'  on Google earlier today and the top result was a sponsored result from ifi with the heading 'Chord Mojo DAC - The Future Of Home Music'.
> Seems a bit deceptive of @iFi audio to make their ads appear like links to Chord.


This is totally not cool. Chord can request a take down because they use the Chord brand name in their ad. Google responds to these requests.


----------



## xenoVa

weexisttocease said:


> You have no problem with Qobuz/Tidal and UAPP you have bit-perfect.



Any solution for Apple Music or other streaming services on Android ?


----------



## Musicophilesblog

Chibs said:


> Let me know if you guys get that white noise issue.


Using the Fiio LT-LT1 lightning to USB c cable for the first time. The Mojo2 is immediately recognized by both my IPhone 11 and my 6th gen IPad, both running Qobuz on the latest iOS. Works really well so far.

I was lucky enough to never encounter the white noise issue yet in the 3 months of owning the Mojo2, but most of my listening so far has been done driving the Mojo2 from my MacBook Air with Audirvana Studio via USB c.


----------



## imacaverage

Musicophilesblog said:


> Using the Fiio LT-LT1 lightning to USB c cable for the first time. The Mojo2 is immediately recognized by both my IPhone 11 and my 6th gen IPad, both running Qobuz on the latest iOS. Works really well so far.
> 
> I was lucky enough to never encounter the white noise issue yet in the 3 months of owning the Mojo2, but most of my listening so far has been done driving the Mojo2 from my MacBook Air with Audirvana Studio via USB c.


what type of processor in macbook - arm or intel?


----------



## Musicophilesblog

imacaverage said:


> what type of processor in macbook - arm or intel?


The 2021 M1.


----------



## ccrys (Sep 29, 2022)

I need a usb-c - usb-c cable for connecting smart phone to Mojo 2.
I prefer L shape plug with 0.5m length. It is ok a cheap one like this?

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mKU3nwo

Is it high price (30$) justified for buy expensive one?

The stock cable seems to be a cheap one.


----------



## Somafunk

I use One of these ugreen right angled usb c to usb c cables, available in a variety of lengths and works perfectly well


----------



## weexisttocease

ccrys said:


> I need a usb-c - usb-c cable for connecting smart phone to Mojo 2.
> I prefer L shape plug with 0.5m length. It is ok a cheap one like this?
> 
> https://a.aliexpress.com/_mKU3nwo
> ...


I use the DD HiFi cable.

https://www.ddhifi.com/productinfo/401430.html


----------



## ccrys

https://www.ddhifi.com/productinfo/1286425.html

They said it's improve sound quality.
I'm curios if it's just marketing in a such a small cable length, compared with cheap one.


----------



## Somafunk

The mojo 2 does not need to be powered from the source device so buy such a cable if you like the looks but don’t expect any audible difference.


----------



## miketlse

ccrys said:


> I need a usb-c - usb-c cable for connecting smart phone to Mojo 2.
> I prefer L shape plug with 0.5m length. It is ok a cheap one like this?
> 
> https://a.aliexpress.com/_mKU3nwo
> ...


I have been posting on the Chord threads since 2016, and my advice is don't fall into the trap of evaluating everything in terms of price.
With the Mojo 1 I discovered that 'cheap' cables with the addition of a €2.5 clip on choke removes virtually all RFI and noise from a usb cable.
Sure there are many dealers who will try and convince you that if you don't spend €300 on a cable, then you are a poor/irresponsible owner of audio gear.
More important are questions such as, is the cable shielded? is the cable shield connected at both ends of the cable, or just the Mojo end, or the signal source end? etc, are ignored. 
Many dealers and 'facebook experts' will claim that they don't do measurements, but that if you spend €300 on their recommended cable, then everything will be fine, without any evidence to back their claims up.
Your wallet, your decision.


----------



## ra990 (Sep 29, 2022)

The mojo2 is now the heart of my bedside setup. It's great with the Meze Elite and Focal Utopia, with a gentle bass boost.


----------



## miketlse

ra990 said:


> The mojo2 is now the heart of my bedside setup. It's great with the Meze Elite and Focal Utopia, with a gentle bass boost.


With that temptation to listen to music, how do you find enough time to sleep?


----------



## ra990

miketlse said:


> With that temptation to listen to music, how do you find enough time to sleep?


I often fall asleep past 3am when I am forced to take the headphones off my head. I need at least 5 hours of sleep.


----------



## ccrys

Somafunk said:


> The mojo 2 does not need to be powered from the source device so buy such a cable if you like the looks but don’t expect any audible difference.



This will apply when I connect to PC in desktop mode?


----------



## kckfor

Anyone using a mojo with DCA Stealth or Expanse headphones?


----------



## Edyeded86 (Oct 1, 2022)

ra990 said:


> The mojo2 is now the heart of my bedside setup. It's great with the Meze Elite and Focal Utopia, with a gentle bass boost.


Do you need to manually adjust the bit rate when you're playing music via Audio Midi?


----------



## miketlse

kckfor said:


> Anyone using a mojo with DCA Stealth or Expanse headphones?


Not clear if you mean Mojo1 or Mojo2.


----------



## kckfor

Either.


----------



## BS5711

Edyeded86 said:


> Do you need to manually adjust the bit rate when you're playing music via Audio Midi?



What music source ?

Tidal in exclusive mode will change the audio settings to suit, if I recall so will Qobuz. If using Apple Music you can download an app called Lossless Switcher and it will automatically change Audio Midi for you.


----------



## surfgeorge

kckfor said:


> Anyone using a mojo with DCA Stealth or Expanse headphones?


Using the DCA ARON Noire with Mojo 2 and Hugo 2. The Noires need a lot of power but both Mojo 2 and Hugo 2 drive them to high sound pressure levels. Can’t say how it compares to a full size desktop amp though…
I tried the Stealth briefly and it didn’t seem to be harder to drive than the Noires.

For portable use I can’t think of a better option than the Mojo 2 in terms of size, SQ and power


----------



## BS5711 (Oct 1, 2022)

kckfor said:


> Anyone using a mojo with DCA Stealth or Expanse headphones?



As with the reply above I also have DCA Aeon Noire that I use sometimes with an original Mojo. Yes it will run them and they sound nice but if pushed hard the Mojo will distort trying to power the Noire. I expect the Stealth and Expanse would be the same or worse.

Run the Aeon on a Schiit Asgard 3 and it will drive them far beyond what the Mojo can manage and there is zero distortion.

Of course the Mojo is very portable if that is what you need but it is a compromise for sure.


----------



## Staxton

Can the Mojo 2 be run without a battery and just from a 5V 2A charger?

I understand this would require taking the Mojo 2 apart and void my warranty, etc. I'm just curious about whether it can operate without the battery.


----------



## SRKRAM

Staxton said:


> Can the Mojo 2 be run without a battery and just from a 5V 2A charger?
> 
> I understand this would require taking the Mojo 2 apart and void my warranty, etc. I'm just curious about whether it can operate without the battery.


Not sure why you'd want to because the mojo 2 has its desktop mode which prevents overcharging. 
There are no security seals on the mojo, so you can actually open it up and disconnect the battery without anybody knowing about it..


----------



## Musicophilesblog

Staxton said:


> Can the Mojo 2 be run without a battery and just from a 5V 2A charger?
> 
> I understand this would require taking the Mojo 2 apart and void my warranty, etc. I'm just curious about whether it can operate without the battery.


Why would you want to do such a thing when a Mojo2 has intelligent desktop mode?


----------



## Staxton

Musicophilesblog said:


> Why would you want to do such a thing when a Mojo2 has intelligent desktop mode?


Two reasons: First, since replacement batteries for the Mojo, Mojo2 and Hugo2 are extremely difficult to find, if the batteries ever die I'd like to know that I can still operate the Mojo 2. The batteries in my Hugo 2 just died, and it wouldn't run just from the wall wart, even though I though it was supposed to ( https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/post-13358921 ).

The second reason is ever since the original Mojo came out, I have made enclosures for the Mojo out of its case for use with Raspberry Pi computers (kind of like my own version of the Poly). I tend to be very risk averse when it comes to powering rather costly electronics, so I never tried to power the Mojo without the battery. Now that I have the Mojo 2, I actually tried to power a Mojo without the battery, and it worked. In fact, I was able to power it without the internal battery with an external USB battery pack plugged into the Mojo's charging port.  I didn't want to try anything like that with the Mojo 2 unless I was sure that it wouldn't harm it.


----------



## vlach

Staxton said:


> In fact, I was able to power it without the internal battery with an external USB battery pack plugged into the Mojo's charging port.


That's how i operate the OG Mojo.


----------



## cavalar

A bit of an offtopic, I hope it's ok, my first post actually. Wanted to share my personal experience with Mojo2 and some thoughts on Chord vs iFi DACs, since I've had some trouble finding direct comparisons by non-professional reviewers back in the beginning of the year. Since I'm not an audiophile and just picked up the hobby since like Spring 2021, the following is just my humble subjective opinion, which is now also getting a bit "dusted", so I realized it's time to share it at least somewhere.

I've listened to OG Mojo for some time and, while being definitely better than the Hip-Dac, it lost in terms of spaciousness and bass to Micro iDSD Signature (well, shouldn't be too big a surprise, considering the price gap). I was largely driven by the hype around Mojo, and it didn't disappoint me, but it also became clear there are more versatile and "stronger" portable DACs around. Fast-forwarding few months, I was looking to try out the renown Hugo2, but before finding one locally, I ended up buying a used iDSD Diablo instead, which was just a really nice deal. Despite all the controversy, which seemed to surround Diablo, I really liked it, because it boosted the spaciousness and clarity of my Tia Trio to even further extent, compared to Signature. It felt like an endgame DAC for my purposes... until I finally tested Hugo2 at a local retailer. Not that I was "blown away" or anything, but even that slight edge (scene _depth_, clarity) Hugo2 offered against my "endgame" amazed me enough to keep greedy thoughts swarming around. Right around this time, Mojo2 is released, and I buy it hoping to find a cheaper and improved alternative of Chord's sound (OG Mojo has been sold before buying the Diablo). 

Now, finally, getting to the topic of this thread, Mojo2... I definitely enjoyed the sound and the EQ. Not that I have any proper idea about how it works or whether I can discern it from a digital EQ in a blind test, but it did allow to nudge the sound into different directions, without disrupting the balance overall. The sound itself (Tia Trio) was also good, nothing in particular I can recall, but man do I wonder when people were comparing Mojo2 to Hugo2 at the time. I am not sure if this is also headphone-dependent, but I can attest to some of the few (if not singular) posts pointing out how Mojo2 and Hugo2 were in completely different leagues. In the end I swapped Diablo for Hugo2 due to a few reasons (including the former being too strong for an IEM), but again, mostly due to a good bargain for Hugo, otherwise imho Diablo is _really_ _great_ in terms of price-performance ratio, compared to Hugo2 at MSRP. Where does Mojo2 come into all this? Well, I still consider it an accessible sample of Chord's DAC lineup, which won't disappoint at this price point, but has also tough competition against second hand higher tier DACs, like Diablo or maybe even Signature.

P.S. Please keep in mind all the comparisons are between iFi and Chord DACs just because I liked both of them from the very first, cheap models I got and, while considering other manufacturers as well, I didn't find any competitive alternatives in terms of portable audio going further to > 500$ range.


----------



## surfgeorge

cavalar said:


> A bit of an offtopic, I hope it's ok, my first post actually. Wanted to share my personal experience with Mojo2 and some thoughts on Chord vs iFi DACs, since I've had some trouble finding direct comparisons by non-professional reviewers back in the beginning of the year. Since I'm not an audiophile and just picked up the hobby since like Spring 2021, the following is just my humble subjective opinion, which is now also getting a bit "dusted", so I realized it's time to share it at least somewhere.
> 
> I've listened to OG Mojo for some time and, while being definitely better than the Hip-Dac, it lost in terms of spaciousness and bass to Micro iDSD Signature (well, shouldn't be too big a surprise, considering the price gap). I was largely driven by the hype around Mojo, and it didn't disappoint me, but it also became clear there are more versatile and "stronger" portable DACs around. Fast-forwarding few months, I was looking to try out the renown Hugo2, but before finding one locally, I ended up buying a used iDSD Diablo instead, which was just a really nice deal. Despite all the controversy, which seemed to surround Diablo, I really liked it, because it boosted the spaciousness and clarity of my Tia Trio to even further extent, compared to Signature. It felt like an endgame DAC for my purposes... until I finally tested Hugo2 at a local retailer. Not that I was "blown away" or anything, but even that slight edge (scene _depth_, clarity) Hugo2 offered against my "endgame" amazed me enough to keep greedy thoughts swarming around. Right around this time, Mojo2 is released, and I buy it hoping to find a cheaper and improved alternative of Chord's sound (OG Mojo has been sold before buying the Diablo).
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing! You have come a loooong way in a very short time and arrived at a level most people can only dream about....  
And your ability to hear and appreciate small differences matches the quality of your equipment it seems!


----------



## magicalmouse

vlach said:


> That's how i operate the OG Mojo.


And me, i use a an anker battery pack which cost slightly less than a new battery and lasts for hours and hours before needing a recharge.

d


----------



## Epiteto

When using the mojo 2 on a windows operating system, what format do you select in the device settings?
If I stream with tidal, even in exclusive mode, those settings change..


----------



## jarnopp

Staxton said:


> Two reasons: First, since replacement batteries for the Mojo, Mojo2 and Hugo2 are extremely difficult to find, if the batteries ever die I'd like to know that I can still operate the Mojo 2. The batteries in my Hugo 2 just died, and it wouldn't run just from the wall wart, even though I though it was supposed to ( https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/post-13358921 ).
> 
> The second reason is ever since the original Mojo came out, I have made enclosures for the Mojo out of its case for use with Raspberry Pi computers (kind of like my own version of the Poly). I tend to be very risk averse when it comes to powering rather costly electronics, so I never tried to power the Mojo without the battery. Now that I have the Mojo 2, I actually tried to power a Mojo without the battery, and it worked. In fact, I was able to power it without the internal battery with an external USB battery pack plugged into the Mojo's charging port.  I didn't want to try anything like that with the Mojo 2 unless I was sure that it wouldn't harm it.


As others have said, OG Mojo works this way, but with the intelligent battery software and more elaborate boot up sequence, you’d have to try it, or Rob Watts would have to chime i.


----------



## Rob Watts

Staxton said:


> Can the Mojo 2 be run without a battery and just from a 5V 2A charger?
> 
> I understand this would require taking the Mojo 2 apart and void my warranty, etc. I'm just curious about whether it can operate without the battery.


No need to remove a failed battery - the intelligent charger will recognise a fault (shorted battery) and can cope with a battery at the end of it's life too. Both cases it will disconnect the battery and you can run it from the USB charger as it will go into desktop mode.


----------



## Epiteto

Rob Watts said:


> No need to remove a failed battery - the intelligent charger will recognise a fault (shorted battery) and can cope with a battery at the end of it's life too. Both cases it will disconnect the battery and you can run it from the USB charger as it will go into desktop mode.


when will it reach the end of its life, is it expected to be replaced?


----------



## Kentajalli

Epiteto said:


> when will it reach the end of its life, is it expected to be replaced?


If original Mojo is anything to go by, years!
more like 5.
Batteries are NOT expensive.
In UK, Chord replaced one for me for £40, including p&p.
I am not worried about battery dying after a few years. Some other DACs die altogether within 5 years.
I might!


----------



## syazwaned

Can anyone share their experience on Mojo 2 crossfeed function with flat head earbuds?


----------



## vlach

magicalmouse said:


> And me, i use a an anker battery pack which cost slightly less than a new battery and lasts for hours and hours before needing a recharge.
> 
> d


Yes and the external battery retains its charge too. I used to hate it when i would fully charge my Mojo, then not use it for a couple weeks, grab it and realize the battery is down to less than 50%...


----------



## torpid

Hello,

I just got the Mojo2 last week and honestly I'm blown away by the sound that is coming out of this little thing. The biggest thing I noticed is the sheer amount of authority that are put into the notes, especially at lower volumes. Was not getting this type of presentation on the iDSD Signature or other Sabre based DACs. 

For my next test, I would like to hook it up to a Desktop amp but have heard varying suggestions on how to get the proper configuration. I have the 3.5mm to RCA cable but if anyone could shed some light on what volume the Mojo2 should be set at? Should it be in the middle or maxed out?


----------



## meomap

torpid said:


> Hello,
> 
> I just got the Mojo2 last week and honestly I'm blown away by the sound that is coming out of this little thing. The biggest thing I noticed is the sheer amount of authority that are put into the notes, especially at lower volumes. Was not getting this type of presentation on the iDSD Signature or other Sabre based DACs.
> 
> For my next test, I would like to hook it up to a Desktop amp but have heard varying suggestions on how to get the proper configuration. I have the 3.5mm to RCA cable but if anyone could shed some light on what volume the Mojo2 should be set at? Should it be in the middle or maxed out?


I think I set my mojo2 to Blue color to my PrimaLuna HP tube IA.


----------



## torpid

meomap said:


> I think I set my mojo2 to Blue color to my PrimaLuna HP tube IA.


Ok, so set the Menu ball to the Blue (Brightness adjustment/Crossfeed mode) color?


----------



## meomap

torpid said:


> Ok, so set the Menu ball to the Blue (Brightness adjustment/Crossfeed mode) color?


Just volume.
I have not look into manual about EQ or Crossfeed yet....


----------



## surfgeorge

torpid said:


> Ok, so set the Menu ball to the Blue (Brightness adjustment/Crossfeed mode) color?


No, you want to set the volume to between 2Vrms and 3Vrms depending on the requirements of your amp.
Check this post: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ing-on-page-95-of-thread.885405/post-17030884


----------



## torpid

surfgeorge said:


> No, you want to set the volume to between 2Vrms and 3Vrms depending on the requirements of your amp.
> Check this post: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ing-on-page-95-of-thread.885405/post-17030884


Thank you for the link. I will follow Rob's instructions.


----------



## shinbojan (Oct 4, 2022)

I currently have 2 setups. I am using schiit 2 uber stack + Fidelio X2 with my desktop, lotoo paw s1 + dunu sa6/2000j with my laptop/iphone.
I was thinking about selling both schiit and paw and buying Mojo 2.
Would this be a noticeable upgrade and would it work fine with my headphones?

I would be losing playstation 5 (paw has uac1 mode) and mqa support, though.


----------



## Garpov

I was having white noise issues with Mojo 2 so sold it to buy Chord Qutest, paired with Graham slee solo ultra linear headphone amp. This combo sounds incredible, although at nearly 4 times the cost isn't really a fair comparison to Mojo 2.


----------



## dsrk

shinbojan said:


> I currently have 2 setups. I am using schiit 2 uber stack + Fidelio X2 with my desktop, lotoo paw s1 + dunu sa6/2000j with my laptop/iphone.
> I was thinking about selling both schiit and paw and buying Mojo 2.
> Would this be a noticeable upgrade and would it work fine with my headphones?
> 
> I would be losing playstation 5 (paw has uac1 mode) and mqa support, though.


It will be an upgrade in terms of sound quality but it may not beat the amplification of schiit stack.

It has more than enough power for X2, it's an excellent choice for portable DAC/AMP and desktop DAC/AMP.


----------



## syazwaned

dsrk said:


> It will be an upgrade in terms of sound quality but it may not beat the amplification of schiit stack.
> 
> It has more than enough power for X2, it's an excellent choice for portable DAC/AMP and desktop DAC/AMP.


Hi, will crossfeed function of Mojo 2 work though external amp?


----------



## dsrk

syazwaned said:


> Hi, will crossfeed function of Mojo 2 work though external amp?


Yes of course.


----------



## syazwaned

dsrk said:


> Yes of course.


thanks!


----------



## mashuto

Hello everyone on this thread, I am considering buying a mojo 2, and debating between it and a gryphon. I already have an ifi go blu, so I keep going back and forth.

Anyways, not looking for comparisons here as I have already a few, but I had a few questions especially as a prior owner of the original mojo.

1. Does the mojo 2 still pick up interference from phones? I found with the original mojo even a ferrite choke couldn't completely got rid of it, and the poly even introduced it's own separate wifi interference. Would a longer cable help potentially?

2. Does the mojo 2 hiss with sensitive (or even less sensitive) iems? Most of my use will be with iems and while the original didn't hiss with all of them, some definitely did. I would prefer not to have to rely on something like an iematch again.

Thanks!


----------



## surfgeorge

mashuto said:


> Hello everyone on this thread, I am considering buying a mojo 2, and debating between it and a gryphon. I already have an ifi go blu, so I keep going back and forth.
> 
> Anyways, not looking for comparisons here as I have already a few, but I had a few questions especially as a prior owner of the original mojo.
> 
> ...


1 unfortunately it still does.
stacking the Mojo 2 with a HibyR3 with active Wifi creates interference, and also using the Mojo2Poly with an iPhone personal hotspot does introduce some crackling, but it‘s quite low volume and is hard to notice with music playing. Mojo2Poly in my Wifi network at home is clean as a whistle! By the way, Hugo2Go behaves similarly.
2 No hiss here, but my IEMs are not particularly sensitive, the most sensitive being a UM 3DT.


----------



## Staxton

Rob Watts said:


> No need to remove a failed battery - the intelligent charger will recognise a fault (shorted battery) and can cope with a battery at the end of it's life too. Both cases it will disconnect the battery and you can run it from the USB charger as it will go into desktop mode.


Thanks for the info, Rob! 

One more question--how exactly do you remove the battery from the Mojo 2. I am not familiar with the new connector. Do you lift the connector straight up or is there some other trick to it?


----------



## mashuto

surfgeorge said:


> 1 unfortunately it still does.
> stacking the Mojo 2 with a HibyR3 with active Wifi creates interference, and also using the Mojo2Poly with an iPhone personal hotspot does introduce some crackling, but it‘s quite low volume and is hard to notice with music playing. Mojo2Poly in my Wifi network at home is clean as a whistle! By the way, Hugo2Go behaves similarly.
> 2 No hiss here, but my IEMs are not particularly sensitive, the most sensitive being a UM 3DT.


That's a bit disappointing about the interference. Most use would likely be with a Chromebook tablet I have, but I remember the interference with my phone was not great and not sure if that's a deal breaker. My old poly also definitely picked up audible interference too when on wifi.


----------



## Chibs (Oct 5, 2022)

mashuto said:


> That's a bit disappointing about the interference. Most use would likely be with a Chromebook tablet I have, but I remember the interference with my phone was not great and not sure if that's a deal breaker. My old poly also definitely picked up audible interference too when on wifi.


I get no interference with the mojo 2 and iPhone 13 Pro / 14 pro max.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Chibs said:


> I get no interference with the mojo 2 and iPhone 13 Pro / 14 pro max.


It depends where you live. In the UK, where 3G is still active, is a major issue and the source of interference. Basically the mojo is a mobile nightmare and a transportable rather portable unit.


----------



## SRKRAM

Staxton said:


> Thanks for the info, Rob!
> 
> One more question--how exactly do you remove the battery from the Mojo 2. I am not familiar with the new connector. Do you lift the connector straight up or is there some other trick to it?


I'm not Rob, but here's how the connector works..



SRKRAM said:


> Sorry, it didn't show clearly in the photo. It is a connector; a low profile, vertical-mating type like a snapbee:





SRKRAM said:


> Here's how the connector latches (assuming that this is what the mojo 2 uses):


----------



## headmanPL

mashuto said:


> That's a bit disappointing about the interference. Most use would likely be with a Chromebook tablet I have, but I remember the interference with my phone was not great and not sure if that's a deal breaker. My old poly also definitely picked up audible interference too when on wifi.


I have Mojo2, and Poly. I stream over WLAN at home, and either use the phone hotspot on 4G EE, or 5G Vodafone when on the move (work and personal phones). None of this has resulted in any interference. I can't comment on the IEM's as I don't use any.


----------



## mashuto

headmanPL said:


> I have Mojo2, and Poly. I stream over WLAN at home, and either use the phone hotspot on 4G EE, or 5G Vodafone when on the move (work and personal phones). None of this has resulted in any interference. I can't comment on the IEM's as I don't use any.


Well if I do end up getting a mojo again, I have no plans to get another poly. I wont get into it, but the poly was one of the worst audio related purchases I think I have ever made, and it looks to me like the mojo2 specifically had some noticeable design compromises made just to keep it compatible.

Either way, my usage for the mojo would likely be mostly with my phone, using mobile data. Someone mentioned 3g used to be the issue, but I have no idea if that remains the case or if LTE or 5g still will cause the same interference. But its looking like my use case really may not be best for the mojo at this point.


----------



## cfranchi

Do you think that a small usb-c bluetooth dongle like the Creative BT-W3 would work with Mojo 2 ?

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Indicator-Selection/dp/B089PYFLBN


----------



## SRKRAM

cfranchi said:


> Do you think that a small usb-c bluetooth dongle like the Creative BT-W3 would work with Mojo 2 ?
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Indicator-Selection/dp/B089PYFLBN


I don't see how you would be able to use it as it's a bluetooth transmitter. Are you thinking you'd be able to plug it into the mojo as a receiver?


----------



## cfranchi

SRKRAM said:


> I don't see how you would be able to use it as it's a bluetooth transmitter. Are you thinking you'd be able to plug it into the mojo as a receiver?



Right… i was thinking it was a receiver…
Do you know if some usb-c receiver are existîng ?


----------



## Hamuraii (Oct 7, 2022)

Intelligent desktop mode :

   if you have a good power source, modern one, thats rated for 'fast charge' output 18w and 3amps.

   Mojo2, fully charged, turn it on, only takes a moment, before you hear an internal click and it goes into intelligent desktop mode.

   You should not really use a basic, cellphone brick to charge the mojo2, with its 5v 2.4amp output.


Poly: Mobile-Enjoyment

I really think you need the Poly, it's a must, should you use the mojo2 with: Android / iOS

Tested many cables, and the dreaded *USB*: synchronous/asynchronous/WiFi/Bluetooth/3G/5G gets pumped into the headphones, with eventual dread *BLEEEP of Death*

iOS, I'm forced to set the device in airplane mode, while listening to music, then using Apple watch to skip tracks, play pause.

Conceal mobile holsters, left and right, one for the iOS other for the mojo2, USB-C to USB-C to connect both.

While in theory it's nice and cool, it does not work, ddHiFi adapter, moves just a tiny bit in holster, and all signal is lost.

Lighting port is being grinded slowly down with adapter.

USB-C cable will send, iOS internal gut sounds over, with a fluffy electrical haze sound's, turning overall signature into a nasial airy farts, rolling into the BLEEEP of Death.

To fix this:

Poly:

No USB-C cable.

iPhone lightning port, un-abused.

Bleep-of-dead gone

WiFi, 5G and Bluetooth working without fear of BoD

Phone is free to be kept in holster used independently, without pulling and eventually degrading the USB-C port, on the Mojo2 and iOS device.


With Poly, you just have, ONE, cable, turning the system into: *Polyphemus: *the one cabled mobile enjoyment monster.







Then again, maybe I'm wrong, should Poly also pick up the dreaded signals, reading above, it might.


----------



## syazwaned

Hamuraii said:


> Intelligent desktop mode :
> 
> if you have a good power source, modern one, thats rated for 'fast charge' output 18w and 3amps.
> 
> ...


does intelligent desktop mode work while charging the poly attached to mojo2 ?


----------



## SRKRAM

Hamuraii said:


> Intelligent desktop mode :
> 
> if you have a good power source, modern one, thats rated for 'fast charge' output 18w and 3amps.
> 
> ...


The click is the output relay, and nothing to do with intelligent desktop mode.
The charge indicator (and menu button if powered off) turn purple when the battery's full and the device enters intelligent desktop mode.
The menu button colour can also indicate the charging rate and if the charger isn't supplying sufficient current; Chord recommend a 2A charger.
Below are taken from the manual:


----------



## Hamuraii

@SRKRAM Do you have experience with Poly ?

I know how networks work, I'd run it with I.P saved on the network, all that jazz.

Do you know any stories of the Poly, picking up WiFi/SIM card signals, feeding into the headphones ?


----------



## stephze

Curious if anyone has tried with Arya v2/SE or HE1000v2 or SE as well. 


cfranchi said:


> Has anyone tried HE1000 v2 with Chord Mojo 2 ?


----------



## Another Audiophile

Hamuraii said:


> @SRKRAM Do you have experience with Poly ?
> 
> I know how networks work, I'd run it with I.P saved on the network, all that jazz.
> 
> Do you know any stories of the Poly, picking up WiFi/SIM card signals, feeding into the headphones ?


As long as you keep your mobile in one pocket and the poly+mojo in another then you are good to go but if you have the poly and mojo together with your mobile you will still pick up interference. I am using the combo due to the 3G interference when the mojo is directly plugged to my mobile and has nothing to do with the cable. It's purely interference when the mojo is close to a mobile. To be honest if you want to use the mojo as mobile device and you are in a country where 3G is active then the poly is the only way forward. Also poly with the latest update has been working flawlessly to be fair and honest. I used to have several problems with it but not anymore.


----------



## mashuto

Another Audiophile said:


> As long as you keep your mobile in one pocket and the poly+mojo in another then you are good to go but if you have the poly and mojo together with your mobile you will still pick up interference.


So it really is distance that does it? Basically, if I get a long enough cable? Say just a few feet as opposed to a few inches, I can just separate them and the interference should go away?

I am still very tempted, but potential for interference has definitely been holding me back.


----------



## Hamuraii

Thank you very much for the real world, experience, @Another Audiophile


----------



## Another Audiophile

mashuto said:


> So it really is distance that does it? Basically, if I get a long enough cable? Say just a few feet as opposed to a few inches, I can just separate them and the interference should go away?
> 
> I am still very tempted, but potential for interference has definitely been holding me back.


Yes, a long cable will work as well.


----------



## mashuto

Another Audiophile said:


> Yes, a long cable will work as well.


Then since I'm much more interested in it as a transportable device, I don't need my phone right on top of it. Still not a fan of the micro USB, but I think I can deal with it.


----------



## Jprod

Hello.  I had a mojo and poly and traded in the mojo for a mojo2. I never updated the firmware on the poly and the mojo2/poly combo does not work. It worked fine with the original mojo. Any way i can update the firmware or make it work ? Thanks from a newbie


----------



## johnnym

Jprod said:


> Hello.  I had a mojo and poly and traded in the mojo for a mojo2. I never updated the firmware on the poly and the mojo2/poly combo does not work. It worked fine with the original mojo. Any way i can update the firmware or make it work ? Thanks from a newbie


The original Poly should work with the right firmware. I have no idea how to update firmware, but I think 3 or above and you are good to go. Sorry, I bought my Poly with the correct version so don’t know how to upgrade.


----------



## Hamuraii

Jprod said:


> Hello.  I had a mojo and poly and traded in the mojo for a mojo2. I never updated the firmware on the poly and the mojo2/poly combo does not work. It worked fine with the original mojo. Any way i can update the firmware or make it work ? Thanks from a newbie


ye, just update to the newest firmware, easy as pie.


----------



## Jprod

It’s not discoverable on the app nor do i hear any voice commands when i press the poly command button. The mojo 2 works fine on its own. I had no issues with the original mojo and the poly


----------



## ChrisGB

Jprod said:


> It’s not discoverable on the app nor do i hear any voice commands when i press the poly command button. The mojo 2 works fine on its own. I had no issues with the original mojo and the poly


I could be wrong on this, but I seem to remember reading that the firmware update had to be carried out with the original Mojo attached?


----------



## Jprod

ChrisGB said:


> I could be wrong on this, but I seem to remember reading that the firmware update had to be carried out with the original Mojo attached?


If that’s the case , that’s insane. How am I supposed to update the firmware then since the original mojo is not in my possession?


----------



## Hamuraii (Oct 7, 2022)

Jprod said:


> Hello.  I had a mojo and poly and traded in the mojo for a mojo2. I never updated the firmware on the poly and the mojo2/poly combo does not work. It worked fine with the original mojo. Any way i can update the firmware or make it work ? Thanks from a newbie


*Updating Polys firmware *


Ensure your version of Gofigure is up to date. (IOS 2.10(4) (Android 1.2.133)
Ensure your Poly is on charge and showing a solid white status light.
Ensure the Mojo connected to your Poly is successfully switched on
Connect to your Poly using the Gofigure application.
Check that your Poly is connected to an active wifi network.
Enter the ‘device settings’ page and select ‘firmware update’
Leave your Poly to complete the update process, this is represented by a multicoloured flashing P.status LED (DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE YOUR POLY DURING THIS PROCESS)
The Gofigure application will eventually lose connection to your device once it starts rebooting, this process will take approximately 5 minutes (PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RE-CONNECT TO YOUR POLY AT THIS POINT)
Once the Poly has completed the update process, the P.status will return to a solid white light for more than 30 seconds and the device will return to charging. Your Poly is now ready to be used.

I'd take a shot in the dark, to restart your router and Poly/Mojo2, see if they'll start to talk to each other.

Try and update the Gofigure App also ?

There is no need to use old mojo or new mojo, does not matter.

If you can, its good to have this device having a locked in IP address, configure that via your router if you can on the 2.4GHz network, not the 5GHz one.

Good luck.


----------



## headmanPL

Hamuraii said:


> *Updating Polys firmware *
> 
> 
> Ensure your version of Gofigure is up to date. (IOS 2.10(4) (Android 1.2.133)
> ...


Original Mojo is required if Poly is not on v3 firmware. 
I have to say, given the age of the firmware, I struggle to understand why any Poly's aren't running it


----------



## Jprod

headmanPL said:


> Original Mojo is required if Poly is not on v3 firmware.
> I have to say, given the age of the firmware, I struggle to understand why any Poly's aren't running it


I never got a pop up to update the firmware, and honestly never thought to look since the poly was long in the tooth by todays product Upgrade standards. Still, this is infuriating and i have no great options here .


----------



## headmanPL

Jprod said:


> I never got a pop up to update the firmware, and honestly never thought to look since the poly was long in the tooth by todays product Upgrade standards. Still, this is infuriating and i have no great options here .


I think your options are to return to Chord to perform the update. 
Ask on this or original Mojo forums if anyone near you can help with their Mojo 1, or ask if a local dealer can help, though they would also need to be in possession of Mojo 1


----------



## Another Audiophile

Jprod said:


> I never got a pop up to update the firmware, and honestly never thought to look since the poly was long in the tooth by todays product Upgrade standards. Still, this is infuriating and i have no great options here .


Another headfier had the same issue and he was based in London where we met, I gave him my mojo OG and he performed the update. I guess you have to find someone with an Mojo OG in your area to meet and perform the update.


----------



## Jprod

Another Audiophile said:


> Another headfier had the same issue and he was based in London where we met, I gave him my mojo OG and he performed the update. I guess you have to find someone with an Mojo OG in your area to meet and perform the update.


Ok. I will figure  something out. It’s still beyond comprehension why chord did it this way.  I bought from tmr audio and they are trying to help but even they didn’t know about this. There should be a notice in bold that was shared by chord to these dealers that you MUST have v3 running on poly for the chord mojo2 
 Thanks for the advice


----------



## Hamuraii (Oct 9, 2022)

Jprod said:


> Ok. I will figure  something out. It’s still beyond comprehension why chord did it this way.  I bought from tmr audio and they are trying to help but even they didn’t know about this. There should be a notice in bold that was shared by chord to these dealers that you MUST have v3 running on poly for the chord mojo2
> Thanks for the advice



or just a simple, Micro-USB-Female, into PC and update the firmware the old school way.


----------



## Jprod

Hamuraii said:


> or just a simple, Micro-USB-Female, into PC and update the firmware the old school way.


Is there a way to do it from chords webpage without the chord app ?


----------



## Hamuraii (Oct 8, 2022)

Jprod said:


> Is there a way to do it from chords webpage without the chord app ?



You have to have a Mojo1 it seems sorry.

_a mad scientist_, would just install the old Mojo1 firmware on the Mojo2.

Then hookup the Poly, update the Poly to newest firmware, using Frankenstein Mojo2, on Mojo1 firmware.

Then connect Mojo2 to the PC again, update to the newest firmware.

This either works

or

Both Mojo2 and Poly get bricked. 


*Please do not follow my advice.


Find an old Mojo1 to perform the update ;/*


----------



## captblaze

Jprod said:


> Is there a way to do it from chords webpage without the chord app ?


How close are you to Chicago?


----------



## Jprod

captblaze said:


> How close are you to Chicago?


6 hours.  I leave south of Cleveland in canton. Thanks for trying to help


----------



## Hamuraii (Oct 9, 2022)

Jprod said:


> 6 hours.  I leave south of Cleveland in canton. Thanks for trying to help



Funny this life, chin up.


----------



## xenoVa

So as of now, there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY to output audio from Android to Mojo except USB Audio Player Pro app ?


----------



## Kentajalli

xenoVa said:


> So as of now, there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY to output audio from Android to Mojo except USB Audio Player Pro app ?


Neutron is my choice, and I do have UAPP.


----------



## mashuto

xenoVa said:


> So as of now, there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY to output audio from Android to Mojo except USB Audio Player Pro app ?


Why would that be the case? Android has always been able to send audio out via USB. You will not get bit perfect output though unless you use something like uapp, or if you are outputting from and Android dap that doesn't resample and is specifically made to output bit perfect audio.

And I'm posting because I just got my mojo 2 and am listening to Spotify via my android phone right now.


----------



## xenoVa

mashuto said:


> Why would that be the case? Android has always been able to send audio out via USB. You will not get bit perfect output though unless you use something like uapp, or if you are outputting from and Android dap that doesn't resample and is specifically made to output bit perfect audio.
> 
> And I'm posting because I just got my mojo 2 and am listening to Spotify via my android phone right now.



Thanks for explaining. What is the shown bitrate on Mojo when listening to Spotify on Android ?


----------



## mashuto

xenoVa said:


> Thanks for explaining. What is the shown bitrate on Mojo when listening to Spotify on Android ?


Well it shows sample rate I think, not bitrate, and it's orange, which I'm pretty sure is 48khz. I think that's what android resamples to by default.


----------



## Hamuraii

xenoVa said:


> Thanks for explaining. What is the shown bitrate on Mojo when listening to Spotify on Android ?


----------



## xenoVa

mashuto said:


> Well it shows sample rate I think, not bitrate, and it's orange, which I'm pretty sure is 48khz. I think that's what android resamples to by default.


Is there a noticable loss in sound quality when there is Android upsampling, compared to bit perfect ?


----------



## Kentajalli

xenoVa said:


> Is there a noticable loss in sound quality when there is Android upsampling, compared to bit perfect ?


You just paid (wisely ) a good sum of money for your Mojo, mostly for its ability to upsample and decode audio in a manner that is unique and good.
By upsampling in Android you are bypassing most that your Mojo stands for.
Bit perfect is the way to go, unless you wish to use any DSP on Android first.


----------



## mashuto (Oct 9, 2022)

xenoVa said:


> Is there a noticable loss in sound quality when there is Android upsampling, compared to bit perfect ?


Noticeable... maybe. I mean the audio is being resampled before being sent to the mojo, so you arent getting it as it originally was. Whether its really noticeable, probably not a huge amount or at all if you are just listening casually. But if you truly care about squeezing every last drop of quality and are actively listening for it, then yea maybe. For me, especially when streaming lossy audio, I personally dont care too much. It still sounds plenty good, even if its not reaching 100% of its potential. But, its also hard to say if you are doing something like streaming from spotify from an android phone since there really is no way to get it to the mojo bit perfect.

If you are this concerned though, then yea maybe it would be an issue for you. As was already mentioned, Usb audio player pro exists. If you are playing locally stored files, it can send them bit perfect to the mojo. And if you use tidal or qobuz, you can stream those directly through usb audio player pro as well.

The other option is you can get an android dap. Most recent android daps have their own audio stack that does not resample. Of course, then you are carrying a dap and the mojo, which in some cases defeats the purpose. Or really any other device as a transport. But if your goal is streaming, then you will again be limited by where you can stream from.


----------



## Hamuraii

xenoVa said:


> Is there a noticable loss in sound quality when there is Android upsampling, compared to bit perfect ?



Maybe just get a Poly and skip one cable in the chain, from Android to Mojo 2 ?

Or get an old 2nd hand iPhone to stream music, if you want to cut out the up sample part of the Android system.

Plenty of old iPhones around at good volue.


----------



## surfgeorge

xenoVa said:


> Is there a noticable loss in sound quality when there is Android upsampling, compared to bit perfect ?


After following Rob Watts explanations I understand it as crucial to avoid upsampling digital data that is fed to his DACs.
Much of his research is about reconstructing the timing of the original signal more accurately than any other DAC. I believe I can hear that - there is an immediacy and cleanliness in the transients that I have not heard from other sources.
The explanation from Rob, if I remember correctly, is that upsampling before the DAC is not as accurate and the DAC then has to work with digital data that is actually worse than the original.

I have not done any comparison tests (and don't intend to) I just make sure to feed clean data to my Mojo 2 and Hugo 2 and enjoy the music!

PS: Not sure if there is a connection - but adding the Poly Streamer to the Mojo 2 and the 2Go streamer to Hugo 2 has clearly improved the sound quality.
It's just further proof IMO that the digital signal quality is an important factor in the overall performance of the system.


----------



## headmanPL

xenoVa said:


> Is there a noticable loss in sound quality when there is Android upsampling, compared to bit perfect ?


To my ears, yes. It is a completely different sound when Android upsamples. No amount of DSP can correct the change. I haven't used Spotify with the Mojo 2 yet, but FLAC files take on a completely different characteristic when changed by the smart phone. I've picked the wrong player a couple of times when using USB-C and instantly dislike what I'm hearing. In my experience the volume is louder, everything sounds compressed. The bass loses the wonderful definition and fluid personality Mojo 2 naturally has, and the treble is very sharp. If you ever wonder was Mojo 2 worth the money, it's a useful exercise to try.


----------



## Feischmaker

I have two questions:

1. is there any audible sonic advantage running my IEM with a dual mono connection to Mojo 2 instead of simple single ended?

2. Is there any difference in SQ/tonality of Mojo2 usb input vs Coaxial input?


----------



## Hamuraii (Oct 10, 2022)

Feischmaker said:


> I have two questions:
> 
> 1. is there any audible sonic advantage running my IEM with a dual mono connection to Mojo 2 instead of simple single ended?
> 
> 2. Is there any difference in SQ/tonality of Mojo2 usb input vs Coaxial input?



1 No just No.






2. Coaxial up to DSD
    USB, CD quality all the way into DSD.
   Optical up to 192kHz 24bit.


----------



## Feischmaker (Oct 10, 2022)

Hamuraii said:


> 1 No just No.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


haha ok on the first one

btw on the second one, chord website stated that both usb and coax can do 768k pcm, while optic is limited to 96kHz

EDITED: adding new question.
Does Mojo 2 has a true line out? In this scenario I am connecting Mojo 2 as a DAC to KSE 1200 energizer, avoiding double amping


----------



## Hamuraii (Oct 10, 2022)

Feischmaker said:


> haha ok on the first one
> 
> btw on the second one, chord website stated that both usb and coax can do 768k pcm, while optic is limited to 96kHz
> 
> ...


Oops my bad, its Optical, indeed limited to 192kHz 24bit.

3rd question is way out of my ballpark.

KSE1200 is an electrostatic IEM that's only going to work with its own unique energizer and should not be messed around with.

Think there is no way, to truly shut off the amp portion of the DAC. 

Often wondered, while at work, to conserve battery, after six hours use time, to set the mojo into, *DAC only mode*, and have the iOS passthrough, power to Mojo and Headphones, while listening to some podcast or audiobook at .mp3 sound quality level.


----------



## Headphiguy

Feischmaker said:


> btw on the second one, chord website stated that both usb and coax can do 768k pcm, while optic is limited to 96kHz


The optical output standard quotes a 96kHz limit but the M2 can easily handle 24/192.


----------



## Johnsouter

I've just purchased a Mojo 2 with an embarrassing manufacturing defect.
Can you guess the error? 
They are not interested in exchanging it for me though.


----------



## Ferdinando1968

are the serigraphs reversed?


----------



## captblaze

Johnsouter said:


> I've just purchased a Mojo 2 with an embarrassing manufacturing defect.
> Can you guess the error?
> They are not interested in exchanging it for me though.



Didn't know Chord Electronics sells "B" stock. Is it Chord or the distributor that refuses to replace?


----------



## Johnsouter

The serigraphs are duplicated.
I need to get Richer Sounds to make an exchange, the problem is I’m not the first owner.


----------



## jarnopp

Johnsouter said:


> The serigraphs are duplicated.
> I need to get Richer Sounds to make an exchange, the problem is I’m not the first owner.


If it were me, especially as a second owner, I wouldn’t worry about it. Kind of a novelty, actually, as long as the sound quality is unaffected.


----------



## Johnsouter

I just worry about the long term value, I only purchase it for an upcoming holiday.


----------



## captblaze

Johnsouter said:


> I just worry about the long term value, I only purchase it for an upcoming holiday.


Have you contacted Chord to see what they might be able to do to correct their poor QC?


----------



## Johnsouter

Yes, they said I needed to go back to the retailer. The retailer can't do anything though as I'm not the original owner. 
I thought as a good will gesture and to cover up their poor QC they might have exchanged it for me.


----------



## captblaze

Johnsouter said:


> Yes, they said I needed to go back to the retailer. The retailer can't do anything though as I'm not the original owner.
> I thought as a good will gesture and to cover up their poor QC they might have exchanged it for me.


Or at least send you a replacement cover to correct their error


----------



## Johnsouter

For a distinguished British brand you would have thought so, wonder if there are any more faulty units out there.


----------



## GoldenOne

Feischmaker said:


> 2. Is there any difference in SQ/tonality of Mojo2 usb input vs Coaxial input?


The mojo 2 is seemingly a bit sensitive to noise from the source device or PSU. 
Jitter performance is top tier on both inputs so that's not going to be an issue, but you probably want to use the lowest noise source you can. This is a rare situation where optical may actually be the optimal choice


----------



## Feischmaker (Oct 11, 2022)

GoldenOne said:


> The mojo 2 is seemingly a bit sensitive to noise from the source device or PSU.
> Jitter performance is top tier on both inputs so that's not going to be an issue, but you probably want to use the lowest noise source you can. This is a rare situation where optical may actually be the optimal choice


True, if the source is PC, optical will be the best choice.

By the way, i bought the Mojo 2 this afternoon and I try to check the difference between coax and usb using ibasso DX300 as a source

I found that using the coax input (dx300 coax to mojo 2 coax) resulted in "less analytical" sound than the usb input (dx300 usb c to mojo 2 usb c)

The difference is there but i can't say whether this is driven by the dx300 or because of the Mojo 2.

I don't have another dap with usb and coax to pair with Mojo 2 to further test this


----------



## GoldenOne

Feischmaker said:


> True, if the source is PC, optical will be the best choice.
> 
> By the way, i bought the Mojo 2 this afternoon and I try to check the difference between coax and usb using ibasso DX300 as a source
> 
> ...


Yeah the source itself is the main factor.
Here's some tests I did for example showing it on USB, but one direct to PC, and one with a very low noise isolator.






A fair bit of high frequency hash coming through.
It's fine when connected to my phone though, but that's probably pretty quiet so that'd make sense.


----------



## Kentajalli

Johnsouter said:


> I just worry about the long term value, I only purchase it for an upcoming holiday.


In time, it would gain value, as an odd-ball!


----------



## Kentajalli

GoldenOne said:


> Yeah the source itself is the main factor.
> Here's some tests I did for example showing it on USB, but one direct to PC, and one with a very low noise isolator.
> 
> 
> ...


Were both the measuring eq. and the PC grounded? I mean is that ground loop noise?
If it is, then disconnecting from the grounded measuring equipment and plugging a headphone instead, would the noise actually flow through, or in other words of any consequence?
I suppose if anyone wants to use the Mojo2 as a desktop DAC, connected to a grounded PC and an amplifier, they should either invest in optical output, or a get an isolator like the Topping device at £50, for USB use. 
Easy does it.


----------



## GoldenOne

Kentajalli said:


> Were both the measuring eq. and the PC grounded? I mean is that ground loop noise?
> If it is, then disconnecting from the grounded measuring equipment and plugging a headphone instead, would the noise actually flow through, or in other words of any consequence?
> I suppose if anyone wants to use the Mojo2 as a desktop DAC, connected to a grounded PC and an amplifier, they should either invest in optical output, or a get an isolator like the Topping device at £50, for USB use.
> Easy does it.


Yes both are properly grounded. 
It's not a ground loop as ground loops will almost always cause 50/60hz noise. Not the high frequency stuff seen here. Additionally using an ungrounded laptop still showed the same issue.

Its related to noise from the source itself not a ground loop.

I'm unsure as to the design of the topping isolator. For the price and size I'd be VERY surprised if it had full optical isolation.
Ill probably buy one to test cause if it is good then it's a very nice option for the money. But sometimes these devices are actually either just ground disconnects, or might be proper galvanic isolation but done via a transformer instead of optically in which case hf noise can still come through.

Optical into the mojo 2 is likely the easiest option in most cases.


----------



## Kentajalli

GoldenOne said:


> Yes both are properly grounded.
> It's not a ground loop as ground loops will almost always cause 50/60hz noise. Not the high frequency stuff seen here. Additionally using an ungrounded laptop still showed the same issue.
> Its related to noise from the source itself not a ground loop.


Then the  Intona isolator, should not be able to filter the noise out, am I right? The high frequency noise must be travelling through the ground wires, for any isolator to have an effect, my 2 pence.


GoldenOne said:


> I'm unsure as to the design of the topping isolator. For the price and size I'd be VERY surprised if it had full optical isolation.
> Ill probably buy one to test cause if it is good then it's a very nice option for the money. But sometimes these devices are actually either just ground disconnects, or might be proper galvanic isolation but done via a transformer instead of optically in which case hf noise can still come through.


Here is more info, and measurements:
I have one, you can borrow it, but I am in London.
http://archimago.blogspot.com/2022/03/measurements-topping-hs01-usb-20.html


GoldenOne said:


> Optical into the mojo 2 is likely the easiest option in most cases.


Yep, just a little cumbersome, that's all.
I do that.


----------



## GoldenOne

Kentajalli said:


> Then the Intona isolator, should not be able to filter the noise out, am I right? The high frequency noise must be travelling through the ground wires, for any isolator to have an effect, my 2 pence


Noise can come through on any of the lines. (Though issues on data lines are rare, and usually they'd cause obvious dropouts anyway. The 5v/gnd lines are the big concern)

Usually either ground or the 5v line. Just disconnecting ground will not address any issues on other lines.

The intona 7055-C provides <1uV noise on the output.

Ground loops and source noise are separate issues.


----------



## Kentajalli

GoldenOne said:


> Noise can come through on any of the lines. (Though issues on data lines are rare, and usually they'd cause obvious dropouts anyway. The 5v/gnd lines are the big concern)
> Usually either ground or the 5v line. Just disconnecting ground will not address any issues on other lines.


As you say, noise on the data lines causes dropouts or in Chord case, loud white noise. 
The +5V noise, needs to flow through the ground wire to cause any issues, so a ground isolator, such as Intona or Topping can filter it out.
AFAIK, Mojo2 only uses the +5V as a switching signal to go into USB mode (@Rob Watts can debunk that), so noise on it, is not going anywhere, but possible ground wire.
Again, AFAIK noise need to come in and go out (i.e. Flow) to cause a problem, simply existing on one wire is neither here nor there.


GoldenOne said:


> The intona 7055-C provides <1uV noise on the output.
> Ground loops and source noise are separate issues.


Let's call it ground noise then. What baffles me, is that Intona can filter it out, and all it is, is an isolator.
Perhaps someone else with engineering knowledge, can chip in also.


----------



## GoldenOne

Kentajalli said:


> As you say, noise on the data lines causes dropouts or in Chord case, loud white noise.
> The +5V noise, needs to flow through the ground wire to cause any issues, so a ground isolator, such as Intona or Topping can filter it out.
> AFAIK, Mojo2 only uses the +5V as a switching signal to go into USB mode (@Rob Watts can debunk that), so noise on it, is not going anywhere, but possible ground wire.
> Again, AFAIK noise need to come in and go out (i.e. Flow) to cause a problem, simply existing on one wire is neither here nor there.


I'm not sure what the device is doing with the 5v/gnd signals internally. All I can say is that there are some performance gains when using optical or a cleaner source.



Kentajalli said:


> Let's call it ground noise then. What baffles me, is that Intona can filter it out, and all it is, is an isolator.
> Perhaps someone else with engineering knowledge, can chip in also.


The intona fully isolates all lines both data and power, and provides an exceptionally clean 5V supply


----------



## tret

BS5711 said:


> As with the reply above I also have DCA Aeon Noire that I use sometimes with an original Mojo. Yes it will run them and they sound nice but if pushed hard the Mojo will distort trying to power the Noire. I expect the Stealth and Expanse would be the same or worse.
> 
> Run the Aeon on a Schiit Asgard 3 and it will drive them far beyond what the Mojo can manage and there is zero distortion.
> 
> Of course the Mojo is very portable if that is what you need but it is a compromise for sure.


FYI Dan Clark himself has stated that Mojo 2 is very powerful and has amazing sound (for a portable DAC/Amp) in response to my question about driving Expanse.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dan...measurements-impressions.964852/post-17177323


----------



## BS5711 (Oct 12, 2022)

tret said:


> FYI Dan Clark himself has stated that Mojo 2 is very powerful and has amazing sound (for a portable DAC/Amp) in response to my question about driving Expanse.
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dan...measurements-impressions.964852/post-17177323



For my information ?

“ …….. *for a portable* …….. “

That is what I said. Mojo does a good job but it has limitations due to the compromises needed to make it portable.

I have read where Dan Clark said a Schiit Lyr 3 was an excellent choice for his headphones …. 9 watts at 16 Ohms !

Running my Aeon on a Schiit Asgard 3 versus the Mojo and they are driven to another level, zero distortion regardless of volume.

But Asgard 3 has about 8 times the power of a Mojo, is hard to carry in your pocket and the long power cord would become inconvenient 😂


----------



## rlanger

BS5711 said:


> For my information ?
> 
> “ …….. *for a portable* …….. “
> 
> That is what I said. Mojo does a good job but it has limitations due to the compromises needed to make it portable.



What limitations does it have that would make a more powerful desktop amp a better choice for my Edition XS? Really curious.


----------



## BS5711 (Oct 14, 2022)

rlanger said:


> What limitations does it have that would make a more powerful desktop amp a better choice for my Edition XS? Really curious.



As a “Headphoneus Supremus”, whatever that is exactly, with 16 years here, and goodness knows how much previous experience, I am sure you have figured out what works for your listening preferences, situation, various headphones and IEM power requirements, portability needs etc and don’t need me suggesting what might benefit you.

I briefly outlined in what manner my Asgard 3 outperforms my Mojo with one specific headphone, I am sure you can assess for yourself what benefit you might or might not get from a more powerful amp paired with your particular headphones and considering your preferences and needs.


----------



## rlanger

BS5711 said:


> As a “Headphoneus Supremus”, whatever that is exactly, with 16 years here, and goodness knows how much previous experience, I am sure you have figured out what works for your listening preferences, situation, various headphones and IEM power requirements, portability needs etc and don’t need me suggesting what might benefit you.
> 
> I briefly outlined in what manner my Asgard 3 outperforms my Mojo with one specific headphone, I am sure you can assess for yourself what benefit you might or might not get from a more powerful amp paired with your particular headphones and considering your preferences and needs.


Supremus doesn't mean anything except a lot of posts. And I will never think I've got anything figured out, which is why I asked the question. It seems you've taken it the wrong way.


----------



## BS5711

rlanger said:


> Supremus doesn't mean anything except a lot of posts. And I will never think I've got anything figured out, which is why I asked the question. It seems you've taken it the wrong way.



I don’t think I have taken it wrong, it just seems logical that with your experience you don’t need me to explain anything.

But, since you asked ……

The Aeon Noire off Mojo was specifically the  conversation since that is what was previously asked about and what I was responding to, anything else is immaterial here.

For me, Chord Mojo, ifi Gryphon and ifi Diablo all do a decent job with Dan Clark Audio Aeon Noire but when pushed hard all three will clip/distort due to their inability to output the current that the very low 13 ohm impedance and relatively low sensitivity Aeon requires.

They all sound good and at normal listening levels they all do fine. My Asgard 3 however will drive them with no distortion even at a volume that is unlistenable for more than a moment or two.

For me I like that the Asgard 3 is a “technically” better match as it has a much more robust power supply and has more power into the low impedance load and can drive that load effortlessly.

The limitations of all of the portable devices I mentioned with the Aeon is the power output into a low impedance load due largely to design choices and power supply limitations because it comes from a battery because they need to be portable.

On a different angle however, not specific to my original comment, Diablo into a higher impedance load is another story because the current requirements are much less important and good voltage swing is needed. Balanced 4.4mm out into 300 ohm HD600 and the Diablo I think is fully the measure of the Asgard 3 and possibly outperforms it.


----------



## rlanger

BS5711 said:


> I don’t think I have taken it wrong, it just seems logical that with your experience you don’t need me to explain anything.
> 
> But, since you asked ……
> 
> ...


Thanks. That's exactly the kind of answer I was hoping for. 

Not sure what kind of experience you think I have? While I have had the opportunity to listen to a lot of different gear, I've only ever owned one desktop amp, a Woo WA6 from 2007 to 2009. I sold it to buy some custom IEMs, which I used exclusively until 2 years ago when I got back into headphones.

I've been powering my Sundara, and now XS with portable amps (XDuoo XD-05 BAL, which I sold to get the Mojo 2) due to space constraints, and they've both been more than powerful enough for these headphones. So, I really have no idea how they might be limited or how I might actually benefit from moving to a desktop amp.

From your comments, yes, I can see how they might not be powerful enough for other cans.


----------



## Morganator

Hi all, apologies if this question has been asked before but I've never been able to find a clear answer.

I currently use the Mojo 2 (and before that the OG Mojo) with a Hiby R3 Pro. I'm thinking of upgrading the Hiby, mostly because I'd like a player that runs android natively and so supports offline Tidal playback. There are a few options, but the difference mainly comes down to the audio quality of the DAP. So, here's my question - does the Mojo entirely bypass the DAC in the audio player, or does it enhance it? In other words, would a £200 player sound the same through Mojo as a £1,000 one? I suspect the Mojo enhances it, but I know Android has some weird issues with drivers so though I should find out before rather than wasting money on a player with a better built-in DAC that won't get used.

Would be grateful for any guidance! Thanks


----------



## jarnopp

Morganator said:


> Hi all, apologies if this question has been asked before but I've never been able to find a clear answer.
> 
> I currently use the Mojo 2 (and before that the OG Mojo) with a Hiby R3 Pro. I'm thinking of upgrading the Hiby, mostly because I'd like a player that runs android natively and so supports offline Tidal playback. There are a few options, but the difference mainly comes down to the audio quality of the DAP. So, here's my question - does the Mojo entirely bypass the DAC in the audio player, or does it enhance it? In other words, would a £200 player sound the same through Mojo as a £1,000 one? I suspect the Mojo enhances it, but I know Android has some weird issues with drivers so though I should find out before rather than wasting money on a player with a better built-in DAC that won't get used.
> 
> Would be grateful for any guidance! Thanks


Any DAC (digital to audio conversion) function would have to be bypassed for Mojo/2 to work, since it can only take a digital signal. The upstream device may have some digital signal processing (tone controls, parametric eq, volume, loudness, etc.) and you would need to decide if that sounds better than Mojo2 DSP. Paying more for audio quality (the analog output) would not enhance your use case, since it would be used by Mojo/2.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Oct 16, 2022)

If I want to connect my FiiO M3K with the Mojo 2, is this the cable I need?


----------



## syazwaned

It is worth it to have Mojo 2 + Xduoo Bt Adapter + Topping Nx7 over Fiio Q7?

I would love to have Mojo 2 DSP features, but it is quite a hassle to charge three items at the everytime.

Fiio Q7 one the other hands has 1.5 w battery mode and 3 w DC mode, embedded with Bluetooth, though no Bluetooth so I stuck with Fiio Q7 house sound forever.


----------



## dsrk

syazwaned said:


> It is worth it to have Mojo 2 + Xduoo Bt Adapter + Topping Nx7 over Fiio Q7?
> 
> I would love to have Mojo 2 DSP features, but it is quite a hassle to charge three items at the everytime.


Mojo 2 sound quality, DSP, form factor and NX7 clean power is hard to beat. But as you said it's a big hassle to carry three devices.

Q7 has the power to match NX7 but we need to wait and see if it can match the sound quality of Mojo 2.


syazwaned said:


> Fiio Q7 one the other hands has 1.5 w battery mode and 3 w DC mode, embedded with Bluetooth, though no Bluetooth so I stuck with Fiio Q7 house sound forever.


You can check Xduoo XD-05 Pro which is very powerful and comes with swappable DAC modules.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/xduoo-xd05pro.964620/


----------



## BS5711

Morganator said:


> Hi all, apologies if this question has been asked before but I've never been able to find a clear answer.
> 
> I currently use the Mojo 2 (and before that the OG Mojo) with a Hiby R3 Pro. I'm thinking of upgrading the Hiby, mostly because I'd like a player that runs android natively and so supports offline Tidal playback. There are a few options, but the difference mainly comes down to the audio quality of the DAP. So, here's my question - does the Mojo entirely bypass the DAC in the audio player, or does it enhance it? In other words, would a £200 player sound the same through Mojo as a £1,000 one? I suspect the Mojo enhances it, but I know Android has some weird issues with drivers so though I should find out before rather than wasting money on a player with a better built-in DAC that won't get used.
> 
> Would be grateful for any guidance! Thanks



What comes out of the DAP via USB or coaxial is bit perfect digital data not subject to an processing unless you choose to via EQ. That assumes a decent DAP that has internal hi res and designed to bypass the usual Android audio limitations as typically exist from a smart phone.

I have a Fiio M11 Plus and it does internal hi res through Tidal, Qobuz and Apple Music native apps as well as local files outputting through USB or coaxial.

With proper internal hi res yes the DAC in the DAP isn’t used it is only a streaming source but I personally think it is worth investing in a DAP with internal hi res and a decent on board DAC and amplifier. That way it can be used standalone, line out into an amplifier and USB or coaxial out into a DAC or DAC/Amp. I personally use my M11 Plus in all of those ways regularly.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Oct 16, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> If I want to connect my FiiO M3K with the Mojo 2, is this the cable I need?


Can anyone answer to me, as well, please? I think the above cable will not work. I believe that I will need an OTG Cable Micro USB Adapter and from there a USB cable to the Mojo 2. Is this correct? Is there not a single cable I could use (to connect the FiiO M3K to the Mojo 2)?

Thanks in advance!


----------



## rlanger

dsrk said:


> Mojo 2 sound quality, DSP, form factor and NX7 clean power is hard to beat. But as you said it's a big hassle to carry three devices.
> 
> Q7 has the power to match NX7 but we need to wait and see if it can match the sound quality of Mojo 2.
> 
> ...


I think you mean swappable op-amps. You can't swap the DAC in the XDuoo.


----------



## BS5711

Nick24JJ said:


> If I want to connect my FiiO M3K with the Mojo 2, is this the cable I need?



No.


----------



## BS5711 (Oct 16, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> Can anyone answer to me, as well, please? I think the above cable will not work. I believe that I will need an OTG Cable Micro USB Adapter and from there a USB cable to the Mojo 2. Is this correct? Is there not a single cable I could use (to connect the FiiO M3K to the Mojo 2)?
> 
> Thanks in advance!



I am not  familiar with the M3K but you should be able to connect it to the Mojo 2 with a Micro USB to Micro USB cable or a Micro USB to USB-C cable. There should be no reason to double up cable like you suggested.

I would think this one would work, I have a number of Cable Creations products and they are decent quality. They are so cheap get a couple because Micro USB can be a bit fussy with fit I have found.

I have the same cable in a C to Micro that I have used on a Fiio M11 Plus to Mojo original and it works fine.

https://www.amazon.com/CableCreation-Micro-Compatible-Android-Tablet/dp/B0744BW2B2?th=1&psc=1


----------



## dsrk

rlanger said:


> I think you mean swappable op-amps. You can't swap the DAC in the XDuoo.


This is XD-05 Pro upcoming DAC/AMP with swappable DAC modules.

Check this thread for more information.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/xduoo-xd05pro.964620/


----------



## syazwaned

rlanger said:


> I think you mean swappable op-amps. You can't swap the DAC in the XDuoo.


xduoo Pro can swap dac and op amp. Onlt xduoo bal can swap op amp


----------



## syazwaned

dsrk said:


> Mojo 2 sound quality, DSP, form factor and NX7 clean power is hard to beat. But as you said it's a big hassle to carry three devices.
> 
> Q7 has the power to match NX7 but we need to wait and see if it can match the sound quality of Mojo 2.
> 
> ...


thanks friend. Greatly appreciate it


----------



## Nick24JJ (Oct 16, 2022)

BS5711 said:


> I am not  familiar with the M3K but you should be able to connect it to the Mojo 2 with a Micro USB to Micro USB cable or a Micro USB to USB-C cable. There should be no reason to double up cable like you suggested.
> 
> I would think this one would work, I have a number of Cable Creations products and they are decent quality. They are so cheap get a couple because Micro USB can be a bit fussy with fit I have found.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your reply and the link! Unfortunately, I cannot find this cable on Amazon UK. I can only find this one.
I can also see this Short Micro USB to USB C Cable but this will not work since the M3K has a Micro USB2.0, and the Host side on this cable is USB-C, is this correct?

EDIT: I went on and ordered this one. Hope it will work with the supplied USB cable.


----------



## rlanger

dsrk said:


> This is XD-05 Pro upcoming DAC/AMP with swappable DAC modules.
> 
> Check this thread for more information.
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/xduoo-xd05pro.964620/


Yes, my bad. Was thinking of the Plus. Thanks for the link.


----------



## BS5711

Nick24JJ said:


> Thanks for your reply and the link! Unfortunately, I cannot find this cable on Amazon UK. I can only find this one.
> I can also see this Short Micro USB to USB C Cable but this will not work since the M3K has a Micro USB2.0, and the Host side on this cable is USB-C, is this correct?
> 
> EDIT: I went on and ordered this one. Hope it will work with the supplied USB cable.



The first Startech cable should be fine, as I imagine the adapter you ordered will be.

You are correct that in your application the host end of an OTG cable needs to be micro and for the Mojo 2 end it can obviously be micro or C.


----------



## xenoVa

(Sorry if asked before) Can I use a USB-C to USB-C cable to feed audio from my Android phone to Mojo 2 ?


----------



## AnalogEuphoria

GoldenOne said:


> Yeah the source itself is the main factor.
> Here's some tests I did for example showing it on USB, but one direct to PC, and one with a very low noise isolator.
> 
> 
> ...



Is this actually audible though?


----------



## mashuto

xenoVa said:


> (Sorry if asked before) Can I use a USB-C to USB-C cable to feed audio from my Android phone to Mojo 2 ?


Yes.


----------



## xenoVa

mashuto said:


> Yes.


Can I use any USB-C to USB-C cable ? Or the cable must have properties like "OTG"


----------



## surfgeorge

Morganator said:


> Hi all, apologies if this question has been asked before but I've never been able to find a clear answer.
> 
> I currently use the Mojo 2 (and before that the OG Mojo) with a Hiby R3 Pro. I'm thinking of upgrading the Hiby, mostly because I'd like a player that runs android natively and so supports offline Tidal playback. There are a few options, but the difference mainly comes down to the audio quality of the DAP. So, here's my question - does the Mojo entirely bypass the DAC in the audio player, or does it enhance it? In other words, would a £200 player sound the same through Mojo as a £1,000 one? I suspect the Mojo enhances it, but I know Android has some weird issues with drivers so though I should find out before rather than wasting money on a player with a better built-in DAC that won't get used.
> 
> Would be grateful for any guidance! Thanks


I have been using the R3 with the original Mojo for years, and love the stack for the simplicity and for offline listening.

With Mojo 2 I took the plunge to get the Poly and while there is a learning curve with it and is a little finicky I believe it‘s overall a much better solution, because:
* best sound quality
* can use fast phone user interface
* future proof (upgrade phone, keep Mojo2Poly)
* Roon endpoint
* mechanically cleaner and more robust, no 2 devices with cable in between

Poly is pricey, but if you anyway are willing to buy a midrange DAP it's a wash.


----------



## headmanPL

xenoVa said:


> (Sorry if asked before) Can I use a USB-C to USB-C cable to feed audio from my Android phone to Mojo 2 ?


You can. I'd advise that you still need a dedicated music player that outputs bitperfect, otherwise you'll be sending audio that's been processed by the phones DAC, and it won't sound anywhere near as good as bitperfect will.


----------



## xenoVa

headmanPL said:


> You can. I'd advise that you still need a dedicated music player that outputs bitperfect, otherwise you'll be sending audio that's been processed by the phones DAC, and it won't sound anywhere near as good as bitperfect will.


I'll use USB Audio Player Pro to output bit perfect.

When searching for cables I'm very confused. People say OTG cables are necessary for bit perfect output. But when it comes to USB-C to USB-C cables, I don't see any OTG ones. So OTG only applies to Micro Usb cables ?


----------



## mashuto

xenoVa said:


> I'll use USB Audio Player Pro to output bit perfect.
> 
> When searching for cables I'm very confused. People say OTG cables are necessary for bit perfect output. But when it comes to USB-C to USB-C cables, I don't see any OTG ones. So OTG only applies to Micro Usb cables ?


Honestly I'm not sure it matters. I think if I remember correctly otg was specifically to connect full size USB A to micro or usb c. So you should be fine for any USB c to USB c cable and not have to worry about it being labeled as otg. The only ones I might avoid are those labeled as charging cables only as they may not include the connections for the data pins.


----------



## xenoVa

Does this work from Android to Mojo 2 ? *Fiio LT-TC1 *USB-C to USB-C cable 
https://www.fiio.com/productinfo/354074.html
It seems like everyone is using iPhone, no one cares for Android


----------



## Nick24JJ (Oct 17, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> Thanks for your reply and the link! Unfortunately, I cannot find this cable on Amazon UK. I can only find this one.
> I can also see this Short Micro USB to USB C Cable but this will not work since the M3K has a Micro USB2.0, and the Host side on this cable is USB-C, is this correct?
> 
> EDIT: I went on and ordered this one. Hope it will work with the supplied USB cable.


Hello again, just sharing my experience so that others will avoid my mistake. So, I've received the aforementioned adapter and it does not work, it is not the correct one. It does not even fit in the port on my FiiO M3K. So, I've prepared to return it and I've now ordered that cable I mention above. It will take a couple of days to arrive + Royal Mail will be on strike, but I sincerely hope it will work. Pity that I've asked here but no one has advised me properly.


----------



## BS5711

xenoVa said:


> Does this work from Android to Mojo 2 ? *Fiio LT-TC1 *USB-C to USB-C cable
> https://www.fiio.com/productinfo/354074.html
> It seems like everyone is using iPhone, no one cares for Android



I can’t see any reason why that cable would not work.

I use these ones from ddhifi, they work well and come in length and straight or right angle end options.

I have used one of these with a C to Micro adapter for Fiio M11 Plus to an original Mojo and it works perfectly.

https://www.ddhifi.com/productinfo/401430.html


----------



## BS5711 (Oct 17, 2022)

Nick24JJ said:


> Hello again, just sharing my experience so that others will avoid my mistake. So, I've received the aforementioned adapter and it does not work, it is not the correct one. It does not even fit in the port on my FiiO M3K. So, I've prepared to return it and I've now ordered that cable I mention above. It will take a couple of days to arrive + Royal Mail will be on strike, but I sincerely hope it will work. Pity that I've asked here but no one has advised me



Pity you asked here ?

You bought that adapter with no recommendation from anybody here. I suggested it SHOULD work after you had already ordered it, one would need a crystal ball to know its MICRO plug would not plug into your players MICRO port.

I believe the cable you have now ordered SHOULD work but as I stated I have no experience with your player.

Fiio products with Micro fittings can be problematic so you are on you own, you need to try for yourself.

I had a Fiio Q5S that had micro and it needed its own special cable and nothing else would work. I had to import one from China, that cable worked perfectly with the Q5S but would not work with anything else at all. Pity as the Q5S died inside 6 weeks as did the replacement one !

If the cable you ordered doesn’t work I would update the player to a modern one with USB-C, there might be more going on and you might struggle to find a cable that works.

Good luck.


----------



## BS5711

xenoVa said:


> Does this work from Android to Mojo 2 ? *Fiio LT-TC1 *USB-C to USB-C cable
> https://www.fiio.com/productinfo/354074.html
> It seems like everyone is using iPhone, no one cares for Android



I just tried USB-C to an original Mojo (Micro of course) with a variety of very basic general use USB-C to C cables with a C to Micro adapter and even an A to C cable with adapters at both ends and everything worked fine.


----------



## Nick24JJ

BS5711 said:


> Pity you asked here ?
> 
> You bought that adapter with no recommendation from anybody here. I suggested it SHOULD work after you had already ordered it, one would need a crystal ball to know its MICRO plug would not plug into your players MICRO port.
> 
> ...



Hey, it's OK, don't take it personally  I haven't mentioned you or quoted you, I have not referred to you, personally. All I said was, pity I was not advised against that adapter whilst I had linked to it. I do not know much about connector types. No big deal, I'm returning it, getting a full refund, and waiting for the other cable. Furthermore, I've observed closely M3K's connector, and it seems to me identical with supplied Mojo 2 cable. So, the new one will work. Finally, I'm not planning to use the M3K, all I ever use it for is to burn-in IEMs/headphones. The only reason I'm looking to connect it to the Mojo 2 is to see how this works.

Best of luck to you, too


----------



## BS5711

Nick24JJ said:


> Hey, it's OK, don't take it personally  I haven't mentioned you or quoted you, I have not referred to you, personally. All I said was, pity I was not advised against that adapter whilst I had linked to it. I do not know much about connector types. No big deal, I'm returning it, getting a full refund, and waiting for the other cable. Furthermore, I've observed closely M3K's connector, and it seems to me identical with supplied Mojo 2 cable. So, the new one will work. Finally, I'm not planning to use the M3K, all I ever use it for is to burn-in IEMs/headphones. The only reason I'm looking to connect it to the Mojo 2 is to see how this works.
> 
> Best of luck to you, too



Fair enough, no you didn’t refer to me directly but I was the only one that replied to you so I read your comment to mean it was a pity the comments I made came up short.

All good, things get lost in only a written response.

I hope it does work, as I said, while my sample size is small I have had some strange compatibility issues with micro equipped Fiio gear.

Good luck.


----------



## Soundizer

Does anyone have opinion on a long USBC to USBA cable with Mojo 2 on sound quality. 

My source device is Nvidia Shield TV PRO which is 3.5 meters from me. 

It has USB-A ports for Audio output with DACs.

So i am considering a 5 meter USBC - USBA cable from Mojo2 to Nvidia Shield, but concerned on sound quality due to length. I can spend upto £40 on cable.


----------



## dsrk

Soundizer said:


> Does anyone have opinion on a long USBC to USBA cable with Mojo 2 on sound quality.
> 
> My source device is Nvidia Shield TV PRO which is 3.5 meters from me.
> 
> ...


5 meters is very long and data rate drops but it's sufficient for audio data IMO.

If you are concerned, you may get active USB cable.


----------



## BlackSport350

Are there any Hugo2 experts here? I have a Hugo2/ToGo setup that I'm loving as a transportable amp but want to play with it as a DAC for some other rigs I have. 

Has anyone compared using the 3.5MM headphone output (with the volume set at unity gain) vs the RCA outputs? I ask because I have some very high end cables I can repurpose if I use the 3.5MM out. So if there is no degradation over the RCA fixed outs, that would be my preference. 

Another plus with that setup would be being able to use the remote for fine gain adjustment and mute with the connected amps. 

Thanks!


----------



## surfgeorge (Oct 18, 2022)

BlackSport350 said:


> Are there any Hugo2 experts here? I have a Hugo2/ToGo setup that I'm loving as a transportable amp but want to play with it as a DAC for some other rigs I have.
> 
> Has anyone compared using the 3.5MM headphone output (with the volume set at unity gain) vs the RCA outputs? I ask because I have some very high end cables I can repurpose if I use the 3.5MM out. So if there is no degradation over the RCA fixed outs, that would be my preference.
> 
> ...


Currawong and some Hugo2 owners have stated that the RCA outputs sound better, with the theory being that the Jack outputs have some cross-talk.

I have not tested it, so this is simply repeating statements, not my personal experience

PS: you can directly ask questions about the Hugo 2 in the dedicated thread here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/


----------



## BlackSport350

surfgeorge said:


> Currawong and some Hugo2 owners have stated that the RCA outputs sound better, with the theory being that the Jack outputs have some cross-talk.
> 
> I have not tested it, so this is simply repeating statements, not my personal experience
> 
> ...


Thanks and thanks for the link. I searched for a dedicated Hugo 2 thread and only got hits for the Mojo thread for some reason.


----------



## BS5711

BlackSport350 said:


> Are there any Hugo2 experts here? I have a Hugo2/ToGo setup that I'm loving as a transportable amp but want to play with it as a DAC for some other rigs I have.
> 
> Has anyone compared using the 3.5MM headphone output (with the volume set at unity gain) vs the RCA outputs? I ask because I have some very high end cables I can repurpose if I use the 3.5MM out. So if there is no degradation over the RCA fixed outs, that would be my preference.
> 
> ...



I am not a Hugo 2 owner and don’t know anything about them but by chance I stumbled upon this video a couple of days ago and stumbled upon your post today.

After around 3 minutes Amos discusses the headphone out versus the RCA outs but in the reverse application to your situation. The upshot being that with good cables omitting adapters and such the headphone out and RCA out are identical.

So, logically your intention of repurposing a really good 3.5mm cable to make an interconnect seems like it would be precisely the same net result as using the RCA with equally good cables.


----------



## xenoVa (Oct 18, 2022)

So people say that the only way of delivering bit perfect audio from Android to Mojo is USB Audio Player Pro
UAPP supports Tidal or Qobuz, but there is no way to download and store music. It must download a song from Tidal/Qobuz servers on each listen.
It would consume insane amounts of data which makes streaming practically useless.
Is there a robust solution for using streaming services from Android to Mojo ?


----------



## paulrbarnard

I’ve just started having issues with my Mojo2. I’ve been using it for several months without issue but it has just started loosing sync during songs resulting in white noise. It is at the same volume as the track so not the bad white noise issue. The only cure seems to be to unplug the cable and plug it back in. I’ve left it sitting on a desk and it still does it so I don’t think it is movement of the connectors. I will order another cable to be sure but it is a very distinct change in operation. It’s happening approximately every 15 to 20 minutes so very annoying. 
I’m using Roon but think it is related to the iPhone and Mojo rather than the transport. I’ll try it with another app to check though. 

Anyone else experiencing similar problems?  It’s only started in the last week or so.


----------



## 565437 (Oct 20, 2022)

Forgive me as some content I'm posting may not relate to Mojo₂, but I noticed a Hugo₂ question so I wanted to share my thoughts since I have real-world experience with this issue (only a handful have experience), not just theory.  It may be of interest too to some as the Mojo₂ is a gateway drug to the Hugo₂.  I moved on from the Hugo₂ thread since my project is complete and I want to stay discipline staying away from that thread so I hope you understand.  I like to focus on future projects, not past projects.  I'll try to keep the posts related to Hugo₂ short and concise.



I did want to be a Mojo₂ lemming, but it doesn't have a ADC and RCA output.  Dealbreakers.  For absolute SQ, RCA is the only way to go if you have premium cables.  I'm not talking about the glorified AliExpress OEM (PWAudio, Effect, Brise, Norne, Double Helix, etc.) cables everyone uses but the cables only available from true craftsmen in the trade that control their own supply chain not glorified cable assemblers.

Post-pandemic for travel / commute, I'm more concerned with isolation than SQ.  Especially since I'm more into convergence (videos, audiobooks, lossy) than critical listening while on the road.  The travel / commute environment is just not conducive for critical listening, too many distractions.

I'm a bit of a Germaphobe too so I need to consider what I need to disinfect and to keep the smartphone far away from my voice.  As some of you know, smartphones are full of germs (as much as a toilet seat) so I need a external microphone.  I cannot wear ear tips so that rules out Airpods w/ mic.

So my current project is to build a sound dampening headphone that's extremly comfortable with ear gels and cotton padding.  The head strap is comfortable as well.  And now it has a external microphone so I can receieve / make phone - video calls.






I use the methods of Car Audio to sound dampen the headphone while wearing over CIEMs, so I can have better isolation for listening and phone / video calls.  I H8 Universal IEMs and Headphones on the comfort side so only CIEMs will do.

If a future Mojo can handle this task of a microphone input (ADC), I'll be in Mobile Joy.  Since Rob Watts is working on the Davina (ADC), may be slight slight chance an ADC will be incorporated into a Mojo one day.


----------



## BlackSport350

BS5711 said:


> I am not a Hugo 2 owner and don’t know anything about them but by chance I stumbled upon this video a couple of days ago and stumbled upon your post today.
> 
> After around 3 minutes Amos discusses the headphone out versus the RCA outs but in the reverse application to your situation. The upshot being that with good cables omitting adapters and such the headphone out and RCA out are identical.
> 
> So, logically your intention of repurposing a really good 3.5mm cable to make an interconnect seems like it would be precisely the same net result as using the RCA with equally good cables.



Thank you very much!


----------



## 565437 (Oct 20, 2022)

BlackSport350 said:


> Are there any Hugo2 experts here? I have a Hugo2/ToGo setup that I'm loving as a transportable amp but want to play with it as a DAC for some other rigs I have.
> 
> Has anyone compared using the 3.5MM headphone output (with the volume set at unity gain) vs the RCA outputs? I ask because I have some very high end cables I can repurpose if I use the 3.5MM out. So if there is no degradation over the RCA fixed outs, that would be my preference.
> 
> ...



I guess this is situational depending on if you are referring to connecting to a Traditional Amplifier or listening straight out of the Chord DAC.

For myself, I will never use an traditional amplifier with a Chord DAC.  I want to listen directly out of the DAC or stage output I believe it's called.  -- ( Resolution and Transparency ) by adding an amp.  ++ ( Coloration and Distortion ) by adding an amp.  So until Rob Watts releases his own amp design, nothing is worthy to fill this gap amp-wise.  Even the current Chord Amp is propaganda.  Until it's an official Rob Watts design, best to do due diligence.

So the best way to listen directly out of the DAC is via the RCA OUT.  It's about WBT and contact points along with potential crosstalk issues.  For my 2-channel CIEM cable, I've completely separated L + R so crosstalk is theoretically eliminated as wires and contact points have complete separation.  Rob Watts mentions theoretically about larger surface area contact points available on RCAs versus small plugs during the time of this discussion.  Plus the quality of RCAs is decades ahead of any small plugs.




Notice L + R completely separate.  Hopefully no contamination possible with solid separation.



My cable is priced around 3 dimes so I was willing to be a Guinea Pig as a few have tried this early on.  I'm the most recent RCA OUT transplant.  But when you seriously think about it, it makes sense.  It's a risk, but I was pretty confident.

Small plugs like 3.5mm and 6.3mm it's extremely difficult to find premium quality.  You have Okay quality like Furutech, Ediolic, etc but nothing worth for a premium cable.
Besides the basic quality of small plugs, small plugs are a pain to solder since the contact points are so close together.  This brings up possible loosening over time as the contact points may slightly or completely come apart over time.  And when contact points are so close together, the potential of crosstalk is there.  Not only on the soldering points, but when the wires are twisted together.
If you are running premium speakers, would you trust 3.5mm to L + R speakers or separate RCA to each individual speaker?  The imaging and separation is just beautiful with complete L + R RCA separation.
WBT, enough said.  You can actually twist lock the RCA in place on the Hugo₂.  You cannot get a better connector brand than WBT and it's the most compatiable and Chord-approved product.
If you ever listened to A-pillars in Car Audio, it's sort of like that experience with premium cables w/ WBT via RCA OUT.  It's a completely different experience than small plugs.



To be fair, I'm running a source and stack similar to the dCS Lina so YMMV.  Hence the Baby Lina gamertag.  I recently found out via a headfonics reviews that the dCS Lina clocks are on par with mine, so I have to give dCS credit for catching up to my stack on the clock section.  They are still behind the low latency realtime, playback software and off-grid power sections.  The dCS Lina stack will never catch up with mine and I'll add some gap separation with the next Hugo release.

My FPGA high performance clock source that runs in the MHz range like the dCS Lina is the biggest game changer.  The RCA is second.  So YMMV depending on your chain.

For dCS owners, 9/10 seems they would not buy a dCS DAC without a clock.  The 1/10 buy a clock within 12 months.  I would not waste my Chord Arc without high performance clocks.  Not chessy 44.1kHz and 48kHz base generic external clocks everyone else is using, but real external high performance clocks.



> I just ordered the Rossini Clock today for my Rossini DAC.  I'll report back once it's in hand.
> 
> I asked the dealer what percent of Rossini owners bought the clock.  He said that 90% of Rossini owners buy the DAC and clock together, the rest buy the DAC first and then the clock within the next 12 months.



https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dcs-bartok.901647/page-66#post-16501888

dCS has proven high performance clocks + FPGA DAC (similar to Chord) perform well together as a whole.

If you are weighing 3.5mm versus RCA to an traditional amplifier, no idea.

I would just apply a similar thought process to that issue.  If I have premium cables, would I trust with basic quality small plugs or in the long term does WBT RCA make better sense.  Is a complete L + R separation into the amplifier a cleaner method?  If your cables are under $1,500 you can get away with small plugs temporarily but if your cables are on the uber expensive side it might be better to invest in WBT which can lock to the Hugo₂ for optimal performance?


----------



## BS5711

Baby Lina said:


> I guess this is situational depending on if you are referring to connecting to a Traditional Amplifier or listening straight out of the Chord DAC.
> 
> For myself, I will never use an traditional amplifier with a Chord DAC.  I want to listen directly out of the DAC or stage output I believe it's called.  -- ( Resolution and Transparency ) by adding an amp.  ++ ( Coloration and Distortion ) by adding an amp.  So until Rob Watts releases his own amp design, nothing is worthy to fill this gap amp-wise.  Even the current Chord Amp is propaganda.  Until it's an official Rob Watts design, best to do due diligence.
> 
> ...



Just a well intended suggestion if I may.

Perhaps ask if anyone here is interested in Hugo 2 and uber expensive designer cables before making a bunch highly detailed posts in a forum that has zero to do with the content if said posts.

No issue for me, just a thought, over to you completely.


----------



## 565437 (Oct 20, 2022)

If you run your Mojo₂ off a PC w/ PCI-E availability, I recommend looking into a Startech PCI-E USB-C card.

This will not only improve performance by introducing low latency hardware into the chain, but it will reduce noise floor as it will have it's own bus and power directly to the CPU.

Make sure you are using the same ASMedia USB 3142 chipset as the JCAT PCI-E card:

https://www.asmedia.com.tw/product/55AYQ83xg4uy6Uj0/0C8YQ4asx4yt2JR4/3142

Confirmed:


> Support high bandwidth performance with low latency



On Provantage, you can grab it for under $50.  Everywhere else is around $70.

https://www.provantage.com/startech-pexusb311ac3~7STR9584.htm

https://www.startech.com/en-us/where-to-buy/PEXUSB311AC3

If you need more USB-C ports, make sure it's running the ASM3142:

https://www.startech.com/en-us/search?search_term=3142

JCAT uses the same chipset

https://jcat.eu/featured/usb-card-xe/


> Next generation low latency & low noise ASM3142 USB 3.1 host controller



If your graphics card takes up two PCI-E slots and space is low, you can can a PCI-E extender:






https://www.amazon.com/ADT-Link-90Degree-Extension-R11SL-TL-Extender/dp/B07TBLB3L1/ref=sr_1_6?crid=AB57E30FS2XE&keywords=pci-e+extension+cable&qid=1666148599&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI0Ljc2IiwicXNhIjoiNC4zMCIsInFzcCI6IjQuMDMifQ==&sprefix=pci-e+,aps,164&sr=8-6&th=1

For optimal performance, use a USB optical cable.  It's great for stability and Zoom.

I combine it with low latency realtime operating system running Steam, so I game completely in low latency heaven and run the operating system and Steam Games completely in RAM.  Since Chord DACs have a bit of lag this compensates by not adding unnecessary fluff.



Would you run your Graphics Card off a Motherboard's USB port?  Why suffocate your DAC?  Give it proper bandwidth, stability and isolation with direct a direct bus to the CPU via PCI-E.  Give it the same respect as a Graphics Card.  You lower the noise floor too even without external power since you avoid the clutter of normal internal data workings.


----------



## 565437

BS5711 said:


> Just a well intended suggestion if I may.
> 
> Perhaps ask if anyone here is interested in Hugo 2 and uber expensive designer cables before making a bunch highly detailed posts in a forum that has zero to do with the content if said posts.
> 
> No issue for me, just a thought, over to you completely.



I completely understand.  I'm out.  I'll post some photos to support my post when the system allows, but no new posts going forward.

The sample size that can respond to the new user's question is about three worldwide, so I thought I quickly weigh in but with the understanding I'm intruding.

Just hoping for a little leeway since it's a new user and his research brought him to this thread.  It's not uncommon for Chord users to cross-reference Chord threads.

GL Mojo₂ users.


----------



## BS5711

Baby Lina said:


> I completely understand.  I'm out.  I'll post some photos to support my post when the system allows, but no new posts going forward.
> 
> The sample size that can respond to the new user's question is about three worldwide, so I thought I quickly weigh in but with the understanding I'm intruding.
> 
> ...



My comments were only meant as a suggestion because I know how some users can get if they think the thread about their favourite toy is being “derailed” !

Don’t let my comment dissuade you if you think it appropriate, absolutely no skin off my nose.

Alternatively if all you want to do is help the one poster may private message him ??

Anyway, I probably should have said nothing, over to you.


----------



## 565437 (Oct 19, 2022)

BS5711 said:


> My comments were only meant as a suggestion because I know how some users can get if they think the thread about their favourite toy is being “derailed” !
> 
> Don’t let my comment dissuade you if you think it appropriate, absolutely no skin off my nose.
> 
> ...



No worries, I already had my say plus NBA Basketball season starts tonight.

I'm retired from this hobby so I wasn't planning on staying anyways.

I only respond if I see dCS Lina Clock impressions that are similar to my Clock impressions with Chord DACs since the innards and architecture are very similar.

I would of never guessed this decade that someone would post about RCA OUT, so I replied out of the utmost respect for their brilliant thought process.  Since the new user is running premium cables, I just wanted to give them confidence that it's likely the right thing to do.  It was for me when I was it a similar situation.  It's a big decision with big stakes.

We are all at different stages and have different Arcs in this hobby so I've been in these situations.  I know when I'm intruding, but sometimes for new users they don't know where to go like tourists.

High Performance MHz Clocks (Optical Isolation) and RCA OUT are the only interest I have left in this hobby, so if I see a post I try to weigh in.  These two subjects made the biggest difference during my Chord Arc.  That's why I 100% relate to dCS Lina impressions because I already been there with Clocks.  I'm trying to get into Ethernet to Optical, but may prove too challenging.  An owner of a big Audiophile shop recently used clocks similar to mine in his Network Distribution rig and his impressions was "Wow".  When do you see an experienced Audiophile whom experienced it all say "Wow".  Almost never.  He along with dCS understands the value of high performance clocks in the chain so it will be interesting if he plans to implement in his popular products.  Planning to OUT anyways, need to check sport(s) scores.  Only weighing in on RCA OUT subject.  I've been through a Mojo₁ Arc already, not prepared for another.  I'll likely have heart issues if I had to go another round Chord threading.  That's why I try to stay discipline and avoid Hugo₂ thread, but since I'm buiding my portable project I was checking if there was some way to fit in a Mojo₂ then noticed RCA OUT.

So clocking Ethernet to Optical with High Performance Clocks will be a future project if a new Chord DAC is released.


----------



## BS5711 (Oct 19, 2022)

Sure.

Back to Mojo 2 …..


----------



## 565437 (Oct 20, 2022)

I've updated post:

*https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ing-on-page-95-of-thread.885405/post-17199575

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ing-on-page-95-of-thread.885405/post-17199655

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ing-on-page-95-of-thread.885405/post-17199711*

What I was attempting to do was make a last ditch effort to implement a Mojo₂ into my portable, but there's no way to add a microphone input without a ADC or daisy chaining a few dongles.



Pro-Tip for PCI-E post:

Would you run your Graphics Card off a Motherboard's USB port?  Why suffocate your DAC?  Give it proper bandwidth, stability and isolation with a direct bus to the CPU via PCI-E.  Give it the same respect as a Graphics Card.  You lower the noise floor too even without external power since you avoid the clutter of normal internal data / power workings.  Decent Value at under $50.

Officially Out.


----------



## Vyyy

Hi, 
Has anybody tried Mojo2 with HMS 16x trough dual data coax mode?


----------



## xenoVa

xenoVa said:


> So people say that the only way of delivering bit perfect audio from Android to Mojo is USB Audio Player Pro
> UAPP supports Tidal or Qobuz, but there is no way to download and store music. It must download a song from Tidal/Qobuz servers on each listen.
> It would consume insane amounts of data which makes streaming practically useless.
> Is there a robust solution for using streaming services from Android to Mojo ?



I'll appreciate any replies.

BTW, I think Chord's offical documentation is really lacking. They have a FAQ page but it is very short. Their user guide is also very short and undetailed
https://chordelectronics.co.uk/faqs-category/dacs
Chord should publish a detailed guide and FAQ to explain all use cases of Mojo with Android, iOS, streaming services and Poly. That way,  we can find our questions in offical documentation instead of asking in forums.


----------



## Nick24JJ

xenoVa said:


> I'll appreciate any replies.
> 
> BTW, I think Chord's offical documentation is really lacking. They have a FAQ page but it is very short. Their user guide is also very short and undetailed
> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/faqs-category/dacs
> Chord should publish a detailed guide and FAQ to explain all use cases of Mojo with Android, iOS, streaming services and Poly. That way,  we can find our questions in offical documentation instead of asking in forums.


I fully agree.


----------



## BS5711

xenoVa said:


> I'll appreciate any replies.
> 
> BTW, I think Chord's offical documentation is really lacking. They have a FAQ page but it is very short. Their user guide is also very short and undetailed
> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/faqs-category/dacs
> Chord should publish a detailed guide and FAQ to explain all use cases of Mojo with Android, iOS, streaming services and Poly. That way,  we can find our questions in offical documentation instead of asking in forums.



I suspect you have not had replies because there is no good answer.

Unfortunately the robust solution you seek is to use a source that allows bit perfect output to the Mojo through a native streaming app that also allows downloads. That is probably most easily achieved with an Android DAP that has built in hi res audio or an iPhone.

Pretty well everything has compromises in portable audio and the Android audio situation is just one of the compromises. The options are to accept the limitations or use a different source without that limitation.


----------



## Nick24JJ

xenoVa said:


> So people say that the only way of delivering bit perfect audio from Android to Mojo is USB Audio Player Pro
> UAPP supports Tidal or Qobuz, but there is no way to download and store music. It must download a song from Tidal/Qobuz servers on each listen.
> It would consume insane amounts of data which makes streaming practically useless.
> Is there a robust solution for using streaming services from Android to Mojo ?


Hi, I do not have enough experience to answer your question but maybe you could have a look at this.


----------



## syazwaned

My local store have a 11.11 discount for Chord Mojo 2. 

MYR 2105 or 444 usd new.

Should I go for it?


----------



## dsrk

syazwaned said:


> My local store have a 11.11 discount for Chord Mojo 2.
> 
> MYR 2105 or 444 usd new.
> 
> Should I go for it?


Yeahbsolutely!!! That's the best price you can get for Mojo 2 new.


----------



## BlackD (Oct 23, 2022)

Yes , it is good price. At Estonia it new cost 599 euro same as ifi xdsd gryphon.


----------



## Headphiguy

Vyyy said:


> Hi,
> Has anybody tried Mojo2 with HMS 16x trough dual data coax mode?


I am interested in this too. I know most people consider it crazy not to use one of Chord’s more expensive DACs with the HMS but presumably Chord itself must think it worthwhile giving a spin and could be an unorthodox upgrade path for some. I have looked to see if the necessary cable exists but could not find any.


----------



## BS5711

Headphiguy said:


> I am interested in this too. I know most people consider it crazy not to use one of Chord’s more expensive DACs with the HMS but presumably Chord itself must think it worthwhile giving a spin and could be an unorthodox upgrade path for some. I have looked to see if the necessary cable exists but could not find any.



Not sure if this is what you need ?

https://www.moon-audio.com/black-mini-coax-hugo-2-hugo-m-scaler.html


----------



## Vyyy

Headphiguy said:


> I am interested in this too. I know most people consider it crazy not to use one of Chord’s more expensive DACs with the HMS but presumably Chord itself must think it worthwhile giving a spin and could be an unorthodox upgrade path for some. I have looked to see if the necessary cable exists but could not find any.


Cable do exist as posted design by moonaudio. But i also have made my own dual coax when used hms with hugo2


----------



## syazwaned

dsrk said:


> Yeahbsolutely!!! That's the best price you can get for Mojo 2 new.





BlackD said:


> Yes , it is good price. At Estonia it new cost 599 euro same as ifi xdsd gryphon.




Thanks! Already ordered!


----------



## Headphiguy

BS5711 said:


> Not sure if this is what you need ?
> 
> https://www.moon-audio.com/black-mini-coax-hugo-2-hugo-m-scaler.html


Many thanks. Anyone got experience of the M2/HMS combo?


----------



## miketlse

Headphiguy said:


> Many thanks. Anyone got experience of the M2/HMS combo?


I don't remember reading that the Mojo2 can support the double data rate feed to the MScaler.
I may be wrong, but the Mojo2 might be only able to match the Hugo TT, with single data feed at 384K.

Best to check this, before you spend thousands of pounds.


----------



## Atriya

utdeep said:


> I compared the Cayin N6ii with R01 to the Cayin RU6 and it didn't matter that they were both R2R from the same company.  The R01 was just many tiers above.  I did think the Chord Mojo was a small tier below the R01 so I am curious about the Mojo 2.  Looking forward to seeing how the Mojo 2 compares to the R01.



Did you find this comparison?


----------



## Nostoi

utdeep said:


> I compared the Cayin N6ii with R01 to the Cayin RU6 and it didn't matter that they were both R2R from the same company.  The R01 was just many tiers above.  I did think the Chord Mojo was a small tier below the R01 so I am curious about the Mojo 2.  Looking forward to seeing how the Mojo 2 compares to the R01.


Have the Mojo 2, had the others you mention. I sold the R01 as soon as I received the Mojo 2 (and I loved R01). The Mojo 2 actually shares a very similar tonality with R01 - neutral but musical. But Mojo 2 has much better dynamics together with better technical performance. Mojo OG is - IMO - a notable step down from R01 and Mojo 2.


----------



## Nostoi

Atriya said:


> Did you find this comparison?


Didn't realise that was an old post; see my remark above.


----------



## Headphiguy

miketlse said:


> I don't remember reading that the Mojo2 can support the double data rate feed to the MScaler.
> I may be wrong, but the Mojo2 might be only able to match the Hugo TT, with single data feed at 384K.
> 
> Best to check this, before you spend thousands of pounds.


Page 7 of the M2 manual states ‘3.5 mm coaxial (single coax: tip: signal, sleeve: ground. Dual data coax [for use with Hugo M-Scaler]: tip: signal 1, ring: signal 2 sleeve: ground)’.
So it looks promising.


----------



## stephze

Any way to fix this or just have to learn to live with it? Picked up a used Mojo 2 earlier this month and didn’t even notice this until today, and retrospect see it in the original pic. 😔


----------



## Omshanti

Hi guys, any idea about how a Zen V2 320 Ohm bud pairs with CM 2?


----------



## BS5711

WHITE NOISE.

I have Mojo not Mojo 2. I normally use coaxial in from a Fiio M11 Plus so as to not have an issue with white noise. I had never experienced the white noise problem but for the cost of a nice little Moon Audio cable I thought I could avoid the risk so it seemed like a no brainer.

Anyway, I recently got a iPad mini 6 and have been using that with the Mojo a bit. The other day I was doing some A-B testing with iPad into the Mojo with a very firm fitting ddhifi C to Micro cable and was swapping out headphones plugs while very firmly holding the Mojo down on the desk. I am 99% confident that between the snug fit of the cable, me holding the Mojo and the fact the cable was still very well seated afterwards the USB cable was not disturbed. 

Well I got the white noise, luckily I was using DCA Aeon so it wasn’t actually very loud.

Just throwing that out there for consideration.

To me I am 99% certain the only thing that was happening to the Mojo was headphone swapping and it seems that somehow triggered the white noise.

Unless it was purely coincidental and it just started on its own out of the blue, the same track was playing the whole time, there was no change in music source so that doesn’t seem likely but perhaps it could be what happened.


----------



## meomap

BS5711 said:


> WHITE NOISE.
> 
> I have Mojo not Mojo 2. I normally use coaxial in from a Fiio M11 Plus so as to not have an issue with white noise. I had never experienced the white noise problem but for the cost of a nice little Moon Audio cable I thought I could avoid the risk so it seemed like a no brainer.
> 
> ...


Chord design FLAW.....


----------



## surfgeorge

BS5711 said:


> WHITE NOISE.
> 
> I have Mojo not Mojo 2. I normally use coaxial in from a Fiio M11 Plus so as to not have an issue with white noise. I had never experienced the white noise problem but for the cost of a nice little Moon Audio cable I thought I could avoid the risk so it seemed like a no brainer.
> 
> ...


I have both the Mojo original and Mojo 2.
Experienced the white noise with both occasionally, and for sure also without mechanically disturbing the cable. If I remember correctly it happened most frequently with the Lightning cables. 

I have gone through a number of them, always bought at least 2, and one of the first ones was the worst, others lastet for a year or more. Get a new cable.


----------



## cfranchi

BS5711 said:


> WHITE NOISE.
> 
> I have Mojo not Mojo 2. I normally use coaxial in from a Fiio M11 Plus so as to not have an issue with white noise. I had never experienced the white noise problem but for the cost of a nice little Moon Audio cable I thought I could avoid the risk so it seemed like a no brainer.
> 
> ...



Same on my side, I get white noise from time to time.


----------



## BS5711

surfgeorge said:


> I have both the Mojo original and Mojo 2.
> Experienced the white noise with both occasionally, and for sure also without mechanically disturbing the cable. If I remember correctly it happened most frequently with the Lightning cables.
> 
> I have gone through a number of them, always bought at least 2, and one of the first ones was the worst, others lastet for a year or more. Get a new cable.



The cable that it happened with is literally a couple of weeks old, is in perfect condition and has worked flawlessly before and since.


----------



## BS5711

cfranchi said:


> Same on my side, I get white noise from time to time.



Anything specific seem to start it or just random ?

I might stick to running Mojo off my DAP via coaxial, sounds like  USB problem.


----------



## BS5711

meomap said:


> Chord design FLAW.....



Not just Chord then.

I have had white noise problems with two other DACs, both Schiit products with their Unison USB.

Perhaps the white noise is caused by some kind of USB incompatibility problem that can literally happen out of the blue and people think it is directly caused by cables, something they are doing with the unit or something to do with the music source when in fact it is possibly just a general incompatibility problem that can actually be triggered by any number of causes.


----------



## dsrk (Oct 30, 2022)

BS5711 said:


> Anything specific seem to start it or just random ?
> 
> I might stick to running Mojo off my DAP via coaxial, sounds like  USB problem.


The white noise is caused when the sample rate is switched by DAC. It cannot be prevented by changing the cables.

Yes, it only happens with USB. If you use coaxial or optical, you are safe.

The issue is very random and it's been discussed a lot on this thread.


----------



## gylyf

dsrk said:


> The white noise is caused when the sample rate is switched by DAC. It cannot be prevented by changing the cables.
> 
> Yes, it only happens with USB. If you use coaxial or optical, you are safe.
> 
> The issue is very random and it's been discussed a lot on this thread.


I thought it was a USB problem as well, but I had it happen last night with the coax input. I was feeding my Mojo 2 through the coax out of my DX320 and got a blast of white noise when I tried switching from playing a PCM file to a DSD file. I quickly hit pause and restarted the app on the DX320. Hit play and again got a blast of white noise. Luckily, I had the volume turned down on my Lyr. I noticed the globe on the Mojo 2 would turn yellow as I tried to play the DSD file, then go off again as the white noise started, as if the DAC was having trouble locking onto the new file format.


----------



## dsrk

gylyf said:


> I thought it was a USB problem as well, but I had it happen last night with the coax input. I was feeding my Mojo 2 through the coax out of my DX320 and got a blast of white noise when I tried switching from playing a PCM file to a DSD file. I quickly hit pause and restarted the app on the DX320. Hit play and again got a blast of white noise. Luckily, I had the volume turned down on my Lyr. I noticed the globe on the Mojo 2 would turn yellow as I tried to play the DSD file, then go off again as the white noise started, as if the DAC was having trouble locking onto the new file format.


Then that's really bad I thought coaxial was safe. I have been using optical input and never once occurred the white noise issue.


----------



## paulrbarnard

Mine has got a lot worse since updating my iPhone from X to 14. Only once had a problem on the X and that was a half inserted lightning connector. It now happens frequently with high rate music but not low rate. Un plugging and replugging the cable clears it.


----------



## cfranchi

BS5711 said:


> Anything specific seem to start it or just random ?
> 
> I might stick to running Mojo off my DAP via coaxial, sounds like  USB problem.



It happened when I was manipulating my phone/mojo or when I didn’t do anything.

However it is a rare issue and I fully enjoy the sound of Mojo 2: more lighter, refined, quick and 3D sounding than Mojo OG (which I loved by the way).


----------



## iDesign

Disappointing to see that Chord still has not addressed the issue with the USB firmware used In their DACs.


----------



## BS5711 (Oct 30, 2022)

dsrk said:


> The white noise is caused when the sample rate is switched by DAC. It cannot be prevented by changing the cables.
> 
> Yes, it only happens with USB. If you use coaxial or optical, you are safe.
> 
> The issue is very random and it's been discussed a lot on this thread.



I had read about it and understood that it was said to be a sample rate switching problem in USB but when my incident happened it was literally in the middle of a song while I was A-B testing so plugging in and unplugging headphone cables so there was no switching of anything going on.

As indicated above I have also had white noise with two Schiit DACs with Unison USB. One seemed to be related to a cable that was a problematic fit. The other situation was a Fiio DAP into a Modi and it would happen every time I used that combination after a minute or two use. I tried numerous cable and none made any difference and the Modi was absolutely fine if used with an iPad streaming from the same source as the DAP.

I have to question if the white noise with Mojo is actually understood fully and perhaps that is why it is a problem that has transferred over to the Mojo 2.

From my experience with Mojo and two Schiit DACs it might be that it _*CAN*_ be caused by sample rate switching but I don’t believe that it is _*ONLY*_ caused by that.


----------



## BS5711 (Oct 30, 2022)

iDesign said:


> Disappointing to see that Chord still has not addressed the issue with the USB firmware used In their DACs.



I have a feeling the problem isn’t perhaps as simple as that.

Maybe it _*CAN*_ be caused by sample rate switching but based on my experience I don’t believe it is _*ONLY*_ caused by that.

If Chord understood the problem with Mojo surely it would have been fixed in the intervening 5-6 years that they were working on the Mojo 2.


----------



## iDesign

It’s as simple as adding a mute function when the USB synchronization fails. Remember, Chord DACs all share the same USB firmware and it isn’t simply a Mojo 2 issue— though, it seems to be far more prevalent in that device.


----------



## BS5711 (Oct 30, 2022)

iDesign said:


> It’s as simple as adding a mute function when the USB synchronization fails. Remember, Chord DACs all share the same USB firmware and it isn’t simply a Mojo 2 issue— though, it seems to be far more prevalent in that device.



Post *5693* above talks of it happening through *coaxial* and in my Mojo white noise episode there was nothing happening that was any sort of interruption or change in the USB data transfer that is said to cause the problem, I was swapping headphones back and forth mid song.

If you have it figured out then obviously so do Chord and if it was “….. as simple as adding a mute function …..” while they may not offer a firmware fix for Mojo why would they not have implemented a mute function in Mojo 2 somewhere in the 5 or so year development period ?

Based on my experience with white noise on three different DACs, and the variations in comments in this thread about different people’s experience with what seemed to cause it with Mojo 2, I contend that it is not just a USB glitch with a simple mute function fix, that just doesn’t make any sense to me.


----------



## miketlse

iDesign said:


> It’s as simple as adding a mute function when the USB synchronization fails. Remember, Chord DACs all share the same USB firmware and it isn’t simply a Mojo 2 issue— though, it seems to be far more prevalent in that device.


I think many Chord owners have no problem with your identification of the cause of the symptoms being a failure in USB synchronisation.
Unfortunately a failure in USB synchronisation, can have many root causes and a quick read of this thread (and other Chord threads) gives a good 'feel' for the normal culprits as root causes.

In many respects this is the old computer acronym GIGO at work.

Where you and I differ, is that your preferred solution is for Chord to mute the output, so in effect the GI still continues, but the GO is muted.

In contrast my preferred solution is to prevent the GI in the first place, and then the GO does not happen.
I sense that this is Chords preference, partly because they are so quiet/tight-lipped and provide little feedback about firmware updates to solve the issue. 
Anyone who reads @Rob Watts thread/posts will already know that firmware updates will normally be non-existant.

The downside is that preventing GI is more complex to put in place:

I think owners by default find it easier to understand single-causes to single-issues
For failure in USB synchronisation, which can have multiple alternative causes, inevitably confuses many of the above owners
My work experience from managing user support in aerospace, is that we (ideally Chord, but it feels like it will fall on the shoulders of enthusiastic head-fiers) need to provide some form of user guidance/awareness/user help on this issue (like the early years of the Mojo thread) - maybe this just needs to be a simple forum thread, containing a table containing the potential causes of failure in USB synchronisation, plus how to mitigate them. Inevitably this table can never be 100% finished, because human ingenuity will always be able to discover new ways to trip up the Mojo2.
Just my view, and it does depend on multiple owners being interested enough to contribute some of their time to populate info etc.


----------



## BS5711

miketlse said:


> I think many Chord owners have no problem with your identification of the cause of the symptoms being a failure in USB synchronisation.
> Unfortunately a failure in USB synchronisation, can have many root causes and a quick read of this thread (and other Chord threads) gives a good 'feel' for the normal culprits as root causes.
> 
> In many respects this is the old computer acronym GIGO at work.
> ...



A poster above indicated that he got while noise using a coaxial input.

I have no knowledge of the technical aspects of this but here goes .............

Does the coaxial input completely bypass the USB ? If it does and the problem is with USB how can the problem happen through coaxial ?

Does perhaps a failure in USB synchronization cause a problem further down the line and that is the actual problem that causes the white noise ? That is the failure in USB synchronization is also a trigger but that failure can in turn be triggered by other factors ??

Perhaps some other issue with coaxial can cause the same problem deeper in the system not at the data transfer stage ?

Sorry if I am not making proper sense, I know what I am trying to convey but I am not sure it is conveyed clearly to those with a technical understanding of the matter.


----------



## miketlse

BS5711 said:


> A poster above indicated that he got while noise using a coaxial input.
> 
> I have no knowledge of the technical aspects of this but here goes .............
> 
> ...


I sense what you are trying to say (but there is always the chance that I am misinterpreting things).
In simple terms Rob has posted that for many of his Dacs, the 'input buffer chips/software' are reused (to my engineering brain, once you have a stable input buffer capability, don't try and reinvent the wheel for each new product).   

These input buffers handle USB, coaxial, and optical, and then forward the data to the FPGA.
I focussed on USB because that felt to me like the predominant source in the earlier posts.

So it is true that some issues in coax can potentially cause downstream problems in the FPGA.

I think it would be equally valid to include coaxial issues in the table of issues/mitigation.

One of the key lessons that a manager told me in France was 'do not forget the end goal' - here the end goal is to provide the correct inputs to the FPGA, so we need to include usb and coaxial, plus in theory optical, but there seem to be zero complaints from optical users.


----------



## BS5711 (Oct 30, 2022)

miketlse said:


> I sense what you are trying to say (but there is always the chance that I am misinterpreting things).
> In simple terms Rob has posted that for many of his Dacs, the 'input buffer chips/software' are reused (to my engineering brain, once you have a stable input buffer capability, don't try and reinvent the wheel for each new product).
> 
> These input buffers handle USB, coaxial, and optical, and then forward the data to the FPGA.
> ...



You understood what I was trying to convey and it sounds like I was thinking along the right lines. That is the issue isn’t entirely USB related but more the next stage along the data path so that a variety of different scenarios through different inputs could conceivably trigger the issue.

I guess that is why a fix wasn’t implemented in Mojo 2 if a proper fix isn’t a simple muting.

Is it technically possible that repeated unplugging and plugging back in of headphones every 10 - 15 seconds or so with the same song being streamed via an iPad mini 6 (USB-C) could trigger the problem ? That is what happened in my case, I am 99% certain there were no other changes, no bumped USB cable, no change in music file, literally in the middle of the same song, white noise after half a dozen or some unplug and plug back in cycles of the headphones I was A-B testing.


----------



## iDesign (Oct 31, 2022)

miketlse said:


> I think many Chord owners have no problem with your identification of the cause of the symptoms being a failure in USB synchronisation.
> Unfortunately a failure in USB synchronisation, can have many root causes and a quick read of this thread (and other Chord threads) gives a good 'feel' for the normal culprits as root causes.
> 
> In many respects this is the old computer acronym GIGO at work.
> ...


Muting the audio signal is also a useful hearing safety feature anytime a cable is accidentally disconnected or the synchronization fails. There is no good reason for it not to exist irrespective of the white noise problem. It seems unlikely that Chord will ever address the issue and it’s one of the many reasons I have long wished they would support firmware updates. Hopefully it will be fixed in the Ultima DAC and Choral M Scaler...


----------



## dsrk

BS5711 said:


> You understood what I was trying to convey and it sounds like I was thinking along the right lines. That is the issue isn’t entirely USB related but more the next stage along the data path so that a variety of different scenarios through different inputs could conceivably trigger the issue.
> 
> I guess that is why a fix wasn’t implemented in Mojo 2 if a proper fix isn’t a simple muting.
> 
> Is it technically possible that repeated unplugging and plugging back in of headphones every 10 - 15 seconds or so with the same song being streamed via an iPad mini 6 (USB-C) could trigger the problem ? That is what happened in my case, I am 99% certain there were no other changes, no bumped USB cable, no change in music file, literally in the middle of the same song, white noise after half a dozen or some unplug and plug back in cycles of the headphones I was A-B testing.


When I was ABing with M11 Pro I did unplug/replug very fast but I didn't experience any white noise. I was using optical input though.

The white noise issue seems to be much more complicated and dreadful than I thought. Is it beyond Chord's ability to fix the issue? I don't know.

I can't imagine how dreadful and dangerous the issue could be for people who use sensitive IEMs.


----------



## cybergalaxy

dsrk said:


> I agree, it's all about taste and preferences. Your best sounding headphone can be worst sounding for me.
> 
> @RPJ12
> HD6XX headphones warmer and forward vocal sounding but it's hard to find a better alternative if you into mids and vocals. HD6XX pairs excellent with Mojo 2 with a little bit of EQ, it's best pairing for me.


What is your EQ setting for HD6xx if happy to share?


----------



## dsrk

cybergalaxy said:


> What is your EQ setting for HD6xx if happy to share?


Sure, my EQ for HD6XX is simple:
20hz: 2db (red)
20khz: 3db (orange)

If you feel the vocals are a little forward add this also:
3khz: -1db (light red) or -2db (red)


----------



## cybergalaxy

dsrk said:


> Sure, my EQ for HD6XX is simple:
> 20hz: 2db (red)
> 20khz: 3db (orange)
> 
> ...


Thank you!


----------



## cybergalaxy

Where do you get th


msz38 said:


>


This is very helpful! Where do you get this info from please?


----------



## MaiLam (Nov 1, 2022)

This is a silly question, but having a hard time finding a clear answer. I’m charging a Mojo 2, and can’t tell when fully charged or not. The micro usb charging light is blue, and the ‘quality of charge‘ orb is pale blue. The manual says the battery is fully charged when showing a blue led light, but is that not the same as the ‘75-100% charged’ blue light?


----------



## rwelles

When it's charged to 100%, the power orb will turn purple.


----------



## MaiLam

rwelles said:


> When it's charged to 100%, the power orb will turn purple.



Even when turned off and not in use otherwise, just in ‘charging’ mode? Thanks!


----------



## Gus141 (Nov 1, 2022)

miketlse said:


> …potential causes of failure in USB synchronisation, plus how to mitigate them… Inevitably this table can never be 100% finished…, and it does depend on multiple owners being interested enough to contribute some of their time to populate info etc.


The more examples we have the better. So here is my experience with the white noise issue:

I never experienced white noise in almost 3 months of ownership until today; I use the Mojo2 almost exclusively with a 2021 iPad Pro 12.9” via USB; the USB cord is very tight fitting and I don’t move the DAC around much when I’m listening. I had never used the ”Lock Control“ setting before [magenta menu button color] and wanted to try it out. After enabling it (+ & - buttons together) and proving to myself the controls were truly locked, I turned it off (pressed Menu button to be taken immediately to the lock-down control, then + & - at the same time) and immediately got the white noise. Unplugging the USB from the iPad and replugging in corrected the issue.

Now maybe the act of pressing the + & - simultaneously stressed the USB connection. But I have tried to re-enable and then disable lock control multiples times and have not recreated the white noise.

Only 1 white noise incident in 3 months of daily use. I can live with that. Especially since the volume is only at the volume set — it does not max out the volume, like another DAC did when switching a setting (DAC to go unnamed since they fixed it with a Firmware update [I really wish Chord would embrace the concept of firmware updates and not just for their 3rd-party developed stuff like the Poly]).


----------



## Derivative

MaiLam said:


> Even when turned off and not in use otherwise, just in ‘charging’ mode? Thanks!


correct - if it's off but the power is plugged in and charging, the power ball will eventually turn purple indicating M2 is now in desktop mode, i.e. the battery is fully charged.


----------



## MaiLam

Derivative said:


> correct - if it's off but the power is plugged in and charging, the power ball will eventually turn purple indicating M2 is now in desktop mode, i.e. the battery is fully charged.



Great, thank you. Looks like a faulty unit then, despite being on charge for 8 hours at the max charge mode (white orb) the desktop mode doesn’t seem to trigger. Appreciate the troubleshooting help.


----------



## ChrisGB

MaiLam said:


> Great, thank you. Looks like a faulty unit then, despite being on charge for 8 hours at the max charge mode (white orb) the desktop mode doesn’t seem to trigger. Appreciate the troubleshooting help.


I thought desktop mode didn't trigger until 24 hours connected to power?


----------



## MaiLam

ChrisGB said:


> I thought desktop mode didn't trigger until 24 hours connected to power?


Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of its use to tell when the device is charged though?


----------



## Derivative

ChrisGB said:


> I thought desktop mode didn't trigger until 24 hours connected to power?


Hmm don't think that's the case. Admittedly I rarely let my unit's battery fully discharge, but even from low battery it only takes a few hours (not certain how long as never measured it) to get to desktop mode. definitely not 24 hours.


----------



## Scorpio1957

I think you will find the 24 hours is to do with the Hugo 2 not the Mojo 2, however I currently don’t have the Mojo 2 only the original, hopefully someone can clarify this who has a Mojo 2.


----------



## Gus141

Reference these slides from Rob’s thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-16792307
Watts Up thread








For me, when I charge up the Mojo2, I plug it into an old 2016 iPad Pro power block (capable of 26watts) and initially get a blue charging indication on the menu button (per slide, “Blue indicates fast charge and will charge to 100%”). The Battery LED on the back shows less than blue. When the battery charge level gets in the blue, for me (with this charger and cord combo, since that matters) the menu button color (charge current) changes to white (per slide, “White indicates max charge rate…”). About 2 hours later the menu button changes to magenta (per slide, “Finished charging, desktop”).

At that point I unplug the charger since I’m not using Desktop mode.

Hope that helps.


----------



## Daniel Johnston (Nov 1, 2022)

Gus141 said:


> Reference these slides from Rob’s thread:
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-16792307
> Watts Up thread
> 
> ...


That’s some impressive information the Mojo 2 gives through a light show. I thought having to memorize the filter button was bad enough. 

Maybe the mods could sticky this presentation to the first post.


----------



## ChrisGB

Scorpio1957 said:


> I think you will find the 24 hours is to do with the Hugo 2 not the Mojo 2, however I currently don’t have the Mojo 2 only the original, hopefully someone can clarify this who has a Mojo 2.


Ah yes, I only had the Mojo 2 for a week. Sent it back and replaced with Hugo 2.


----------



## rwelles

MaiLam said:


> Great, thank you. Looks like a faulty unit then, despite being on charge for 8 hours at the max charge mode (white orb) the desktop mode doesn’t seem to trigger. Appreciate the troubleshooting help.


If I were in your position, I'd let it sit for 24 hours. If it's still not purple, I'd try a 2nd charger (> 2amps) for 24 hours. If it still doesn't turn purple, I'd contact Chord support for suggestions. 

...but that's just me.


----------



## Daniel Johnston (Nov 1, 2022)

ChrisGB said:


> Ah yes, I only had the Mojo 2 for a week. Sent it back and replaced with Hugo 2.


I did the exact opposite.  

Hugo 2 never did it for me. I really wanted to love it. No dice. Mojo 2 much more portable and the DSP is fun to experiment with.

I had the Hugo 2 for several years though.


----------



## jarnopp

Listening to a Roon playlist this morning on Poly/Mojo2/DCA Noire and a song I know very well, The Cure’s A Letter to Elise queued up. A lot of apparent detail was being presented that I didn’t recall and I went to check the signal path to see if it was a remix, MQA, high res Qobuz or what. Surprised to see it was an AIFF rip from my local library, both from the detail and because I thought Roon usually picked a streaming version for its playlists. Happy for both!


----------



## dsrk

Daniel Johnston said:


> I did the exact opposite.
> 
> Hugo 2 never did it for me. I really wanted to love it. No dice. Mojo 2 much more portable and the DSP is fun to experiment with.
> 
> I had the Hugo 2 for several years though.


UHD DSP gives so much flexibility to use different headphones. It's lossless and no negative gain. 

I will upgrade only if Hugo 3 comes with more EQ bands.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

dsrk said:


> UHD DSP gives so much flexibility to use different headphones. It's lossless and no negative gain.
> 
> I will upgrade only if Hugo 3 comes with more EQ bands.


It was more the portability factor. 

The detail retrieval of the Mojo 2 for me was very close to the Hugo 2 without the fatigue. Also, the Mojo 2 drives the DCA Stealth better than the Hugo 2. The DSP is cool and I'm impressed on how cleanly it works. I've never been an EQ guy. 

I agree with you. I'm sure the Hugo 3 will have the current doubling technology and UHD DSP included.


----------



## ChrisGB

Interesting how different tastes and setups give different outcomes. I was using the Mojo 2 with Quad ERA-1 and felt it lost resolution, texture and nuance compared to the Shanling M6 that I was looking to upgrade. The Mojo 2 leant more muscle to the ERA-1, but at the expense of texture and nuance in the bass and subtle detail in the upper mids and lower treble.

The Hugo 2 took the game on a long way beyond the M6 in all the areas that the Mojo 2 lost ground. Certainly with the ERA-1, the Hugo 2 sounds, to me at least, significantly more detailed. I've never found the Hugo 2 to be fatiguing through the Quads, or feeding my main system. However, I can see why many may not bond with Hugo 2, such is it's difference in presentation to most other equipment. It's presentation of detail can be distracting with music you know well.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

ChrisGB said:


> Interesting how different tastes and setups give different outcomes. I was using the Mojo 2 with Quad ERA-1 and felt it lost resolution, texture and nuance compared to the Shanling M6 that I was looking to upgrade. The Mojo 2 leant more muscle to the ERA-1, but at the expense of texture and nuance in the bass and subtle detail in the upper mids and lower treble.
> 
> The Hugo 2 took the game on a long way beyond the M6 in all the areas that the Mojo 2 lost ground. Certainly with the ERA-1, the Hugo 2 sounds, to me at least, significantly more detailed. I've never found the Hugo 2 to be fatiguing through the Quads, or feeding my main system. However, I can see why many may not bond with Hugo 2, such is it's difference in presentation to most other equipment. It's presentation of detail can be distracting with music you know well.


The Empyrean and Liric no issues. 
Stellias were a bit much. 
The Shure kse1200 were incredibly detailed and resolving, but too much with H2. I really wanted to love the combination. 

The Stealth was an amazing pairing, but I was near maxed out on H2. And I don’t listen loud.


----------



## ChrisGB

Daniel Johnston said:


> The Empyrean and Liric no issues.
> Stellias were a bit much.
> The Shure kse1200 were incredibly detailed and resolving, but too much with H2. I really wanted to love the combination.
> 
> The Stealth was an amazing pairing, but I was near maxed out on H2. And I don’t listen loud.


My limited experience of Shure equipment is that it is very detailed and tends toward being mid forward, I can see why Hugo 2 with the level of detail of Shure doing electrostatic could be a bit too much! Hugo 3 with Mojo 2 style EQ could be something very special paired with KSE1200.


----------



## MaiLam

Am I right in thinking there shouldn’t be any white noise issues via optical? After having a good run, I’ve had a few blasts of it via USB-C  and it’s made me a bit on edge when listening, so thinking I’ll just try to avoid by using a different connection.


----------



## Hamuraii

no e-noise on optical.

Just get a Poly


----------



## rlanger

MaiLam said:


> Am I right in thinking there shouldn’t be any white noise issues via optical? After having a good run, I’ve had a few blasts of it via USB-C  and it’s made me a bit on edge when listening, so thinking I’ll just try to avoid by using a different connection.


I had regular blasts on USB, but since I picked up a WiiM Mini streamer, which I connect via s/pdif to the Mojo 2, I haven't experienced any white noise in more than 2 months. 

Bonus... it's much cheaper than the Poly. But of course, you can't really use it on the go.


----------



## MaiLam

rlanger said:


> I had regular blasts on USB, but since I picked up a WiiM Mini streamer, which I connect via s/pdif to the Mojo 2, I haven't experienced any white noise in more than 2 months.
> 
> Bonus... it's much cheaper than the Poly. But of course, you can't really use it on the go.


Thanks! And yeah, I’ve only been using the Mojo 2 at my desktop so the £500 outlay on the Poly seems a bit pointless. I’ll have to use one of these to get optical from the main sources I’ll be using, hoping that it doesn’t do much in the way of affecting audio.


----------



## dsrk

MaiLam said:


> Am I right in thinking there shouldn’t be any white noise issues via optical? After having a good run, I’ve had a few blasts of it via USB-C  and it’s made me a bit on edge when listening, so thinking I’ll just try to avoid by using a different connection.


I have been using optical on my PC and my DAP from day one and never heard white noise issue.


----------



## Raffik1

surfgeorge said:


> To my ears Mojo 2 has a quite different signature compared to the original Mojo.
> Mojo OG is more mid focused with forward but sweet and detailed mids, silky highs and a warm bass. To me the OG excells at vocals and emotion, but gives up a bit of definition, and bass and treble appear almost a bit rolled off or recessed.
> 
> Mojo 2 is much more linear in its response with more presence, definition and extension in bass and treble.
> ...


I also just bought the Mojo 2 (battery died on OG, and I like the fact the 2 enables always powered mode). I must admit I liked the sound signature of the OG better on my set-up, which Mac Mini to Mojo to Monolith Gold balanced amplifier by Cavall to HiFiman HE1000, and was wondering if there was an ”OG” preset signature setting on the 2, but based on this thread assuming not?


----------



## surfgeorge

Raffik1 said:


> I also just bought the Mojo 2 (battery died on OG, and I like the fact the 2 enables always powered mode). I must admit I liked the sound signature of the OG better on my set-up, which Mac Mini to Mojo to Monolith Gold balanced amplifier by Cavall to HiFiman HE1000, and was wondering if there was an ”OG” preset signature setting on the 2, but based on this thread assuming not?


That's interesting!
I found the Mojo original to have a quite unique, rich and mid forward signature compared to the M2, and there are situations where this is an advantage.
But give yourself a little time - the M2 has more of everything, detail, texture, speed, stage, and after getting used to it it's hard for me to go back to the original.


----------



## iDesign

Raffik1 said:


> I also just bought the Mojo 2 (battery died on OG, and I like the fact the 2 enables always powered mode). I must admit I liked the sound signature of the OG better on my set-up, which Mac Mini to Mojo to Monolith Gold balanced amplifier by Cavall to HiFiman HE1000, and was wondering if there was an ”OG” preset signature setting on the 2, but based on this thread assuming not?


https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-16856985


----------



## Raffik1

iDesign said:


> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-16856985


Thank you for the reference - will play around with EQ and let it develop over time


----------



## cybergalaxy

I have just got my Mojo 2 and I am loving it. It is a noticeable improvement from my IFI hip dac, but at the same time, the sound is a bit less authoritative compared to desktop set (SMSL SU-8 + THX 789) when driving my HD6xx.  But to be clear, it is still very enjoyable!

Have a few questions, please point to me if these have been discussed before please.
1) Does mojo sound better from internal battery vs external power?  
2) I have heard people saying Mojo sounds better when is is connected to Chord Poly so I suppose USB noise is a real detrimental factor. Does anyone know which of the following source introduce the least USB noise? Computer, Phone, Ipad (without WIFI) [This goes in my supposed list of noise in descending order]  
3) Related to 2), does anyone have any recommendation for USB noise filter / usb galvanic isolator for Mojo 2?

Many thanks!


----------



## Daniel Johnston

ChrisGB said:


> My limited experience of Shure equipment is that it is very detailed and tends toward being mid forward, I can see why Hugo 2 with the level of detail of Shure doing electrostatic could be a bit too much! Hugo 3 with Mojo 2 style EQ could be something very special paired with KSE1200.



So I pulled the Shures out of the drawer again. Did a little EQ on Mojo 2. Decreased the 3kHz and 20kHz a bit and it does make them more forgiving. However, it's only after listening to them for a while with the new settings where I might be able to finally like them. 

I did a bit of EQ with some Koss portapros as well. Bumped up the treble and decreased mid bass. They sounded amazingly good.


----------



## Somafunk

cybergalaxy said:


> I have heard people saying Mojo sounds better when is is connected to Chord Poly so I suppose USB noise is a real detrimental factor.



People say all sorts of things, does not make it true

USB noise is not an issue, measurements have shown this. Just enjoy it, don’t get sucked into believing otherwise


----------



## Daniel Johnston

cybergalaxy said:


> I have just got my Mojo 2 and I am loving it. It is a noticeable improvement from my IFI hip dac, but at the same time, the sound is a bit less authoritative compared to desktop set (SMSL SU-8 + THX 789) when driving my HD6xx.  But to be clear, it is still very enjoyable!
> 
> Have a few questions, please point to me if these have been discussed before please.
> 1) Does mojo sound better from internal battery vs external power?
> ...



The poly does give a clean USB signal. But it is overkill if you are just looking for a better sound. I used the mojo/poly for a portable Roon endpoint streaming in my house. When I used it for that purpose, it was perfect. However, without the Roon capabilities, you are left with a DAP of sorts. A DAP without a built in digital front end that requires third party software to fully utilize the poly capabilities. In the end it was just easier to buy a DAP. 

Optical and Coax also give a clean signal. There's quite the debate on USB, Coax, and Optical sound differences on the Hugo 2 thread. It's worth a search and read the opinions. Rob Watts has weighed in several times on his preferences. All your questions about galvanic isolators, cables, etc... will have answers on that thread.


----------



## GoSUV

cybergalaxy said:


> I have just got my Mojo 2 and I am loving it. It is a noticeable improvement from my IFI hip dac, but at the same time, the sound is a bit less authoritative compared to desktop set (SMSL SU-8 + THX 789) when driving my HD6xx.  But to be clear, it is still very enjoyable!
> 
> Have a few questions, please point to me if these have been discussed before please.
> 1) Does mojo sound better from internal battery vs external power?
> ...


In my opinion, Mojo2+Poly does improve upon just connecting USB to another device like a smartphone or a computer. 

If I have to put a reference on how much improvement you might expect to get, I’d say if you play music from the mSD card inside Poly is a 10/10, then AirPlay over Wi-Fi to the Poly is a 9/10, while optical is about 8/10 or 8.5/10, and USB cable to smartphones or computer is 7.5/10 or 8/10 depending on how good the USB cable is. 

USB cable does make a difference because it is not just 1’s and 0’s, as RFI and EMI do play a role and this noise will get modulated into the analog audio path, making it sound brighter and harsher. Expensive cables are not necessarily better, it is how well it rejects RFI/EMI and whether the cable meets the USB standard in terms of impedance. I found that adding a ferrite choke to a plain cable really does make a noticeable difference and this costs me $2 extra. Also, cables that come with portable hard drives should have ferrite chokes on them already and are generally built thicker so it is worth a try if you have them lying around. But it might be difficult to find micro B terminated ones these days.


----------



## Pulcino

I agree with GoSUV, Poly sounds significant better than iPad USB. I tried optical from Auralic Aries and this sounds very close to Poly SD card. AirPlay unfortunately doesn’t sound great, HD files sound worse than CD from SD. Quobuz direct via MConnect App is better. That’s of course my ears and my equipment. Hope it helps. I love my Poly and PolyMojo replaced my Aries and Calyx DAC in my main system but most of the time I use the combo for my Fiio FD7, I simply love this set up with some EQ: -2 for 3kHz, +2 for 20Hz and 20kHz.


----------



## OCC7N

I am looking for a good portable DAC. Is there anything that can compete with Mojo 2 at lower price range?


----------



## Zephead

OCC7N said:


> I am looking for a good portable DAC. Is there anything that can compete with Mojo 2 at lower price range?


Yes, a second hand Chord Mojo 1. Just got one. While it might not be quite as good as the mk2 it's still a damn good piece of kit.


----------



## cybergalaxy

GoSUV said:


> In my opinion, Mojo2+Poly does improve upon just connecting USB to another device like a smartphone or a computer.
> 
> If I have to put a reference on how much improvement you might expect to get, I’d say if you play music from the mSD card inside Poly is a 10/10, then AirPlay over Wi-Fi to the Poly is a 9/10, while optical is about 8/10 or 8.5/10, and USB cable to smartphones or computer is 7.5/10 or 8/10 depending on how good the USB cable is.
> 
> USB cable does make a difference because it is not just 1’s and 0’s, as RFI and EMI do play a role and this noise will get modulated into the analog audio path, making it sound brighter and harsher. Expensive cables are not necessarily better, it is how well it rejects RFI/EMI and whether the cable meets the USB standard in terms of impedance. I found that adding a ferrite choke to a plain cable really does make a noticeable difference and this costs me $2 extra. Also, cables that come with portable hard drives should have ferrite chokes on them already and are generally built thicker so it is worth a try if you have them lying around. But it might be difficult to find micro B terminated ones these days.


Very good idea! I love this idea! Just try to find some ferrite choke!


----------



## paulrbarnard

paulrbarnard said:


> Mine has got a lot worse since updating my iPhone from X to 14. Only once had a problem on the X and that was a half inserted lightning connector. It now happens frequently with high rate music but not low rate. Un plugging and replugging the cable clears it.


An update on my noise problem.  It continued to occur frequently, seemingly at random but typically every 4 or 5 tracks.  It only failed with high rate tracks.  I tried different sources (VOX, QoBuz, Roon) and it consistently failed.  As mentioned I did not have the problem on my older iPhone X.  I decided to eliminate the cable as a problem and switch back to the Apple Camera Adaptor with a short USB-A to USB-C cable.  I have listened for two entire evenings now without a single incidence of noise.  My previous cable, a ddHiFi lightning to USB-C, had worked flawlessly for months.


----------



## jarnopp

cybergalaxy said:


> I have just got my Mojo 2 and I am loving it. It is a noticeable improvement from my IFI hip dac, but at the same time, the sound is a bit less authoritative compared to desktop set (SMSL SU-8 + THX 789) when driving my HD6xx.  But to be clear, it is still very enjoyable!
> 
> Have a few questions, please point to me if these have been discussed before please.
> 1) Does mojo sound better from internal battery vs external power?
> ...


As @Daniel Johnston said, Poly both uses USB and sounds great (battery powered and very low noise). But f you want to try a noiseless connection, you can get a USB to toslink converter, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Reiyin-Converter-Toslink-Optical-External/dp/B07VSFBT82/


----------



## alekc

Zephead said:


> Yes, a second hand Chord Mojo 1. Just got one. While it might not be quite as good as the mk2 it's still a damn good piece of kit.


@Zephead I agree. Default Mojo 1 tuning adds a bit of magic IMHO to the sound signature. Default Mojo 2 tuning is lacking it, while it provides more clarity and details and overall sound control seems to be better.  



			
				OCC7N said:
			
		

> I am looking for a good portable DAC. Is there anything that can compete with Mojo 2 at lower price range?



@OCC7N i'd try ifi micro iDSD Signature if you do not care about volume imbalance in low settings and this is more of transportable dac/amp than portable IMHO and you are looking for powerful amp section and a bit relaxed sound like in case of Mojo 1. Can't tell you the price but it can be even more expensive than Mojo 2 with some dealers.

Fiio Q5s with THX amp module could be some competition maybe in terms of lower price but it can be picky with headphones and you may be looking for some time to find right pairing for great synergy. I had only experience with AK based version. Still can not beat Mojo 1/2 + AudioQuest NH or NO or HD600.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

OCC7N said:


> I am looking for a good portable DAC. Is there anything that can compete with Mojo 2 at lower price range?


My top picks for portable sources (purely considering sound quality here)

DS Chip: iFi Audio micro iDSD Signature
FPGA: Chord Mojo 2 
R2R: HiBy RS2 (pair with Topping NX7 for more power)

RS2 isn't a DAC but it's small enough and can be used as a DAC/Amp. I haven't heard it but did get to try the HiBy RS6 which sounded great and since RS2 is using the same tech minus the OS, Display... my guess is it'll sound good.


----------



## OCC7N

To bee honest Ii have had a couple of iFi dacs and have still the Diablo, I would like another profile/signature to fit in.

If I could find a R2R that has a better rep than the Cayin RU6 the size of max Mojo 2 it would be cool.

I had this on my mind today:
https://centrance.com/dacport-hd/

Im interesting in how flat it sounds, so I could give it som effects, but also listen to music production on the road.

Any chance one of you have a comparison/impression of Mojo vs the Centrance Dacport hd


----------



## BS5711 (Nov 8, 2022)

Another white noise situation since we are comparing notes.

Fiio M11 Plus streaming Tidal through UAPP to Mojo (og) via custom Moon Audio COAXIAL cable, listening most of the day and no problem as usual.

Before packing away for the day I did a quick back and forth with Mojo and iFi Go Bar. Plugged COAXIAL cable back in while UAPP presumably thought it was still connected to Go Bar and white noise.

Actually kind of odd, white noise in the left channel and the song at about 1/4 speed in the right   😂


----------



## Daniel Johnston

I’ve experienced white noise or distorted sound through most every USB dac I’ve owned. My AK240 is unusable in DAC mode with my MacBook Pro because of constant white noise. I’ve had it happen with the iBasso DX320, Hugo 2, Opus #2, but not with Mojo (1 or 2). 

The common link to the issue is connection to the computer. I don’t recall any white noise issues with USB DAC modes or chord products with iPhones, iPads, or android tablets. Recognition issues, yes, but not distorted sound. Also, I never had issue with white noise with mojo or Hugo 2 connected to poly or 2go. 

Although built into the OS, the drivers probably are 99% of the unusual behavior. I can see rapidly switching between two sources causing issues. After all, the mojo is a computer, and computers do random things. 

My $0.02


----------



## realmassy (Nov 9, 2022)

I haven't used my Mojo 2 for months, it was sitting in my drawer unused as my Burson 3XP was my daily driver. I've added some powered speakers which means I'm not using headphones as much and therefore I am downsizing my system. 
The 3XP is for sale and the Mojo 2 on my desk again, driving the Meze Empyreans and I'm surprised by how nicely it sounds. The 3XP is smoother and authoritative and simply pairs better with the HD800s, but with the Mezes the result is good enough for casual/non critical listenings. In fact, there are moments when I get distracted by the music, in a good way.


----------



## BS5711 (Nov 9, 2022)

Daniel Johnston said:


> I’ve experienced white noise or distorted sound through most every USB dac I’ve owned. My AK240 is unusable in DAC mode with my MacBook Pro because of constant white noise. I’ve had it happen with the iBasso DX320, Hugo 2, Opus #2, but not with Mojo (1 or 2).
> 
> The common link to the issue is connection to the computer. I don’t recall any white noise issues with USB DAC modes or chord products with iPhones, iPads, or android tablets. Recognition issues, yes, but not distorted sound. Also, I never had issue with white noise with mojo or Hugo 2 connected to poly or 2go.
> 
> ...



No it is certainly not a problem unique to Chord.

I had a brief white noise burst with my ifi Go Bar last night when swapping USB cables around doing a comparison with a fancy ddhifi TC09 and a generic USB cable, I was using an iPad mini 6 as the source.

I have had white noise with the ES9028 DAC module in a Schiit Asgard 3 connecting to a Fiio M11 Plus DAP, I think that was cause by a cable that wasn't inserting fully and thus making a dodgy connection. I had issues getting it to even connect and a different cable sorted that out and the white noise was no longer an issue.

I had repeatable white noise with the Fiio M11 Plus into a Schiit Modi, it would start a minute or two after playing music every time without fail, iPad into the Modi was no issue.

I certainly don't think it is a computer issue.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

BS5711 said:


> No it is certainly not a problem unique to Chord.
> 
> I had a brief white noise burst with my ifi Go Bar last night when swapping USB cables around doing a comparison with a fancy ddhifi TC09 and a generic USB cable, I was using an iPad mini 6 as the source.
> 
> ...


Computer was issue with my scenarios. 

To be clear, OS drivers include any DAP, tablet, phone, etc…

My response was to the specific issue of white noise from Mojo2. It’s not a design flaw as it is an issue with USB DACs in general. Especially portable ones frequently plugged and unplugged.


----------



## cybergalaxy

adonissk said:


> I was debating which forum to post this in, I'll give it shot in here. I've been a happy owner of the Mojo 2 for a while now and I find the EQ to be a game changer for my IEM collection. I have owned several TOTL DAPs at different times and I have not experienced a purer EQ implementation on a portable device. Would I like finer band control, sure, but at this price point I am not complaining.
> I am a heavy Tidal user as all my playlists are on there and though I would like to switch to Qobuz, it still has a lot of gaps for my collection and music preferences. Thus, I am stuck with multiple MQA-only releases. Which is fine for my setup, or so I thought. I was happily using an iOS device with Tidal, where I assume the Tidal app performs the first unfold, and then feeds Mojo 2 with an 88.2 or 96khz stream, which Mojo 2 happily decodes. It sounds great. Does is sound better than 44.1khz non-MQA Tidal titles? I don't think so.
> 
> So the other day I could not find my lightning to usb-c dongle and I thought I'd try a different source. I picked up my DX300 MAX, fired up UAPP (with the MQA plugin) and started streaming my Tidal playlists to Mojo 2 over usb-c. Yes, I could've skipped Mojo in this case and listened through the incredible MAX directly, however for the specific iems I wanted the EQ. In this setup, UAPP performs the first unfold and sends an 88.2 or 96khz stream to Mojo 2. To my utter shock and surprise, the sound out of the Mojo 2 is completely different. The soundstage is spectacularly wider, instrument separation is phenomenal, bass is tighter and harder hitting. This is not subtle. I eventually found my dongle and went back and forth between Tidal on iOS and UAPP on Android. Mojo 2 was the dac in both cases. Big difference in sound.
> What's going on here? Is UAPPs MQA unfolding vastly superior to Tidal's? Something else?


Just wanted to say I have the same observation. But I am puzzled too as I think in both cases the tidal app should be sending bit perfect info to Mojo 2. Any further insights have you since you first posted?


----------



## CaptainFantastic (Nov 15, 2022)

I just received my brand new Mojo 2, I fully charged it and started listening via optical. There is a low level, but audible and unmistakable hiss (at any volume level, even the absolute lowest) immediately upon plugging the headphone in. The hiss is there even if I remove the optical connection, so it's 100% coming from the unit. As soon as I unplug, the hiss is gone (obviously). I plug into the original Mojo, no hiss. Plug into the Mojo 2 - immediate hiss, primarily in the right channel.

This is the case with my Sennheiser IEM, my 30 ohm headphone, and at a barely audible level even with my 300 ohm Sennheiser.

Do I have a faulty unit? I tried searching for "hiss" here and could not find a similar issue reported?

Thanks for any advice.


----------



## Iznodur

I am still between mojo 2 and gryphon but the ability to listen two headphones simultaneously win me over because some times we listen together with wife


----------



## dsrk

CaptainFantastic said:


> I just received my brand new Mojo 2, I fully charged it and started listening via optical. There is a low level, but audible and unmistakable hiss (at any volume level, even the absolute lowest) immediately upon plugging the headphone in. The hiss is there even if I remove the optical connection, so it's 100% coming from the unit. As soon as I unplug, the hiss is gone (obviously). I plug into the original Mojo, no hiss. Plug into the Mojo 2 - immediate hiss, primarily in the right channel.
> 
> This is the case with my Sennheiser IEM, my 30 ohm headphone, and at a barely audible level even with my 300 ohm Sennheiser.
> 
> ...


I don't hear any hiss with any of my headphones (FD7, LCD2C, HD6XX and KHP40). Is there any device that is causing the interference? If not, try factory reset:
"Mojo 2 features a factory reset mode that restores the device to the original factory settings: DSP flat and Crossfeed off. To reset the device, press both the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ simultaneously from either the DSP menu mode, or the Crossfeed menu mode."

If the hiss is still there, you might have a faulty unit.



Iznodur said:


> I am still between mojo 2 and gryphon but the ability to listen two headphones simultaneously win me over because some times we listen together with wife


Mojo 2 sounds as good as Gryphon or I would say better and has UHD DSP which gives the flexibility to use different headphones and tune your headphones to your liking better than any other DAC/AMP out there.

Me, I would take the Mojo 2 any day.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

dsrk said:


> I don't hear any hiss with any of my headphones (FD7, LCD2C, HD6XX and KHP40). Is there any device that is causing the interference? If not, try factory reset:
> "Mojo 2 features a factory reset mode that restores the device to the original factory settings: DSP flat and Crossfeed off. To reset the device, press both the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ simultaneously from either the DSP menu mode, or the Crossfeed menu mode."
> 
> If the hiss is still there, you might have a faulty unit.



Thanks, I did try factory reset even though it was brand new and I had not done anything to any crossfeed or DSP settings. Same background noise, continuous, despite zero phones anywhere near it. It must be a faulty unit. Has anyone else encountered this? I will send it back for a replacement.


----------



## miketlse

CaptainFantastic said:


> Thanks, I did try factory reset even though it was brand new and I had not done anything to any crossfeed or DSP settings. Same background noise, continuous, despite zero phones anywhere near it. It must be a faulty unit. Has anyone else encountered this? I will send it back for a replacement.


There are a handful of iems that are just too sensitive for some chord gear, and need to be used at lower volume or in coordination with an impedence matcher.  Search the Chord threads and see if any of the links are interesting for you.


----------



## BS5711

CaptainFantastic said:


> I just received my brand new Mojo 2, I fully charged it and started listening via optical. There is a low level, but audible and unmistakable hiss (at any volume level, even the absolute lowest) immediately upon plugging the headphone in. The hiss is there even if I remove the optical connection, so it's 100% coming from the unit. As soon as I unplug, the hiss is gone (obviously). I plug into the original Mojo, no hiss. Plug into the Mojo 2 - immediate hiss, primarily in the right channel.
> 
> This is the case with my Sennheiser IEM, my 30 ohm headphone, and at a barely audible level even with my 300 ohm Sennheiser.
> 
> ...



If you can hear hiss (even barely) with 300 ohm Sennheiser headphones (presumably HD600, 650 or 6XX) something is definitely wrong somewhere.


----------



## Soundizer

Anyone here tried Chord Mojo 2 with Focal Radiance?


----------



## Nick24JJ

Anyone here using the Mojo 2 with USB Audio Player Pro on an Android phone? On my phone (Android 12), I cannot listen to YouTube or Amazon Music, if I will select UAPP, in the pop-up menu: "Choose an app for the USB device". What impresses me (negatively) is that it does not work even if I will power off the Mojo 2 completely. I need to disconnect the Mojo 2 from my phone and reconnect it again, I am using the USB-C input, to be able to listen to YouTube and Amazon music.

With my FiiO BTR7, connected with the same cable, this does not happen. I select to listen via UAPP and as long as I will exit UAPP, everything else plays fine.

What is your experience? Is there a setting, somewhere, I am missing?

Thank you


----------



## meomap

Nick24JJ said:


> Anyone here using the Mojo 2 with USB Audio Player Pro on an Android phone? On my phone (Android 12), I cannot listen to YouTube or Amazon Music, if I will select UAPP, in the pop-up menu: "Choose an app for the USB device". What impresses me (negatively) is that it does not work even if I will power off the Mojo 2 completely. I need to disconnect the Mojo 2 from my phone and reconnect it again, I am using the USB-C input, to be able to listen to YouTube and Amazon music.
> 
> With my FiiO BTR7, connected with the same cable, this does not happen. I select to listen via UAPP and as long as I will exit UAPP, everything else plays fine.
> 
> ...


I think you should click Cancel to not use UAPP as default.

Note 9, USB C, Mojo2 clicked Cancel to watch YouTube or Netflix.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Nov 19, 2022)

Yes, I know @meomap , and thank you for your answer 

What I am saying is this:

With my FiiO BTR7, I can listen via UAPP and then, after closing UAPP completely, I can listen to YouTube or Amazon Music. I can then go back to UAPP and listen again. And, so on... (I believe the same is happening with my Qudelix-5K but I have not tried it, yet)

With the Mojo 2, I cannot do this. If I will select to use UAPP or if I will open UAPP while the Mojo 2 is connected, nothing else plays, unless I will completely disconnect the USB-C cable.

Is this how it works for you, guys, as well?

PS: I have the POCO F2 PRO


----------



## Kentajalli

Nick24JJ said:


> Yes, I know @meomap , and thank you for your answer
> 
> What I am saying is this:
> 
> ...


Yes that is how it works.
UAPP takes possession of the DAC in order to feed it bit perfect signal and stop Android interfering .
this is to give it best sound quality.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Kentajalli said:


> Yes that is how it works.
> UAPP takes possession of the DAC in order to feed it bit perfect signal and stop Android interfering .
> this is to give it best sound quality.


Ah, okay, I see. Thank you for confirming. I have Bit Prefect always enabled in UAPP, I will try to disable it to see if it will work. In any case, it's no problem. This was just a test. I am never using the Mojo 2 for mobile listening. It was purchased to be used for desktop use. Thanks again


----------



## Soundizer

Wow just seen Mojo 2 is more expensive then Gryphon in USA. It’s opposite in UK. 

ANYONE complaining 4.4 balanced in Gryphon vs Mojo 2 for driving a Focal headphone?
I have seen some comparisons but none of them are using the 4.4 connection on Gryphon


----------



## Soundizer

dsrk said:


> I don't hear any hiss with any of my headphones (FD7, LCD2C, HD6XX and KHP40). Is there any device that is causing the interference? If not, try factory reset:
> "Mojo 2 features a factory reset mode that restores the device to the original factory settings: DSP flat and Crossfeed off. To reset the device, press both the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ simultaneously from either the DSP menu mode, or the Crossfeed menu mode."
> 
> If the hiss is still there, you might have a faulty unit.
> ...


Are you using 4.4 on Gryphon when comparing to Mojo 2?


----------



## Soundizer

Another Audiophile said:


> I haven’t tried the Diablo but you don’t need all this power. I compared the gryphon with the mojo 2 and have my review here on head fi. They gryphon is the benchmark for portable devices.
> https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ifi-audio-xdsd-gryphon.25530/reviews#review-28240


Did you use 4.4 balanced on Gryphon in your comparison


----------



## dsrk

Soundizer said:


> Are you using 4.4 on Gryphon when comparing to Mojo 2?


Yes, 4.4mm out to HD6XX and LCD2C. 3.5mm out is not enough to power them to decent levels.

The difference between them without any sound enhancements is subtle IMO. Where Mojo 2 takes the game ahead is when you engage UHD DSP. xBass and 3D plus just can't keep up.


----------



## Feischmaker

How do you connect Chord Mojo to external amp?
Is there anything i need to pay attention (i.e. impedance) for the pairing? 
The plan is to connect Mojo 2 to my WA22.


----------



## Kentajalli

Feischmaker said:


> How do you connect Chord Mojo to external amp?
> Is there anything i need to pay attention (i.e. impedance) for the pairing?
> The plan is to connect Mojo 2 to my WA22.


No, just connect.


----------



## Epiteto (Nov 20, 2022)

Rob Watts said:


> So the internal charger circuit is still on (but not charging), and that means the FPGA is active too (albeit in low power mode), as this provides the intelligence for the charger. Also, it will top up the battery every 11 days by applying a trickle charge cycle, to replenish the batteries internal discharge. So running it for months in desktop mode will ensure the battery is ready to go fully charged. Note also that the full charge voltage is at the long term safe voltage level, not the maximum possible.


Is it normal that with mojo 2 always powered off in magenta/desktop mode, my 20.000 mAh powerbank is completely discharged after 2 days?
Thank you


----------



## meomap

Feischmaker said:


> How do you connect Chord Mojo to external amp?
> Is there anything i need to pay attention (i.e. impedance) for the pairing?
> The plan is to connect Mojo 2 to my WA22.


I used AQ 3.5 mm to 2 RCA adapter. From there, I connected a pair of RCA to my PL into amp.


----------



## BS5711

Feischmaker said:


> How do you connect Chord Mojo to external amp?
> Is there anything i need to pay attention (i.e. impedance) for the pairing?
> The plan is to connect Mojo 2 to my WA22.


----------



## Rob Watts

Epiteto said:


> Is it normal that with mojo 2 always powered off in magenta/desktop mode, my 20.000 mAh powerbank is completely discharged after 2 days?
> Thank you


Yes that sounds about right. I calculated 48 hours if Mojo 2 is on, but you should get a bit more if it's off.


----------



## Another Audiophile

Soundizer said:


> Did you use 4.4 balanced on Gryphon in your comparison


Yes


----------



## Soundizer

dsrk said:


> I don't hear any hiss with any of my headphones (FD7, LCD2C, HD6XX and KHP40). Is there any device that is causing the interference? If not, try factory reset:
> "Mojo 2 features a factory reset mode that restores the device to the original factory settings: DSP flat and Crossfeed off. To reset the device, press both the ‘+’ and ‘-‘ simultaneously from either the DSP menu mode, or the Crossfeed menu mode."
> 
> If the hiss is still there, you might have a faulty unit.
> ...


The Mojo 2 is £50 less then Gryphon in UK. So i guess most would choose Mojo 2 if they don’t need Bluetooth? What do you think. 

Mojo 2 = £490 in UK.
Gryphon = £550 to £599 in UK.


----------



## dsrk

Soundizer said:


> The Mojo 2 is £50 less then Gryphon in UK. So i guess most would choose Mojo 2 if they don’t need Bluetooth? What do you think.
> 
> Mojo 2 = £490 in UK.
> Gryphon = £550 to £599 in UK.


Mojo 2 all the way. 
It's the same case here in India Mojo 2 a little bit cheaper than Gryphon and it's the best seller.


----------



## Kentajalli (Nov 21, 2022)

dsrk said:


> Mojo 2 all the way.
> It's the same case here in India Mojo 2 a little bit cheaper than Gryphon and it's the best seller.


I can't get my head around the logic of it!
Why would anyone need Bluetooth, a lossy wireless connection - to send lossy music to a top of the line headphone DAC/Amp, only to use a wired headphone to listen with?
Since the headphone cable can not be omitted, what convenience is there to not use a thin , tidy USB cable (they are available) to connect the phone to the Mojo or Gryphon etc. ??
One pays extra money for top headphones and top DAC/Amps, puts up with the inconvenience of a wired headphone, only to ruin the final sound by using BT! I don't see the logic of it.
There are plenty of decent BT earbuds or headphones about, that don't cost the earth - get one!
There *is* the real convenience/point of BT - total wire free, not just a half-way house.
I have never used the BT facility of my Hugo2, nor my DX7 pro! Indeed, the antenna for the Topping is still in the box! And there *is *a point to using BT on the Topping, but I rather remote control jRiver on my PC that is connected by Toslink to the DX7 pro. I am still wireless, but would get full resolution.


----------



## Iznodur

i had the mojo 1 and now i am between mojo 2 and gryphon. My headphones are the edition xs and hd660s do you think mojo is more than enaought to drive these headphones to the full potential ?


----------



## dsrk

Iznodur said:


> i had the mojo 1 and now i am between mojo 2 and gryphon. My headphones are the edition xs and hd660s do you think mojo is more than enaought to drive these headphones to the full potential ?


Mojo 2 drives HD6XX as good as Gryphon and better than any portable AMPs (XD-05 plus, balanced and xCan) I had.

It will have no problems driving 660s.


----------



## Iznodur

dsrk said:


> Mojo 2 drives HD6XX as good as Gryphon and better than any portable AMPs (XD-05 plus, balanced and xCan) I had.
> 
> It will have no problems driving 660s.


What about edition xs?


----------



## dsrk

Iznodur said:


> What about edition xs?


Don't know about XS but it drove Andana OG well without any problems.


----------



## rlanger

Iznodur said:


> What about edition xs?


IMO, it's an absolutely killer combo. Huge soundstage, fantastic detail, and above all the ability to EQ virtually on the fly. With a 3 or 4 dB sub-bass boost, your head will rattle.


----------



## Kentajalli

rlanger said:


> IMO, it's an absolutely killer combo. Huge soundstage, fantastic detail, and above all the ability to EQ virtually on the fly. With a 3 or 4 dB sub-bass boost, your head will rattle.


Also consider this.
On anything else, if you equalize up, specially the lower frequencies, you almost most definitely need to use preamp level reduction, to not cause digital overload.
That could mean, that you may not reach full power output on other DACs, even at max. volume (you would always be at preamp level).
On Mojo2, 12dB of digital overload headroom is already included!
So you can fully use the onboard tone controls, without worrying about anything.
Meaning, you can reach the max output at less than max. volume setting.


----------



## MaiLam

Didn’t enjoy the Mojo 2 with Edition XS, noticeable decrease in soundstage compared to the more budget Schiit stack, everything sounded a bit more synthetic too


----------



## Johnfg465vd

Iznodur said:


> What about edition xs?


I actually got to try the Chord Mojo 2 recently and in stock settings, I wasn't a fan of it's pairing with my Edition XS. The overall sound was a bit too analytical/cold for me, using the DSP to EQ helped a lot though. I remember when I had the OG Mojo I hated it's pairing with the HiFiMan Sundara too.

Both the Mojo 2 & Edition XS lean towards a brighter sound signature and I personally like a more relaxed sound signature being sensitive to higher frequencies so maybe thats why.

Like I said before, using DSP helps a lot but I did feel like my Edition XS was better paired and driven by my desktop setup (EF400) or iFi micro iDSD Signature.

On all of my IEMs and some headphones like Meze 99C, Sivga Robin.... Power was not an issue and I liked the sound signature of Mojo 2 with and without DSP. The DSP is really really impressive, I always had issues with EQ with other gear but Mojo 2's EQ sounds really nice.


----------



## Emmanuel Palmer

Has anyone compared the M15 to chord mojo 2 on sound quality? I am about to pull the trigger on one of this soon.


----------



## Soundizer

Mojo 2 arrived this morning. 

Connected to my Focal Radiance headphone and wacked up DSP BASE 20Hz to +7db.

Then played following YouTube Base track.

I started violently rocking my head to the Base Slam rhythm even so my headphones slipped off my head three times. 

Didn’t realise my Wife was starring at me. She also started shaking her head, but at me in disapproval.


----------



## joshnor713

Soundizer said:


> Mojo 2 arrived this morning.
> 
> Connected to my Focal Radiance headphone and wacked up DSP BASE 20Hz to +7db.
> 
> ...



🤦‍♂️


----------



## daveya

Interesting how the Edition XS and Mojo 2 has polarised opinions above, I have this combo and it's sensational for my tastes. But I do not have any expensive hifi gear and don't have any experience of highecel gear to compare against. What I don't know I can't miss I suppose. 

I've boosted sub bass a bit and use the middle cross feed setting although it's hard to hear any difference with that .

All I can compare it to is the Qudelix and various Fiios', and it blows them away.

The manual is messy but the menu is a doddle and took a few minutes to get to know it although I had to search the internet to work out how to get it into high gain, manual seems to miss that.

With a Sony Xperia , the Mojo 2 and the Edition XS , I mean it's £1800 which I suppose is entry level audiophile of indeed it qualifies.

I can heartily recommend it . I prefer a brighter more clinical profile though so it does seem to suit me.


----------



## Kentajalli

daveya said:


> Interesting how the Edition XS and Mojo 2 has polarised opinions above, I have this combo and it's sensational for my tastes. But I do not have any expensive hifi gear and don't have any experience of highecel gear to compare against. What I don't know I can't miss I suppose.
> 
> I've boosted sub bass a bit and use the middle cross feed setting although it's hard to hear any difference with that .
> 
> ...


Spend a few quids more and get the UAPP media player for Your Sony, or better still, get the Neutron media player.
Both natively discover and work with your Mojo2. for bit perfect or otherwise playback.
UAPP has better support for networks and has Qubuz plugin (if you are into that).
Otherwise , Neutron is the king (and complex). Once you learn it , nothing else will do.


----------



## daveya

Kentajalli said:


> Spend a few quids more and get the UAPP media player for Your Sony, or better still, get the Neutron media player.
> Both natively discover and work with your Mojo2. for bit perfect or otherwise playback.
> UAPP has better support for networks and has Qubuz plugin (if you are into that).
> Otherwise , Neutron is the king (and complex). Once you learn it , nothing else will do.


I tried it with a free Tidal subscription and as I couldn't hear anything better than Amazon Music I went with them a prime customer i got a discount


----------



## Kentajalli

daveya said:


> I tried it with a free Tidal subscription and as I couldn't hear anything better than Amazon Music I went with them a prime customer i got a discount


UAPP and Neutron are mediaplayers for playing local files.
If streaming music is all you need, you won't need either.


----------



## daveya

Kentajalli said:


> UAPP and Neutron are mediaplayers for playing local files.
> If streaming music is all you need, you won't need either.


I'm giving UAPP another go with Qubuz this time , kinda cool to see the higher Res colours on the Mojo


----------



## Johnfg465vd

daveya said:


> With a Sony Xperia , the Mojo 2 and the Edition XS , I mean it's £1800 which I suppose is entry level audiophile of indeed it qualifies.


Yeah, that's not entry level.

Anyone compared or have both the Mojo 2 and HiBy RS2? I'll ask this in the RS2 thread too.

Right now, to my ears the Mojo 2 sounds better than Gryphon, BTR7 and RU6. It's been a while since I sold my micro iDSD Signature as it was getting cumbersome to carry around but I think Mojo 2 is slightly better than the Signature too, especially when using the DSP to tune the sound. This puts it in my best portable DAC under 1,000 USD list when purely considering sound quality. Functionality and features could have been better though, Gryphon for me takes the prize for that.

Against my EF400, technicalities like details, Imaging etc. are better but I prefer the musical nature of the R2R DAC and all that power really sounds great with HiFiMan planars. I'm hoping RS2 will give me that musical sound but I'm curious how it compares to the Mojo 2.


----------



## Soundizer

For the same price as Mojo 2 which desktop DAC/AMP can even compete?

Not interested in the THX/Toppings/SML as they sound coarse and harsh.
Not interested in Shitt as its only available in USA.


----------



## daveya

Novice question.

I use a Sony Experia 5 iV or Surface studio 

Does the sound bypass the DACs on these and go straight to the Mojo, and does the sound processing software in these affect the sound at all? If turned what I can off. I use Amazon music 

I also have UAPP, and Qubuz, I know that definitely does send sound bypassing the phone/laptop Dac but again will they process the sound I'm anyway before getting to the Mojo?


----------



## Johnfg465vd (Nov 23, 2022)

daveya said:


> Novice question.
> 
> I use a Sony Experia 5 iV or Surface studio
> 
> ...


Yes the internal DAC will be bypassed on the Xperia and Surface Studio when connected to external DAC like Mojo 2.

Even if you have turned off all DSP like EQ, Normalizer... there will be some resampling of the signal on Android since without something like UAPP, all audio will be resampled to 48 kHz which means it's not a bit-perfect signal. On Surface Studio, which looks like it has Windows OS? You can change the Audio Sample rate to 44kHz or whatever sampling music you are playing.

I personally don't think it's a big issue on Windows but I do notice some improvement on Android when using UAPP or Neutron vs stock.


----------



## daveya

Ok thanks, I'll stick with the phone then mostly , the studio is windows and each time you turn it on you can increase the sampling rate but think I'll stick with the phone and UAPP thanks


----------



## br4lin

gonna drop a hot take, and I didn't want to post about bc it might sound kind of crazy.
At least on my unit, I don't think the two output sounds the same. (Honestly both still sounds good).

Button side sounds fuller, more mid-bass.
Chord Logo side sounds more spacious, wider, more detail.

I tested using two sets of IC (back and forth between jack), and also between combinations between different amp ( Oor + hypsos) and Enlume R23, between Susvara and HE1000se.

Let me know if anyone else has the same findings on their units.

Aux info: Originally motivated bc I was testing cables, wanting to find a good 3.5 -> RCA for the mojo. Wanted to be thorough so I also flipped them around on the jacks. Personally prefer chord logo-side for the imaging. But honestly I think both side sounds pretty good. I have not heard this being mentioned as either a feature or a bug. So kinda curious if others are expericing the same.


----------



## BS5711

br4lin said:


> gonna drop a hot take, and I didn't want to post about bc it might sound kind of crazy.
> At least on my unit, I don't think the two output sounds the same. (Honestly both still sounds good).
> 
> Button side sounds fuller, more mid-bass.
> ...



The power of psychoacoustic at work !

I recall reading that the two jacks are literally wired to the exact same output stage of the dac with the only difference being 1.5 inches of wire.


----------



## Soundizer

At £399 Chord Mojo 2 is by far the best value if all Dacs/Amps regardless of Brand under £1,000 today


----------



## daveya

Yeah I got one for £399, customer return/refurb


----------



## Daniel Johnston

BS5711 said:


> The power of psychoacoustic at work !
> 
> I recall reading that the two jacks are literally wired to the exact same output stage of the dac with the only difference being 1.5 inches of wire.


Correct. 

But it’s not inches of wire—it’s mm of PCB tracings. 

I thought that the Hugo 2 RCA and headphone outputs sounded different. But upon further review, I can’t believe I could hear the few mm of extra PCB tracings.


----------



## Derivative

Soundizer said:


> At £399 Chord Mojo 2 is by far the best value if all Dacs/Amps regardless of Brand under £1,000 today





daveya said:


> Yeah I got one for £399, customer return/refurb



Unbeatable price, totally agree this is very good value for money. congrats on the great deal. 
Love this little device, it does so much right.


----------



## kiling92

But is possible that I cannot adjust the volume trought physical button on my iPhone?I am the only one who have this problem?


----------



## Kentajalli

kiling92 said:


> But is possible that I cannot adjust the volume trought physical button on my iPhone?I am the only one who have this problem?


If you could change the volume using the buttons on your iPhone, that would mean that Mojo is not getting bit perfect from your phone.
That's a bad thing!
When it works right, your phone (Android or iPhone) is out of the picture, and serves bit perfect data to Mojo, for Mojo to process as it decides.


----------



## daveya

kiling92 said:


> But is possible that I cannot adjust the volume trought physical button on my iPhone?I am the only one who have this problem?


Why do you need to do that?


----------



## kiling92

My endgame setup is a desktop chain;but for mobile use,adjust volume trought iPhone or Apple Watch  would be much better against mojo button !for this situation I don’t need a bit perfect signal


----------



## daveya

kiling92 said:


> My endgame setup is a desktop chain;but for mobile use,adjust volume trought iPhone or Apple Watch  would be much better against mojo button !for this situation I don’t need a bit perfect signal


Fair enough, seems odd to me as I always have the phone or laptop attached to the Mojo and nothing else and use UAPP on the phone which bypasses the phone anyway


----------



## kiling92

daveya said:


> Fair enough, seems odd to me as I always have the phone or laptop attached to the Mojo and nothing else and use UAPP on the phone which bypasses the phone anyway


Doesn’t exist for iOS


----------



## Daniel Johnston

kiling92 said:


> Doesn’t exist for iOS


iOS doesn’t impose a 24/48 limit like android does. It’s bit perfect through the lightning port or usb c port. So, UAPP is not necessary. 

Unfortunately no Chord product allows the source to control volume. Not even if you add a poly.


----------



## daveya

Nick24JJ said:


> Guys,
> 
> How do you keep your Mojo 2 attached to your smartphone and which is a good cable to connect it with an Android phone?
> 
> Thank you



I use this little DDHifi, Mojo in the palm behind my phone, works for me


----------



## surfgeorge

Daniel Johnston said:


> iOS doesn’t impose a 24/48 limit like android does. It’s bit perfect through the lightning port or usb c port. So, UAPP is not necessary.
> 
> Unfortunately no Chord product allows the source to control volume. Not even if you add a poly.


No device allows to manipulate the Mojo's volume setting (gain), but you can use any source to manipulate the digital data stream to reduce the volume from the maximum output Mojo is set to.
I am currently using MConnect with Mojo2Poly, have used HiBy R3 DAP with coax, and if I remember correctly volume control also worked in Tidal when I connected the iPhone to Mojo via a Lightning cable.

For maximum sound quality the output volume of the digital source should always be 100%, but if you want to control the volume on the phone it is possible.


----------



## Pulcino

kiling92 said:


> Doesn’t exist for iOS


AirPlay works with volume control via iPhone if sound quality is not highest priority


----------



## AussieMick

Daniel Johnston said:


> iOS doesn’t impose a 24/48 limit like android does. It’s bit perfect through the lightning port or usb c port. So, UAPP is not necessary.
> 
> Unfortunately no Chord product allows the source to control volume. Not even if you add a poly.


Mojo2/Poly using Glider the iPhone can control volume.


----------



## AussieMick

I added a Poly to Mojo2 four days ago. What a terrific upgrade over phones, iPads and laptops! Set up was iPhone levels of easy on GoFigure and I’m using Glider as the control app. Building playlists within Glider is a breeze, and it detected my Innuos Zen MK3 streamer on the network abs gave me full access to everything on its hard drive. I took the dog for a walk and ran Poly from my iPhone’s hotspot. Easy. 
This is a profit I think with very high value. Even at full RRP I can’t see getting an obviously “better” streamer, DAC and headphone amp at the same price. It conformably outperforms my TOTL A&K DAP (which is now dead to me and heading off to a friend). 
Using with Audeze LCDi4 and Focal Radiance.


----------



## Jluftig

I was gifted a barely used Mojo !. I like it as much or more than my Gryphon, but it cuts out and  the red light goes when I move the device. Any ideas for things to check or suggestions for repair?


----------



## Daniel Johnston

AussieMick said:


> Mojo2/Poly using Glider the iPhone can control volume.


True, but that's attenuating the signal using DSP. As pointed out above, you can use Airplay, Roon, etc. 

That's not the same as hitting the buttons on the Mojo. 

But in reality it is semantics. You can make music louder and softer using software on the source. But it's not the same as hitting the physical buttons, and depending on implementation, could possibly not be transparent.


----------



## treefingers

Looking to pick up some new open-back headphones for my Mojo 2 in the sales.    Currently I have some k712pro which I find a bit boring (cant even recall buying them!), looking for some recommendations that pair well for around $1000 I listen mainly to Techno & Rock like Interpol, LCD soundsystem, Radiohead and would like something with something with punchy bass.    I have always been a heavy IEM user so have never really explored higer end Open-backs before.   Focal Clear are on a good sale near me but I have read they don't pair well with the mojo.  Thanks


----------



## BS5711

Jluftig said:


> I was gifted a barely used Mojo !. I like it as much or more than my Gryphon, but it cuts out and  the red light goes when I move the device. Any ideas for things to check or suggestions for repair?



Better cable that fits snugly perhaps ??

Is it a 2 or original Mojo ?

If 2 you could use the Micro if the C is giving issues or the C if the Micro is giving issues.


----------



## AussieMick

Daniel Johnston said:


> True, but that's attenuating the signal using DSP. As pointed out above, you can use Airplay, Roon, etc.
> 
> That's not the same as hitting the buttons on the Mojo.
> 
> But in reality it is semantics. You can make music louder and softer using software on the source. But it's not the same as hitting the physical buttons, and depending on implementation, could possibly not be transparent.


Yes, of course, but if the OP is in a position where phone control is needed (because reaching the Mojo isn’t possible?) then it’s likely the level of fidelity you’re talking about isn’t the main consideration. 
I agree with you, just not sure it’s too if the list of concerns in this situation.


----------



## Soundizer

daveya said:


> Yeah I got one for £399, customer return/refurb


Av.com?


----------



## ChrisGB (Nov 25, 2022)

treefingers said:


> Looking to pick up some new open-back headphones for my Mojo 2 in the sales.    Currently I have some k712pro which I find a bit boring (cant even recall buying them!), looking for some recommendations that pair well for around $1000 I listen mainly to Techno & Rock like Interpol, LCD soundsystem, Radiohead and would like something with something with punchy bass.    I have always been a heavy IEM user so have never really explored higer end Open-backs before.   Focal Clear are on a good sale near me but I have read they don't pair well with the mojo.  Thanks


I found Quad ERA-1 to pair very well with the Mojo 2. Fast and resolving and with a +2db boost on the 20Hz region, very well resolved bass with plenty of weight.


----------



## daveya

Soundizer said:


> Av.com?


Peter Tyson, they give a 5 year warranty, fully boxed no sign of any use at all


----------



## surfgeorge

treefingers said:


> Looking to pick up some new open-back headphones for my Mojo 2 in the sales.    Currently I have some k712pro which I find a bit boring (cant even recall buying them!), looking for some recommendations that pair well for around $1000 I listen mainly to Techno & Rock like Interpol, LCD soundsystem, Radiohead and would like something with something with punchy bass.    I have always been a heavy IEM user so have never really explored higer end Open-backs before.   Focal Clear are on a good sale near me but I have read they don't pair well with the mojo.  Thanks


I‘ve had the Clears for 2 years and IMO they pair well with the Chord DACs, I use them mainly with the Hugo2Go.
Their signature is balanced and detailed, really leaning neutral with a touch of warmth and a little bit of bite in the treble.
What strikes me about the Clears is how realistic and natural they sound to me.
That can take a moment to adjust to when I change from a more colored IEM or my DCA AEON Noire headphones to the Clears.
Especially coming from the DCA AEON the dynamic capabilities of the Clears stand out too.
One thing to keep in mind, being open back dynamic driver headphones the Clears have some limitations in sub bass boosting capabilities.
Listening at normal levels they are very good, but with sub bass heavy music at very high volume or with a digital bass boost you can reach their mechanical excursion limits.

What IEMs are you using and what is your tuning preference?


----------



## AudioDrag

Owning - and still enjoying - several Chord DACs (Hugo 1, DAVE with mScaler, Hugo TT2) I thought it would be a great idea to add the Mojo 2 to my Chord stable. This idea didn't turn out as great as I've expected...

The Mojo 2 I've received a few days ago shows a very 'special' and potentialy dangerous behaviour. After executing the startup procedure (checks?) the Mojo 2 does connect the output stage with the output plugs. You can hear the 'click' of a relay inside the device. At this moment, 'my' Mojo 2 starts to output a DC voltage of 1.2V on the right channel! The left channel output voltage is zero (as expected). And the voltage of the right channel doesn't remain there, but rises constantly with a rate of 400mV/60s to an end voltage of 3.5V! The Mojo 2 behaves this way independently of playing any music. After about 6 minutes the output level of the right channel reaches 3.5V DC and stays there forever! This behaviour can be reproduced on every power cycle.

Clearly this is a defective device, but I would have expected some kind of failure detection inside the Mojo. This voltage may damage phones and IEMs with low impedance in short time. Example: an IEM with an impedance of 8 Ohm will 'burn' about 1.5W when supplied with 3.5V DC! It will only take a few seconds to burn the coil...

Otherwise this faulty device does behave 'normal'. It does plays music. But it doesn't sound great. Caused by the huge DC voltage on the right channel, the phone's driver on this side is 'stuck' at the limit of it's travel range all the time and therefore has not much room for further movement. Therefore bass is lacking from this channel and sound stage is shifted to the left.

The German seller/shop of my device has great customer service and will replace this faulty device (though they estimate it will take about 3-4 weeks), but I'm not absolutely sure if the great sound of this device is worth the risk of damaging all my phones...

Device failures can always occur. But I would have expected a device in this price range (usually be used with costly phones/IEMs) to have some kind of failure detection and protection built in. The relay needed to disconnect the outputs in case of a detected failure is already there...

So my question to you: knowing that a Mojo can fry your pricey gear in a blink of an eye, do you think it's still worth of taking the risk?

I would be glad if @Rob Watts could chime in and explain that my received new device did suffer from a really strange failure and all other Mojos do protect the connected gear.

Have fun with your Mojos!


----------



## Rob Watts

Mojo 2 enjoys the same digital DC servo that all of the other DACs have, and this was introduced with Dave back in 2015. It does indeed have DC protection, so the relays won't (or rather in this case shouldn't) close if there is DC. So it's a very strange fault - and the first one of it's type I have heard of. Hopefully the unit can be sent to me so I can investigate.


----------



## AudioDrag

Rob Watts said:


> Mojo 2 enjoys the same digital DC servo that all of the other DACs have, and this was introduced with Dave back in 2015. It does indeed have DC protection, so the relays won't (or rather in this case shouldn't) close if there is DC. So it's a very strange fault - and the first one of it's type I have heard of. Hopefully the unit can be sent to me so I can investigate.


Rob, thank you for this information!

So the replacement unit I should receive in about 4 weeks should never ever show this fatal error. The error on the faulty device shows up on each power cycle. The device is on it's way back to the German shop and they will send it to their Chord distributor.

How can we assure you get this unit for investigation? At least I will let the seller know about your interest at this device.


----------



## Somafunk

daveya said:


> Yeah I got one for £399, customer return/refurb





Soundizer said:


> Av.com?





daveya said:


> Peter Tyson, they give a 5 year warranty, fully boxed no sign of any use at all



Peter Tyson (Carlisle) are excellent, that’s where I bought my mojo 2 and poly 6 months ago, both for £399 each with 5yr warranty and fully boxed with no apparent previous use


----------



## daveya

Somafunk said:


> Peter Tyson (Carlisle) are excellent, that’s where I bought my mojo 2 and poly 6 months ago, both for £399 each with 5yr warranty and fully boxed with no apparent previous use


I also got my Hifiman Edition XS from Premium Sound, they are a shop in  London and sell open box and ex-display through eBay, they took an offer of 300 for ex display Edition XS priced at 449, so worth considering. So I paid £700 for Mojo 2 and Edition XS.


----------



## Somafunk

daveya said:


> I also got my Hifiman Edition XS from Premium Sound,



Good deal on the XS, I’ve bought two pairs of them but been unlucky, 1st set arrived with a “tssk….tssk……tssk“ sound that was bloody annoying so got sent back and the replacement set arrived with a noticeable channel imbalance so I sent them back as well and got a full refund. A few weeks later I found an Amazon deal on a open box Sundara for £179 so bought that instead, I eq’d it to taste using roon and it’s bloody amazing for the money, the original cable is a bit crap so that was replaced with a cheap £20 cable and I’m perfectly satisfied with it.


----------



## daveya

Somafunk said:


> Good deal on the XS, I’ve bought two pairs of them but been unlucky, 1st set arrived with a “tssk….tssk……tssk“ sound that was bloody annoying so got sent back and the replacement set arrived with a noticeable channel imbalance so I sent them back as well and got a full refund. A few weeks later I found an Amazon deal on a open box Sundara for £179 so bought that instead, I eq’d it to taste using roon and it’s bloody amazing for the money, the original cable is a bit crap so that was replaced with a cheap £20 cable and I’m perfectly satisfied with it.



I sold my Sundara when I got the Edition xS, they were faulty quite quickly , left cup connection was faulty, replaced under warranty , the infamous Hifiman QC is real lol. But they sound amazing tweaked EQ with the Mojo 2


----------



## Somafunk

daveya said:


> I sold my Sundara when I got the Edition xS, they were faulty quite quickly , left cup connection was faulty, replaced under warranty , the infamous Hifiman QC is real lol.



Yeah it’s a shame as I doubt I’d give the xs another chance, I’ve no time for gear with shoddy construction or quality control. Think my next purchase for the mojo 2/poly will be a Dan Clark Aeon 2 noire, but that’s once Xmas expense is out of the way


----------



## daveya

Funnily enough I've been looking at those in black Friday sales such as they are


----------



## jsk ksj (Nov 25, 2022)

Looking for some guidance, option of buying open box "as new" mojo2 for £399 or "used" mojo for £150 ish.

1 comparison I read rated the audio of the mojo at 8.5 and the mojo2 as 9. Is that fair?

Usage would mainly be connected to a fiio m11 and driving those headphones listed in my signature.

I could stretch to the higher price if the sound quality justifies it.

Ps I only listen to local files on dap and do not stream


----------



## Somafunk

jsk ksj said:


> Looking for some guidance, option of buying open box "as new" mojo2 for £399 or "used" mojo for £150 ish.



Id buy open box mojo 2 as it has crossfeed, eq, intelligent battery management, Usb C and warranty  The original mojo will more than likely need a battery, has poor battery management and runs hot, and you have no idea what sort of life it has had.


----------



## jsk ksj

Thanks for response.

I may take option 3, neither. I think I might be experiencing black Friday fever. ,😡

I think this can be left to another day


----------



## Somafunk

I see you have decent enough dacs already and I doubt you’d notice much (if any?) audible difference with the mojo, keep the money as there will always be open box deals.

The only reason I bought my mojo (and headphone/iem’s) was because I didn’t own any portable equipment at all.


----------



## Chris Kaoss

ChrisGB said:


> I found Quad ERA-1 to pair very well with the Mojo 2. Far and resolving and with a +2db boost on the 20Hz region, very well resolved bass with plenty of weight.


Don't push me in that direction.


----------



## Jluftig

treefingers said:


> Looking to pick up some new open-back headphones for my Mojo 2 in the sales.    Currently I have some k712pro which I find a bit boring (cant even recall buying them!), looking for some recommendations that pair well for around $1000 I listen mainly to Techno & Rock like Interpol, LCD soundsystem, Radiohead and would like something with something with punchy bass.    I have always been a heavy IEM user so have never really explored higer end Open-backs before.   Focal Clear are on a good sale near me but I have read they don't pair well with the mojo.  Thanks





BS5711 said:


> Better cable that fits snugly perhaps ??
> 
> Is it a 2 or original Mojo ?
> 
> If 2 you could use the Micro if the C is giving issues or the C if the Micro is giving issues.


Hi, it's an original one.


----------



## ChrisGB

Chris Kaoss said:


> Don't push me in that direction.


To be fair, I didn't stay with the combo very long. Mojo 2 was good, but lost some elements that I liked about the Shanling M6, particularly nuance and resolution in the bass and low level higher frequency information. I ended up with Hugo 2 / 2Go which is simply magical with the Quads.


----------



## treefingers

surfgeorge said:


> I‘ve had the Clears for 2 years and IMO they pair well with the Chord DACs, I use them mainly with the Hugo2Go.
> Their signature is balanced and detailed, really leaning neutral with a touch of warmth and a little bit of bite in the treble.
> What strikes me about the Clears is how realistic and natural they sound to me.
> That can take a moment to adjust to when I change from a more colored IEM or my DCA AEON Noire headphones to the Clears.
> ...


Hopefully I'll get to try the Clears today, there are also some LCD2s for a little over my budget and used pair for just under.  I do like to listen quite loudly.    Current IEMs are CA Dorado and IMR Rahs and I use a L&P w2 out and about.


----------



## surfgeorge

treefingers said:


> Hopefully I'll get to try the Clears today, there are also some LCD2s for a little over my budget and used pair for just under.  I do like to listen quite loudly.    Current IEMs are CA Dorado and IMR Rahs and I use a L&P w2 out and about.


If you want something with a similar signature as you


----------



## Kentajalli

treefingers said:


> Hopefully I'll get to try the Clears today, there are also some LCD2s for a little over my budget and used pair for just under.  I do like to listen quite loudly.    Current IEMs are CA Dorado and IMR Rahs and I use a L&P w2 out and about.


Let us know how you like the Clears.
I have my own opinion , interesting to hear yours.


----------



## Rob Watts

AudioDrag said:


> Rob, thank you for this information!
> 
> So the replacement unit I should receive in about 4 weeks should never ever show this fatal error. The error on the faulty device shows up on each power cycle. The device is on it's way back to the German shop and they will send it to their Chord distributor.
> 
> How can we assure you get this unit for investigation? At least I will let the seller know about your interest at this device.


I spoke to Chord yesterday, and they were already aware of the issue from the distributor. The faulty unit will get sent back to me.


----------



## Soundizer

jsk ksj said:


> Looking for some guidance, option of buying open box "as new" mojo2 for £399 or "used" mojo for £150 ish.
> 
> 1 comparison I read rated the audio of the mojo at 8.5 and the mojo2 as 9. Is that fair?
> 
> ...


I don’t agree with the comparison. I was not a fan of Mojo 1. It lacked detail, space and air compared to iFi portable gear.

The Mojo 2 is far better.

Mojo 1 = 6.5 vs Mojo 2 = 9.0.

Buy the AS NEW. i got mine for £399 from AV.com.
I don’t even think it was used. Works perfectly. Packaging perfectly new. Full Warranty.


----------



## surfgeorge

I still have both the OG and the M2 and IMO the OG holds up very well in terms of SQ, depending on what’s more important to you.
The og sounds softer and more mid forward with a smaller stage and less definition in both top and bottom end, but it has maybe even more emotional power than the M2 with vocals. M2 is more neutral and objectively better, but both are giving similar levels of joy to me. M2 more analytical, og more emotional.


----------



## jsk ksj

Soundizer said:


> I don’t agree with the comparison. I was not a fan of Mojo 1. It lacked detail, space and air compared to iFi portable gear.
> 
> The Mojo 2 is far better.
> 
> ...


Thanks for advice.

I may order from Amazon to give it a road test, then buy "as new" if impressed. No other way for me to try it out otherwise.


----------



## Soundizer

jsk ksj said:


> Thanks for advice.
> 
> I may order from Amazon to give it a road test, then buy "as new" if impressed. No other way for me to try it out otherwise.


Sensible, although the AS NEW stock quantity might deplete.

I think you can return to AV.COM if not happy as they have a 30day guarantee, plus 14day return is standard uk retail policy.


----------



## jsk ksj

Any opinion on using these with planars, primarily the Lcd-X ? I have read varying reports.

Also Richer sounds are offering new with leather case at £499...tempted


----------



## daveya

jsk ksj said:


> Any opinion on using these with planars, primarily the Lcd-X ? I have read varying reports.
> 
> Also Richer sounds are offering new with leather case at £499...tempted


I'm using Edition XS are it's a knockout combo if that helps


----------



## iDesign

surfgeorge said:


> I still have both the OG and the M2 and IMO the OG holds up very well in terms of SQ, depending on what’s more important to you.
> The og sounds softer and more mid forward with a smaller stage and less definition in both top and bottom end, but it has maybe even more emotional power than the M2 with vocals. M2 is more neutral and objectively better, but both are giving similar levels of joy to me. M2 more analytical, og more emotional.


I agree. I own both versions and much prefer the original Mojo especially with a lifeless IEM like the U12t.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Is the battery user replaceable on the Mojo 2? (down the road, when needed)


----------



## wcrespo178

jsk ksj said:


> Any opinion on using these with planars, primarily the Lcd-X ? I have read varying reports.


I'm loving my new Mojo 2 with the Rosson RAD-0. Similar to your LCD-X, this headphone responds well to EQ, including the EQ baked into the Mojo 2.


----------



## chaotic_angel

7hz Dioko, R3 + Mojo 2 + GnR 2022 remastered Use Your Illusion album sound - spectacular without needing to use DSP


----------



## daveya (Nov 27, 2022)

Re crossfeed, the best track I've found to 'hear' it is Dave Brubeck Quartet Take Give on Time Out.

Listen to the piano in the right ear as you toggle through cross feed settings, from high to off it's very noticeable what happens, on this track I prefer it off .

On these older recordings it seems to have the impact of narrowing the soundstage rather than widening and I prefer it off, separation better for me off or lower


----------



## Pulcino

I have a problem: With bit perfect on in GoFigure I can still change the volume via my iPhone, I’m using my Poly, of course. I know it works this way via MPDPlayer and Glider but thought it would be bit perfect using GoFigure. My Playlists are created via MPDPlayer. Can someone help me?


----------



## AussieMick

Pulcino said:


> I have a problem: With bit perfect on in GoFigure I can still change the volume via my iPhone, I’m using my Poly, of course. I know it works this way via MPDPlayer and Glider but thought it would be bit perfect using GoFigure. My Playlists are created via MPDPlayer. Can someone help me?


Just leave your phone volume on full.


----------



## ChrisGB

Pulcino said:


> I have a problem: With bit perfect on in GoFigure I can still change the volume via my iPhone, I’m using my Poly, of course. I know it works this way via MPDPlayer and Glider but thought it would be bit perfect using GoFigure. My Playlists are created via MPDPlayer. Can someone help me?


Have you set GoFigure to bit perfect?


----------



## Pulcino

ChrisGB said:


> Have you set GoFigure to bit perfect?


Yes


----------



## Musicophilesblog

Quick update from my side on the White Noise issue.

I was really confused reading about the the issue as I had never experienced it.

I’m usually driving my Mojo2 directly via USB C from my MacBook Air M1 via Audirvāna Studio, using a short Fiio LT-TC1, or occasionally off an iOS device using the Fiio LT-LT1 (following a recommendation on this forum by the way).

Just the other day I wanted to move my MacBook a bit further away from the Mojo and was trying to use the uGreen 3m USBc cable I normally use to charge the laptop.

I was shocked, I got the white noise on pretty much every third track.

I was a cable skeptic but it clearly seems that not all USBc cables are created equal and cable length seems to play a role in the white noise issue.


----------



## daveya

Musicophilesblog said:


> Quick update from my side on the White Noise issue.
> 
> I was really confused reading about the the issue as I had never experienced it.
> 
> ...


One of the reviewers had exactly the same issue on his Mac, but not his phone


----------



## Cheva1ier

Good afternoon!
At the moment I use Audeze LCD-2 Close back with the stationary player Shanling EM5. I use it at minimum gain.
But, recently I started using Roon server, so I wanted to replace my player. Considered many options and the main Matrix Audio Mini I-pro 3. To Matrix Audio the sound is a little dry. And the bass lacks depth.
But here to see Chord Mojo 2 complete with Poly. I was very tempted by the ability to move around the house mobile with headphones and a quality sound source. The worrying question is whether the Audeze lcd-2 has enough power (current and voltage) that the Mojo 2 produces. There is very conflicting information on the internet about this.
I have looked at the specifications and power recommendations on the Audeze website and the Chord website. It seems like it has enough power, but many online stores sellers say it may not be enough. If there are any owners of such combinations please tell us if they have enough power and volume reserve. Do you get the feeling that the headphones lack the scale of the sound stage because of the source?


----------



## Daniel Johnston

Cheva1ier said:


> Good afternoon!
> At the moment I use Audeze LCD-2 Close back with the stationary player Shanling EM5. I use it at minimum gain.
> But, recently I started using Roon server, so I wanted to replace my player. Considered many options and the main Matrix Audio Mini I-pro 3. To Matrix Audio the sound is a little dry. And the bass lacks depth.
> But here to see Chord Mojo 2 complete with Poly. I was very tempted by the ability to move around the house mobile with headphones and a quality sound source. The worrying question is whether the Audeze lcd-2 has enough power (current and voltage) that the Mojo 2 produces. There is very conflicting information on the internet about this.
> I have looked at the specifications and power recommendations on the Audeze website and the Chord website. It seems like it has enough power, but many online stores sellers say it may not be enough. If there are any owners of such combinations please tell us if they have enough power and volume reserve. Do you get the feeling that the headphones lack the scale of the sound stage because of the source?


Mojo 2 drives the DCA Stealth with headroom to spare. Should have no issues with LCD 2. Rob Watts created new design to allow current to double into lower impedance loads. I had to almost max out Hugo 2 for same listening levels. 

The poly is nice for around the house streaming. Especially with music management software like Roon. 

Online sellers want you to buy more stuff (headphone amps).  Try it.


----------



## cfranchi

Daniel Johnston said:


> Rob Watts created new design to allow current to double into lower impedance loads.



Very interesting, where did you get this info ?


----------



## Daniel Johnston

cfranchi said:


> Very interesting, where did you get this info ?


Buried somewhere in this thread or the Hugo 2 thread.

There is presentation by Rob Watts somewhere as well where he mentions current doubling into lower impedance loads. Someone linked it or quoted it in this thread as well.


----------



## daveya

This one?

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/page-198#post-16792307


----------



## Cheva1ier

Daniel Johnston said:


> Mojo 2 drives the DCA Stealth with headroom to spare. Should have no issues with LCD 2. Rob Watts created new design to allow current to double into lower impedance loads. I had to almost max out Hugo 2 for same listening levels.
> 
> The poly is nice for around the house streaming. Especially with music management software like Roon.
> 
> Online sellers want you to buy more stuff (headphone amps).  Try it.


Thank you! I'll give it a try.
If using the Mojo2 as a stationary DAC with external power connected, does it require a clean power supply? Like the iFi iPower X, or is a regular smartphone charger enough?
I've seen some complaints about noise when connected to power. However, it is not always clear whether this applies to the M1 or the M2.


----------



## Tiax

Got mojo2 to try, and as a source sceptic so to speak i didn't expect much and was ready to be disappointed and send it back.
But to my surprise, i like it a lot. 
What sounded as only a slightly different tuning at first has turned into a more refined, mature, rich sound after couple of hours of listening, and not only comparing to my dongles, but also to the pretty decent Lotoo PAW 6000 DAP i had for a while.
Great job Chord, i see now why there is so much hype around your products.


----------



## rwelles

It will keep getting even better as you listen more. It took me about 100 hours before I finally got fully accustomed to the sound.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

daveya said:


> This one?
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/page-198#post-16792307


Yes. 

But there is a post buried somewhere in this thread (or that thread) that specifically addresses the current. 

I don’t remember the context of the post.  I don’t think many Stealth/Susvara owners going to use Mojo 2.

 The post stuck out to me because I use it with the Stealth and it works better on the Mojo 2 than with the Hugo 2. 

Maybe @Rob Watts can clarify or correct the information.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

Cheva1ier said:


> Thank you! I'll give it a try.
> If using the Mojo2 as a stationary DAC with external power connected, does it require a clean power supply? Like the iFi iPower X, or is a regular smartphone charger enough?
> I've seen some complaints about noise when connected to power. However, it is not always clear whether this applies to the M1 or the M2.


No noise from what I’m experiencing in desktop mode. I’m using some generic 5v/2A charger from my junk drawer. 

Old mojo would buzz/hum with poor 5v adapters (apparently the power filter doing its job).  Also, 2g and 3g signals from cell phone caused RFI noise.


----------



## gy145

Just got my new mojo 2. Without connecting USB, just plug in my earphone and turn mojo2 on and off. I can hear clearly a tiny noise appear when mojo2 is on and such noise is constant when I play music also. Is that normal for mojo 2 as a DAC to have noticeable noise output when there is no music signal?
Chord reply me that for sensitive earphone it is normal, and I just need some attenuation on the line.
I was using the micro iDSD black label before, that one did not have any noise noticeable. I am happy with mojo2, just interested to learn if you guys also notice some noise.
Thanks!


----------



## Daniel Johnston

gy145 said:


> Just got my new mojo 2. Without connecting USB, just plug in my earphone and turn mojo2 on and off. I can hear clearly a tiny noise appear when mojo2 is on and such noise is constant when I play music also. Is that normal for mojo 2 as a DAC to have noticeable noise output when there is no music signal?
> Chord reply me that for sensitive earphone it is normal, and I just need some attenuation on the line.
> I was using the micro iDSD black label before, that one did not have any noise noticeable. I am happy with mojo2, just interested to learn if you guys also notice some noise.
> Thanks!



What iems/headphones are you using?


----------



## gy145

Daniel Johnston said:


> What iems/headphones are you using?


I am using Shure SE 215 iem


----------



## Odezra

gy145 said:


> I am using Shure SE 215 iem


I do on Andromedas 2020s. IE match solved it.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

gy145 said:


> I am using Shure SE


Yeah, those are pretty sensitive.
I’d try another iem or headphone before thinking the unit defective.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

gy145 said:


> Just got my new mojo 2. Without connecting USB, just plug in my earphone and turn mojo2 on and off. I can hear clearly a tiny noise appear when mojo2 is on and such noise is constant when I play music also. Is that normal for mojo 2 as a DAC to have noticeable noise output when there is no music signal?
> Chord reply me that for sensitive earphone it is normal, and I just need some attenuation on the line.
> I was using the micro iDSD black label before, that one did not have any noise noticeable. I am happy with mojo2, just interested to learn if you guys also notice some noise.
> Thanks!


See my post above. I had this with my brand new M2 no matter what headphones I was connecting to it, no source, just unit on. I own other Chord gear and I know it should be dead quiet. I sent it back and got a replacement M2. It's dead quiet. So my own conclusion is that that is not normal, you have a (slightly) faulty unit. Try it with less sensitive headphones and if the noise/hiss persists, you have what I had.


----------



## alekc

rwelles said:


> It will keep getting even better as you listen more. It took me about 100 hours before I finally got fully accustomed to the sound.


@rwelles while I have more than 100 hours of listening to Mojo 2 I still miss original Mojo sound signature and I keep returning to it. Wish battery had longer lifetime.  Both are brilliant dacs IMHO.


----------



## jsk ksj

My will power cracked & will be receiving "as new"  from Peter Tyson tomorrow  5 year warranty was the clincher.


----------



## Somafunk

jsk ksj said:


> My will power cracked & will be receiving "as new" from Peter Tyson tomorrow  5 year warranty was the clincher.



At that price plus the additional warranty it’s a good buy and if you ever sell it the £ loss will be minimal, how long till you till buy the poly as well?, I held out for 3 weeks


----------



## jsk ksj

I bought a Fiio M11 from the classifieds here not long ago and I adore it. Intend to use this as the transport. Not a fan of bluetooth & don't use Roon or any streaming service so will not buy Poly...

*Note to self:* don't buy the Poly, you cannot afford it.


----------



## Tiax

CaptainFantastic said:


> There is a low level, but audible and unmistakable hiss (at any volume level, even the absolute lowest) immediately upon plugging the headphone in. The hiss is there even if I remove the optical connection, so it's 100% coming from the unit. As soon as I unplug, the hiss is gone (obviously). I plug into the original Mojo, no hiss. Plug into the Mojo 2 - immediate hiss, primarily in the right channel.


It seems that i have exactly the same issue. Didn't notice it at first, but with more sensitive iems it's very obvious: hiss from the right channel, from the unit itself, even without connecting it to my transport DAP or PC. And hiss is audible even when music is playing.

And that was the last unit i've bought, will have to return it then and buy another one somewhere else.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Tiax said:


> It seems that i have exactly the same issue. Didn't notice it at first, but with more sensitive iems it's very obvious: hiss from the right channel, from the unit itself, even without connecting it to my transport DAP or PC. And hiss is audible even when music is playing.
> 
> And that was the last unit i've bought, will have to return it then and buy another one somewhere else.



Yes, it's a frustrating affair because of course the shop likely won't believe that the issue exists. They'll take the unit back of course, but there's a frustrating moment where you feel like they are judging you. I ended up spending my own money returning the faulty unit and having this back and forth that kind of kills the experience. I am honestly disappointed with Chord's QC practices based on this and my issues (different issues) with the TT2. Their customer service is fantastic though.


----------



## Kentajalli

You guys are aware that Mojo2 has two output modes, low gain and high gain.
Have you tried the low gain?


----------



## daveya

Kentajalli said:


> You guys are aware that Mojo2 has two output modes, low gain and high gain.
> Have you tried the low gain?


It's such a poor manual , doesn't explain this or even how to change the settings, you only become aware of this of you stumble on it. Although I think it's low gain as by default, you have to access the high gain by going much louder and according to some press volume so many times MD then once more to get the light white, or something ( I have the button on white )


----------



## gy145

Kentajalli said:


> You guys are aware that Mojo2 has two output modes, low gain and high gain.
> Have you tried the low gain?


The noise is like a background has nothing to do with the USB connection, the volume, the high/low gain.  I always listen using the low gain mode.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Kentajalli said:


> You guys are aware that Mojo2 has two output modes, low gain and high gain.
> Have you tried the low gain?



Yes, high gain, low gain, sensitive IEMs, 300 ohm Sennheisers, volume all the way off, no source connected = hiss. It was without a doubt a defective unit.


----------



## gy145

CaptainFantastic said:


> Yes, it's a frustrating affair because of course the shop likely won't believe that the issue exists. They'll take the unit back of course, but there's a frustrating moment where you feel like they are judging you. I ended up spending my own money returning the faulty unit and having this back and forth that kind of kills the experience. I am honestly disappointed with Chord's QC practices based on this and my issues (different issues) with the TT2. Their customer service is fantastic though.


I will try the ifi iEmatch first, so far the musics MOJO2 plays does not bother me at all. It is simply I know the noise is there, but seems like it don't have effect to the musics so far. I need to do more testing with some quiet piece of musics.
I would return it and get another to try if the noise bother me. If the second one still show noise, then maybe it is designed like that. I will update.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

gy145 said:


> I will try the ifi iEmatch first, so far the musics MOJO2 plays does not bother me at all. It is simply I know the noise is there, but seems like it don't have effect to the musics so far. I need to do more testing with some quiet piece of musics.
> I would return it and get another to try if the noise bother me. If the second one still show noise, then maybe it is designed like that. I will update.



I received the second one and there's no noise. And there are zero other reports here of this, so I think the two of us just got extremely unlikely. I would not choose to live with that noise, personally I would and did send it for a replacement.


----------



## AussieMick

alekc said:


> @rwelles while I have more than 100 hours of listening to Mojo 2 I still miss original Mojo sound signature and I keep returning to it. Wish battery had longer lifetime.  Both are brilliant dacs IMHO.


Somewhere in this thread Rob mentions how to set the EQ to mimic the original Mojo. Might that solve your problem?


----------



## vlach

AussieMick said:


> Somewhere in this thread Rob mentions how to set the EQ to mimic the original Mojo. Might that solve your problem?


I thought i read just the opposite from Rob; that there was no EQ settings that could make the M2 sound like the original.


----------



## AussieMick

vlach said:


> I thought i read just the opposite from Rob; that there was no EQ settings that could make the M2 sound like the original.


Maybe I’m completely mixed up about that. I think it was also discussed on Darko’s podcast with Watts?


----------



## wcrespo178

AussieMick said:


> I think it was also discussed on Darko’s podcast with Watts?



I listened to that same podcast. Watts indeed said the new mojo can be EQ’d to sound like the old one. According to an old comment on Head-Fi, he said +1 for 20hz and +2 for 125hz.


----------



## jarnopp

wcrespo178 said:


> I listened to that same podcast. Watts indeed said the new mojo can be EQ’d to sound like the old one. According to an old comment on Head-Fi, he said +1 for 20hz and +2 for 125hz.


I think it’s more perception than frequency correction. Mojo 1 and Mojo 2 both measure flat,  it Mojo 1 has a capacitor that adds some distortion with the perception of warmth, so adding some low end boost can replicate that, but it’s not the same. I can say, after using Mojo 1 for 6 years, and switching to Mojo 2, you will get used to and appreciate the Mojo 2 with no DSP, if you have neutral headphones.


----------



## alekc

jarnopp said:


> I think it’s more perception than frequency correction. Mojo 1 and Mojo 2 both measure flat,  it Mojo 1 has a capacitor that adds some distortion with the perception of warmth, so adding some low end boost can replicate that, but it’s not the same. I can say, after using Mojo 1 for 6 years, and switching to Mojo 2, you will get used to and appreciate the Mojo 2 with no DSP, if you have neutral headphones.


@jarnopp indeed. When I started my audio journey I have been seeking complete transparency and accuracy and ended up with lifeless music. This was important lesson: distortion in a way maybe a good thing and this is exactly Mojo vs Mojo 2 case. Additionally Mojo had this "WOW" effect when I first started to listen to music, Mojo 2 is brilliant but I've missed the same effect. If it wasn't for Mojo I would probably never get Hugo TT2 for desktop setup and again I preferred it to Dave. Probably the same case of a bit of well controlled "distortion"


----------



## syazwaned

Has anyone used a Hiby R3 Pro Saber for Poly alternative?


----------



## Nostoi

syazwaned said:


> Has anyone used a Hiby R3 Pro Saber for Poly alternative?


Yes, used this for a long time. Works perfectly. I've since upgraded to Hiby RS2, main advantage is that it has x2 SD slots. Until Poly upgrades to the same memory capacity (as on 2Go), I see no compelling reason to change from RS2. RS2 also sounds very good on its own, with an excellent line out.


----------



## syazwaned

Nostoi said:


> Yes, used this for a long time. Works perfectly. I've since upgraded to Hiby RS2, main advantage is that it has x2 SD slots. Until Poly upgrades to the same memory capacity (as on 2Go), I see no compelling reason to change from RS2. RS2 also sounds very good on its own, with an excellent line out.


thanks friend, RS2 does pick my interest. how is rs2/ r3 + Mojo stack for local dsd file? I also hear r3 has some interference when streaming, does it applies to rs2 as well?


----------



## Nostoi

syazwaned said:


> thanks friend, RS2 does pick my interest. how is rs2/ r3 + Mojo stack for local dsd file? I also hear r3 has some interference when streaming, does it applies to rs2 as well?


Perfect for DSD/SACD. No problems at all. The RS2 is only off-line, no WiFi, not even Bluetooth, so there's no streaming. I only use USB to coax from RS2 to Mojo 2, and it's pitch black silent and I also don't have any of the white noise issues people have spoken about. These two also work very well in terms of size and ergonomics.


----------



## daveya

Ok, loving the Hifiman XS Mojo 2 but in a small house it's weird getting asked to torn your headphones down by someone not on the same room. So have some DCA Aeon 2 coming, they seem harder to drive so let's see what happens


----------



## surfgeorge

daveya said:


> Ok, loving the Hifiman XS Mojo 2 but in a small house it's weird getting asked to torn your headphones down by someone not on the same room. So have some DCA Aeon 2 coming, they seem harder to drive so let's see what happens


Listening to that combo just now and while you need to push the M2 pretty hard it's a really nice pairing.
I'd even say that it pairs a little better with the AEONs than the Hugo 2, since the fuller, more intimate sound gives the Aeons more body. Share your impressions when you get them!


----------



## daveya

surfgeorge said:


> Listening to that combo just now and while you need to push the M2 pretty hard it's a really nice pairing.
> I'd even say that it pairs a little better with the AEONs than the Hugo 2, since the fuller, more intimate sound gives the Aeons more body. Share your impressions when you get them!


Thanks, have you got the fenestrated Noire pads?


----------



## daveya

Ah, just spotted yours are the Noire themselves


----------



## jarnopp

daveya said:


> Thanks, have you got the fenestrated Noire pads?


I had the Aeon 2 with OG Mojo and then got the fenestrated pads - much clearer and less of a “all these tracks were recorded in the same room” sound. Now using mostly Noire’s with Mojo2. Noire and Aeon2 with the fenestrated pads sound identical.


----------



## daveya

jarnopp said:


> I had the Aeon 2 with OG Mojo and then got the fenestrated pads - much clearer and less of a “all these tracks were recorded in the same room” sound. Now using mostly Noire’s with Mojo2. Noire and Aeon2 with the fenestrated pads sound identical.


Cheers , intake it the only ones are the Dekoni fenestrated and that's what everyone refers to?


----------



## surfgeorge

daveya said:


> Cheers , intake it the only ones are the Dekoni fenestrated and that's what everyone refers to?


No, those are original pads from DCA, the AEON 2 closed comes with regular pads and the NOIRE with partially fenestrated ones.
The pads are the only difference (acoustically) between the AEON 2 and AEON Noire.

On DCA website:
https://danclarkaudio.com/aeon-ear-pads.html

Better photos here:
https://www.thomann.de/gb/dan_clark_audio_aeon_ear_pads_perforated.htm


----------



## Daniel Johnston

Kentajalli said:


> You guys are aware that Mojo2 has two output modes, low gain and high gain.
> Have you tried the low gain?


At first I wondered where you got this information. It's not really clear in the manual. But I did find this and will post for future reference:




Since the Mojo 2 is a pretty complex little box now, should be have a front page sticky with information like this?


----------



## daveya

surfgeorge said:


> No, those are original pads from DCA, the AEON 2 closed comes with regular pads and the NOIRE with partially fenestrated ones.
> The pads are the only difference (acoustically) between the AEON 2 and AEON Noire.
> 
> On DCA website:
> ...


Appreciate the help, I've ordered those from Thomann thanks


----------



## surfgeorge

Daniel Johnston said:


> At first I wondered where you got this information. It's not really clear in the manual. But I did find this and will post for future reference:
> 
> Since the Mojo 2 is a pretty complex little box now, should be have a front page sticky with information like this?


The only thing going on here is that Mojo2 has wider range of volume control with smaller steps to make it more suitable for highly sensitive IEMs, and to accomodate that with the color scale they decided to use the same colors twice, with the M button showing if you are in the lower half (off) or in the upper half (white) of the range.
Otherwise it's dead simple. Click + to increase and - to decrease volume...


----------



## daveya

surfgeorge said:


> The only thing going on here is that Mojo2 has wider range of volume control with smaller steps to make it more suitable for highly sensitive IEMs, and to accomodate that with the color scale they decided to use the same colors twice, with the M button showing if you are in the lower half (off) or in the upper half (white) of the range.
> Otherwise it's dead simple. Click + to increase and - to decrease volume...



So it's not really low or high gain at all?


----------



## johnnym

Daniel Johnston said:


> At first I wondered where you got this information. It's not really clear in the manual. But I did find this and will post for future reference:
> 
> Since the Mojo 2 is a pretty complex little box now, should be have a front page sticky with information like this?


That seems to over complicate the low and high gain settings. Here's how I experience it. There is one continuous range of volume that goes from low (+ and - are unlit) to high (+ and - are blue) . At the mid way point gain changes from low to high as indicated by the colour of the menu button: unlit (low); white (high). I don't believe there is a way to switch from low to high without passing through the mid point.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

surfgeorge said:


> The only thing going on here is that Mojo2 has wider range of volume control with smaller steps to make it more suitable for highly sensitive IEMs, and to accomodate that with the color scale they decided to use the same colors twice, with the M button showing if you are in the lower half (off) or in the upper half (white) of the range.
> Otherwise it's dead simple. Click + to increase and - to decrease volume...


So, it's not that simple. According to Moon. 

If you go to max volume and continue to hit the +, you'll go into *high gain *mode. That implies when you decrease the volume, you'll still be in high gain. 

If you go to min volume and continue to hit - you'll go into *low gain *mode. 

This implies that *it is possible* to select gain on the Mojo 2. It's not just a continuity of volume that transitions at a certain point. 

When I have time, I'll experiment. But it is an interesting tidbit that isn't obvious in the manual. 


johnnym said:


> That seems to over complicate the low and high gain settings. Here's how I experience it. There is one continuous range of volume that goes from low (+ and - are unlit) to high (+ and - are blue) . At the mid way point gain changes from low to high as indicated by the colour of the menu button: unlit (low); white (high). I don't believe there is a way to switch from low to high without passing through the mid point.


According to this, it is possible to switch gains.


----------



## Tiax

johnnym said:


> That seems to over complicate the low and high gain settings.


I think it's pretty logical really.
I never understood why people want to select high gain for their super sensitive iems, and then use 1/100 volume setting or something. The reasonable way is to stay with low gain for as long as it's loud enough, and only then go higher.


----------



## daveya

Yeah the issue is the manual doesn't mention it, it seems quite important to those switching  between an IEM and Dan Clarks as I am


----------



## Daniel Johnston

So the Moon audio description is misleading or just plain wrong. 

I tried it and it works exactly how @surfgeorge and @johnnym stated.

So it is possible to select gain, but it is also part of a continuity of volume. At least if the m button is white you know you are in high gain. 

I still think a sticky would be nice given the poor manual and bunch of tidbits from this thread, Rob Watts blog, and the internet in general.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

daveya said:


> Yeah the issue is the manual doesn't mention it, it seems quite important to those switching  between an IEM and Dan Clarks as I am



I'm with you on this. Going from the Stealth to Shure KSE1200. I've been using the volume attenuator on the Shure when I could've just  gone into low gain mode on Mojo 2.


----------



## surfgeorge

Daniel Johnston said:


> So, it's not that simple. According to Moon.
> 
> If you go to max volume and continue to hit the +, you'll go into *high gain *mode. That implies when you decrease the volume, you'll still be in high gain.
> 
> ...






The only way to move up and down the volume scale is to push the + and - buttons. In the middle of the range the M button changes from OFF to WHITE.


----------



## Kentajalli

It seems, some of you guys weren't aware of Mojo2 s output modes after all!
Aren't forums just wonderful ? 😊


----------



## johnnym (Nov 30, 2022)

Daniel Johnston said:


> So, it's not that simple. According to Moon.
> 
> If you go to max volume and continue to hit the +, you'll go into *high gain *mode. That implies when you decrease the volume, you'll still be in high gain.
> 
> ...


[Edit: I was late to send this and didn't realise how many post were after it, so it's after the fact now]
I read it as when you're at max volume in low gain mode, if you hit + you go in to high gain mode (at low volume) and when you're at low volume in high gain mode, if you hit - and you go into low gain mode. It seems to be describing the transition between gain modes in the middle of the full range of volume, which starts from low volume in low gain mode and stops at high volume in high gain mode passing through all in between.


----------



## ChrisGB (Nov 30, 2022)

I wonder if we are over thinking this a little? I think there are two volume scales, one "low gain" cycle through the colours from dark brown to a not very bright white, then one more push on + gets you to a second dark brown and so on that are brighter. There is no step, and certainly the voltages in the diagram above look like a linear progression. Think of it as a volume knob with an illuminated scale that goes 360 degrees from 0 (Black)-16(White) then the illuminated scale goes brighter and you go another 360 degrees from 0(dark brown)-16(Bright white) again, but the 0 output on bright is the same as level as 16 was on "low gain".

I know when I got my Mojo 2, I plugged the headphones in and thought it was broken. I quickly realised it had booted up at mute and just scrolled the volume up until I got to the desired level. The progression through the boundary between low and high gain sounded like just another increment on what is a volume control that goes around twice.

Hope this is helpful!


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## daveya (Nov 30, 2022)

I dunno, because the manual doesn't tell you and the pic above is from a retailer who did their own manual, as others have said you seem to be able to enter high gain using the instructions above and you know it's activated when the button is always white


----------



## BS5711

daveya said:


> I dunno, because the manual doesn't tell you and the pic above is from a retailer who did their own manual, as others have said you seem to be able to enter high gain using the instructions above and you know it's activated when the button is always white



If Mojo 2 is like Mojo (original), and most respects it is, there is no selectable gain control.

There is simply a wide volume range and a point where there is a change in the colour coding depending on where in the wide volume range you are.

It isn’t some button sequence that does the same thing as a gain selection switch on a more traditional amplifier.


----------



## daveya (Nov 30, 2022)

BS5711 said:


> If Mojo 2 is like Mojo (original), and most respects it is, there is no selectable gain control.
> 
> There is simply a wide volume range and a point where there is a change in the colour coding depending on where in the wide volume range you are.
> 
> It isn’t some button sequence that does the same thing as a gain selection switch on a more traditional amplifier.


It's just they have this specific method of getting to the higher level, that's assuming that instruction manual written by that retailer is accurate, it may not be, but I followed it and got the button to go white , I genuinely don't know tbh


----------



## Kentajalli (Nov 30, 2022)

BS5711 said:


> If Mojo 2 is like Mojo (original), and most respects it is, there is no selectable gain control.
> 
> There is simply a wide volume range and a point where there is a change in the colour coding depending on where in the wide volume range you are.
> 
> It isn’t some button sequence that does the same thing as a gain selection switch on a more traditional amplifier.


Mojo Classic has only one output mode.
Mojo2 has low gain and high gain mode, so they are different.
I am pretty certain it is not just a wide volume control range!
The DAC section is controlled by the volume control, that is correct.
However on Mojo2 as you go down on volume control, at some stage it switches to low gain. That is, the amp section drops its gain to low, simultaneously the DAC section switches to max.  volume. Now if you click volume down, it starts from full output of the DAC section and goes down, but since it is now on low gain, final output is lower.
This is done so that on low gain mode (for sensitive IEMs) background noise would get lower, and more importantly, still have access to the high dynamic range of the DAC section.
As best as I could explain it.
Indeed low gain on any DAC/amp made by other manufacturers works on same principal .


----------



## daveya

It's bizarre they don't mention this in the manual, as headphone owners or need or want high gain will never access it


----------



## Kentajalli

daveya said:


> It's bizarre they don't mention this in the manual, as headphone owners or need or want high gain will never access it


Actually it is very intuitive !
If volume is too high, just click down till it is at the right level. and vice versa .
The device would choose if it needs to be on high gain or low.
Much better than a manual switch, as other manufacturers tend to use.


----------



## daveya

Kentajalli said:


> Actually it is very intuitive !
> If volume is too high, just click down till it is at the right level. and vice versa .
> The device would choose if it needs to be on high gain or low.
> Much better than a manual switch, as other manufacturers tend to use.


Well not quite, it's more complicated than that if the instructions above are correct and I followed them and it does seem they are.

I've attached a screenshot


----------



## BS5711 (Nov 30, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> Mojo Classic has only one output mode.
> Mojo2 has low gain and high gain mode, so they are different.
> I am pretty certain it is not just a wide volume control range!
> The DAC section is controlled by the volume control, that is correct.
> ...



What you just wrote is different again to the instructions in the screenshot from a manual above and the instructions in Chords manual.

The "manual" screenshot above, (not sure where that has come from) indicates that if you wind the volume all the way down to *completely off then click the minus button once more* you are *locked into a "Low Gain" mode*. Conversely if you wind the volume to_* absolute maximum *_(no headphones in obviously)_* then hit the plus button again*_, you will be* locked into a "High Gain" mode.*

Meanwhile the genuine Chord manual describes it just like the original Mojo, that is simply one wide range at small steps with a colour coding change to visually tell your where you are in the range more clearly. Note that Chord use the term "ranges" and there is no mention of "gain" at all.

Logically Chord would be more likely to be correct, but, perhaps they missed that feature.

Seems very simple to try if you have a Mojo 2, why doesn't somebody just try that and solve the riddle ? Surely if one followed what that apparent manual says and as I have written in my second sentence it would be an obvious change.

My money is on the Chord manual being correct and somebody getting confused with the management of the volume and what the colours mean.


----------



## daveya

For clarity, it's a product guide written by Moon Audio


----------



## Kentajalli (Nov 30, 2022)

If one happen to have a sensitive IEM, and the device is half way in the high gain mode, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what that would result.
A very very loud music blasting out!
So as a precaution, that instruction tells you to get the unit into low gain mode first at zero volume, plug your IEM in, and slowly work your way up.
The volume control goes through max to min, twice, one after another, first in low gain, then in high gain.


----------



## BS5711

daveya said:


> For clarity, it's a product guide written by Moon Audio



My money is on Moon Audio being wrong.

Do you have a Mojo 2 ?  Why not just follow the Moon Audio instructions and see if it works, surely it would be obvious.


----------



## daveya

BS5711 said:


> My money is on Moon Audio being wrong.
> 
> Do you have a Mojo 2 ?  Why not just follow the Moon Audio instructions and see if it works, surely it would be obvious.


I have, and it does work


----------



## BS5711

Kentajalli said:


> If one happen to have a sensitive IEM, and the device is half way in the high gain mode, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what that would result.
> A very very loud music blasting out!
> So as a precaution, that instruction tells you to get the unit into low gain mode first at zero volume, plug your IEM in, and slowly work your way up.
> The volume control goes through max to min, twice, one after another, first in low gain, then in high gain.



Chord call them low and high "Ranges" not "Gains".

What you described this time is precisely the same as the original Mojo and what the Chord instructions say.

What the Mojo does internally is open for discussion and speculation unless Rob wants to tell us, but ultimately doesn't matter in terms of the function. Functionally it appears to be just like the original Mojo, that is one wide range with two sequences of ball colours to tell you where you are.


----------



## daveya

I suppose it's just the confusion between gain and range as you say, and the strange instructions from Moon with and extra + and a different colour to the menu button , Chord probably want it as a warning colour of you like others, me included have assumed it's high gain


----------



## BS5711

daveya said:


> I have, and it does work



The Chord manual is in no way confusing, what they describe is very simple. If it is wrong that is another matter.

The colours will change just by winding up or down the volume. Did you literally go full volume then hit the plus once more and it locked the Mojo in a higher gain mode that stayed that way even if lowering the volume way down into the lower range area, say at only 10% volume for example ?


----------



## daveya

BS5711 said:


> The Chord manual is in no way confusing, what they describe is very simple. If it is wrong that is another matter.
> 
> The colours will change just by winding up or down the volume. Did you literally go full volume then hit the plus once more and it locked the Mojo in a higher gain mode that stayed that way even if lowering the volume way down into the lower range area, say at only 10% volume for example ?


Yes I did exactly that , so the menu button stays white, my listening is as always in the top greens and into violet blues, but yes it's permanently in the high range mode, or gain, if indeed it is that


----------



## BS5711

daveya said:


> Yes I did exactly that , so the menu button stays white, my listening is as always in the top greens and into violet blues, but yes it's permanently in the high range mode, or gain, if indeed it is that



With the button white indicating a high range situation what happens if you just hold the volume down button and go very low in the volume range ?

Does the button stay white for a time then goes out ?

Does it stay white all the way to nearly completely muted ?


----------



## daveya

Can't remember, I'll check later


----------



## mashuto (Nov 30, 2022)

I have been mostly lurking here, but I figured I would chime in about this whole high/low gain thing. So I just tried it out right now. I have my unit on, listening right now. Using a pair of 64 Duo IEMs. I normally listen in the blue range with the menu button light off (so the lower half of the volume range).

I unplugged my headphones. Turned the volume all the way to the max (menu button white). Hit the volume up button again. No indications with the lights that anything happened. Took the volume back down into the low range, went down a little lower than I normally listen to (green) and played some music. It was quieter than normal. Blue volume sounds about the same as it always had.

So then I turned the volume all the way down, hit the minus button again. No indication that anything had happened. So I volumed back up to around blue. All sounds the same.

I am pretty sure the only high or low "gain" here is simply referring to the two volume "ranges". With finer volume control and this time more fine control for both lower and higher power headphones as compared to the original mojo.

Edit: If I had to guess, the moon audio guide is referring to max and min volume of the two separate ranges. So if you go to the max volume of the lower range and hit volume up again, it takes you into the higher volume range. And similarly, if in the higher volume range and you go to the min of that range then hit volume down, it takes you back into the lower range. Except you are really still just going one small step in either direction. Its all really one range just with an extra light to help you tell where in the range you are. Kind of like a clock... with am and pm.


----------



## BS5711

mashuto said:


> I have been mostly lurking here, but I figured I would chime in about this whole high/low gain thing. So I just tried it out right now. I have my unit on, listening right now. Using a pair of 64 Duo IEMs. I normally listen in the blue range with the menu button light off (so the lower half of the volume range).
> 
> I unplugged my headphones. Turned the volume all the way to the max (menu button white). Hit the volume up button again. No indications with the lights that anything happened. Took the volume back down into the low range, went down a little lower than I normally listen to (green) and played some music. It was quieter than normal. Blue volume sounds about the same as it always had.
> 
> ...



The white button went on as you entered the high range and went back out as the volume went back into the low range ?

I agree it seems like the Moon Audio instructions are at least badly written and therefore misleading or potentially just wrong.


----------



## daveya

White menu button headphones 
Off menu button IEMs.

Is it just that simple? It's the Moon thing and the extra press to 'activate' the higher range that's confusing


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## mashuto (Nov 30, 2022)

BS5711 said:


> The white button went on as you entered the high range and went back out as the volume went back into the low range ?
> 
> I agree it seems like the Moon Audio instructions are at least badly written and therefore misleading or potentially just wrong.





daveya said:


> White menu button headphones
> Off menu button IEMs.
> 
> Is it just that simple? It's the Moon thing and the extra press to 'activate' the higher range that's confusing



Yes, its that simple. Moon audio is either just wrong or needlessly complicating things.

When you are in the lower range the two volume buttons cycle through their colors with the menu light off. When you get to the top of the low volume range and press volume up, the menu button turns white and the volume only steps up by one step. The volume buttons themselves go back to the color of the bottom of the range, which is off/black.

Best way to think of it is like a clock. The low range is AM, the high range is PM. The menu button being off represents the low range (or AM). The menu button being white represents PM (or the high range). But the color of the volume buttons cycles depending on which range you are in.

Just turn the volume to what you want. The menu button light is just an indicator to help you know where in the range you are since the volume range is clearly too much to be indicated just by the colors on the volume buttons alone.

The graphic in this post describes it how it is https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ge-95-of-thread.885405/page-396#post-17270595


----------



## Derivative

Kentajalli said:


> Mojo Classic has only one output mode.
> Mojo2 has low gain and high gain mode, so they are different.
> I am pretty certain it is not just a wide volume control range!
> The DAC section is controlled by the volume control, that is correct.
> ...


In my view this is the best explanation of what's happening. There's no way to "jump" between modes or lock one mode or the other in. Just a continuous volume spectrum that shifts modes halfway, with a corresponding change in the amp section's output.


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## AussieMick

It’s that simple. The Chord manual is correct. Just turn it up or down to wherever you want the volume, and the Mojo 2 will indicate what range you’re in and where you are within that range. Use it like a regular old volume control. Nothing to select.


----------



## Somafunk (Dec 1, 2022)

AussieMick said:


> Just turn it up or down to wherever you want the volume, and the Mojo 2 will indicate what range you’re in and where you are within that range. Use it like a regular old volume control. Nothing to select.



Yep, think of the volume on the mojo as a 32 rung extension ladder against a wall, as you step up in volume you climb up a rung until you reach the max available which is 32.

Frankly I think Chord missed a trick here, the volume should go to 42

Edit - ignore the above as I merely counted the volume steps from the visually misleading moon audio pic on previous page, from zero volume to white menu button lighting up (high gain)  is 64 presses of the volume + button, a further 64 presses of the volume + button will max out the unit and your cheap (sacrificial) earbuds will no longer work. So the volume is incrementally increased through 128 volume + button presses.


----------



## daveya

Well there are supposedly 41 presses until the mythical 42nd press initiates a white light .....


----------



## oldsweatyman

anyone compare amp8 mk2 module on the ibasso dx240 with the mojo 2? the amp8 mk2 was a significant upgrade from the stock amp for me. dont have mojo 2 handy to compare at the moment


----------



## Rob Watts

BS5711 said:


> My money is on Moon Audio being wrong.
> 
> Do you have a Mojo 2 ?  Why not just follow the Moon Audio instructions and see if it works, surely it would be obvious.


Correct - there absolutely is no gain changes in the analogue circuitry. Just a digital volume control with high level range and a low level range indicated by the menu button.

The reason there are two visible ranges is simple - on the original Mojo the volume had 96 steps. But one user posted on Head-Fi that he was using his crazy efficient IEM at the minimum volume possible, and wanted lower volume. So with Mojo 2 I increased the steps to 128, giving lower volume levels. Then the problem was displaying the volume settings, so I used the menu display to indicate when you are in the high volume range or in the low volume range.

It's just a way of displaying the volume setting with better precision, nothing more or less.


----------



## daveya

Thanks


----------



## Kentajalli

I stand corrected.


----------



## daveya

I get it now, make sure when you use an IEM if the menu button is white then turn it down


----------



## Cheva1ier

Today I was able to listen to a combination of the Audeze LCD-2 Close Back and the Mojo2 in the showroom of a local retailer. I decided to share my impressions a little bit and leave a review here. I hope it will be useful to someone. I have not previously considered a mobile solution for myself, so I made a comparison with the stationary models.
Headphones: Audeze LCD-2 Close Back
Source: iPhone 13 mini + lightning-to-USB adapter
Files: Apple Music Lossless (16-24/44.1-96)
DACs: Matrix Audio mini i-pro 3, Fiio K9 Pro ESS, iFi Neo iDSD, SPL Phonitor SE, Shanling EM5
Everything that has a balanced connection was used with it, the rest with unbalanced.
How does such a monumental sound come out of such a small box?
The first thing you notice is the scale. Very wide stage, the widest of all the DACs listed. The sound is very melodic and transparent. The bass frequencies are very deep, textured and relatable. Middle frequencies are very expressive, female vocals sound great. And the high frequencies are very clear and not ringing, exactly as much as you need. Serious difference from the other DACs of the Mojo2, in my opinion, is the pronounced 3D effect. And it is expressed not in the form of superimposed effect, but rather in the sense of space. There is no such thing on the opponents. I was very much surprised by the amplifier in the Mojo2. I feared that such a load as LCD-2 will be hard for it to handle, but I was wrong. Not the slightest sign that the headphones lack gain. And the volume reserve is huge. I used only 10-12 divisions of the volume from zero and it was more than enough, that is enough for the headphones 30% of the maximum volume.
Further comparisons...
Matrix Audio mini i-pro 3: I considered this option very closely, it has Roon support, I need it, but I did not like the sound signature of this device. It has one of the most neutral pitches I've heard, but it's also not lively or expressive. The bass is good, but it doesn't feel percussive or expansive, and the treble at maximum peaks is too much for me. When comparing with the Mojo2 this unit has in my opinion the pitch is very dry. 
Fiio K9 Pro ESS: This device has very good performance. However, what stands out immediately when listening to it is the incredible treble processing. But, again, there are a lot of them and at the volume level at which I was listening to music in spades I became physically uncomfortable. Although the rest of the impression is only positive, the treble crosses out all the other pluses.
iFi Neo iDSD: This device seemed to me the most unexpressive of all the listed. The sound is as flat as possible, and not emotionally evocative and not articulate enough in the low and middle frequencies. This is especially audible when moving from the Fiio K9, it feels like there is a veil in the sound.
Shanling EM5: I have used this device for several months, so I have a good idea what it can do. I chose it earlier precisely because of the sound. I have a lot of complaints about it as a player and streamer, but now we are considering only the DAC. Everything in this device is great. Very voluminous and textured Bass, transparent and emotional midrange, but a little bit let down by the high frequencies. Comparing with Mojo2 EM5 it lacks the detail, and in especially complex compositions, in orchestra, for example, it is felt that at high volume the amplifier loses control and smudges a little.
SPL Phonitor SE + DAC: This is the most expensive DAC on the list. And expectedly it turned out to be one of the best. Everything is great here, very clean and clear pitch, relief bass, crystal clear mids and very soft and airy high frequencies. It has crossfeed just like Mojo2, but it does not have that feeling of wide space, which Mojo2 gives. And in the low frequencies everything is super clear, without coloring. After it you get the feeling that Mojo2 and EM5 give a slight increase in bass.

After this comparison I 100% decided that the Mojo2 should be at my disposal. It produces an amazing sound and has great features and capabilities for me.
In second place was the SPL Phonitor SE and in third place was the Shanling EM5.

P.S. Pardon my English


----------



## Nostoi

Moon Audio providing inaccurate and unreliable information.... I'm shocked. Their "reviews" have such integrity and insight, after all 🤔


----------



## David67

So, I'm reconsidering purchasing Mojo 2 despite my reservations regarding white noise. What I would like to know is the following:

1/ As I will be using Mojo 2 with my iPhone/iPad and ML #5909 headphones, is Apple's CCK ssufficient?

2/ Is there a concise manual for a blind newby?


----------



## Daniel Johnston

David67 said:


> So, I'm reconsidering purchasing Mojo 2 despite my reservations regarding white noise. What I would like to know is the following:
> 
> 1/ As I will be using Mojo 2 with my iPhone/iPad and ML #5909 headphones, is Apple's CCK ssufficient?
> 
> 2/ Is there a concise manual for a blind newby?


1) Yes. I use the ML 5909 and Mojo 2 for night time listening. Usually in passive mode, but sometimes ANC if noise is present. I use an Apple thunderbolt 3 cable and a usb-c to lightning adapter without issue. CCK will be fine with usb a to usb c cable. I’ve done that too.

2) No. The included manual is sparse - it will give you a good overview to understand basic functions. Rob Watts presentation about Mojo 2 from his blog linked earlier is probably the most comprehensive and best source of information. The presentation is very good and very easy to understand. Clearly with the above back and forth, the gain/volume range issue was not clear.


----------



## David67

Daniel Johnston said:


> 1) Yes. I use the ML 5909 and Mojo 2 for night time listening. Usually in passive mode, but sometimes ANC if noise is present. I use an Apple thunderbolt 3 cable and a usb-c to lightning adapter without issue. CCK will be fine with usb a to usb c cable. I’ve done that too.
> 
> 2) No. The included manual is sparse - it will give you a good overview to understand basic functions. Rob Watts presentation about Mojo 2 from his blog linked earlier is probably the most comprehensive and best source of information. The presentation is very good and very easy to understand. Clearly with the above back and forth, the gain/volume range issue was not clear.



Thanks for the info.

If you or anyone could provide a lik to the aforementioned blog  it would be much appreciated as I have to scroll line by line to search for it.


----------



## mashuto

Daniel Johnston said:


> Clearly with the above back and forth, the gain/volume range issue was not clear.


I think it was only not clear because of how moon audio phrased things in their guide. Referring to the different ranges as high/low gain when it's just two ranges of the overall volume range indicated by the menu button color.

Without reading that it was pretty clear to me and is pretty clear in actual usage.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

mashuto said:


> I think it was only not clear because of how moon audio phrased things in their guide. Referring to the different ranges as high/low gain when it's just two ranges of the overall volume range indicated by the menu button color.
> 
> Without reading that it was pretty clear to me and is pretty clear in actual usage.



True, but going by the back and forth above, it is wasn’t universally clear. The moon audio article is misleading with the high gain and low gain language. The manual doesn’t refute or clarify the moon audio article. Rob’s presentation did clarify the volume behavior, but it’s not readily linked in this thread for people to view. 

It took me precisely 20 seconds to figure out that there is no selectable gain control on the Mojo 2. Rob’s explanation was excellent. More people are going to view the Moon audio tutorial than this thread. It would be nice if they changed the language to reflect what Rob just stated above rather than the high gain/low gain business.


----------



## daveya

I understand what Rob was trying to do and why, it's the menu button changing colour that's confusing. It's just a linear scale and using the language low and high range signified by an actual change in colour to the menu button has confused some, including me, but not everyone of course.

This was trying to fix a problem that existed for IEM users to have lower volumes accessible to them as described by Rob. 

However this doesn't require the menu button to change colour when going into high mode, that's complete different to the  lower volume steps issue.  

So I assume that's been added to warn IEM users to be careful when that's lit.

So it seems two issues have been solved with M2, both for IEM users, lower volumes plus a higher volume warning light. 

Which is great. I suppose the manual could be clearer although it doesn't need to tell you lower volumes are available because that's obvious to those that need it, hence I/we focus on the higher volume range only.


----------



## jsk ksj

Dang! About 4 albums in & I'm satisfied that it's money well spent. So detailed, so insightful, so..... everything I had hoped for.

Decided to take a rest to watch Belgium Vs Croatia, only to realise it had digital out on TV & now using it as a pre amp feeding my Rotel amp & Kef speakers.... because I can lol.

Sure honeymoon period will wear off, but not today 😬


----------



## Jezda

Nostoi said:


> Yes, used this for a long time. Works perfectly. I've since upgraded to Hiby RS2, main advantage is that it has x2 SD slots. Until Poly upgrades to the same memory capacity (as on 2Go), I see no compelling reason to change from RS2. RS2 also sounds very good on its own, with an excellent line out.


Is there any sound quality difference using Hiby Rs2 or R3 as a transport to Mojo2 (or Hugo2-can you compare with 2go) or just the advantage of two SD slots? I am using R3 at the moment 
Thank you


----------



## Nostoi

Jezda said:


> Is there any sound quality difference using Hiby Rs2 or R3 as a transport to Mojo2 (or Hugo2-can you compare with 2go) or just the advantage of two SD slots? I am using R3 at the moment
> Thank you


As transport between RS2 and R3? I don't think so so long as you're using coax. Main advantage is additional SD slot. 

Hugo2Go is different. Hugo2 with USB to source is clumsy, unreliable, and prone to a bit of noise. Coax is much better in every respect. 2Go is best of all - dynamic, precise, but not harsh.


----------



## rwelles

I've never thought of the Mojo 2 as having two different gain ranges. I think there simply weren't enough different colors to cover the complete gain range of the Mojo 2; hence the use of White on the M button to designate the second range of colors.

AFAIK, going into the White range does not engage any different circuitry in the Mojo 2. So there is no high gain or low gain on the Mojo 2, just more colors.


----------



## FOUNDERZERO

syazwaned said:


> does intelligent desktop mode work while charging the poly attached to mojo2 ?


Doesn't look like anyone responded to you, so I reached out to Chord support for this particular use-case. I was curious since I recently acquired a Mojo 2 and Poly. 



> Dear Sir, thanks for your email.
> It's fine to leave the two devices connected to power, they both have intelligent charging circuits.
> All the best
> 
> ...


----------



## Sebastien Chiu

rwelles said:


> I've never thought of the Mojo 2 as having two different gain ranges. I think there simply weren't enough different colors to cover the complete gain range of the Mojo 2; hence the use of White on the M button to designate the second range of colors.
> 
> AFAIK, going into the White range does not engage any different circuitry in the Mojo 2. So there is no high gain or low gain on the Mojo 2, just more colors.



Just chiming in here to confirm this! If there were different gain modes on the Mojo, they would have been mentioned in the documentation for everyone.


----------



## thecrow

rwelles said:


> I've never thought of the Mojo 2 as having two different gain ranges. I think there simply weren't enough different colors to cover the complete gain range of the Mojo 2; hence the use of White on the M button to designate the second range of colors.
> 
> AFAIK, going into the White range does not engage any different circuitry in the Mojo 2. So there is no high gain or low gain on the Mojo 2, just more colors.


https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cho...ge-95-of-thread.885405/page-398#post-17272204


----------



## cfranchi

Has anyone tried Chord Mojo 2 with HE6se ?


----------



## Zap67

FOUNDERZERO said:


> Doesn't look like anyone responded to you, so I reached out to Chord support for this particular use-case. I was curious since I recently acquired a Mojo 2 and Poly.


the mojo 2 arrived yesterday and I immediately put it on charge, after a while the blue light turned magenta, so yes, it should work


----------



## tezla7

Has anyone tried any different power supplies with the Mojo 2 in desktop mode?  I'm looking at the iFi iPower X as it's not too expensive and I've had good results with them on other components.


----------



## MgMGM (Dec 2, 2022)

tezla7 said:


> Has anyone tried any different power supplies with the Mojo 2 in desktop mode?  I'm looking at the iFi iPower X as it's not too expensive and I've had good results with them on other components.


Hi tezla7   In my very humble opinion I very much suspect it would be a waste of money. The mojo2 works great with battery and if towards the end of your listening session  it starts to get drained, just continue with it pluged in.  Then you can enjoy the tunes and not get stressed!  Down the years ive opened up many a can of worms and gone down many a rabbit hole etc etc with that kind of stuff.....Looking back, I wasted my time and money..........


----------



## MgMGM

jsk ksj said:


> Dang! About 4 albums in & I'm satisfied that it's money well spent. So detailed, so insightful, so..... everything I had hoped for.
> 
> Decided to take a rest to watch Belgium Vs Croatia, only to realise it had digital out on TV & now using it as a pre amp feeding my Rotel amp & Kef speakers.... because I can lol.
> 
> Sure honeymoon period will wear off, but not today 😬


"Sure honeymoon period will wear off, but not today 😬"         Hey jsk ksj,    Got to disagree there,  ya sure the honeymoon period will were off,  dont think it will !!!! The mojo2 is an amazing piece of kit.. You will still be on honeymoon with it and enjoying every minute  for a very good few months to come ! As such, it really is tremendous value.......


----------



## jsk ksj

MgMGM said:


> "Sure honeymoon period will wear off, but not today 😬"         Hey jsk ksj,    Got to disagree there,  ya sure the honeymoon period will were off,  dont think it will !!!! The mojo2 is an amazing piece of kit.. You will still be on honeymoon with it and enjoying every minute  for a very good few months to come ! As such, it really is tremendous value.......


I hope you are right. Keep finding new things to plug it into   

I have a very large cd collection, but have not owned a cd player in 15 years, ripped entire library to 320 mp3. But I do have a good quality dvd / blu ray player with optical audio out. The mojo 2 now can connect this as a pre amp to my ancient Rotel amp & Kef speakers to play these cds in their full glory. Alternatively, blu ray player > mojo 2 > hd660s, sounds wonderful.


----------



## Pulcino

Cheva1ier said:


> Today I was able to listen to a combination of the Audeze LCD-2 Close Back and the Mojo2 in the showroom of a local retailer. I decided to share my impressions a little bit and leave a review here. I hope it will be useful to someone. I have not previously considered a mobile solution for myself, so I made a comparison with the stationary models.
> Headphones: Audeze LCD-2 Close Back
> Source: iPhone 13 mini + lightning-to-USB adapter
> Files: Apple Music Lossless (16-24/44.1-96)
> ...


Now add Poly or use a good optical streamer and you will experience the next level


----------



## surfgeorge

jsk ksj said:


> I hope you are right. Keep finding new things to plug it into
> 
> I have a very large cd collection, but have not owned a cd player in 15 years, ripped entire library to 320 mp3. But I do have a good quality dvd / blu ray player with optical audio out. The mojo 2 now can connect this as a pre amp to my ancient Rotel amp & Kef speakers to play these cds in their full glory. Alternatively, blu ray player > mojo 2 > hd660s, sounds wonderful.


When I got my Mojo original I connected it to my KA180 integrated amplifier https://www.whathifi.com/karan-acoustics/ka-i180-mk2/review and was blown away. Detail, soundstage depth and clarity was better than the €4000 DAC I had in my system...
Now I have all Chord DACs in the house, Mojo2Poly for portable, Hugo2Go for home headphone/IEM listening and 2Qute DAC in the stereo system.
There's something about them that does not wear off, it makes me want to listen to music, while when I listen to inferior sources I loose interest.


----------



## jsk ksj

The most surprising thing that initially stands out to me is how it seems to handle different quality of files. Most of my collection is ripped CDs into flac & 320 MP3, but also the original CDs and streamed radio podcasts and some lower quality mp3's.

Everything sounds good, certainly better.


----------



## Tiax

Tiax said:


> It seems that i have exactly the same issue. Didn't notice it at first, but with more sensitive iems it's very obvious: hiss from the right channel, from the unit itself, even without connecting it to my transport DAP or PC. And hiss is audible even when music is playing.
> 
> And that was the last unit i've bought, will have to return it then and buy another one somewhere else.


I'm happy to report that my second unit doesn't have this issue.
No hiss with both iems and headphones.


----------



## gy145

Tiax said:


> I'm happy to report that my second unit doesn't have this issue.
> No hiss with both iems and headphones.


Just get the iematch adapter. I can tell the hiss can be easily removed by using  attenuation (iematch), sound may change a little I believe, not sure. I am getting a second mojo2, hopefully I can return the one with hiss if the second one is good.


----------



## Tiax

gy145 said:


> Just get the iematch adapter.


I was considering it, but since hiss was mostly in the right channel, and there was a report already from CaptainFantastic about the same case, i decided that i don't want to find any workarounds for what is obviously a faulty unit.


----------



## tezla7

MgMGM said:


> Hi tezla7   In my very humble opinion I very much suspect it would be a waste of money. The mojo2 works great with battery and if towards the end of your listening session  it starts to get drained, just continue with it pluged in.  Then you can enjoy the tunes and not get stressed!  Down the years ive opened up many a can of worms and gone down many a rabbit hole etc etc with that kind of stuff.....Looking back, I wasted my time and money..........


Hi @MgMGM thank you for your comments.  I use the Mojo 2 in desktop mode, so it's on mains all the time.  I have also messed about with power supplies and power conditioning over the years and I've had lots of different results.  I can see how people would come to all different conclusions, but rabbit holes and lots of messing about is certainly how I would describe it.  However, when a PSU or power conditioning does improve things, the difference it makes vs the cost can be very significant in my personal experience- as difficult as it is to get there through trial and error.  Hence the asking if anyone had tried different PSUs on the Mojo 2 in desktop mode.  The Mojo 2 with it's particular DC rails, maybe it matters less, but I would have thought someone would have tried it by now and had some feedback.  The fact that a specific desktop mode was designed for the Mojo 2 goes to show a lot of people use it in Desktop mode and the fact it doesn't actually come with a psu, I would have thought more people would have tried different ones and had some feedback- even if just to say it didn't make an audible difference.  Maybe I just haven't been able to find those comments.  I was also considering moving back to a Qutest as I sold my whole setup a while ago and I'm getting back into it all again.  But I do like the Mojo 2 with a mild EQ in a desktop setup, works great.


----------



## miketlse

jsk ksj said:


> The most surprising thing that initially stands out to me is how it seems to handle different quality of files. Most of my collection is ripped CDs into flac & 320 MP3, but also the original CDs and streamed radio podcasts and some lower quality mp3's.
> 
> Everything sounds good, certainly better.


I don't have the Mojo 2, but I have the Mojo OG and Hugo 2, and your experience mirrors mine.

Over the years, IMHO:

Ripping CDs to FLAC is best compromise of quality v file size if possible
High quality mp3 is very listenable as an alternative
Online podcasts and music shows are also good, especially when they take the trouble to stream the highest bitrate possible
CDs of jazz performances in clubs in the 1950s/60s do sometimes suffer from the recording techniques available, but still the musicality and the sense of 'those guys were having fun' comes through to the listener
Poor quality mp3s are improved, but still the worst experience. Inevitably there is a limit to what Chord dacs can achieve, and the old saying 'you can't make a silk purse, out of a sows ear' starts to apply. 
Many times I have thought that it would have been great to have this level of music reproduction quality in the 80s/90s, but unfortunately the digital technology and files (apart from CDs) was not widespread or cheap.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Tiax said:


> I was considering it, but since hiss was mostly in the right channel, and there was a report already from CaptainFantastic about the same case, i decided that i don't want to find any workarounds for what is obviously a faulty unit.



So now we've had three cases (including mine) reported in the past two weeks. I hope it's not something related to the newest production batches, as there were no such reports before. Three cases reported here in past two weeks should equate to a meaningful faulty units percentage in some recent batch. It's frustrating. Although I have a perfectly functioning unit now, it ruined the experience, having to send it back, explaining the return, encountering skepticism from the shop, getting a new unit that had been opened and "tested" and also incidentally slightly scratched. I lacked the energy to ask for a second replacement and risk getting another hissy unit. 600 euro later I have a unit that might as well have been b-stock.


----------



## jsk ksj

miketlse said:


> Many times I have thought that it would have been great to have this level of music reproduction quality in the 80s/90s, but unfortunately the digital technology and files (apart from CDs) was not widespread or cheap.


I love a lot of jazz, but find lots of early jazz (20s and early) largely unlistenable due to poor recording / degradation. I know some believe this adds to their charm, but not me.


----------



## HifJ

Hi!

I have Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus and i have connected  pair of Genelec Two speakers on it. Im thinking of buying Chord Mojo 2. Im not expert of these hifi systems, so can i connect Chord Mojo 2 to Cambridge (for example with coaxial cable)? I have Sennheiser HD600 headphones.


----------



## miketlse

HifJ said:


> Hi!
> 
> I have Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus and i have connected  pair of Genelec Two speakers on it. Im thinking of buying Chord Mojo 2. Im not expert of these hifi systems, so can i connect Chord Mojo 2 to Cambridge (for example with coaxial cable)? I have Sennheiser HD600 headphones.


the Mojo 2 is digital input, with analogue output, so your coax will be carrying an analogue signal.


----------



## rwelles

HifJ said:


> Hi!
> 
> I have Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus and i have connected  pair of Genelec Two speakers on it. Im thinking of buying Chord Mojo 2. Im not expert of these hifi systems, so can i connect Chord Mojo 2 to Cambridge (for example with coaxial cable)? I have Sennheiser HD600 headphones.


If you mean taking the digital coax output from the DacMagic and feed it to the Mojo 2, then the answer is absolutely yes.


----------



## headfry (Dec 3, 2022)

surfgeorge said:


> I still have both the OG and the M2 and IMO the OG holds up very well in terms of SQ, depending on what’s more important to you.
> The og sounds softer and more mid forward with a smaller stage and less definition in both top and bottom end, but it has maybe even more emotional power than the M2 with vocals. M2 is more neutral and objectively better, but both are giving similar levels of joy to me. M2 more analytical, og more emotional.


In my opinion from what I'm hearing the OG should cost 1/2 (or less) what the M2 does and my biggest misgiving of the OG's sound is that for me the bass/midbass sounds smoother and lower resolution than the rest of the spectrum. M2 for me fixes that with resolution sounding the same top to bottom. The M2 has better clarity, imaging, coherence, bass texture and other improvements. On some tracks the differences may not be obvious, but whenever there's detail and texture in the bass and midbass it is for me. The eq and crossfeed improved sound quality and enjoyment for me with my equipment.

Rob has mentioned that he did away with the capacitor that was in the OG
and uses a DC servo circuit instead in M2,
which can explain the resolution/detail/speed improvements I hear in the bass/midbass.


----------



## ChrisGB

headfry said:


> In my opinion from what I'm hearing the OG should cost 1/2 (or less) what the M2 does and my biggest misgiving of the OG's sound is that for me the bass/midbass sounds smoother and lower resolution than the rest of the spectrum. M2 for me fixes that with resolution sounding the same top to bottom. The M2 has better clarity, imaging, coherence, bass texture and other improvements. On some tracks the differences may not be obvious, but whenever there's detail and texture in the bass and midbass it is for me. The eq and crossfeed improved sound quality and enjoyment for me with my equipment.
> 
> Rob has mentioned that he did away with the capacitor that was in the OG
> and uses a DC servo circuit instead in M2,
> which can explain the resolution/detail/speed improvements I hear in the bass/midbass.


An interesting comparison and one which to a large extent describes the most obvious differences I heard comparing Mojo 2 with Hugo 2.


----------



## Kentajalli

ChrisGB said:


> An interesting comparison and one which to a large extent describes the most obvious differences I heard comparing Mojo 2 with Hugo 2.


Yes I agree about Hugo2 bit.
Allowing for inflation , Mojo2 is actually cheaper than Mojo Classic ever was! But since the Classic has gone into used markets, then the comparison is irrelevant .
Mojo Classic was fantastic, and only the 2 betters it, not any other brand or Model, on a like for like scenario .


----------



## surfgeorge

headfry said:


> In my opinion from what I'm hearing the OG should cost 1/2 (or less) what the M2 does and my biggest misgiving of the OG's sound is that for me the bass/midbass sounds smoother and lower resolution than the rest of the spectrum. M2 for me fixes that with resolution sounding the same top to bottom. The M2 has better clarity, imaging, coherence, bass texture and other improvements. On some tracks the differences may not be obvious, but whenever there's detail and texture in the bass and midbass it is for me. The eq and crossfeed improved sound quality and enjoyment for me with my equipment.
> 
> Rob has mentioned that he did away with the capacitor that was in the OG
> and uses a DC servo circuit instead in M2,
> which can explain the resolution/detail/speed improvements I hear in the bass/midbass.


Fully agree with your comparison, yet the Mojo OG sounds really great with vocals and compared to other DACs at the price (used og) it still retains that natural quality of the Chord DACs. It has its own magic for me.
For example the Sony IER-Z1R has a quieter/recessed midrange and the Mojo OG really helps to bring vocals more forward and tame the bass and treble.

But no question, the M2 is overall the better DAC, much closer to Hugo 2.


----------



## Derivative

surfgeorge said:


> Fully agree with your comparison, yet the Mojo OG sounds really great with vocals and compared to other DACs at the price (used og) it still retains that natural quality of the Chord DACs. It has its own magic for me.
> For example the Sony IER-Z1R has a quieter/recessed midrange and the Mojo OG really helps to bring vocals more forward and tame the bass and treble.
> 
> But no question, the M2 is overall the better DAC, much closer to Hugo 2.


Chord will really need to knock it out of the park with "Hugo 3" to continue justifying the significant premium over Mojo 2...


----------



## ChrisGB

Derivative said:


> Chord will really need to knock it out of the park with "Hugo 3" to continue justifying the significant premium over Mojo 2...


I find it odd that many reckon the Mojo 2 to be comparable to the Hugo 2. They exist in very different parts of the market and there is, in my experience, very clear space between them. Hugo 2 is a fair way up the diminishing returns ladder, but it is a few rungs up. Hugo 3 would very likely make a decent sized hole in my wallet😁.


----------



## gy145 (Dec 4, 2022)

gy145 said:


> Just got my new mojo 2. Without connecting USB, just plug in my earphone and turn mojo2 on and off. I can hear clearly a tiny noise appear when mojo2 is on and such noise is constant when I play music also. Is that normal for mojo 2 as a DAC to have noticeable noise output when there is no music signal?
> Chord reply me that for sensitive earphone it is normal, and I just need some attenuation on the line.
> I was using the micro iDSD black label before, that one did not have any noise noticeable. I am happy with mojo2, just interested to learn if you guys also notice some noise.
> Thanks!


Hi,
Thanks for the useful discussion these days, especially for comments from CaptainFantastic and Tiax. I think I now reach a conclusion.
I now have two Mojo2 at hand and they are both new. The hissing I have noticed does present at both unit similarly. It is a universal hissing picked up from my shure 535 IEM since after mojo2 boots, it is not loud but noticeable, seems like not influence my music, but definitely there. Such hissing does not relate to volume, connection of USB, etc. The hissing can be easily fixed by attenuation (ex ifi iEMatch).
My conclusion is the hissing is normal for mojo2 and my IEM combination. Otherwise it is hard to believe both new mojo2 has similar defective hissing plus their SN is far away from each other. I will keep the one and return another (simply choose the one with less hissing), with Amazon in US, it is super easy to return.
It seems like Tiax and CaptainFantasitc may have different issue, since their hissing is more like a defective unit and easily proved.


----------



## surfgeorge

Derivative said:


> Chord will really need to knock it out of the park with "Hugo 3" to continue justifying the significant premium over Mojo 2...


I am sure they will, but my guess is that it will take a good while until we get to see an update.
Rob Watts has made a point of stating that he only makes updates that are significant and I take that to mean that Hugo 3 will be much more than just a Hugo 2 + EQ. Going by past experience it will be worth the wait and worth the upgrade...

Until then the Hugo 2 is a significant step up from the Mojo 2 and I am enjoying both of them


----------



## BS5711

surfgeorge said:


> I am sure they will, but my guess is that it will take a good while until we get to see an update.
> Rob Watts has made a point of stating that he only makes updates that are significant and I take that to mean that Hugo 3 will be much more than just a Hugo 2 + EQ. Going by past experience it will be worth the wait and worth the upgrade...
> 
> Until then the Hugo 2 is a significant step up from the Mojo 2 and I am enjoying both of them



I wonder if a 2025 (assuming) Hugo 3 will still use Micro USB !!


----------



## Andrewteee

Well, the EU will require all devices to use USB C as the standard connection, though I'm not sure how that would impact devices like the Chord DACs.


----------



## daveya

I'm sure when streaming protocols develop a new poly will come along with Mojo 3


----------



## Kentajalli

Andrewteee said:


> Well, the EU will require all devices to use USB C as the standard connection, though I'm not sure how that would impact devices like the Chord DACs.


That's only for charging points..
They simply include an adaptor in the package, hey Presto , it becomes legal.
iPhones! they are in trouble.


----------



## Andrewteee

Kentajalli said:


> That's only for charging points..
> They simply include an adaptor in the package, hey Presto , it becomes legal.
> iPhones! they are in trouble.


I heard a rumor (only a rumor!) that the iPhone 15 will be only wireless charging; no connector at all. That's pretty radical move because it would cut off all connection options, not just charging.


----------



## Kentajalli

Andrewteee said:


> I heard a rumor (only a rumor!) that the iPhone 15 will be only wireless charging; no connector at all. That's pretty radical move because it would cut off all connection options, not just charging.


Apple stews in a world of their own, compatibility means zip to them. So sounds about right.
I wouldn't be surprised if the wireless charging and future Bluetooth connections be only apple devices compatible.
Beauty of it is, that my daughters , would keep on buying apple regardless.
Why should apple change?


----------



## AussieMick

BS5711 said:


> I wonder if a 2025 (assuming) Hugo 3 will still use Micro USB !!


Maybe, if there is even an update and not a brand hew product, the “Hugo 3” will get a USB C input like the Mojo2? It’ll need to keep the Micro to attach the 2Go.


----------



## ChrisGB

Andrewteee said:


> I heard a rumor (only a rumor!) that the iPhone 15 will be only wireless charging; no connector at all. That's pretty radical move because it would cut off all connection options, not just charging.


That'll do wonders for the environment, given the losses in wireless charging. I wouldn't put anything past them though.


----------



## BS5711

Kentajalli said:


> Apple stews in a world of their own, compatibility means zip to them. So sounds about right.
> I wouldn't be surprised if the wireless charging and future Bluetooth connections be only apple devices compatible.
> Beauty of it is, that my daughters , would keep on buying apple regardless.
> Why should apple change?



Apple did embrace (possibly more correctly endured) using USB-C on most of the iPads so perhaps they will finally come around.

My iPad mini 6 with USB-C works flawlessly with data to USB DACs and power and data to an ifI Go Bar.


----------



## RumiKeys

Proud mojo 2 + poly user! Sound and portability king!


----------



## Guy Fawkes

Is it possible to stream music from the device (Android) to the Poly using the UPnp Renderer function of UAPP?


----------



## paulrbarnard

gy145 said:


> Hi,
> Thanks for the useful discussion these days, especially for comments from CaptainFantastic and Tiax. I think I now reach a conclusion.
> I now have two Mojo2 at hand and they are both new. The hissing I have noticed does present at both unit similarly. It is a universal hissing picked up from my shure 535 IEM since after mojo2 boots, it is not loud but noticeable, seems like not influence my music, but definitely there. Such hissing does not relate to volume, connection of USB, etc. The hissing can be easily fixed by attenuation (ex ifi iEMatch).
> My conclusion is the hissing is normal for mojo2 and my IEM combination. Otherwise it is hard to believe both new mojo2 has similar defective hissing plus their SN is far away from each other. I will keep the one and return another (simply choose the one with less hissing), with Amazon in US, it is super easy to return.
> It seems like Tiax and CaptainFantasitc may have different issue, since their hissing is more like a defective unit and easily proved.


I have Shure 846 and I have no hissing with them. Could it be a problem with your 535s?


----------



## paulrbarnard

Andrewteee said:


> I heard a rumor (only a rumor!) that the iPhone 15 will be only wireless charging; no connector at all. That's pretty radical move because it would cut off all connection options, not just charging.


Wireless charging only doesn’t mean it can’t have a lightning connection as well. As long as it doesn’t charge from it it bypasses the EU directive.


----------



## Andrewteee (Dec 6, 2022)

From Darko
The Chord Mojo 2 is 2022’s best DAC (and here’s why)​It's been a while since I've used the Mojo 2 but I recently purchased the Poly and got it up and running and I'm loving the pair!


----------



## syazwaned

FOUNDERZERO said:


> Doesn't look like anyone responded to you, so I reached out to Chord support for this particular use-case. I was curious since I recently acquired a Mojo 2 and Poly.


thanks, this is perfect!


----------



## turbo87 (Dec 6, 2022)

so i just got the chord mojo 2 and have it hooked up to the IPAD Pro running IOS 16.1.1. When I play any song in the Apple Music, the resolution does not change on the Mojo 2. It only shows 44khz for all Hi Rez songs in the Apple Music. I have the Apple Music set to Hi Rez in settings for Apple Music. Any thoughts what might be going on here? I am using the standard USB C cable I got with the IPAD Pro. I thought the resolution change was seamless on the IPAD/IOS. It does the same on the IPHONE also.


----------



## BS5711

turbo87 said:


> so i just got the chord mojo 2 and have it hooked up to the IPAD Pro running IOS 16.1.1. When I play any song in the Apple Music, the resolution does not change on the Mojo 2. It only shows 44khz for all Hi Rez songs in the Apple Music. I have the Apple Music set to Hi Rez in settings for Apple Music. Any thoughts what might be going on here? I am using the standard USB C cable I got with the IPAD Pro. I thought the resolution change was seamless on the IPAD/IOS. It does the same on the IPHONE also.



Are you 100% certain the setting is Hi Res and not just lossless ?

I don't have a Mojo 2 but I connected my iPad mini with the same 16.1.1 with the same Apple charging cable and it streams hi res from Apple Music to an ifi Gryphon with no problem. With a different but basic cable it also streams hi res to my original Mojo. Logically it should work the same to Mojo 2.

Something seems off and the logical first guess is the audio quality setting.

You are not perhaps inadvertently using data rather than wifi and the data setting is to something other than hi res ?


----------



## AussieMick

+1 for the audio quality setting.


----------



## AussieMick

Mojo2 - Poly - Audeze LCDI4 

It’s just wonderful. Really wonderful.


----------



## turbo87

no, i double checked the setting in AM. It is set to Hi Res in the AM settings on the IPAD. Will probably mess with it tonight. thanks


----------



## Johnfg465vd

Is it safe to use a Balanced Cable with a 4.4mm to 3.5mm Adapter with the Mojo 2?

I remember reading that it wasn't safe to use such a connection with one of my DAC/Amps, I can't remember if it was EarMen Sparrow, Mojo or one of iFi's devices.


----------



## Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes said:


> Is it possible to stream music from the device (Android) to the Poly using the UPnp Renderer function of UAPP?



Can anyone give me an answer to this question?


----------



## gy145

paulrbarnard said:


> I have Shure 846 and I have no hissing with them. Could it be a problem with your 535s?


I don't think so, I also have the ifi iDSD black label no hissing with the 535. chord told me it is possible for sensitive IEM to have hissing. Also based on my search it is common for low impedance IEM to have hissing, the hissing or not really depends on the combination of DAC and IEM. Maybe 535 do , 846 don't have hiss with mojo2. I know it is strange, but there really nothing I can dig in now without buying new IEMs and DACs.


----------



## turbo87

Can anyone recommend a reliable lightening to micro usb cable for the iPhone to connect to the mojo2. Will a lightning to USB C work with the mojo2. Thanks


----------



## Musicophilesblog

turbo87 said:


> Can anyone recommend a reliable lightening to micro usb cable for the iPhone to connect to the mojo2. Will a lightning to USB C work with the mojo2. Thanks


I use the Fiio LT-LT1 Lightning to USB c (as recommended here on this forum) and it works well. 

https://www.fiio.com/newsinfo/503267.html


----------



## FOUNDERZERO

Johnfg465vd said:


> Is it safe to use a Balanced Cable with a 4.4mm to 3.5mm Adapter with the Mojo 2?
> 
> I remember reading that it wasn't safe to use such a connection with one of my DAC/Amps, I can't remember if it was EarMen Sparrow, Mojo or one of iFi's devices.


Dunno about using a 4.4mm to 3.5mm cable on a single 3.5mm port of the Mojo 2, but PW Audio released an adapter that leverages both 3.5mm ports for a single 4.4mm port. I ordered the 1960s version of this. Should be arriving next week!


----------



## daveya

FOUNDERZERO said:


> Dunno about using a 4.4mm to 3.5mm cable on a single 3.5mm port of the Mojo 2, but PW Audio released an adapter that leverages both 3.5mm ports for a single 4.4mm port. I ordered the 1960s version of this. Should be arriving next week!


What is the difference between 1960s version and regular?


----------



## Nostoi

daveya said:


> What is the difference between 1960s version and regular?


Different internal wiring. I have the 1960s version for Hugo2 and regular PW version for Mojo2. Both are excellent. Whether the difference in models is worth the price difference depends on your budget and level of commitment.


----------



## daveya

Nostoi said:


> Different internal wiring. I have the 1960s version for Hugo2 and regular PW version for Mojo2. Both are excellent. Whether the difference in models is worth the price difference depends on your budget and level of commitment.


Thanks, weird I can't find info on their website


----------



## Nostoi

daveya said:


> Thanks, weird I can't find info on their website


MusicTeck also sell it and they may be able to give you more info.


----------



## chaotic_angel

Johnfg465vd said:


> Is it safe to use a Balanced Cable with a 4.4mm to 3.5mm Adapter with the Mojo 2?
> 
> I remember reading that it wasn't safe to use such a connection with one of my DAC/Amps, I can't remember if it was EarMen Sparrow, Mojo or one of iFi's devices.


I am using DDHIFI converter from 4.4 Bal to 3.5 SE and works well.
but sory I forget which model..


----------



## Johnfg465vd

chaotic_angel said:


> I am using DDHIFI converter from 4.4 Bal to 3.5 SE and works well.
> but sory I forget which model..


Nice, I've a lot of good Balanced Cables and using stock cables with Mojo 2 was getting boring. Nice to know that there are no issues.


----------



## Zap67

chaotic_angel said:


> I am using DDHIFI converter from 4.4 Bal to 3.5 SE and works well.
> but sory I forget which model..


I too, bought it on the audiophonics.fr website


----------



## BS5711

Johnfg465vd said:


> Nice, I've a lot of good Balanced Cables and using stock cables with Mojo 2 was getting boring. Nice to know that there are no issues.



Yes absolutely fine.

ddhifi DJ44C, I use one frequently.

Going 4.4mm to 3.5mm is simply setting up the wiring the two positives going to the left and right channels and the other wire per channel both going to the common grounding sleeve. Literally exactly like if you were soldering one up from scratch, four wires to the three terminals of the 3.5mm.

https://www.ddhifi.com/productinfo/623555.html


----------



## Zap67

turbo87 said:


> Can anyone recommend a reliable lightening to micro usb cable for the iPhone to connect to the mojo2. Will a lightning to USB C work with the mojo2. Thanks


I have this:
https://www.ddhifi.eu/?product=mfi06-lightning-to-typec-data-cable


----------



## BS5711

Nostoi said:


> Different internal wiring. I have the 1960s version for Hugo2 and regular PW version for Mojo2. Both are excellent. Whether the difference in models is worth the price difference depends on your budget and level of commitment.



$300 for the 1960s version.

It looks cool but beyond visual appeal what is it supposed to do for $300 ?

There is nothing it can do except connect four wires to two positives and one common ground.


----------



## Nostoi

BS5711 said:


> $300 for the 1960s version.
> 
> It looks cool but beyond visual appeal what is it supposed to do for $300 ?
> 
> There is nothing it can do except connect four wires to two positives and one common ground.


As mentioned, PW uses a different wiring for the 1960s version, which purportedly is of a more refined quality. I bought that for Hugo 2 as I thought the higher-end Hugo 2 merited a high-end adaptor. I've had the DD ones before, and find they're ok but fairly fragile. I personally don't like the way they rotate when plugged in. In terms of actual sound difference, that's down to each user to determine if it makes a difference. I tend not to quibble about these things too much, I'd just rather maximise the performance and use of whatever source I'm using. If it costs a bit more, so be it.


----------



## BS5711

turbo87 said:


> Can anyone recommend a reliable lightening to micro usb cable for the iPhone to connect to the mojo2. Will a lightning to USB C work with the mojo2. Thanks



ddhifi TC28i and a ddhifi TC05 or TC09S cable.      USB-C to C cable so it can be used with other gear, TC28i adapter works flawlessly.

Or a ddhifi MFi06 or MFi09S.      Direct lightning to USB-C, may not be much use in the future if Apple drop the Lightning connector.

https://www.ddhifi.com/ProductInfoCategory?categoryId=143738&PageInfoId=0


----------



## BS5711 (Dec 7, 2022)

Nostoi said:


> As mentioned, PW uses a different wiring for the 1960s version, which purportedly is of a more refined quality. I bought that for Hugo 2 as I thought the higher-end Hugo 2 merited a high-end adaptor. I've had the DD ones before, and find they're ok but fairly fragile. I personally don't like the way they rotate when plugged in. In terms of actual sound difference, that's down to each user to determine if it makes a difference. I tend not to quibble about these things too much, I'd just rather maximise the performance and use of whatever source I'm using. If it costs a bit more, so be it.



Sure, understood, but I am intrigued how a $300 block can do anything better than join wires together. Sure it can use good internal wiring and quality connections but it is literally joining four wires to three places using internal wiring and metal connection points that touch inside the Mojo jacks and onto the 4.4mm plug.

I don’t want to be contrary but it seems if one was fussing over the nth degree of sound quality a single 3.5mm plug with the wire’s soldered to it internally in the normal fashion would be better than even the very best of adapters that double the unsoldered connection points.

Sure you can use a fancy 4.4mm cable with the Mojo but you could buy what is an almost certainly technically better 3.5mm cable for 300 bucks.

In this hobby I am frankly surprised I have never seen anything about custom hard wiring a headphone cable into the amplifier and dedicating that amplifier and headphone combination.


----------



## Nostoi

BS5711 said:


> Sure, understood, but I am intrigued how a $300 block can do anything better than join wires together. Sure it can use good internal wiring and quality connections but it is literally joining four wires to three places using internal wiring and metal connection points that touch inside the Mojo jacks and onto the 4.4mm plug.
> 
> I don’t want to be contrary but it seems if one was fussing over the nth degree of sound quality a single 3.5mm plug with the wire’s soldered to it internally in the normal fashion would be better than even the very best of adapters that double the unsoldered connection points.
> 
> Sure you can use a fancy 4.4mm cable with the Mojo but you could buy what is an almost certainly technically better 3.5mm cable for 300 bucks.


How do we quantify anything? The marvellous aspect of free-market capitalism is the liberty of individual choice (hope my colleagues don't read that). 

I do actually agree about the cable aspect. Since basically all my gear is single-ended - aside from few things - I had intended to do away with these adaptors. What prevented me from doing this, is that single-ended cables are very hard to shift on the 2nd hand market, because generally everyone is moving to balanced. So these nice adapters tend to future-proof single-ended sources like Mojo2 and Hugo2. Moreover, with a balanced cable you have the option to go to a single-ended source, whereas one cannot go SE to balanced if one wants to use, for example, a balanced DAP. 

But as I say, plenty of choices out there for all kinds of situations. One doesn't have to buy a $300 block.


----------



## BS5711

Nostoi said:


> How do we quantify anything? The marvellous aspect of free-market capitalism is the liberty of individual choice (hope my colleagues don't read that).
> 
> I do actually agree about the cable aspect. Since basically all my gear is single-ended - aside from few things - I had intended to do away with these adaptors. What prevented me from doing this, is that single-ended cables are very hard to shift on the 2nd hand market, because generally everyone is moving to balanced. So these nice adapters tend to future-proof single-ended sources like Mojo2 and Hugo2. Moreover, with a balanced cable you have the option to go to a single-ended source, whereas one cannot go SE to balanced if one wants to use, for example, a balanced DAP.
> 
> But as I say, plenty of choices out there for all kinds of situations. One doesn't have to buy a $300 block.



Sounds good to me and thanks for the convivial chat.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Dec 7, 2022)

I have 2 ddHiFIi DJ35R 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapters. Both of them are causing loud screeching noises when inserted to a 3.5mm jack. The customer service told me that it's happening because they are Rhodium plated and it is sensitive to dust and finger holding. I keep them very clean but I am also cleaning them every time with a cloth. Still, I need to rotate them a couple of times after inserting it, to stop the screeching noises.


----------



## turbo87

Musicophilesblog said:


> I use the Fiio LT-LT1 Lightning to USB c (as recommended here on this forum) and it works well.
> 
> https://www.fiio.com/newsinfo/503267.html


Any US sources that carry this cable? Search did not find any with stock. Thanks.


----------



## wcrespo178

turbo87 said:


> Any US sources that carry this cable? Search did not find any with stock. Thanks.


I bought mine from apos.


----------



## turbo87

wcrespo178 said:


> I bought mine from apos.


Thanks. Ordered one.


----------



## paulrbarnard

turbo87 said:


> no, i double checked the setting in AM. It is set to Hi Res in the AM settings on the IPAD. Will probably mess with it tonight. thanks


If you already had the files downloaded before selecting hi res the files on the iPad will not be auto updated. You need to delete them and re-download.


----------



## turbo87

paulrbarnard said:


> If you already had the files downloaded before selecting hi res the files on the iPad will not be auto updated. You need to delete them and re-download.


Yeah, it was really user error I believe. Last night I went back and specifically searched for HiRez files and they seem to play at the correct bitrate. I was playing one of the Dolby Atmos playlists, which had a collections of HiRez songs. But all of them defaulted to 44.1Khz. When playing the same playlist on my MacBook Air, they showed the correct bitrate. Odd. But its working now. Thanks.


----------



## daveya

BS5711 said:


> $300 for the 1960s version.
> 
> It looks cool but beyond visual appeal what is it supposed to do for $300 ?
> 
> There is nothing it can do except connect four wires to two positives and one common ground.


I've had a reply 

You get 1960s style sound apparently using 1960s materials 

'Adapter for Mojo - 1960s version is based on the material used for 1960s cable, and also it performs the sound style of 1960s. For details of 1960s, we suggest reading some reviews, such as......'


----------



## BS5711

daveya said:


> I've had a reply
> 
> You get 1960s style sound apparently using 1960s materials
> 
> 'Adapter for Mojo - 1960s version is based on the material used for 1960s cable, and also it performs the sound style of 1960s. For details of 1960s, we suggest reading some reviews, such as......'



Oh for goodness sake, really.

I think that should tell you something about the market sector they are aiming their $300 adapter at !

How do you join four wires to three places and make it sound different ? Unless they have put some electronics in the adapter to mess with the sound in some way.


----------



## BS5711

turbo87 said:


> Yeah, it was really user error I believe. Last night I went back and specifically searched for HiRez files and they seem to play at the correct bitrate. I was playing one of the Dolby Atmos playlists, which had a collections of HiRez songs. But all of them defaulted to 44.1Khz. When playing the same playlist on my MacBook Air, they showed the correct bitrate. Odd. But its working now. Thanks.



Better that you found it was just a you problem than a gear problem 😂


----------



## AussieMick

BS5711 said:


> Oh for goodness sake, really.
> 
> I think that should tell you something about the market sector they are aiming their $300 adapter at !
> 
> How do you join four wires to three places and make it sound different ? Unless they have put some electronics in the adapter to mess with the sound in some way.


Internal wiring can have quite the impact on sound. Copper and it’s different purities, silver, tinned copper, silver played copper…sadly everything matters once you hit a certain resolution level. But yes, $300 for an adapter is very interesting pricing. But people buy Maserati and Bentley and Porsche right? Perhaps part of the appeal is pride of ownership for having a premium product.


----------



## BS5711

AussieMick said:


> Internal wiring can have quite the impact on sound. Copper and it’s different purities, silver, tinned copper, silver played copper…sadly everything matters once you hit a certain resolution level. But yes, $300 for an adapter is very interesting pricing. But people buy Maserati and Bentley and Porsche right? Perhaps part of the appeal is pride of ownership for having a premium product.



Understood in principle but I struggle with a few, lets say 1.5 inch, lengths of wire or board trace in that thing making any audible difference at all.

How is that going to make any difference to the overall conductivity when the cable it is connected to might be 4, 5, 6, 8 feet of copper, silver, goodness knows what wire, unless each wire is different material, sizes, lengths and quality to intentionally mess things up, maybe in a good 1960's way ?

And is a Mojo or Mojo 2, which this thing is designed for, actually good enough for that to matter ? I mean it is a good little DAC but it is still in essence a mass produced consumer grade item made to a price point.

Seems like a hell of stretch to me but what do I know.


----------



## rwelles

AussieMick said:


> Perhaps part of the appeal is pride of ownership for having a premium product.


For me, the appeal was primarily mechanical. There is close-to-zero chance that I will damage my beloved Mojo 2.


----------



## AussieMick

BS5711 said:


> Understood in principle but I struggle with a few, lets say 1.5 inch, lengths of wire or board trace in that thing making any audible difference at all.
> 
> How is that going to make any difference to the overall conductivity when the cable it is connected to might be 4, 5, 6, 8 feet of copper, silver, goodness knows what wire, unless each wire is different material, sizes, lengths and quality to intentionally mess things up, maybe in a good 1960's way ?
> 
> ...


Only one to find out and that’s to listen to it.


----------



## DonSimon76

Had some time to myself for a change so I thought I'd A/B my Denafrips Ares II to my Mojo 2. It was originally just for S&G's but I was surprised when I heard a real difference. The Mojo 2 seems to have a bit more clarity and/or more definition to the top end. The biggest difference comes out in the top end of vocals, kinda like that little bit of edge that makes the vocals stand out. I tried eq'ing a little more top end onto the Ares using my Schiit Loki Mini but it added too much and got harsh. In addition to the clarity, the Mojo 2 also added a touch more sound stage. I'm kind of at a conundrum now. I'm not going to make any rash decisions but I think I am liking the Mojo 2 more. I did make a point of making sure the Mojo 2 eq was set to flat. I feel kinda weird contemplating swapping the Ares II out of my desktop setup for the Mojo 2. 

I'm running Roon from my desktop PC via USB to a Denafrips Iris and then coax to the Ares II and optical to the Mojo 2. Both the Ares and Mojo are then going to a Schiit SYS switch which then goes to another Schiit SYS which routes the signal to either a RebelAmp or my Woo Audio WA6 tube amp. Using headphones tonight, mostly my Focal Clear and Audeze LCD-2 Closed Back. I'll do more A/B'ing tomorrow using speakers to see how the difference sounds that way. For that, I have the signal going to an emotiva BasX A2m amplifier to a pair of Kef Q150's.


----------



## AussieMick

DonSimon76 said:


> Had some time to myself for a change so I thought I'd A/B my Denafrips Ares II to my Mojo 2. It was originally just for S&G's but I was surprised when I heard a real difference. The Mojo 2 seems to have a bit more clarity and/or more definition to the top end. The biggest difference comes out in the top end of vocals, kinda like that little bit of edge that makes the vocals stand out. I tried eq'ing a little more top end onto the Ares using my Schiit Loki Mini but it added too much and got harsh. In addition to the clarity, the Mojo 2 also added a touch more sound stage. I'm kind of at a conundrum now. I'm not going to make any rash decisions but I think I am liking the Mojo 2 more. I did make a point of making sure the Mojo 2 eq was set to flat. I feel kinda weird contemplating swapping the Ares II out of my desktop setup for the Mojo 2.
> 
> I'm running Roon from my desktop PC via USB to a Denafrips Iris and then coax to the Ares II and optical to the Mojo 2. Both the Ares and Mojo are then going to a Schiit SYS switch which then goes to another Schiit SYS which routes the signal to either a RebelAmp or my Woo Audio WA6 tube amp. Using headphones tonight, mostly my Focal Clear and Audeze LCD-2 Closed Back. I'll do more A/B'ing tomorrow using speakers to see how the difference sounds that way. For that, I have the signal going to an emotiva BasX A2m amplifier to a pair of Kef Q150's.


What a terrific project. I wonder if the extended signal path favours one over the other? Can you listen directly without all the switches to see if it makes the differences more or less obvious?


----------



## Odezra

DonSimon76 said:


> Had some time to myself for a change so I thought I'd A/B my Denafrips Ares II to my Mojo 2. It was originally just for S&G's but I was surprised when I heard a real difference. The Mojo 2 seems to have a bit more clarity and/or more definition to the top end. The biggest difference comes out in the top end of vocals, kinda like that little bit of edge that makes the vocals stand out. I tried eq'ing a little more top end onto the Ares using my Schiit Loki Mini but it added too much and got harsh. In addition to the clarity, the Mojo 2 also added a touch more sound stage. I'm kind of at a conundrum now. I'm not going to make any rash decisions but I think I am liking the Mojo 2 more. I did make a point of making sure the Mojo 2 eq was set to flat. I feel kinda weird contemplating swapping the Ares II out of my desktop setup for the Mojo 2.
> 
> I'm running Roon from my desktop PC via USB to a Denafrips Iris and then coax to the Ares II and optical to the Mojo 2. Both the Ares and Mojo are then going to a Schiit SYS switch which then goes to another Schiit SYS which routes the signal to either a RebelAmp or my Woo Audio WA6 tube amp. Using headphones tonight, mostly my Focal Clear and Audeze LCD-2 Closed Back. I'll do more A/B'ing tomorrow using speakers to see how the difference sounds that way. For that, I have the signal going to an emotiva BasX A2m amplifier to a pair of Kef Q150's.


Mojo 2 really outperforms it’s price point and can perform v well in low - mid fi systems.

I just finished a major set of comparisons with a burson conductor 3x gt, mojo 2, Gustard r26, and had a topping in there for s&gs. Tried them in a speaker set up (Buchardts with a tube amp) and in HP set up. Mojo ended up number 2, just behind the Gustard - lost out to bass extension and impact mostly. 

It’s a super DAC for the money and with poly is v flexible (if only mojo / poly battery life was a wee bit better).


----------



## ChrisGB

My thoughts on the expensive 3.5mm to balanced adaptor is that at what price point does a good 3.5mm terminated cable come in as a better sonic performer?

Any adapter, no matter how well it is designed and made, or whatever exotic materials it may contain, will introduce an additional mechanical connection to the chain, which in itself can cause degradation of the sound. You then also add at least 7 solder joints and at least 4 lengths of conductor that all introduce potential for degradation too. Add in the potential interactions between changes of conductor material. I'd be interested to find out if a good non balanced cable at the same cost didn't sound at least as good, if not better.


----------



## AussieMick

But if you have a $750 headphone cable, maybe you look for a $300 adapter instead of buying another $750 cable in 3.5mm?


----------



## thecrow

turbo87 said:


> Thanks. Ordered one.


There’s also the longer version.
the Lt-Lt3

https://fiio.com/productinfo/718506.html


----------



## BS5711 (Dec 9, 2022)

AussieMick said:


> But if you have a $750 headphone cable, maybe you look for a $300 adapter instead of buying another $750 cable in 3.5mm?



But if you are interested in quality sufficient to have a $750 cable why would you want to slum it with an adapter, or frankly with a Mojo !

One would have a super high end copper bodied DAP surely !  Right ?

Google “PW Audio Orpheous”. A near US $8,000 IEM cable, I think it is pretty obvious what the companies target market is !


----------



## BS5711

AussieMick said:


> Only one to find out and that’s to listen to it.



Blind listen ?

Do you really think you are going to hear an adapter, blind A/B ?

I am certain I couldn’t.

I am beginning to think my hearing is simply faulty and I am missing out on the improvements from all the audiophile toys that so many others hear plain as day 😂

Stickers were the best one I read recently.


----------



## Kentajalli

ChrisGB said:


> My thoughts on the expensive 3.5mm to balanced adaptor is that at what price point does a good 3.5mm terminated cable come in as a better sonic performer?


50p !!


ChrisGB said:


> Any adapter, no matter how well it is designed and made, or whatever exotic materials it may contain, will introduce an additional mechanical connection to the chain, which in itself can cause degradation of the sound. You then also add at least 7 solder joints and at least 4 lengths of conductor that all introduce potential for degradation too. Add in the potential interactions between changes of conductor material. I'd be interested to find out if a good non balanced cable at the same cost didn't sound at least as good, if not better.


For as long as a cable is not badly made, uses decent materials, then difference between cable sonic signature is almost nil.
I say almost because some DACs may be sensitive to cable capacitance and/or inductances. Also if a headphone is really low impedance, and the DAC is at the edge of its capability to drive them, then any additional contact or cable impedance may upset that balance.
For example:
The cable bundled with Hifiman EDXS, has high impedance (from sample to sample) , and highish capacitance. General quality of manufacturing is not that high.
With a sensitive enough DAC and the lowish impedance of the headphones, sometimes you can hear sonic difference is cables, only because the bundled cable is bad!
Use a good cable that comes bundled with focal headphones, and you'll find EDXS behaves a little better.


----------



## daveya

Yeah a guy on the EdXS thread said he could hear differences with cables in a shop, 4 different cables all sounded different


----------



## headfry (Dec 8, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> 50p !!
> 
> For as long as a cable is not badly made, uses decent materials, then difference between cable sonic signature is almost nil.
> I say almost because some DACs may be sensitive to cable capacitance and/or inductances. Also if a headphone is really low impedance, and the DAC is at the edge of its capability to drive them, then any additional contact or cable impedance may upset that balance.
> ...


Your truth, not everybody's.


----------



## Raffik1

My Mojo 2 is connected to my Mac mini, and I listen mostly to Amazon Music and Audionirvana. Amazon has a strange habit of having files with different resolutions even in the same album. For example, on Making Movies by Dire Straits, the first two tracks are 24 bit/192 kHz, while the rest are at 16 bit/44.1 kHz. I use the Mac's Audio MIDI Setup to set the output fidelity to the Mojo 2, and keep it at the highest rate for the album. However, when a lower-resolution song comes on, Amazon Music lowers the output resolution to the track's resolution, but since the MIDI is still set on 24/192, the Mojo 2 shows the input at that higher rate as well (blue power button). In this case, where is the upsampling happening? Is MIDI doing the upsampling, or the Mojo 2?


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## Kentajalli (Dec 8, 2022)

headfry said:


> Your truth, not everybody's.


You mean, my _opinion._
Truth is singular for everyone.
Reminds me of that woman that used to work for Trump, she called it _Alternative truths!_
That's OK. I got you, it's cool.


----------



## Kentajalli

Raffik1 said:


> My Mojo 2 is connected to my Mac mini, and I listen mostly to Amazon Music and Audionirvana. Amazon has a strange habit of having files with different resolutions even in the same album. For example, on Making Movies by Dire Straits, the first two tracks are 24 bit/192 kHz, while the rest are at 16 bit/44.1 kHz. I use the Mac's Audio MIDI Setup to set the output fidelity to the Mojo 2, and keep it at the highest rate for the album. However, when a lower-resolution song comes on, Amazon Music lowers the output resolution to the track's resolution, but since the MIDI is still set on 24/192, the Mojo 2 shows the input at that higher rate as well (blue power button). *In this case, where is the upsampling happening? Is MIDI doing the upsampling, or the Mojo 2?*


Audionirvana or Mac's MIDI.
If Mojo reports it is receiving 192kHz, then it must have happened beforehand.
In this case it is a padded output, meaning, that samples are just repeated to make them appear as 192kHz.
This is not a good idea!
You have paid extra money for your Mojo, for Mojo to do the upsampling, which is automatic.
Mojo upsamples everything to 768kHz very cleverly, by looking at past samples and future samples (using a buffer) and averaging them to calculate the correct inner samples.
That's what is meant by TAPS.
If you feed it artificial 192kHz material, then you are fooling your Mojo, into believing that those samples are real, but they are not!
If you can, don't upsample, let Mojo do what it was designed to do (for which you paid good money for).


----------



## BS5711 (Dec 8, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> You mean, my _opinion._
> Truth is singular for everyone.
> Reminds me of that woman that used to work for Trump, she called it _Alternative truths!_
> That's OK. I got you, it's cool.



*Precisely.*

Given a person with very good hearing the differences are literally either audible in the human range or they are not, there is no version of truth, and honestly it isn't even opinion, it is personal observation, if there is a change and your hearing is decent you will hear it.

I remember getting my first decent headphone cable. I was listening to music while working when it was delivered so I swapped the cable over and plugged back into the same set up. BOOM .... wow this cable thing is real, amazing clarity and added details. I stopped and had some lunch, popped back to my desk and did a bit of back and forth between the cables and very quickly realised what I heard so very vividly half an hour earlier was all in my head, expectation bias.

I have bought about 10 nice cables since, not mad high end but nice, GUCraftsman, Kinera Dromi and and several Forza ..... I don't expect to hear sound changes and, guess what, I don't.

I am nowhere near as experienced as a lot of people that post here but approaching these sort of things with my analytical, engineering background mindset I am quickly forming the opinion after a couple of years meddling in this hobby that a MASSIVE part of it that is literally built around the human imagination and people hearing things that either literally don't exist or at best are small changes that the "audiophile" blows out of all proportion and calls them "significant".

If, using the same headphone, I can't plug into one set up versus another and hear an immediate difference (as one would using a different headphone on the same set up) the difference is not significant. If I have to listen to selected parts of selected tracks to hear a tiny edge taken off the biting treble (yeah I have done that) the differences are slight.

That might be important to one person but the way these super subtle and sometime imagined changes are discussed on places like Head Fi perpetuates a culture that frankly is wearing a bit thin on me. I am downsizing gear and simplifying things, enjoying simple but decent gear with a few decent headphones and IEM and listening to the music rather than the equipment. Yes I like the toys as much as the next guy but for goodness sake keep some perspective.


----------



## Kentajalli (Dec 8, 2022)

Well the difference is not measurable!
There are very simple and effective tests available.
Such as, playing music or multiple tones into a pair of headphones, recording the output, then changing the cable and repeat.
By subtracting the two, differences , if any , should show up.


----------



## BS5711 (Dec 8, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> Well the difference is not measurable!
> There are very simple and effective tests available.
> Such as, playing music or multiple tones into a pare of headphones, recording the output, then changing the cable and repeat.
> By subtracting the two, differences , if any , should show up.



We are in total agreement here.

I am happy to believe that there could be changes that are heard but not measured, granted a stretch I know, but still, if any person with good hearing can't hear a change the change isn't there or it is so slight as to be, in any sane persons mind, "meaningless" and not "significant" in the literal technical sense of the word. Perhaps the believers should start describing the sound change not as "significant" or "night and day" but as "extremely subtle, barely noticeable, but important to me because the change cost me $1,000 to achieve".

I saw a video on Passion for Sound I think it was that was exactly as you described. Not "measuring" the sound as much rather "recording" the sound and its exact inverse with a different cable and playing back the sum ..... literally no sound because the sounds were exactly the same but inversed and they cancelled each other out completely. That was literally the recorded sound using gear more sensitive than human hearing not a FR graph.


----------



## AussieMick

“This change is worth the outlay for me.”

Yep, an excellent way to phrase it. For whatever reason. Real or imagined. Let people have a nice time. I only have a problem when either side gets militant and behaves like a messiah trying to save the other side from their foolishness. Hate it. But it seems the way online with so many people typing things they’d never say in polite face to face conversation. 

I also have a problem with the binary concepts that float around. “Objectivist vs subjectivist” and “believer vs sceptic”. The reality, as always, lies somewhere in between.


----------



## turbo87

Kentajalli said:


> Audionirvana or Mac's MIDI.
> If Mojo reports it is receiving 192kHz, then it must have happened beforehand.
> In this case it is a padded output, meaning, that samples are just repeated to make them appear as 192kHz.
> This is not a good idea!
> ...


Use the LossLess Switcher app, that automatically switches the bitrate on the Mac. Doesn't work all the time, but works most of the time.

https://github.com/vincentneo/LosslessSwitcher


----------



## ChrisGB

It's a pretty deep subject to get into. Measurable differences can be inaudible, unmeasurable differences can be audible. Part of it depends on what you are measuring, of course. With cables, we know that in theory they should all sound the same, but we also know that they _can _sound quite different.

We then get into the design, material choice and construction quality. These _ can_ define the price point, and this is where there is scope for significant improvements, if the original cable was not good. If the original  cable was good, the scope for improvement in reduced.

Then we need to define improvement. This is where the terminology used by audiophiles comes in. Beyond a certain level of expected performance, we are looking at differences that are subtle to some, blatant to others. But they are often differences, not necessarily improvements, and this is where our subjective preferences take over.

For my part, I can easily blind listen to a Mojo 2, a Hugo 2 and a Shanling M6 and, with my well known musical test pieces, identify which I am listening to. The Mojo 2 has a difference in character that I can objectively describe, but the other two are actually closer in sound and the way the sound feels is more the defining difference than specifics of how they sound. Cables though, if not defective, are already close to their diminishing returns plateau and although I've never listened to £700+ headphone cables, I do wonder if I'd be able to tell the difference between one and the stock item supplied with the Quad ERA-1. 

Personally, I'm more interested in the music than obsessing about the gear, but, the gear is important to get the music through!


----------



## BS5711 (Dec 8, 2022)

AussieMick said:


> “This change is worth the outlay for me.”
> 
> Yep, an excellent way to phrase it. For whatever reason. Real or imagined. Let people have a nice time. I only have a problem when either side gets militant and behaves like a messiah trying to save the other side from their foolishness. Hate it. But it seems the way online with so many people typing things they’d never say in polite face to face conversation.
> 
> I also have a problem with the binary concepts that float around. “Objectivist vs subjectivist” and “believer vs sceptic”. The reality, as always, lies somewhere in between.



Yep I would go along with that.

I am not one to try and force my opinion on others, perhaps I state it with enthusiasm sometimes, but I certainly agree there is no harm in believing in the fine details making a difference so long as that opinion is not forced on others either. In reality, like you also said, the "truth" is likely some middle ground.

What I am not keen on is the way that such passionate belief in things of this nature are bandied about on places like this leading to new folks thinking that they are missing out because they don't have this or that bit of gear. In reality the first 90% of the sound quality comes with the first 10% of the cost ...... give or take.

Anyway, I have vented sufficiently


----------



## AussieMick

ChrisGB said:


> With cables, we know that in theory they should all sound the same, but we also know that they _can _sound quite different.





ChrisGB said:


> It's a pretty deep subject to get into. Measurable differences can be inaudible, unmeasurable differences can be audible. Part of it depends on what you are measuring, of course. With cables, we know that in theory they should all sound the same, but we also know that they _can _sound quite different.
> 
> We then get into the design, material choice and construction quality. These _ can_ define the price point, and this is where there is scope for significant improvements, if the original cable was not good. If the original  cable was good, the scope for improvement in reduced.
> 
> ...


I’m not sure about one part of this. In theory we know they should indeed sound different. Stranded, solid core, Litz…copper, silver, tinned copper, silver plated copper…measurable differences with these that do explain them sounding different, some to do with skin effect, others with conductivity. Connectors chosen can sound quite different, too, as can the quality of soldering or cold welding. Even the thickness of cables can impact an amp’s ability to deliver power under load (admittedly that’s more of a speaker thing than a headphone thing). 
I do agree that the results can be down to preference rather than saying “better” or “worse” because we don’t really have standards with which everyone discusses these things. 
Hearing differences also gets impacted by the gear we use. Some people like highly resolving systems in which differences can be more obvious, where others prefer systems that aren’t a “warts and all” presentation, in which these subtle differences just aren’t as apparent. 
So many variables to consider that’s it’s impossible to discuss anything in absolute terms. My source, amp, headphones and cables will be different than the set ups of others, and the music I listen to different again. Not to mention my personal preferences in presentation and sound character. 
I 100% believe anyone who says, “I tried that and heard no difference” and also those who say, “I tried that and heard a difference”. Sometimes trouble occurs when we take our personal experience and extract from it universal truths.


----------



## Kentajalli

AussieMick said:


> I’m not sure about one part of this. In theory we know they should indeed sound different. Stranded, solid core, Litz…copper, silver, tinned copper, silver plated copper…*measurable differences* with these that do explain them sounding different, some to do with skin effect, others with conductivity. C


I am eager to learn, can you provide some please, a link perhaps.
Thanx


----------



## AussieMick (Dec 9, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> I am eager to learn, can you provide some please, a link perhaps.
> Thanx


I’d direct you to many episodes of The Hifi Podcast with Darren and Duncan. Listen to all 87 episodes and you get a broad education. Also podcasts hosted by Darko when he interviews Mark Jenkins, Nuno Vittorino, Garth Powell, Rob Watts, Paul McGowan, Darren Myers…
Then go to the Belden and Blue Jeans websites and check out technical papers by Galen Gareis (spelling might not be right!) who’s been incredibly open about his designs and use of materials and geometries.

https://www.iconoclastcable.com/story/

White papers free for anyone to look at.

It also has to be said that surely companies such as AudioQuest, Transparent, Nordost, Kimber etc would have a great deal of proprietary research that wouldn’t be public knowledge. The IP of these companies must run deep.

All of the podcasts I mentioned are also entertaining, which helps. You don’t have to believe everything they say of course, but designers at the front edge are going to know more than your standard person with a degree in electronic engineering.

https://www.commongroundcables.com/

Fantastic power cables. Description of engineering goals.


----------



## headfry

Here's an overview by an established cable designer: https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/rcl-part-2-roger-skoff-cables/


----------



## ChrisGB

AussieMick said:


> I’m not sure about one part of this. In theory we know they should indeed sound different.


I'm more thinking that although we can measure the differences in cables, in theory our hearing shouldn't be able to detect these tiny differences. But as we all know, we can detect differences, even in stuff that measures the same.


----------



## Musicophilesblog

ChrisGB said:


> I'm more thinking that although we can measure the differences in cables, in theory our hearing shouldn't be able to detect these tiny differences. But as we all know, we can detect differences, even in stuff that measures the same.


Guys don’t you think we have enough cable discussions elsewhere already? Can we move this back on topic?


----------



## Daniel Johnston

+1 on the cable debate. It's a no win situation and you won't be able to come to a consensus.

That being said, I ordered the non 1960s version of the PW adapter for Mojo 2. I have the ddHifi 4.4 to 3.5 adapter. It's great, but it seems to put a bit too much strain on the 3.5 connector on the Mojo (with the DCA Vivo cable). I'm sure it's safe, but I like the PW adapter's design better.


----------



## Nostoi

Daniel Johnston said:


> +1 on the cable debate. It's a no win situation and you won't be able to come to a consensus.
> 
> That being said, I ordered the non 1960s version of the PW adapter for Mojo 2. I have the ddHifi 4.4 to 3.5 adapter. It's great, but it seems to put a bit too much strain on the 3.5 connector on the Mojo (with the DCA Vivo cable). I'm sure it's safe, but I like the PW adapter's design better.


Quite. Very tiresome discussion. 

And this is exactly the reason why I bought the PW adapter - ergonomically it works much better and you can be assured it won't harm the 3.5mm sockets. I use it everyday out and about - in cafes, on trains, in my pocket - and am very happy with the result. I had the DD one before, and the fact it swivels around basically renders it useless to me.


----------



## AussieMick

@Nostoi @Daniel Johnston @Musicophilesblog you’ll note we weren’t debating, just having a rather civilised and grown up conversation with appreciation for what each other were saying.
However, point taken.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

AussieMick said:


> @Nostoi @Daniel Johnston @Musicophilesblog you’ll note we weren’t debating, just having a rather civilised and grown up conversation with appreciation for what each other were saying.
> However, point taken.



No worries. 

Cable discussions usually degenerate into ugliness. Seen it too many times. Intentions are always good at first.


----------



## ZeDuK

Hello there,
I have a Mojo 2 at home for the second time… some things need to be done twice. 
Is there a cable available now to use with an iPhone (excluding the lightning to USB A adapter) ?


----------



## Somafunk (Dec 9, 2022)

deleted


----------



## Somafunk

headfry said:


> Here's an overview by an established cable designer




Roger Skoff and Positive Feedback?, there’s a self perpetuating feedback loop of utter foo wrapped up with a pittance of genuine engineering principles in one sentence, every competent electronic designer is smacking their heads in shame, especially at the term “cable designer”




ZeDuK said:


> Hello there,
> I have a Mojo 2 at home for the second time… some things need to be done twice.
> Is there a cable available now to use with an iPhone (excluding the lightning to USB A adapter) ?



Hi ZeDuk, Yeah there is - check out this Fiio cable, it comes in two lengths, you can probably find one from an online store in France rather than ordering direct from Fiio. I use one, no problems at all.


----------



## thecrow

ZeDuK said:


> Hello there,
> I have a Mojo 2 at home for the second time… some things need to be done twice.
> Is there a cable available now to use with an iPhone (excluding the lightning to USB A adapter) ?


All you had to do was look at the two pages before your post and your question was answered there


----------



## Somafunk

thecrow said:


> All you had to do was look at the two pages before your post and your question was answered there



There is now 400+ pages in this thread, should everyone who asks a question be made to read the entire thread before receiving an answer?, it took me 30 seconds to respond to ZeDuk which I consider good forum etiquette, you could just as easily replied in a similar fashion rather than reply with snark.


----------



## ZeDuK (Dec 10, 2022)

Thanks Somafunk for your kindly help.

thecrow : that’s exactly the reason, so many pages for this topic, very hard to find the answer. I’ve checked the last two pages just in case.

As the ddhifi, this Fiio is quite short to my needs. 
1 meter length would be perfect to keep the iPhone in hand while the Mojo 2 remains on the desktop.


----------



## daveya

I have DDHifi for my Qudelix when out and about, it's strapped to the back of the phone , the Fiio is for the Mojo and allows the Mojo to sit in my lap and the phone to move within reading glasses distance


----------



## Zap67

ZeDuK said:


> Thanks Somafunk for your kindly help.
> 
> thecrow : that’s exactly the reason, so many pages for this topic, very hard to find the answer. I’ve checked the last two pages just in case.
> 
> ...


https://www.ddhifi.eu/?product=mfi06-lightning-to-typec-cavo-dati

I have 50 cm


----------



## wcrespo178

ZeDuK said:


> thecrow : that’s exactly the reason, so many pages for this topic, very hard to find the answer. I’ve checked the last two pages just in case.


Pro tip: use the search bar at the top of this thread. I searched “lightning cable” and found what you needed on the 4th comment. 

Loaded threads can seem impossible to sift through, but they improve your  chances of finding solutions via keyword searches 👍🏻


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## Ozbourn (Dec 10, 2022)

All of a sudden, my mojo2 stopped working with my iphone. It will play for a few seconds, and then the music pauses. I get an error sometimes about device compatibility.

It still works fine on my desktop thought... maybe it's the camera USB cable?


----------



## rwelles

Ozbourn said:


> All of a sudden, my mojo2 stopped working with my iphone. It will play for a few seconds, and then the music pauses. I get an error sometimes about device compatibility.
> 
> It still works fine on my desktop thought... maybe it's the camera USB cable?


Have you tried re-starting your iPhone?


----------



## Ozbourn

rwelles said:


> Have you tried re-starting your iPhone?


Several times. And updated.


----------



## vlach

Ozbourn said:


> Several times. And updated.


Did you try a different cable?


----------



## Ozbourn

vlach said:


> Did you try a different cable?


USB yes. I think it’s time to try a fresh camera cable.


----------



## Ozbourn

Ozbourn said:


> USB yes. I think it’s time to try a fresh camera cable.


It does seem after initial testing that it was the Apple usb camera kit cable that had gone faulty. So far the new one has not cut out but I will test it much further.


----------



## Raffik1

turbo87 said:


> Use the LossLess Switcher app, that automatically switches the bitrate on the Mac. Doesn't work all the time, but works most of the time.
> 
> https://github.com/vincentneo/LosslessSwitcher


Thanks for both replies. @turbo87, I looked up the LosslessSwitcher on GitHub, and release notes say that it automatically switches audio devices to the bit rate by song played in Apple Music (mentions this several times). I use to Amazon Music for streamed music, and AudioNirvana for my own high res files. Not sure Lossless switcher will work on these other apps. @Kentajalli, I'd like to make sure I understand what you're saying "If Mojo reports it is receiving 192kHz, then it must have happened beforehand." As I mentioned, for some reason the Mojo 2 doesn't automatically adjust to the changed resolution in Amazon Music, but does automatically switch within AudioNirvana, which causes me to believe that the issue is the way the music playing app is "delivering" the music to the Mojo 2 via USB. Will now look through the Amazon Music forums. Thanks again!


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## gylyf (Dec 12, 2022)

Raffik1 said:


> Thanks for both replies. @turbo87, I looked up the LosslessSwitcher on GitHub, and release notes say that it automatically switches audio devices to the bit rate by song played in Apple Music (mentions this several times). I use to Amazon Music for streamed music, and AudioNirvana for my own high res files. Not sure Lossless switcher will work on these other apps. @Kentajalli, I'd like to make sure I understand what you're saying "If Mojo reports it is receiving 192kHz, then it must have happened beforehand." As I mentioned, for some reason the Mojo 2 doesn't automatically adjust to the changed resolution in Amazon Music, but does automatically switch within AudioNirvana, which causes me to believe that the issue is the way the music playing app is "delivering" the music to the Mojo 2 via USB. Will now look through the Amazon Music forums. Thanks again!


Apps like Audionirvana (Roon is another) operate in "Exclusive Mode" on MacOS, which means they're able to automatically take control of the sound output and dictate the bit depth and bit rate of songs to MacOS without requiring adjustment in Audio MIDI Setup. Apps like Amazon Music (and Apple's own Music app, weirdly) don't operate in Exclusive Mode and therefore need adjusting in Audio MIDI Setup on an album by album basis (which is a ridiculous way to do things and makes MacOS very frustrating in this respect). In my own experience, LosslessSwitcher works pretty well with Apple Music and the Music app, but I don't use Amazon Music, so I can't comment on that (and I may in fact be wrong about it not having Exclusive Mode, so I would check for that first).


----------



## Kentajalli

Raffik1 said:


> Thanks for both replies. @turbo87, I looked up the LosslessSwitcher on GitHub, and release notes say that it automatically switches audio devices to the bit rate by song played in Apple Music (mentions this several times). I use to Amazon Music for streamed music, and AudioNirvana for my own high res files. Not sure Lossless switcher will work on these other apps. @Kentajalli, I'd like to make sure I understand what you're saying "If Mojo reports it is receiving 192kHz, then it must have happened beforehand." As I mentioned, for some reason the Mojo 2 doesn't automatically adjust to the changed resolution in Amazon Music, but does automatically switch within AudioNirvana, which causes me to believe that the issue is the way the music playing app is "delivering" the music to the Mojo 2 via USB. Will now look through the Amazon Music forums. Thanks again!


If I remember correctly, your question was:
If Mojo reports (shows by light colour) that the song is 192kHz, Is it the Mojo that is doing it, or is it the computer?
My reply was a simple one, if Mojo reports it is 192kHz, the upsampling must have happened before Mojo, i.e. the computer, or any software within.
Frankly, I am not a Mac user, so I am not up on it.
Someone else must step in wit mac questions.


----------



## BS5711 (Dec 12, 2022)

Raffik1 said:


> My Mojo 2 is connected to my Mac mini, and I listen mostly to Amazon Music and Audionirvana. Amazon has a strange habit of having files with different resolutions even in the same album. For example, on Making Movies by Dire Straits, the first two tracks are 24 bit/192 kHz, while the rest are at 16 bit/44.1 kHz. I use the Mac's Audio MIDI Setup to set the output fidelity to the Mojo 2, and keep it at the highest rate for the album. However, when a lower-resolution song comes on, Amazon Music lowers the output resolution to the track's resolution, but since the MIDI is still set on 24/192, the Mojo 2 shows the input at that higher rate as well (blue power button). In this case, where is the upsampling happening? Is MIDI doing the upsampling, or the Mojo 2?





Kentajalli said:


> If I remember correctly, your question was:
> If Mojo reports (shows by light colour) that the song is 192kHz, Is it the Mojo that is doing it, or is it the computer?
> My reply was a simple one, if Mojo reports it is 192kHz, the upsampling must have happened before Mojo, i.e. the computer, or any software within.
> Frankly, I am not a Mac user, so I am not up on it.
> Someone else must step in wit mac questions.



Yes Lossless Switcher is for Apple Music only and all it is doing is changing the Audio MIDI rather than you doing it manually. If you have the Audio MIDI open when you swap sample rates you can see it change in the MIDI automatically. The Lossless Switcher app must talk to Apple Music to get the song file data then talks to Audio MIDI to change the setting to match. It works very well but is of course limited to Apple Music, hard to expect it to talk with a completely different streaming service.

I don't use Amazon Music but if when the song frequency changes the Mojo 2 stays the same then it is obviously not self adjusting to suit the song file, it is behaving just like Apple Music without Lossless Switcher.

In that case, as you know, you have to adjust the Audio MIDI manually. If you set it at say 192khz and play a 44.1khz song the receiving device, Mojo 2 in your case but it could be anything, will see 192khz and will report that. The management of the sample rate is happening on the Mac not in the receiving device, they are only reporting what they are being sent. If the receiving DAC doesn't support upsampling it can't possibly upsample.

When you use AudioNirvana and the Mojo shows proper file data the AudioNirvana application must be reading the files, processing as needed and sending the Mojo 2 the proper information.

Does it adversely effect the sound quality, I can't hear any difference, but of course it seems the right thing to do to endeavor to have the data as unmolested as possible. In that case your options are to use the MIDI manually or use a streaming service that alters the output correctly. On Mac Tidal and Qobuz apps output correctly as does Apple Music if you use Lossless Switcher.

I believe that Amazon Music has an "Exclusive Mode" . Are you using that ? If not that might fix the issue .... or not.


----------



## Carrow

so I treated myself


----------



## Johnfg465vd

Has anyone here tried the XENNS UP with the Mojo 2? I'm planning to buy one but I'm curious how the UP will pair with my Mojo 2. In my testing, planar IEMs like Hook-X & Timless aren't that great with the Mojo 2. No issues pairing with my dynamic driver and some BA IEMs though.

The UP has EST drivers which is going to be a new thing for me.


----------



## syazwaned

Does mojo 2 require burn in? Because out of the box it is bright as hell. As bright and critical as topping stuff.


----------



## joshnor713

syazwaned said:


> Does mojo 2 require burn in? Because out of the box it is bright as hell. As bright and critical as topping stuff.


Think you'll find more people thinking it's preposterous that a solid state device could "burn in" than would support it. Either way, can't you just EQ? That's what the dac uniquely (losslessly) allows you to do.


----------



## Kentajalli

syazwaned said:


> Does mojo 2 require burn in? Because out of the box it is bright as hell. As bright and critical as topping stuff.


No it does not.
With respect though, your ears might.
Persevere! you'll warm up to it.


----------



## Raffik1

BS5711 said:


> Yes Lossless Switcher is for Apple Music only and all it is doing is changing the Audio MIDI rather than you doing it manually. If you have the Audio MIDI open when you swap sample rates you can see it change in the MIDI automatically. The Lossless Switcher app must talk to Apple Music to get the song file data then talks to Audio MIDI to change the setting to match. It works very well but is of course limited to Apple Music, hard to expect it to talk with a completely different streaming service.
> 
> I don't use Amazon Music but if when the song frequency changes the Mojo 2 stays the same then it is obviously not self adjusting to suit the song file, it is behaving just like Apple Music without Lossless Switcher.
> 
> ...


Thanks @BS5711 that's what I thought. Amazon Music DOES have an Exclusive mode, but unlike AudioNirvana, does not direct Audio Midi to change frequency, so have to do it manually - will write to Amazon support about this. Thanks again for all of the responses!


----------



## jamca

Tiax said:


> I'm happy to report that my second unit doesn't have this issue.
> No hiss with both iems and headphones.


Such a shame in 2022 to have that issues with hissing...Robert watts is more talk than work i thing...All the technology is fine but it should be implemented correctly, at high quality standards. I also had an issue with something else, the charging circuit, but fortunately it still had guarantee.  The second unit did not have that problem but the battery lasted around 5 hours max... Buying a chord mojo is like buying an expensive lottery. I hoped mojo 2 to be better at qc but it does not seem to be the case...


----------



## zhandarm

Hey guys! I've bought new IEMs - CA Solaris 2020 and Mojo2 is giving me soooo loud hissing sound with them. IEMs are fine, I've tested them with other sources. But Mojo2 is also not giving me any stupid hissing with other headphones and IEMs. Can it be fixed somehow?


----------



## daveya

zhandarm said:


> Hey guys! I've bought new IEMs - CA Solaris 2020 and Mojo2 is giving me soooo loud hissing sound with them. IEMs are fine, I've tested them with other sources. But Mojo2 is also not giving me any stupid hissing with other headphones and IEMs. Can it be fixed somehow?



I found this in a review of it helps


----------



## jamca

New portable devices like mojo2 should not hiss at all !  I could accept it perhaps from desktop dac/amps, as they are intended to drive less sensitive full sized headphones, but not from portable daps or dac/amps. How can a company focus on layering, timing, ect and cannot do the basics such as no hissing which is audible between tracks. Totally disastrous for the experience they try to reach through expensive "technologies" as fpga ect... Of course, i do not say these technologies do not work, but chord should provide the basics firstly.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Dec 17, 2022)

I, as well, am observing a slight hissing with my Tansio Mirai Sands. It is dead silent with my HOOK-X and 7Hz Timeless, my Sennheiser HD600 and KLH Ultimate One.


----------



## AussieMick

jamca said:


> New portable devices like mojo2 should not hiss at all !  I could accept it perhaps from desktop dac/amps, as they are intended to drive less sensitive full sized headphones, but not from portable daps or dac/amps. How can a company focus on layering, timing, ect and cannot do the basics such as no hissing which is audible between tracks. Totally disastrous for the experience they try to reach through expensive "technologies" as fpga ect... Of course, i do not say these technologies do not work, but chord should provide the basics firstly.


Why is the fault of DAC/amp makers? Why aren’t we criticising IEM makers for designing products that are clearly too sensitive for some amps? The same is true of the Susvara; owners roundly criticise any amp that can’t drive them when in fact it’s the Susvara that’s the outlier. Same argument, other side of the coin. Much better to criticise ourselves for not purchasing a good match?


----------



## jamca

AussieMick said:


> Why is the fault of DAC/amp makers? Why aren’t we criticising IEM makers for designing products that are clearly too sensitive for some amps? The same is true of the Susvara; owners roundly criticise any amp that can’t drive them when in fact it’s the Susvara that’s the outlier. Same argument, other side of the coin. Much better to criticise ourselves for not purchasing a good match?


Iems are mainly used portably, so high sensitivity and low impedance is used in order to have the lowest consumption. So I agree with you up to a point. However, i have experienced totally silent outputs from portable or non portable devices which means this is something technically achievable. So a boutique device such as chord mojo2 (with its asking price) should have dead silent output as well. For example rme adi 2 fs has dead silent outputs from both phones and iems, although it has plenty, really plenty of power and is not even powered by battery.


----------



## Johnfg465vd (Dec 17, 2022)

zhandarm said:


> Hey guys! I've bought new IEMs - CA Solaris 2020 and Mojo2 is giving me soooo loud hissing sound with them. IEMs are fine, I've tested them with other sources. But Mojo2 is also not giving me any stupid hissing with other headphones and IEMs. Can it be fixed somehow?


Your best bet would be to get the iFi's IEMatch, you could also use an Impedaence adapter but that will mess with the frequency response of the IEM.

I've read that some units of the Mojo 2 have more noise floor than others so if you are still under warranty, it's worth trying to get a replacement if it bothers you too much.


----------



## jamca

Or you could buy from the start another product... Most of the companies have qc issues unfortunately. For example the ifi idsd micro silver, although had great sound quality, zero hiss ect the volume knob was imbalanced, and the iem match button at the bottom was crackling and did not make good contact after a few months. The other buttons as well started to malfunction.  Why cant they make one device that is correct at the basics at first? Nice buttons, good volume knobs, no hissing, good batteries, nice screens and not the cheapest lcds they can find. The prices have gone up, but quality down...Is like buying the best pc but with an old low res screen, with old keyboard and old mouse with the ball at the bottom!


----------



## CaptainFantastic

jamca said:


> Such a shame in 2022 to have that issues with hissing...Robert watts is more talk than work i thing...All the technology is fine but it should be implemented correctly, at high quality standards. I also had an issue with something else, the charging circuit, but fortunately it still had guarantee.  The second unit did not have that problem but the battery lasted around 5 hours max... Buying a chord mojo is like buying an expensive lottery. I hoped mojo 2 to be better at qc but it does not seem to be the case...



Very well said.


----------



## CaptainFantastic (Dec 17, 2022)

Johnfg465vd said:


> Your best bet would be to get the iFi's IEMatch, you could also use an Impedaence adapter but that will mess with the frequency response of the IEM.
> 
> I've read that some units of the Mojo 2 have more noise floor than others so if you are still under warranty, it's worth trying to get a replacement if it bothers you too much.



But "some units of the Mojo 2 have more noise floor" is not an acceptable variance, it's not another flavor of a functioning unit. They are faulty units, period, and no one should live with it. My first brand new unit had audible hiss with 300 ohm Sennheisers or with IEMs. With no source plugged in. That's not OK.

And I know I am pissing people off by repeating myself again (in my defense, I am reacting to a continuing discussion), but the replacement experience has been dogs**t. I ended up with a no-hiss, but scratched replacement unit for which I lacked the energy to go through a second replacement at my shipping cost and luck of the draw of the third unit.

To sum up, at the premium prices they ask for (for example for the Hugo 2, the TT2), the QC should be much, much better. There's an arrogance in this company that persists because idiots like me keep buying.


----------



## ChrisGB

The question of hiss is looking like a product variability or source hiss rejection issue. When I had a Mojo 2, I did try it with a 16 Ohm / 109 db/mW IEM with no discernable hiss. Sources were a OnePlus 9 pro and a Shanling M6, no hiss at all with either. Is the hiss coming from the Mojo 2 or is the hiss being allowed through the Mojo 2?

When looking at product quality, we need to be realistic about what a small company can achieve. As a consulting quality engineer, I can tell you that any quality level is attainable, but how much do you want to pay for it?


----------



## CaptainFantastic

ChrisGB said:


> The question of hiss is looking like a product variability or source hiss rejection issue. When I had a Mojo 2, I did try it with a 16 Ohm / 109 db/mW IEM with no discernable hiss. Sources were a OnePlus 9 pro and a Shanling M6, no hiss at all with either. Is the hiss coming from the Mojo 2 or is the hiss being allowed through the Mojo 2?
> 
> When looking at product quality, we need to be realistic about what a small company can achieve. As a consulting quality engineer, I can tell you that any quality level is attainable, but how much do you want to pay for it?



That's exactly the point. My Chord Hugo TT2 cost 4400€ and had issues. I paid for attainable quality. I did not get it. I thought it was a one-off. Then the Mojo 2 story.


----------



## Cheva1ier

ZeDuK said:


> Hello there,
> I have a Mojo 2 at home for the second time… some things need to be done twice.
> Is there a cable available now to use with an iPhone (excluding the lightning to USB A adapter) ?


Fiio LT-LT1


----------



## zhandarm

ChrisGB said:


> The question of hiss is looking like a product variability or source hiss rejection issue. When I had a Mojo 2, I did try it with a 16 Ohm / 109 db/mW IEM with no discernable hiss. Sources were a OnePlus 9 pro and a Shanling M6, no hiss at all with either. Is the hiss coming from the Mojo 2 or is the hiss being allowed through the Mojo 2?
> 
> When looking at product quality, we need to be realistic about what a small company can achieve. As a consulting quality engineer, I can tell you that any quality level is attainable, but how much do you want to pay for it?


Hiss is coming from Mojo 2 itself, no sources connected. Thank you guys for previous advices, I'll try iFi iEMatch 👍


----------



## Tiax

zhandarm said:


> Hiss is coming from Mojo 2 itself, no sources connected.


Sounds like the same issue i had. Get it replaced if you can, it's a faulty unit.


----------



## ChrisGB

CaptainFantastic said:


> That's exactly the point. My Chord Hugo TT2 cost 4400€ and had issues. I paid for attainable quality. I did not get it. I thought it was a one-off. Then the Mojo 2 story.


Hmmm, attainable quality. I'm going to take a guess here that Chord is a fairly normal SME, possibly 20-50 people in total. How much quality is attainable is difficult to pin down without defining quality. Quality is an attribute mix that balances various factors. Personally, I feel the Mojo 2 hits that attribute mix well.

A small company is not really in a position to make an "invincible" product at a consumer acceptable price point. I've worked on relatively very simple mechanical and electronic parts in the automotive, defence and aerospace sectors that have had more spent on their development than most Hi-Fi manufacturers could turn over in a lifetime.

As a general insight, build a Mojo 2 to the required quality standards of mid tier automotive companies and it would cost perhaps double. It _may_ offer a better reliability factor, but remember automotive parts go wrong quite a bit. If you want near invincible, you are going to need to build it to aerospace levels, where the Mojo 2 would possibly retail at ten to twenty times its price, possibly more. Hugo TT2? They do not make anywhere near the volume and if a product that complex were a critical flying component, it could be well into six figure unit cost. 

Chord quality is not perfect, but I can afford to buy the products and they sound great!


----------



## miketlse

BS5711 said:


> I wonder if a 2025 (assuming) Hugo 3 will still use Micro USB !!


I was hoping for a hint this Christmas, but 2025 could be right. Rob did a lot of expectations management in Q1, so we expect the Scaler in Q1, but it is deathly quiet for other new products.


----------



## yrstruly

Currently trying to use my Mojo 2 as external DAC with Burson Soloist GT as amp and connected to my M1 MacBook Pro, running Tidal. Am experiencing audio drop outs for milliseconds every now and then - very annoying. No such issue when connected to my iPhone. Sorry if this is repeating a common question but, is this a known issue with recent MacBooks and if so any fixes at all?


----------



## BS5711

yrstruly said:


> Currently trying to use my Mojo 2 as external DAC with Burson Soloist GT as amp and connected to my M1 MacBook Pro, running Tidal. Am experiencing audio drop outs for milliseconds every now and then - very annoying. No such issue when connected to my iPhone. Sorry if this is repeating a common question but, is this a known issue with recent MacBooks and if so any fixes at all?



It might be a Tidal app issue not an M1 issue. I have odd little glitches here and there with Tidal on Android, less so on iOS and laptops.


----------



## yrstruly

BS5711 said:


> It might be a Tidal app issue not an M1 issue. I have odd little glitches here and there with Tidal on Android, less so on iOS and laptops.


Possibly but odd that it's fine with Tidal on my iPhone in that case!


----------



## BS5711

yrstruly said:


> Possibly but odd that it's fine with Tidal on my iPhone in that case!



Different app obviously.

Various forums seem to be littered with queries that are about anomalies with Tidal and various gear, the comments always seem to come back to the same thing, it's a Tidal app problem not a gear problem. My observations are the same, it works flawlessly on some platform but not others.


----------



## yrstruly

BS5711 said:


> Different app obviously.
> 
> Various forums seem to be littered with queries that are about anomalies with Tidal and various gear, the comments always seem to come back to the same thing, it's a Tidal app problem not a gear problem. My observations are the same, it works flawlessly on some platform but not others.


Seem to have sorted the issue - turns out I was due a MacBook software update. Brain isn't working today...thanks anyway


----------



## syazwaned

Tidal streaming is sluggish on windows, particular when I am doing online update and backup ( which I do every 10 minute for my thesis).

Tidal streaming is more stable on phone


----------



## miketlse

yrstruly said:


> Seem to have sorted the issue - turns out I was due a MacBook software update. Brain isn't working today...thanks anyway


Tidal has long term peculiarities with what it DRM policy will allow. I think the DRM differs slightly depending on whether you use hardware, or streaming, it via app, or try to save local tidal files offline. Read like more hassle than I had the motivation to explore deeper.


----------



## Liberte

Does the Mojo 2 require a specific *OTG* cable if using type C to C connection, eg from a phone with USB C port?

I use the original Mojo currently and can easily find type C to micro USB cables on eBay but not many C to C cable stating OTG.


----------



## daveya

Liberte said:


> Does the Mojo 2 require a specific *OTG* cable if using type C to C connection, eg from a phone with USB C port?
> 
> I use the original Mojo currently and can easily find type C to micro USB cables on eBay but not many C to C cable stating OTG.


I use one to ensure the phone initialises UAPP.

https://oidiosound.co.uk/interconnects/usb/fiio-lt-tc3


----------



## Liberte

daveya said:


> I use one to ensure the phone initialises UAPP.
> 
> https://oidiosound.co.uk/interconnects/usb/fiio-lt-tc3



Thanks for the link, the cable is honestly overpriced though. I can find USB C to micro USB cables for very cheap on eBay for the OG Mojo and they work perfectly, but almost no USB C to C cables available.

I have a USB C to C ddHiFi cable which I used for a previous DAC and the build quality is worth the additional cost, but it's very short. I'd like a cable around 1m length.


----------



## daveya

Liberte said:


> Thanks for the link, the cable is honestly overpriced though. I can find USB C to micro USB cables for very cheap on eBay for the OG Mojo and they work perfectly, but almost no USB C to C cables available.
> 
> I have a USB C to C ddHiFi cable which I used for a previous DAC and the build quality is worth the additional cost, but it's very short. I'd like a cable around 1m length.


I have the DDHifi as well, tbh I'm not bothered about a few pounds when Mojo was 500.

It works well


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## Liberte (Dec 19, 2022)

daveya said:


> I have the DDHifi as well, tbh I'm not bothered about a few pounds when Mojo was 500.
> 
> It works well


True, the issue is the length really. I suppose the easiest option is to keep using the micro USB port which is still there.

I'm also a UAPP user so this kind of cable is essential.


----------



## Somafunk

I use this Ugreen Usb C to Usb C cable, with the angled connections it fits the ports very securely whilst using with my iPad Pro to mojo 2, works perfectly well and I haven’t had any issues with pops or the dreaded loud static/volume


----------



## Johnfg465vd

Liberte said:


> Does the Mojo 2 require a specific *OTG* cable if using type C to C connection, eg from a phone with USB C port?
> 
> I use the original Mojo currently and can easily find type C to micro USB cables on eBay but not many C to C cable stating OTG.


Regular Type-C to Type-C will work fine. You could also use micro USB Input (Type-C to Micro).


----------



## syazwaned

Somafunk said:


> I use this Ugreen Usb C to Usb C cable, with the angled connections it fits the ports very securely whilst using with my iPad Pro to mojo 2, works perfectly well and I haven’t had any issues with pops or the dreaded loud static/volume




Thia ugreen cable works..I am using magnetic micro USB plug to avoid disconnection.


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## AussieMick

I’m using an AudioQuest USB C to C from my iPad. Zero problems ever.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

syazwaned said:


> Thia ugreen cable works..I am using magnetic micro USB plug to avoid disconnection.



I do this as well. Super convenient. 

I try to put these magnetic connectors on all my equipment that I rarely need to transfer data or have a separate charging port.


----------



## Liberte

I guess my next question is whether, putting EQ and crossfeed aside, is the sound upgrade worth an extra £300 upgrading from OG Mojo?


----------



## surfgeorge

Liberte said:


> I guess my next question is whether, putting EQ and crossfeed aside, is the sound upgrade worth an extra £300 upgrading from OG Mojo?


Mojo 2 sounds quite different to Mojo OG. If you are a die-hard fan of the Mojo OG you may not like the more neutral Mojo 2.
But you get better and more even definition and texture from top to bottom, better separation, soundstage depth and imaging.
At first I somewhat missed that Mojo OG "magic sauce" but now I would miss the more even handed and more detailed presentation of the Mojo 2.

If it's worth the 300 pounds only you can know but it's a clear step up in SQ IMO.


----------



## rocketron

Liberte said:


> I guess my next question is whether, putting EQ and crossfeed aside, is the sound upgrade worth an extra £300 upgrading from OG Mojo?



I’m not in any way trying to persuade you and have no connection with any retailer but

Peter Tyson £399
and a 5 year warranty.

I would also say the sound improvement is worth it.


----------



## Liberte

rocketron said:


> I’m not in any way trying to persuade you and have no connection with any retailer but
> 
> Peter Tyson £399
> and a 5 year warranty.
> ...


I saw that deal for a nearly new, I wouldn't mind the extra £50 for a brand new one to be honest,  do you know what the standard Chord warranty is for Mojo 2? I've read their warranty policy but they say it varies by product.


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## rocketron

PM Sent.


----------



## emilsoft

surfgeorge said:


> Mojo 2 sounds quite different to Mojo OG. If you are a die-hard fan of the Mojo OG you may not like the more neutral Mojo 2.
> But you get better and more even definition and texture from top to bottom, better separation, soundstage depth and imaging.
> At first I somewhat missed that Mojo OG "magic sauce" but now I would miss the more even handed and more detailed presentation of the Mojo 2.
> 
> If it's worth the 300 pounds only you can know but it's a clear step up in SQ IMO.


Mojo 2 is huge improvement over Mojo 1 sound quality wise. I disliked the Mojo 1 and ditched it originally, finding ifi idsd nano black superior to it. Mojo 2 is something else altogether - it’s standing side by side with desktop dacs like RME ADI2 and Apogee Element - but only if using a good usb spdif source/decrapifier otherwise usb out of pc direct sounds like my backside


----------



## Johnfg465vd

Liberte said:


> I guess my next question is whether, putting EQ and crossfeed aside, is the sound upgrade worth an extra £300 upgrading from OG Mojo?


For me personally it is a big upgrade. I was not a fan of OG Mojo. The stage was smaller and it sounded too condensed but Mojo 2 sounds much better, it still does not compete with other DAC/Amps when it comes to soundstage size but apart from that and a tiny issue with tonality, most everything is better on the Mojo 2.

One thing you need to be aware of is that Planar Headphones aren't a good match with Mojo 2 & OG Mojo IMO, Dynamic drivers Headphones/IEMs sound great though.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

emilsoft said:


> only if using a good usb spdif source/decrapifier otherwise usb out of pc direct sounds like my backside


this.

I carried the Mojo 2 on a short trip with some IEMs and a Headphone recently and noticed something was off with the sound, it sounded a bit flat and with higher noise floor. I got back home and connected it to my PC via Optical and suddenly it sounds good again. I remember OG Mojo being sensitive to USB Source, I guess the Mojo 2 is the same.

Using Airplane mode with a good cable (I'm using OEAudio) helps and bit but it's still not as good as Optical.

@emilsoft would you recommend ipurifier3, iSilencer or JitterBug FMJ for Mojo 2? What are you using on your setup?


----------



## rocketron

Optical all the way if you can.
Don’t know how you could do this mobile with out a dap or something like a W2 with usbc input and optical output.

Still a usbc from a phone to Mojo is hardly crap for mobile use is it?
Still way way better than Bluetooth.


----------



## emilsoft

rocketron said:


> Optical all the way if you can.
> Don’t know how you could do this mobile with out a dap or something like a W2 with usbc input and optical output.
> 
> Still a usbc from a phone to Mojo is hardly crap for mobile use is it?
> Still way way better than Bluetooth.


Does W2 with optical out help the Mojo 2? I'm not sure if it's reclocking and if better than something like proper usb > spdif decrapifier. Shouldn't the W2 with it's tiny size have same limitations as MOjo?


----------



## Nostoi

Comparing USB from a Sony phone vs. Coax on a Hiby RS2 DAP, the latter is far evidently preferable - overall presentation has greater clarity, blacker background, and a slightly smoother timbre. 




Moreover, product of the year for this Head-fi member!


----------



## emilsoft (Dec 20, 2022)

rocketron said:


> Optical all the way if you can.
> Don’t know how you could do this mobile with out a dap or something like a W2 with usbc input and optical output.
> 
> Still a usbc from a phone to Mojo is hardly crap for mobile use is it?
> Still way way better than Bluetooth.



spdif coax is also fine I find.

In office I'm using it with M2teach hiface 2 usb > spdif dongle which is my long trusted friend - makes things musical and more organic, it's an excellent portable decrapifier and highly recommended if you can find it second hand as it's not produced anymore - I also find using it with batter power (you need single usb female to dual make cable) there's further improvements to be had.. I just use it out of my iPad at work to keep things simple.

At home, I have ifi iusb micro with ifi ipower x > m2tech hiface 2 > additional ifi spdif decrapifier with 5v ipower > optical out > Mojo 2.  I also use Mojo 2 with clean power from the iusb in desktop mode. It's has a lovely delicate, organic, wide and warm sound - in one word, magical.

I also have ifi streamer, which is probably comparable if a little worse. I find the little ifi spdif 2 dongle decrapifier is quite nice to uplift whatever source you have.

I'm now looking at getting Xduoo x10 II usb > optical converter as I need something portable with optical out for work.. but I'm not sure if it's good enough, I have no idea if it does reclocking and the quality of it's components.

I'm a huge decrapification fan as you can see. Once upon a time IFI was legendary with their stackable decrapificators. from USB to SPDIF, I don't know why they've given up on that segment over last couple of years and just doing dacs/amps.

* Some DACs don't need decrapifiers - my Apogee Element doesn't care what I plug into it, it does it's own sanitisation to such a high standard it always sounds fantastic. RME ADI 2 seems to benefit a little bit. Mojo 1/2 really needs it


----------



## rocketron

I used to use a M2tech hiface dac into a Vorzuge Pure amplifier many years ago.
Wonderful little system.

Then Chord turned up with the Hugo and well the rest is history.🤣

Still use a Vorzuge Pure ii.
Great amplifier.


----------



## emilsoft

rocketron said:


> I used to use a M2tech hiface dac into a Vorzuge Pure amplifier many years ago.
> Wonderful little system.
> 
> Then Chord turned up with the Hugo and well the rest is history.🤣
> ...



Are those Grados attached to the poor Mojo 2? Throw those dinosaurs away and give the Mojo some proper food - Focals/Sennheiser

only teasing..


----------



## rocketron

Ok 👍 
😂😂







Still loving the modded Senns PX100.


----------



## emilsoft

rocketron said:


> Ok 👍
> 😂😂
> 
> Still loving the modded Senns PX100.



Yes I accept. I love the HD800S - it wasn't love at first sight however, but they really mellowed out their peak with burn and are fantastic now. Mojo 2 drives them nicely especially with a touch of it's "lossless" eq. Does Vorzuge drive them better vs Mojo 2 for you?


----------



## flyte3333

jamca said:


> New portable devices like mojo2 should not hiss at all !  I could accept it perhaps from desktop dac/amps, as they are intended to drive less sensitive full sized headphones, but not from portable daps or dac/amps. How can a company focus on layering, timing, ect and cannot do the basics such as no hissing which is audible between tracks. Totally disastrous for the experience they try to reach through expensive "technologies" as fpga ect... Of course, i do not say these technologies do not work, but chord should provide the basics firstly.


I agree there is too much talk about digital domain but still issues in analogue domain that Chinese companies have solved...

In Darko's latest Mojo2 video he even mentions hearing buzzing with his phone in close proxmity.

Why is this a Mojo2 issue still when I thought the root cause was found in Mojo1 ?

But there is talk of hearing distortions at -300dB in the digital domain !?


----------



## rocketron

emilsoft said:


> Yes I accept. I love the HD800S - it wasn't love at first sight however, but they really mellowed out their peak with burn and are fantastic now. Mojo 2 drives them nicely especially with a touch of it's "lossless" eq. Does Vorzuge drive them better vs Mojo 2 for you?


That’s a difficult question.

The M2 and HD800s pair beautifully.
Imagine a perfect cup of tea or coffee.
The first few slips are lovely.
Then you think erm maybe a bit sweeter?
So you add sugar.
That’s it that’s the Vorzuge Pure ii.
Very much like a good class A amp or valve type signature.
I know they’re expensive but once you try one its difficult not to use it.
In fact this is the only amp I have now.
The Woo’s , Auralic, Questyle Cavalli and other valve amps all sold.
I mainly use the Vorzuge as a sweetener.
It slightly slows the M2 and gives a more mellow sound.
Nothing wrong with the M2 on its own but it’s nice to play?

I even use the Vorzuge from the TT2 and when playing vinyl.


----------



## syazwaned

Nostoi said:


> Comparing USB from a Sony phone vs. Coax on a Hiby RS2 DAP, the latter is far evidently preferable - overall presentation has greater clarity, blacker background, and a slightly smoother timbre.
> 
> 
> 
> Moreover, product of the year for this Head-fi member!


nice, my hiby r3 pro 2022 + coaux cable is on its way 🤩


----------



## Nostoi

syazwaned said:


> nice, my hiby r3 pro 2022 + coaux cable is on its way 🤩


I used the R3 Pro before RS2 - works perfectly. 👍


----------



## Kentajalli (Dec 20, 2022)

flyte3333 said:


> I agree there is too much talk about digital domain but still issues in analogue domain that Chinese companies have solved...
> 
> In Darko's latest Mojo2 video he even mentions hearing buzzing with his phone in close proxmity.


Here is my 2 pence:
Most chip based DACs are of balanced topology on the inside. That means they can deal better with noise, be it electrical or EMI.
Chord DACs are single ended by design!
Bringing a phone near to the device, can cause electro magnetic noise (EMI) being induced into it. A cellphone, when transmitting, is a beast! it can produce vast amounts of EMI and RFI. Hence, why I have always argued against strapping one's cellphone to any DAC, that is just madness! That is ANY DAC.
Keep them away from each other, fortunately, EMI in particular, diminishes geometrically with distance.
As to why there is residual noise on sensitive IEMs, I can not comment. On measurements, outputting just 50mV, the noise floor is at -82dB (ASR, limits of hearing).
If my maths is correct (0.05 x 0.05 / 600) 600 ohm output, then power output is 0.004mW! or 4uW.
Otherwise, generally, the noise floor is at around -150dB.
As it has been mentioned before, if an IEM is so sensitive that even a Mojo2 can sound hissy, then that is bad design on the part of IEM! as 90% of other DACs are worse.
As regards to Chinese DACs having solved the issue, show me a portable one with a better noise floor please.
Don't forget PORTABLE.


----------



## emilsoft

rocketron said:


> That’s a difficult question.
> 
> The M2 and HD800s pair beautifully.
> Imagine a perfect cup of tea or coffee.
> ...



Sounds great. It's class A? I didn't realise. I'm using a Woo WA8 - lush and dynamic for the HD800S


----------



## emilsoft (Dec 20, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> Here is my 2 pence:
> Most chip based DACs are of balanced topology on the inside. That means they can deal better with noise, be it electrical or EMI.
> Chord DACs are single ended by design!
> Bringing a phone near to the device, can cause electro magnetic noise (EMI) being induced into it. A cellphone, when transmitting, is a beast! it can produce vast amounts of EMI and RFI. Hence, why I have always argued against strapping one's cellphone to any DAC, that is just madness! That is ANY DAC.
> ...


EMI is not bad at all on the Mojo 2 - rarely when i put my phone on top of it do I hear a little interference, but it's insignificant enough in my book as it happens so rarely, or I just move my phone few cm away.

As for sensitive IEMs being bad design, that's just false - its like super sensitive speakers have their place and offer something unique with their reactive nature and compatibility with sensitive valve amplification. The super sensitivity of the Campfire Andromeda assists it's sound signature to be super fast and reactive, whilst retaining an almost ethereal quality - this sound is unique to it as its drivers react so quickly to the most minuscule current. As for hissy amplifiers, it's possible to design powerful amps that don't hiss - it takes some know how and/or a little creativity. For example RME ADI 2 offers a 3.5mm jack for IEMs with much lower amplification (enough for all IEMs) which is super quiet, delicate and just sounds amazing with delicate IEMs. Woo WA8 also offer a 3.5mm jack which is uber quiet even with Andromeda, eventhough it's a class A tube amp! So when I hear excuses nowadays from manufacturers saying oh well that IEM is very sensitive it's not our fault I want to call bull.

Mojo and ifi haven't quiet sussed it out completely; Gryphon offers a lower powered 3.5mm jack that hisses less compared to it's 4.4mm, but it still does, and it's iematch helps with this but its destroys dynamics and sound quality so it's unusable for me. Mojo 2 could have offered some kind of gain switch perhaps..


----------



## rocketron

WA8 and HD800s 🥰🥰🥰


----------



## Nostoi

rocketron said:


> WA8 and HD800s 🥰🥰🥰


That's a combo I regret selling!


----------



## daveya

To be fair Mojo 2 has twice as many volume steps to help IEM owners and the higher volume setting and signifies by a white button


----------



## emilsoft

Nostoi said:


> That's a combo I regret selling!


I'll never sell the WA8 until the inevitable day it goes to headphone heaven playing all it's favourites HD650, HD800S..

With the Mojo 2 and HD800S it's an explosive dynamic match... i try not to listen to it too often as I get depressed with all my other amplifiers/gear I've accumulated.


----------



## emilsoft

daveya said:


> To be fair Mojo 2 has twice as many volume steps to help IEM owners and the higher volume setting and signifies by a white button


It's not the volume steps, but the gain topology. Even on minimal volume, it hisses with Andromeda.


----------



## rocketron

Nostoi said:


> That's a combo I regret selling!


Same here 🙄
Just wished for longer battery life.


----------



## Nostoi

rocketron said:


> Same here 🙄
> Just wished for longer battery life.


Oh yeah, didn't even get the advertised 4 hours. 3 hours at a push.... 😩


----------



## rocketron

Nostoi said:


> Oh yeah, didn't even get the advertised 4 hours. 3 hours at a push.... 😩



Yes but it was a free room heater in the winter. 😂
In its defence it’s probably the best pre amp I have had.
I ran a phono pre amp into it and then out to a power amp.

Maybe one day I will do it again?
I bet a Mojo 2 running it would sound sublime .


----------



## Kentajalli (Dec 20, 2022)

emilsoft said:


> EMI is not bad at all on the Mojo 2 - rarely when i put my phone on top of it do I hear a little interference, but it's insignificant enough in my book as it happens so rarely, or I just move my phone few cm away.
> *As for sensitive IEMs being bad design, that's just false - *its like super sensitive speakers have their place and offer something unique with their reactive nature and compatibility with sensitive valve amplification. The super sensitivity of the *Campfire Andromeda* assists it's sound signature to be super fast and reactive, whilst retaining an almost ethereal quality - this sound is unique to it as its drivers react so quickly to the most minuscule current. As for hissy amplifiers, it's possible to design powerful amps that don't hiss - it takes some know how and/or a little creativity. For example RME ADI 2 offers a 3.5mm jack for IEMs with much lower amplification (enough for all IEMs) which is super quiet, delicate and just sounds amazing with delicate IEMs. Woo WA8 also offer a 3.5mm jack which is uber quiet even with Andromeda, eventhough it's a class A tube amp! So when I hear excuses nowadays from manufacturers saying oh well that IEM is very sensitive it's not our fault I want to call bull.
> Mojo and ifi haven't quiet sussed it out completely; Gryphon offers a lower powered 3.5mm jack that hisses less compared to it's 4.4mm, but it still does, and it's iematch helps with this but its destroys dynamics and sound quality so it's unusable for me. Mojo 2 could have offered some kind of gain switch perhaps..


The Andromeda does have BAD design, and its sensitivity of 112dB for 1mW is not the main issue.
Look at this:





These are impedance curves for 2020 version vs the original.
From 20Hz to 1kHz it remains mostly at 8 or less, mostly at 4 ohm!
You need an amp, not only to be able to drive such a low impedance, but having a noise floor not to make them sound hissy at the same time.
The ADI 2 you mentioned is mains powered and a strange beast having one of the best ever noise floor, that ASR  measured, but only from the dedicated IEM output.
It also costs $2000.
Mojo2 is a cost effective portable device, It is second to none, in this department at least.


----------



## Nostoi

rocketron said:


> Yes but it was a free room heater in the winter. 😂
> In its defence it’s probably the best pre amp I have had.
> I ran a phono pre amp into it and then out to a power amp.
> 
> ...


I had mine with Hugo 2 and that was a great pairing, so I'd imagine it would also sound good with Mojo 2 as they have similar timbre. 

Not many genuine class-a trans-portable tube amps out there (C9 is great but doesn't really have the tube flavour) but will likely try this next.


----------



## jarnopp

Johnfg465vd said:


> For me personally it is a big upgrade. I was not a fan of OG Mojo. The stage was smaller and it sounded too condensed but Mojo 2 sounds much better, it still does not compete with other DAC/Amps when it comes to soundstage size but apart from that and a tiny issue with tonality, most everything is better on the Mojo 2.
> 
> One thing you need to be aware of is that Planar Headphones aren't a good match with Mojo 2 & OG Mojo IMO, Dynamic drivers Headphones/IEMs sound great though.


I agree with the first part. I have to disagree about the compatibility with planets, though. People should not be afraid to get Mojo because they are using planers. My daily and ferric-sounding combo is Mojo2 and DCA Noires.


----------



## daveya

jarnopp said:


> I agree with the first part. I have to disagree about the compatibility with planets, though. People should not be afraid to get Mojo because they are using planers. My daily and ferric-sounding combo is Mojo2 and DCA Noires.


I believe Dan Clark himself has said the Mojo 2 is a great partner for the Noires. I have them and the Amanda and it's lovely


----------



## surfgeorge

daveya said:


> I believe Dan Clark himself has said the Mojo 2 is a great partner for the Noires. I have them and the Amanda and it's lovely


Rob Watts also used the AEON closed version 1 or 2 for his travels before getting the Stealth. And AFAIK Dan Clark extensively  used the Hugo 2 for their developments. That was one of the factors that gave me enough confidence to buy the Noire as my travel headphone.


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Nostoi said:


> I used the R3 Pro before RS2 - works perfectly. 👍


May I ask what the use case is for the RS2 when you pair it with the Mojo 2 vs phone with Mojo 2? 

Is it just a consistently a better source (as you pointed out vs the Sony) and a convenient way of carrying your music? Presumably in that setup you're not making use of any of its capabilities as an R2R DAC...


----------



## Nostoi

CaptainFantastic said:


> May I ask what the use case is for the RS2 when you pair it with the Mojo 2 vs phone with Mojo 2?
> 
> Is it just a consistently a better source (as you pointed out vs the Sony) and a convenient way of carrying your music? Presumably in that setup you're not making use of any of its capabilities as an R2R DAC...


Sure:

1. Twin SD slot. I don't stream, so having 2TB on the go is a huge bonus.
2. Sounds better for reasons mentioned above. 
3. I personally find coax a far more robust and stable way to connect to Mojo 2. No white noise issues, no RFI, no interference, etc. 
4. Form factor.
5. Excellent battery life.
6. Less time with my phone. 
7. The RS2 is also a very capable DAP on its own terms, especially with IEMs (though 109 Pro and 99 Classic sounds great on it). It also scales up remarkably well with an amp. So, if you want a totally different flavor from Mojo 2, you've got it.


----------



## meomap

syazwaned said:


> nice, my hiby r3 pro 2022 + coaux cable is on its way 🤩


Hi,
Where did you buy that Coax cable?


----------



## CaptainFantastic

Nostoi said:


> Sure:
> 
> 1. Twin SD slot. I don't stream, so having 2TB on the go is a huge bonus.
> 2. Sounds better for reasons mentioned above.
> ...



Thanks! That is a clear and persuasive list. There is simply no way of making use of it for streaming, is there?


----------



## rlw6534

meomap said:


> Hi,
> Where did you buy that Coax cable?



https://hiby.com/products/hiby-type-c-to-3-5mm-gold-plating-coaxial-cable


----------



## Nostoi

CaptainFantastic said:


> Thanks! That is a clear and persuasive list. There is simply no way of making use of it for streaming, is there?


I don't think so, but I've never looked into it as streaming is uncharted territory for me. I think I read of someone using a Sennheiser Bluetooth USB-C module on the RS2 and having some kind of streaming-by-proxy thing going on, but not sure. It's definitely geared up for total off-line use - no Bluetooth, no wifi. Old school!


----------



## meomap

rlw6534 said:


> https://hiby.com/products/hiby-type-c-to-3-5mm-gold-plating-coaxial-cable


Thank you.


----------



## syazwaned

meomap said:


> Hi,
> Where did you buy that Coax cable?


Hiby sells it for 25 usd.


----------



## meomap

syazwaned said:


> Hiby sells it for 25 usd.


Well, 29 usd total.
Ordered.


----------



## syazwaned

meomap said:


> Well, 29 usd total.
> Ordered.


awesome!


----------



## emilsoft (Dec 20, 2022)

Nostoi said:


> Oh yeah, didn't even get the advertised 4 hours. 3 hours at a push.... 😩



3 hours is plenty for the pure honey dripping in my ears 


Kentajalli said:


> The Andromeda does have BAD design, and its sensitivity of 112dB for 1mW is not the main issue.
> Look at this:
> 
> 
> ...



I mean are super low sensitivity ATC speakers with infinite baffle badly designed too then? They require massive 100 watt high current amplifiers to sound their best, yet are touted as some of the best sounding loud speakers at any price. It's the nature of the design which has it's side effects in order to achieve a high performance - similarly with Andromeda - they require specific pairing of low impedance amplification (which is nowadays very common - practically all amplifiers are designed this way with 0-2 OI, which the Andromeda is designed for), but they're very easy to drive - the issue is not the impedance mismatch with Andro anymore, but the hissy amplification - which is solvable either with gain/impedance sensing designs auto matching their output current  (Earmen Sparrow), 3.5mm low noise low power output design tailored for IEMs (RME ADI2), or just voodoo like the Woo WA8 (I have no clue how they achieve total silence on their 3.5mm) - it's a solvable problem nowadays with good engineering.

I also have hissy hiss with Softears RSV - another sensitive IEM.. is this a terrible design too? It works wonderfully out of my RME or WA8


----------



## Zap67

Can you recommend a usb c cable to connect mojo 2 to ipad?


----------



## Stevko

Zap67 said:


> Can you recommend a usb c cable to connect mojo 2 to ipad?


Fiios cable is great


----------



## Kentajalli (Dec 20, 2022)

emilsoft said:


> I mean are super low sensitivity ATC speakers with infinite baffle badly designed too then? They require massive 100 watt high current amplifiers to sound their best, yet are touted as some of the best sounding loud speakers at any price.


ATC speakers, specially the smaller ones, have low efficiency, that's true. But then again, all smaller speakers are like that. Smaller speakers are more desired, for obvious reasons, but because of the small size of the bass driver, they need far more power to move enough air to reproduce bass, and their midrange and treble are artificially tamed down to match the bass response, so there is a price to pay for their small size - _Low Efficiency!_
ATC also caters for monitoring jobs at recording studios, so they go for closed box design, which further lower their total efficiency.
Believe me or not, it is far easier to make amps at 200W or more, than make an amp that behaves perfectly at 40uW.
But there is no need for an IEM to parallel wire five or more drivers, with no regards to impedance or sensitivity! There are single driver IEMs from the likes of Sennheiser that compete in terms of sound quality, that present a far easier load for the amp.


emilsoft said:


> It's the nature of the design which has it's side effects in order to achieve a high performance - similarly with Andromeda - they require specific pairing of low impedance amplification (which is nowadays very common - practically all amplifiers are designed this way with 0-2 OI, which the Andromeda is designed for), but they're very easy to drive - the issue is not the impedance mismatch with Andro anymore, but the hissy amplification - which is solvable either with gain/impedance sensing designs auto matching their output current  (Earmen Sparrow), 3.5mm low noise low power output design tailored for IEMs (RME ADI2), or just voodoo like the Woo WA8 (I have no clue how they achieve total silence on their 3.5mm) - it's a solvable problem nowadays with good engineering.
> 
> I also have hissy hiss with Softears RSV - another sensitive IEM.. is this a terrible design too? It works wonderfully out of my RME or WA8


At any rate, this discussion is going to an _Academic _route.
I understand if there is a need to do something, you end up paying for it another way.
Let's not lose sight of the fact, that Mojo2 is a cost-effective, portable device. It manages to drive %95 of any IEM or headphone you throw at it, WELL.
There are odd ones, that require special amps.
BTW, low output impedance headphone amps, are not that common! To drive a 4 ohm load, the output impedance of the amp needs to be a fraction of the ohm (Like Mojo2 and Hugo2) - but about 80% (guessing) of other makes and models are in the few ohm region. Some of Topping and S.M.S.L devices, go into protection mode at less than 10 ohms or so, yes they do go quiet! but not the type you like


----------



## thecrow

Stevko said:


> Fiios cable is great


I just bought the fiio lightning to usbc cable
https://fiio.com/productinfo/718506.html

i found the usb c plug on the cable quite tight when plugging in. I was worried i might damage something as it needed a bit more force than usual to go in. I feel everything is fine though.

did you have the same experience with your cable on the usb c side?

(it is the plug and not the jack on the mojo2 as i tried the cable with other jacks for the same story)


----------



## turbo87

thecrow said:


> I just bought the fiio lightning to usbc cable
> https://fiio.com/productinfo/718506.html
> 
> i found the usb c plug on the cable quite tight when plugging in. I was worried i might damage something as it needed a bit more force than usual to go in. I feel everything is fine though.
> ...


I had a similar experience with the fiio cable on the usb c side also with the mojo2


----------



## thecrow

turbo87 said:


> I had a similar experience with the fiio cable on the usb c side also with the mojo2


Thanks


----------



## emilsoft (Dec 21, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> ATC speakers, specially the smaller ones, have low efficiency, that's true. But then again, all smaller speakers are like that. Smaller speakers are more desired, for obvious reasons, but because of the small size of the bass driver, they need far more power to move enough air to reproduce bass, and their midrange and treble are artificially tamed down to match the bass response, so there is a price to pay for their small size - _Low Efficiency!_
> 
> BTW, low output impedance headphone amps, are not that common! To drive a 4 ohm load, the output impedance of the amp needs to be a fraction of the ohm (Like Mojo2 and Hugo2) - but about 80% (guessing) of other makes and models are in the few ohm region. Some of Topping and S.M.S.L devices, go into protection mode at less than 10 ohms or so, yes they do go quiet! but not the type you like



ATC speakers are unlike many others on the market as most of their designs are infinite baffle, i.e. fully sealed, and coupled with heavy duty burly drivers with huge voice coils (not your typical driver used by JBL/KEF ) - both of these add up to make them as one of the most if not most low efficiency speakers in the world (unlike any other small speakers on the market).
It's also not just about the watts but also the current and headroom of the amplifiers used to drive them. Just to add, ATC have been making speakers for home use for a long time and this is arguably their larger more profitable side vs the pro world, so I can't agree with you on that.

As I said earlier, these compromises are what gives them their special sauce sound quality (tight and clear bass with no overhang, very fast attack/decay etc) - it is the opposite of what Andromeda are doing with their super high efficiency and output impedance sensitivity - different design approaches both relevant. Would I have liked an Andromeda without OI dependency and amplifier pickiness? Sure, but if it means compromises to it's current sound by sticking a resistor in there or some damping - I wouldn't have it any other way.

90% of head amplifiers/sources nowadays have low OI, or 0: RME ADI: 0 OI, Earmen Sparrow: 0, Woo WA8 0-1, Sony ZX507 around 1 OI, WM1AM2: around 1, Mojo 1/2 0, ifi Gryphon 0  and many more I can't be bothered to keep listing - i can keep going all day. The sources that typically have high OI might be specialist tube amps tailored for specific headphones. Generally nowadays it's frowned upon to release OI over 1, it's a bad design and there's no excuse.

Mojo 2 hiss - it's ok I can live with it. Is it the best design on how to handle it? No, I gave examples of cheap, mid and expensive that use different principle to deal with sensitive IEMs and bring no hiss but also maintain low output impedance. There's no point protecting the shrine of Chord, it is what it is - I like the Mojo 2's sound quality, but it it's a hissy bugger with sensitive IEMs it's just a fact.

As for SMSL and Topping going into protection mode - you know that Topping also had a specific amplifier model fault that used to destroy headphones? Both of these manufacturers are awful in my book, they chase certain measurements to impress with numbers but sound awful and most of the time have design flaws (like the one you mentioned).


----------



## Odezra

I have the CA Andromeda 2020 and the mojo 2. Obviously it’s a picky iem.

I don’t think this is bad design myself as I don't think the market at this price point is offering devices that are great at everything. Instead, brands are picking their party pieces. Mojo 2 went with its unique dac implementation plus a ‘lossless eq’ system and improved battery while keeping all the other mojo 1 features and poly compatibility. Other units at this price point might give you better impedance, power performance, inputs / outputs etc etc but they will sacrifice other things.

The mojo is so good it played a role in my speaker system for a long time - it’s a great unit.

I still agree impedance could be better, but at this price point - i don’t think this is down to poor design or thoughtless omission. Plus -  the ifi iematch is a cheap solution for sensitive HPs and IEMs meaning we don’t need to worry about impedance if we still value mojos other traits.


----------



## emilsoft

Odezra said:


> I still agree impedance could be better, but at this price point - i don’t think this is down to poor design or thoughtless omission. Plus -  the ifi iematch is a cheap solution for sensitive HPs and IEMs meaning we don’t need to worry about impedance if we still value mojos other traits.


Iematch unfortunately kills the sound quality on the Andromeda for me - it smooths over the dynamics and just brings it down a couple of levels.


----------



## Odezra (Dec 21, 2022)

emilsoft said:


> Iematch unfortunately kills the sound quality on the Andromeda for me - it smooths over the dynamics and just brings it down a couple of levels.


That’s interesting - is the behaviour across all inputs (eg optical)? Interested to know if it’s purely an issue of the output stage changing the performance.


----------



## Stevko

thecrow said:


> I just bought the fiio lightning to usbc cable
> https://fiio.com/productinfo/718506.html
> 
> i found the usb c plug on the cable quite tight when plugging in. I was worried i might damage something as it needed a bit more force than usual to go in. I feel everything is fine though.
> ...


I use it with my earmen tr-amp. Not too loose or tight


----------



## daveya

I find my OTG cables a bit tighter, may be extra pin dunno


----------



## AussieMick

Zap67 said:


> Can you recommend a usb c cable to connect mojo 2 to ipad?


AudioQuest Carbon for me. I also had terrific success with a Cardas Clear HS USB.


----------



## AussieMick

There is so much incredible gear on the market. Products that exist on the fringes (Susvara, super sensitive IEM’s, ATC) just need the right match. 
Let’s stop complaining and do our research instead. Find products that match well and complement each other.


----------



## headmanPL

emilsoft said:


> ATC speakers are unlike many others on the market as most of their designs are infinite baffle, i.e. fully sealed, and coupled with heavy duty burly drivers with huge voice coils (not your typical driver used by JBL/KEF ) - both of these add up to make them as one of the most if not most low efficiency speakers in the world (unlike any other small speakers on the market).
> It's also not just about the watts but also the current and headroom of the amplifiers used to drive them. Just to add, ATC have been making speakers for home use for a long time and this is arguably their larger more profitable side vs the pro world, so I can't agree with you on that.
> 
> As I said earlier, these compromises are what gives them their special sauce sound quality (tight and clear bass with no overhang, very fast attack/decay etc) - it is the opposite of what Andromeda are doing with their super high efficiency and output impedance sensitivity - different design approaches both relevant. Would I have liked an Andromeda without OI dependency and amplifier pickiness? Sure, but if it means compromises to it's current sound by sticking a resistor in there or some damping - I wouldn't have it any other way.
> ...


I am a big fan of ATC speakers (I have a pair myself). I don't like IEM's, so I'm probably only half qualified to speak here. What I will say, is that when I decided on the ATC speakers, I had to find an amp that drove them to produce the sound I was looking for, and handle the poor acoustics at home. That narrowed the field of contenders to a very small number. That is a natural process as I don't believe any single product works with 100% perfection with potential partners.  If something doesn't compliment my chosen device, I move on to find another that will.
Similar happened with the Mojo. I loved the way it made my headphones (at the time) sound, so I bought it. I felt it could sound better, so I searched and settled on Grado's. Together, they sound amazing. Now I have Mojo 2, that makes the Grado's shine even more.
Finding the ideal match is part of the fun, so I don't see why 2 products that don't play well together, makes either or both a bad product or bad design. It just means that combined they are less than the sum of their parts, so further investigation is needed to find the ideal combo.


----------



## emilsoft

Has anyone managed to get bluetooth audio working with Macbook M1? I can't get it working no matter what I try - computer connects fine to Poly and play music, but Mojo doesn't get any signal from Poly. Works fine out of iPhone.


----------



## rocketron

emilsoft said:


> Has anyone managed to get bluetooth audio working with Macbook M1? I can't get it working no matter what I try - computer connects fine to Poly and play music, but Mojo doesn't get any signal from Poly. Works fine out of iPhone.



I don’t know if this will help?

I remember seeing a video on YouTube where Trev i think it was had apt-x running from his Mac book.

I see from one of your last post you mentioned the Sony WM1am2.
Do you own one and if so could please compare the sound quality to the Mojo 2.

Thank you.


----------



## Kentajalli

headmanPL said:


> I am a big fan of ATC speakers (I have a pair myself). I don't like IEM's, so I'm probably only half qualified to speak here. What I will say, is that when I decided on the ATC speakers, I had to find an amp that drove them to produce the sound I was looking for, and handle the poor acoustics at home. That narrowed the field of contenders to a very small number. That is a natural process as I don't believe any single product works with 100% perfection with potential partners.  If something doesn't compliment my chosen device, I move on to find another that will.
> Similar happened with the Mojo. I loved the way it made my headphones (at the time) sound, so I bought it. I felt it could sound better, so I searched and settled on Grado's. Together, they sound amazing. Now I have Mojo 2, that makes the Grado's shine even more.
> Finding the ideal match is part of the fun, so I don't see why 2 products that don't play well together, makes either or both a bad product or bad design. It just means that combined they are less than the sum of their parts, so further investigation is needed to find the ideal combo.


Yes, you are correct.
At the risk of dragging this issue even further, just a short point:
IEMs, by nature, are made for portable use mainly. They provide small size, natural sound isolation, low weight and all.
An IEM, that requires a portable amp that hardly exists, has something wrong with it. Almost all phones are out of the question, because of impedance and noise.
Mojo2 and Hugo2 are among a handful that qualify.


----------



## emilsoft

rocketron said:


> I don’t know if this will help?
> 
> I remember seeing a video on YouTube where Trev i think it was had apt-x running from his Mac book.
> 
> ...



Mojo 2 + good source (Poly or optical/spdif decrapifier) > 1AM2. Mojo 2 is much cleaner, more technical, better overall. 1AM2 has nice vibe with holographic mids but it has some congestion. A true competitor DAP to the Mojo 2 is the Hiby RS6 - it's wider, more organic, thicker with it's R2R signature - Mojo sounds more processed - both still very good, depending on what you fancy.


----------



## rocketron

emilsoft said:


> Mojo 2 + good source (Poly or optical/spdif decrapifier) > 1AM2. Mojo 2 is much cleaner, more technical, better overall. 1AM2 has nice vibe with holographic mids but it has some congestion. A true competitor DAP to the Mojo 2 is the Hiby RS6 - it's wider, more organic, thicker with it's R2R signature - Mojo sounds more processed - both still very good, depending on what you fancy.



Thank you .
You might have just saved me a lot of money 👍.

Next question if I may?
How difficult is the Poly ?
I mainly thinking of a streamer at home.

Thanks once again.


----------



## emilsoft (Dec 21, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> Yes, you are correct.
> At the risk of dragging this issue even further, just a short point:
> IEMs, by nature, are made for portable use mainly. They provide small size, natural sound isolation, low weight and all.
> An IEM, that requires a portable amp that hardly exists, has something wrong with it. Almost all phones are out of the question, because of impedance and noise.
> Mojo2 and Hugo2 are among a handful that qualify.



There are many portable amps suitable for Andro - just part of my collection I use Earmen Sparrow, Qudelix 5k, Cayin RU6, Shanling M0 - all of these have around 0 OI and no hiss or hardly any with the Campfire. There's many others that I've heard that play nicely with the Andros. I would call it anything but an IEM that requires a portable AMP that hardly exists - infact it goes well with most portable sources, even very low powered phones (most phones with jacks have low OI around 0 - even from 2015 onwards).. I don't understand where you get these impressions, perhaps with old sources from 2010 things were different..


----------



## emilsoft (Dec 21, 2022)

rocketron said:


> Thank you .
> You might have just saved me a lot of money 👍.
> 
> Next question if I may?
> ...



For home Poly works nicely and reliably - just study the streaming options it has and if it suits your patterns. For work wifi with extra security might be tricky to connect (mine has some sort of certificate issue) and I have to use Poly over bluetooth which stinks.

Poly sounds good and very clean, but a good usb > optical converter might be a bit more natural/organic sounding. Poly is so clean, it's almost robotic - might be a usb limitation on Mojo 2, but still much much better over pc usb > Mojo.

* Don't immediately dismiss the Sony - it has the Sony sound, a vibey, fast but organic signature - many Sony fans swear by it. I just know the Mojo is more technically capable beast - plug it into a desktop amp and it might as well be a high performing desktop setup, but it can only achieve this with good optical/Poly source, otherwise forget it.


----------



## rocketron

emilsoft said:


> For home Poly works nicely and reliably - just study the streaming options it has and if it suits your patterns. For work wifi with extra security might be tricky to connect (mine has some sort of certificate issue) and I have to use Poly over bluetooth which stinks.
> 
> Poly sounds good and very clean, but a good usb > optical converter might be a bit more natural/organic sounding. Poly is so clean, it's almost robotic - might be a usb limitation on Mojo 2, but still much much better over pc usb > Mojo.
> 
> * Don't immediately dismiss the Sony - it has the Sony sound, a vibey, fast but organic signature - many Sony fans swear by it. I just know the Mojo is more technically capable beast - plug it into a desktop amp and it might as well be a high performing desktop setup, but it can only achieve this with good optical/Poly source, otherwise forget it.



Thank you 👍


----------



## emilsoft (Dec 21, 2022)

Concerning streaming bluetooth audio to Poly - all is not what it seems. I know Poly can only use SBC, but it seems SBC codec can be quite powerful depending on the source device implementation and Poly seems to be open to higher quality streams. Streaming audio from my iPad give a  hazy and muted sound - it's not great, but it's usable. Streaming from my Hiby RS6 is quite lively, better defined and not far off Airplay surprisingly! - obviously I think Hiby must use larger bitpool for SBC. I will try with Shanling M0 later as I think that one can be used for USB>BT as a computer bluetooth dongle in a way - if it has a high enough bitpool this might sound more pleasant than usb directly out of computer with mojo

Just fyi it's worth exploring perhaps, I know most of us discredit bluetooth as a huge downgrade.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

emilsoft said:


> Concerning streaming bluetooth audio to Poly - all is not what it seems. I know Poly can only use SBC, but it seems SBC codec can be quite powerful depending on the source device implementation and Poly seems to be open to higher quality streams. Streaming audio from my iPad give a  hazy and muted sound - it's not great, but it's usable. Streaming from my Hiby RS6 is quite lively, better defined and not far off Airplay surprisingly! - obviously I think Hiby must use larger bitpool for SBC. I will try with Shanling M0 later as I think that one can be used for USB>BT as a computer bluetooth dongle in a way - if it has a high enough bitpool this might sound more pleasant than usb directly out of computer with mojo
> 
> Just fyi it's worth exploring perhaps, I know most of us discredit bluetooth as a huge downgrade.


It’s more that you’ve spent $600-$800 on an add on for the mojo to use a lossy, basic Bluetooth codec. Airplay, DLNA, and upnp are all wireless protocols that are “transparent”.


----------



## emilsoft

Daniel Johnston said:


> It’s more that you’ve spent $600-$800 on an add on for the mojo to use a lossy, basic Bluetooth codec. Airplay, DLNA, and upnp are all wireless protocols that are “transparent”.



If I want to use Apple music with Poly at work it's my only option - I have wifi network that requires some menu/certificate options (all easily done on phones/computers), but Poly does not allow this as it has very basic connection settings. It's annoying but what to do..


----------



## AussieMick

Hotspot from your device and use airplay?


----------



## emilsoft (Dec 21, 2022)

AussieMick said:


> Hotspot from your device and use airplay?


it will destroy my data allowance due to Apple Music streaming as my device can’t use the Wi-Fi network if it’s in hotspot


----------



## Daniel Johnston

emilsoft said:


> If I want to use Apple music with Poly at work it's my only option - I have wifi network that requires some menu/certificate options (all easily done on phones/computers), but Poly does not allow this as it has very basic connection settings. It's annoying but what to do..


Which is why the poly isn’t really useful when using streaming services without Wi-Fi. 

I sold my mojo/poly for this reason. I’ve been tempted to repurchase the poly since buying the mojo 2. But, as you described, without Wi-Fi, it’s not as convenient. I have several Roon endpoints for home and DAPs for travel. 

BT audio has always been a minor feature to the poly. Same with the Hugo 2. If it works for you, cool. However, you won’t see many here push or comment heavily on BT audio capabilities.


----------



## Somafunk

emilsoft said:


> If I want to use Apple music with Poly at work it's my only option - I have wifi network that requires some menu/certificate options (all easily done on phones/computers), but Poly does not allow this as it has very basic connection settings. It's annoying but what to do..



In that case I would rather use something like The ifi audio go-blu or the Fiio Bluetooth portable dacs, or even a pair of Apple AirPods 2 as the bluetooth codec in the poly sounds merely adequate at best when Ive attempted to use it with my macs/iPad/iPhone.


----------



## rocketron

Somafunk said:


> In that case I would rather use something like The ifi audio go-blu or the Fiio Bluetooth portable dacs, or even a pair of Apple AirPods 2 as the bluetooth codec in the poly sounds merely adequate at best when Ive attempted to use it with my macs/iPad/iPhone.



I second the IFI Go Blu.
Great little device.
No it doesn’t sound as good as a Mojo 2 but for what it’s designed for I don’t think you can go wrong.

People say it hisses on the 4.4mm output so don’t use sensitive iems .

After a Go Blu I would use a Questyle M15.
No it doesn’t sound as good as a Mojo 2 but it’s not far off and way more portable.
Only downside is like all the powerful dongle dacs it will draw power from you phone battery.


----------



## emilsoft

Somafunk said:


> In that case I would rather use something like The ifi audio go-blu or the Fiio Bluetooth portable dacs, or even a pair of Apple AirPods 2 as the bluetooth codec in the poly sounds merely adequate at best when Ive attempted to use it with my macs/iPad/iPhone.


I still think even with Bluetooth mojo comes ahead vs the smaller dongles, just about


----------



## emilsoft (Dec 21, 2022)

Today I managed to get optical out from my Apogee Element into the Mojo 2 - this is the best sound I've heard out of the Mojo - I can see now that the digital signal part is 40-50% of the dac sound quality as it takes on some the characteristic of the Element sounding a little more like it (which is a good thing). I was ready to experiment with more decrapifiers but the Apogee Element can happily take their place.


----------



## kumar402

emilsoft said:


> Today I managed to get optical out from my Apogee Element into the Mojo 2 - this is the best sound I've heard out of the Mojo - I can see now that the digital signal part is 40-50% of the dac sound quality as it takes on some the characteristic of the Element sounding a little more like it (which is a good thing). I was ready to experiment with more decrapifiers but the Apogee Element can happily take their place.


Ya Mojo likes cleaner signal free of RFI/EMI and hence optical works best.


----------



## emilsoft

kumar402 said:


> Ya Mojo likes cleaner signal free of RFI/EMI and hence optical works best.


Yes but not just any optical, feed it a decrapified, reclocked and precise optical signal and it laps it up like a baby does mother's milk.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

For those having hiss/noise, the IEMatch is a good accessory but like @emilsoft said before, it does change the frequency response of IEMs a tiny bit, some might prefer this change or have IEMs that benefit from this change but for me personally after having used the IEMatch feature in both my micro iDSD Signature & Gryphon, I did not like it with my gear.

As for source, I have been considering various options to get the best possible sound for portable use without having to spend too much and I see two options that look nice to me.
1. Get X10 TII or R3 Pro and pair with Mojo 2 via Optical or Coaxial.
2. Get the short ddHiFi TC09S pair it with iSilencer (Type-C varient).

Any suggestions, recommendations are welcome.

At this moment, the Poly looks like a much better solution but I do not like the price for it and don't see much use for some of it's features.


----------



## emilsoft

Johnfg465vd said:


> For those having hiss/noise, the IEMatch is a good accessory but like @emilsoft said before, it does change the frequency response of IEMs a tiny bit, some might prefer this change or have IEMs that benefit from this change but for me personally after having used the IEMatch feature in both my micro iDSD Signature & Gryphon, I did not like it with my gear.
> 
> As for source, I have been considering various options to get the best possible sound for portable use without having to spend too much and I see two options that look nice to me.
> 1. Get X10 TII or R3 Pro and pair with Mojo 2 via Optical or Coaxial.
> ...



If you can, get optical source for the Mojo. I tried Coax with Hiby RS6 and it was OK but not wow.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

emilsoft said:


> If you can, get optical source for the Mojo. I tried Coax with Hiby RS6 and it was OK but not wow.


I am aware of the X10 TIi but will look into more products with Optical Out. Do you have any recommendations in mind?


----------



## kumar402

Johnfg465vd said:


> I am aware of the X10 TIi but will look into more products with Optical Out. Do you have any recommendations in mind?


for desktop there are many streamers or DDC with optical Out but not sure about the portable options


----------



## emilsoft

Johnfg465vd said:


> I am aware of the X10 TIi but will look into more products with Optical Out. Do you have any recommendations in mind?


Douk audio xu208
x10 Ii does looks like a very handy Swiss Army knife product - I don’t think it does reclocking?

Also wyred4sound have one similar to the douk but it’s more dear


----------



## kumar402

emilsoft said:


> Douk audio xu208
> x10 Ii does looks like a very handy Swiss Army knife product - I don’t think it does reclocking?
> 
> Also wyred4sound have one similar to the douk but it’s more dear


how about Wiim Mini? never heard it but seems to be good as per youtube


----------



## emilsoft

kumar402 said:


> how about Wiim Mini? never heard it but seems to be good as per youtube


If you want a streamer there’s many options out there. I am looking at mostly usb > optical. I know ifi streamer is quite good don’t know about other ones


----------



## Johnfg465vd

kumar402 said:


> how about Wiim Mini? never heard it but seems to be good as per youtube


This looks nice but is it battery powered? I did not find this information on the website.


----------



## Derivative

Johnfg465vd said:


> This looks nice but is it battery powered? I did not find this information on the website.


I have one, it's mains powered (through USB-C port). digital output is optical only. It's a great device with a very good app - although there's no desktop / browser app, so can only be controlled from a phone or tablet. It's great value in my view. For some reason I haven't tried it with my Mojo2 yet (it currently feeds my Benchmark DAC2) but I'll give it a go shortly.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

Derivative said:


> I have one, it's mains powered (through USB-C port). digital output is optical only. It's a great device with a very good app - although there's no desktop / browser app, so can only be controlled from a phone or tablet. It's great value in my view. For some reason I haven't tried it with my Mojo2 yet (it currently feeds my Benchmark DAC2) but I'll give it a go shortly.


Not really what I'm looking for then (portable device with optical out), still it seems like a great product for desktop use.


----------



## Derivative

Johnfg465vd said:


> Not really what I'm looking for then (portable device with optical out), still it seems like a great product for desktop use.


Ah ok, that makes sense. definitely a desktop solution.


----------



## kumar402

emilsoft said:


> If you want a streamer there’s many options out there. I am looking at mostly usb > optical. I know ifi streamer is quite good don’t know about other ones


Will have to go with DDC for USB to optical at desktop level.
there are some good ones actually like 
Gustard U18, Singxer SU-6, Denafrips Hermes, Audio GD-20
each are reclocker with good clocks or support for external clocks as well.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

I forgot to mention this before, When I said that the Mojo 2 sounds better from Optical Input compared to USB, I do not mean to say Mojo 2 sounds bad from USB Input. I think most people will be perfectly happy with the way it sounds via USB. It's just that I'm a very picky person with my audio gear and am always looking for that last bits of improvements in my audio chain.

At this moment, I do think getting a good USB Interconnect is a worth while investment. I have noticed some sound quality improvement from using a OEAudio Cable [Type C to C] when compared to a cheap AmazonBasics Cable [C to C]. I don't know if it's because the OEAudio is a good cable or because the AmazonBasics one is bad but there is a difference. I plan to get the ddHiFi TC09S Cable soon and will see if I notice any change/improvement.

Even though I like the OEAudio Cable, I will not be recommending it for the Mojo 2 because of the weird location of Type-C Input on the M2. The OEAudio Cable is a bit stiff and does not allow a good stacking of my phone & M2.


----------



## BS5711 (Dec 22, 2022)

Johnfg465vd said:


> I forgot to mention this before, When I said that the Mojo 2 sounds better from Optical Input compared to USB, I do not mean to say Mojo 2 sounds bad from USB Input. I think most people will be perfectly happy with the way it sounds via USB. It's just that I'm a very picky person with my audio gear and am always looking for that last bits of improvements in my audio chain.
> 
> At this moment, I do think getting a good USB Interconnect is a worth while investment. I have noticed some sound quality improvement from using a OEAudio Cable [Type C to C] when compared to a cheap AmazonBasics Cable [C to C]. I don't know if it's because the OEAudio is a good cable or because the AmazonBasics one is bad but there is a difference. I plan to get the ddHiFi TC09S Cable soon and will see if I notice any change/improvement.
> 
> Even though I like the OEAudio Cable, I will not be recommending it for the Mojo 2 because of the weird location of Type-C Input on the M2. The OEAudio Cable is a bit stiff and does not allow a good stacking of my phone & M2.



I have the short TC09S and think I hear slightly  better clarity with ifi Go Bar, I don’t have a Mojo 2 to try it with.

It is a relatively stiff cable so you might not find it stacks ideally either unless you give it a squeeze to form a sharpish bend in it and more or less relegate it for that one application.


----------



## daveya

BS5711 said:


> I have the short TC09S and think I hear slightly  better clarity with ifi Go Bar, I don’t have a Mojo 2 to try it with.
> 
> It is a relatively stiff cable so you might not find it stacks ideally either unless you give it a big of a squeeze to form a sharpish bend in it and more or less relegate it for that one application.


Is it any better than the MFi06 I wonder


----------



## kumar402 (Dec 21, 2022)

Johnfg465vd said:


> I forgot to mention this before, When I said that the Mojo 2 sounds better from Optical Input compared to USB, I do not mean to say Mojo 2 sounds bad from USB Input. I think most people will be perfectly happy with the way it sounds via USB. It's just that I'm a very picky person with my audio gear and am always looking for that last bits of improvements in my audio chain.
> 
> At this moment, I do think getting a good USB Interconnect is a worth while investment. I have noticed some sound quality improvement from using a OEAudio Cable [Type C to C] when compared to a cheap AmazonBasics Cable [C to C]. I don't know if it's because the OEAudio is a good cable or because the AmazonBasics one is bad but there is a difference. I plan to get the ddHiFi TC09S Cable soon and will see if I notice any change/improvement.
> 
> Even though I like the OEAudio Cable, I will not be recommending it for the Mojo 2 because of the weird location of Type-C Input on the M2. The OEAudio Cable is a bit stiff and does not allow a good stacking of my phone & M2.


Just few days back I read Rob Watt's comment on USB and he does prefer Optical as well and his point was if we have to use USB then use generic cable and not the audiophile grade one for his DAC  as these Audiophile USB cable are better in transferring noise to DAC from laptop or phone and hence during initial days  the brightness may be perceived as better resolution but in longer term we are better with generic cable.

Post in thread 'Watts Up...?'
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/watts-up.800264/post-17293040


----------



## Daniel Johnston

If you have a chromecast audio laying around, optical out from that to mojo 2 works great.


----------



## BS5711

daveya said:


> Is it any better than the MFi06 I wonder



My comment that I think I hear slightly better clarity with my ifi Go Bar using the TC09S was relative to the ddhifi TC05 that I normally use which is just the USB-C version pf the MFi06.

That said, any change was small and may have been only expectation bias. Conversely, I am not usually one to hear minor changes so if I heard something it might be far more obvious to others than to me.

Personally I buy USB-C cables exclusively and use a ddhifi TC28i Lightning to USB-C right angle adapter for the occasion I want to use my iPhone to connect to a device and I use a C to A adapter if I need to connect to the A port on my laptop which sometimes is on the more convenient side than the C ports.

Depending on your use case and other gear that might be a better option than Lightning specific cables when the Lightning connector seems destined to be a thing of the past soon.


----------



## rlanger

Derivative said:


> I have one, it's mains powered (through USB-C port). digital output is optical only. It's a great device with a very good app - although there's no desktop / browser app, so can only be controlled from a phone or tablet. It's great value in my view. For some reason I haven't tried it with my Mojo2 yet (it currently feeds my Benchmark DAC2) but I'll give it a go shortly.


There is a desktop app. It's in beta and has pretty limited in functionality at the moment, but it works well enough. 

https://wiimhome.com/App.html


----------



## Derivative

rlanger said:


> There is a desktop app. It's in beta and has pretty limited in functionality at the moment, but it works well enough.
> 
> https://wiimhome.com/App.html


Ah thanks for that! very positive development in my view


----------



## syazwaned (Dec 22, 2022)

Wiim Mini looks like good alternative for desktop poly setup, though i hear it is not able to read DSD. I am not sure it is the wiim mini itself or when optical out to other dac amp


----------



## Headphiguy

Derivative said:


> I have one, it's mains powered (through USB-C port). digital output is optical only. It's a great device with a very good app - although there's no desktop / browser app, so can only be controlled from a phone or tablet. It's great value in my view. For some reason I haven't tried it with my Mojo2 yet (it currently feeds my Benchmark DAC2) but I'll give it a go shortly.


I mentioned several hundred pages ago that the WiiM Mini>Optical>Mojo2>1980s amp and speakers has revolutionised the quality and convenience of music listening in our household. For those who prefer Tidal, the WiiM can now handle MQA but I am using Amazon Music cast straight from the AM iOS app (hi-res up to 24/192) and I struggle to think how the front end could be improved significantly without spending several thousand more, the combo really is that good. Maybe the new WiiM Pro would now be worth considering instead but, either way, I am beginning to think that from a SQ point of view there is little point in spending more on a streamer or, put another way, the money would be better spent elsewhere in a system.


----------



## cybergalaxy

Does anyone know if the sound quality changes/suffers if it is used with external power vs battery power? 
I am wondering if it sounds better says 
1) best with internal power
2) second best with external power bank (less noise)
3) least preferable with direct connection via USB charger 
I tried but think it sounds pretty the same across the three types but wanted to hear other views. 

On this note, I am thinking of connecting to power bank so to reduce the charge cycle of internal battery, as I heard the old MOJO owners suffered from reduced performance of its internal battery after a few years. Anyone have similar thoughts?

Wishing all a great Christmas very soon!


----------



## Daniel Johnston

cybergalaxy said:


> Does anyone know if the sound quality changes/suffers if it is used with external power vs battery power?
> I am wondering if it sounds better says
> 1) best with internal power
> 2) second best with external power bank (less noise)
> ...


There should be no sonic differences. Rob Watts frequently speaks about not needing fancy power supplies. 

The old Mojo didn't have a desktop mode. If you used a poor power adapter, you could get a buzzing noise from the filters. 

I prefer the optical input while on battery, but that's just my preference.


----------



## emilsoft

I tried bluetooth on my other Macbook now running Monterey 12.5.1 - i can connect to Poly bluetooth (little speaker icon in bluetooth settings) but i can't select it as audio output in my audio preferences!? 

I also tried a usb to bluetooth transmitter (SBC), it works fine with my bluetooth headphones, but no audio comes out of Poly.

It seems Poly is an absolute mess with the Bluetooth audio implementation, I have no idea why Chord can't do a clean bog standard SBC implementation after all these years.

* Seem to work fine on Windows 10, and out of iPhone only.


----------



## BS5711

emilsoft said:


> I tried bluetooth on my other Macbook now running Monterey 12.5.1 - i can connect to Poly bluetooth (little speaker icon in bluetooth settings) but i can't select it as audio output in my audio preferences!?
> 
> I also tried a usb to bluetooth transmitter (SBC), it works fine with my bluetooth headphones, but no audio comes out of Poly.
> 
> ...



For every good comment about Poly there seems to be two more with nothing but frustration.

With the age of both the original Mojo and the Poly perhaps Chord should have introduced a Poly 2 as well and not used the comical arrangement of Micro USB and a USB-C plug in one of the Mojo 2’s rubber feet.

SBC bluetooth only and we are days away from 2023 for goodness sake.


----------



## Chibs

BS5711 said:


> For every good comment about Poly there seems to be two more with nothing but frustration.
> 
> With the age of both the original Mojo and the Poly perhaps Chord should have introduced a Poly 2 as well and not used the comical arrangement of Micro USB and a USB-C plug in one of the Mojo 2’s rubber feet.
> 
> SBC bluetooth only and we are days away from 2023 for goodness sake.


Yea, I really tried to understand the Poly but cant seem to justify it's use-case. Someone please explain why Poly is so popular!
When I'm on the go, I have my phone and connect it directly to the Mojo 2 for Bit Perfect playback through Apple music. When I'm at home, I have the Wiim Mini / Bluesound Node to hook up to it. Both are way cheaper and more feature packed. Poly is Roon ready but so is BS Node and Wiim mini's next update will have that caught up as well. Maybe Poly sounds better? I just don't get it. The Mojo 2 is such an amazing, versatile bit of kit. The Poly not so much. Am I wrong?


----------



## BS5711

Chibs said:


> Yea, I really tried to understand the Poly but cant seem to justify it's use-case. Someone please explain why Poly is so popular!
> When I'm on the go, I have my phone and connect it directly to the Mojo 2 for Bit Perfect playback through Apple music. When I'm at home, I have the Wiim Mini / Bluesound Node to hook up to it. Both are way cheaper and more feature packed. Poly is Roon ready but so is BS Node and Wiim mini's next update will have that caught up as well. Maybe Poly sounds better? I just don't get it. The Mojo 2 is such an amazing, versatile bit of kit. The Poly not so much. Am I wrong?



I doubt Poly is popular at all in the true sense if the word.

I think it is a fair bet that Poly users are over represented here relative to Mojo and Mojo 2 users simply because it is a somewhat specialist piece of gear so it seems like it is far more popular than it really is.


----------



## Chibs

BS5711 said:


> I doubt Poly is popular at all in the true sense if the word.
> 
> I think it is a fair bet that Poly users are over represented here relative to Mojo and Mojo 2 users simply because it is a somewhat specialist piece of gear so it seems like it is far more popular than it really is.


Fair enough. Mojo 2 is just so good, it sets the bar really quite high. 
Now I didn't do a "Best of 2022" video because I got hung up on a review I'm still working on, but if I did, Mojo would definitely make my list. It surprised me in so many ways and all that while managing to keep it's price @ a very attainable level. The Juxtaposition with the more expensive Poly just seems lopsided in contrast. Admittedly, I have never tried the Poly and reserve the right to flip flop should I see the light. I was actually hoping someone on here could explain why they're worth it.

Either way, a companies products aren't always equivalent from a value to price ratio. Mojo 2 just hits all that magic perfectly. Chord's sweet spot imo.
Chibs


----------



## jlbrach

I own the hugo 2 and mojo 2...I love both BUT I encountered the dreaded noise issue when attached to my iphone with the mojo 2 and it was jarring and actually a bit frightening...so loud and harsh...I dont know how to deal with this problem...I dont have it with the hugo 2 or when I connect the mojo 2 to my AK 120 via optical....a shame because otherwise it is a wonderful product


----------



## BS5711

Chibs said:


> Fair enough. Mojo 2 is just so good, it sets the bar really quite high.
> Now I didn't do a "Best of 2022" video because I got hung up on a review I'm still working on, but if I did, Mojo would definitely make my list. It surprised me in so many ways and all that while managing to keep it's price @ a very attainable level. The Juxtaposition with the more expensive Poly just seems lopsided in contrast. Admittedly, I have never tried the Poly and reserve the right to flip flop should I see the light. I was actually hoping someone on here could explain why they're worth it.
> 
> Either way, a companies products aren't always equivalent from a value to price ratio. Mojo 2 just hits all that magic perfectly. Chord's sweet spot imo.
> Chibs



Sounds eminently reasonable.

Merry Christmas.


----------



## Chibs

jlbrach said:


> I own the hugo 2 and mojo 2...I love both BUT I encountered the dreaded noise issue when attached to my iphone with the mojo 2 and it was jarring and actually a bit frightening...so loud and harsh...I dont know how to deal with this problem...I dont have it with the hugo 2 or when I connect the mojo 2 to my AK 120 via optical....a shame because otherwise it is a wonderful product


I had the hiss problem early on and fixed it 100%. At least in my case, it was related to the cable.
My review and cable fiasco below.


Chibs


----------



## dsherrick

Chibs said:


> Yea, I really tried to understand the Poly but cant seem to justify it's use-case. Someone please explain why Poly is so popular!
> When I'm on the go, I have my phone and connect it directly to the Mojo 2 for Bit Perfect playback through Apple music. When I'm at home, I have the Wiim Mini / Bluesound Node to hook up to it. Both are way cheaper and more feature packed. Poly is Roon ready but so is BS Node and Wiim mini's next update will have that caught up as well. Maybe Poly sounds better? I just don't get it. The Mojo 2 is such an amazing, versatile bit of kit. The Poly not so much. Am I wrong?


For me the Poly is all about physical configuration…when I’m out of the house, my phone is in and out of my pocket frequently (too frequently).  Checking the clock, texts, e-mail, Wikipedia,  maps if I’m walking, etc….I can‘t stand having it physically tethered to another box, which is physically tethered to my ears.  Poly means I have separate systems — one box (poly/mojo2) with one wire that goes to my ears, and a phone that is not physically connected to anything.


----------



## daveya

dsherrick said:


> For me the Poly is all about physical configuration…when I’m out of the house, my phone is in and out of my pocket frequently (too frequently).  Checking the clock, texts, e-mail, Wikipedia,  maps if I’m walking, etc….I can‘t stand having it physically tethered to another box, which is physically tethered to my ears.  Poly means I have separate systems — one box (poly/mojo2) with one wire that goes to my ears, and a phone that is not physically connected to anything.


I get that, but you could buy a 50 quid old phone and run UAPP off it, smaller and lighter than poly .

I think the main use case for Poly would be to use the storage card , some say that'd the best SQ, I'm doubtful it's audible


----------



## thecrow

daveya said:


> I get that, but you could buy a 50 quid old phone and run UAPP off it, smaller and lighter than poly .
> 
> I think the main use case for Poly would be to use the storage card , some say that'd the best SQ, I'm doubtful it's audible


why be doubtful?

some reviewers say it is an audible difference so i’ll believe them til i hear something different


----------



## Kentajalli

daveya said:


> I get that, but you could buy a 50 quid old phone and run UAPP off it, smaller and lighter than poly .
> 
> I think the main use case for Poly would be to use the storage card , some say that'd the best SQ, I'm doubtful it's audible


A lot of 50 quid old phones take an SD card too!


----------



## daveya

Kentajalli said:


> A lot of 50 quid old phones take an SD card too!


Yes, good point . I don't have a digital collection anyway, all streaming for me


----------



## Chibs

thecrow said:


> why be doubtful?
> 
> some reviewers say it is an audible difference so i’ll believe them til i hear something different


My apple music library is all downloaded onto the phone in lossless high resolution. Not sure if anyone could actually tell a difference between that and downloaded flac on an SD card. Would make an interesting test, maybe there is?

@dsherrick brings up a legitimate point. It can definitely be cumbersome having to pick up Mojo and phone out of your pocket every time you want to check email or whatever. My solution to this is throw them both in a waist pouch. The one I have makes it so much easier to grab.  I mean, I already have huge cans around my ears how much more nerdy does a waist pouch actually make me ?

For me it's all about having less stuff in my pockets, so I prefer one less bit of bulk taking up real estate. As far as not being encumbered, the easiest solution is AirPod Pro 2's but then I miss out on sound quality big time.

Chibs


----------



## thecrow

Chibs said:


> My apple music library is all downloaded onto the phone in lossless high resolution. Not sure if anyone could actually tell a difference between that and downloaded flac on an SD card. Would make an interesting test, maybe there is?


it’s always good hearing people’s first hand experience on these things


----------



## Kentajalli (Dec 23, 2022)

Chibs said:


> @dsherrick brings up a legitimate point.* It can definitely be cumbersome having to pick up Mojo and phone out of your pocket every time you want to check email or whatever*. My solution to this is throw them both in a waist pouch. The one I have makes it so much easier to grab. I mean, I already have huge cans around my ears how much more nerdy does a waist pouch actually make me ?


Something is killing me here!
Why on earth, would anyone keep their phone and mojo close together , even use a silly rubber band? and then complain "it is inconvenient to take them out of my pocket". Well Don't.
Use a longer thinner usb cable. Keep Mojo in your pocket plugged in with your headphones and USB cable, only take your phone out! Simple!
Not keeping the two stuck together has the added benefit of not suffering from RFI or EMI noise pollution .

What's wrong with this:





This is a 3 foot DIY cable I made .


----------



## Chibs (Dec 23, 2022)

Kentajalli said:


> Something is killing me here!
> Why on earth, would anyone keep their phone and mojo close together , even use a silly rubber band? and then complain "it is inconvenient to take them out of my pocket". Well Don't.
> Use a longer thinner usb cable. Keep Mojo in your pocket plugged in with your headphones and USB cable, only take your phone out! Simple!
> Not keeping the two stuck together has the added benefit of not suffering from RFI or EMI noise pollution .
> ...


You've made some good points. I guess you've got your Hugo and your phone in separate pants pockets and then a little cable salad in between?
Here's the method to my mojo 
It's a waist pack I use for walks with the dog as well, so when I took these photos he was accidentally triggered and got super excited (thanks for that..)



 When I want it out of the way, it's actually more comfortable resting on the opposite end.




As you can see, plenty of room even for your Hugo in there. Easy to get @ the mojo or iPhone independently (no digging around in tight pants pockets).




And this is my 50cm Lightning to usbc that gives me zero problems. No digital interference at all.
So yea, this is the the best way to go portable with the Mojo in my experience.
#Fannypacklife haha
Thus ends my show and tell 
 Chibs


----------



## jlbrach

Chibs said:


> I had the hiss problem early on and fixed it 100%. At least in my case, it was related to the cable.
> My review and cable fiasco below.
> 
> 
> Chibs



may I ask what the cable you recommend is?..I couldnt write it down from the video it goes too fast


----------



## Chibs

jlbrach said:


> may I ask what the cable you recommend is?..I couldnt write it down from the video it goes too fast


Sure, there's a link in the video's description but it's the MFi06S (50 CM)


----------



## Daniel Johnston

As a former poly and 2go user, I will say they were convenient for portable steaming around the house. Especially with Roon. And they worked very well, provided you had Wi-Fi. 

Otherwise, I hardly ever used the other functions (DLNA server, mpd, Bluetooth). The SQ from poly was better than usb to computer. 

Now I use a chrome cast audio for Roon/Streaming and a Shanling M0 for my library.


----------



## AussieMick (Dec 23, 2022)

Chibs said:


> Yea, I really tried to understand the Poly but cant seem to justify it's use-case. Someone please explain why Poly is so popular!
> When I'm on the go, I have my phone and connect it directly to the Mojo 2 for Bit Perfect playback through Apple music. When I'm at home, I have the Wiim Mini / Bluesound Node to hook up to it. Both are way cheaper and more feature packed. Poly is Roon ready but so is BS Node and Wiim mini's next update will have that caught up as well. Maybe Poly sounds better? I just don't get it. The Mojo 2 is such an amazing, versatile bit of kit. The Poly not so much. Am I wrong?


This is my best use case for Poly. Coming into summer and the weather is brilliant.


----------



## Chibs

AussieMick said:


> This is my best use case for Poly. Coming into summer and the weather is brilliant.


Can’t argue with this except to say that it’s very very unfair. 



This is me today. It’s -12 now without windshield. I would trade all the Mojo-Poly’s for a trip to Australia right now. Would still keep a mojo without Poly for the flight though 😅


----------



## AussieMick

Chibs said:


> Can’t argue with this except to say that it’s very very unfair.
> 
> This is me today. It’s -12 now without windshield. I would trade all the Mojo-Poly’s for a trip to Australia right now. Would still keep a mojo without Poly for the flight though 😅


Brilliant! Where are you? I did my doctoral degree at University of Iowa. I loved the snow and the cold! Hated the ice, though.


----------



## daveya

Found a use for the dual 3.5s.

Headphone tests.

The family were ordered into the kitchen, in the left corner wearing black is the Hifiman Ananda Stealth. In the right corner is the DCA2 with Noire pads.

Test tracks ,Rock Star Post Malone, New Rules Lipa ( sibilant recording) and From the Morning Nick Drake.

Headphones quickly swopped and volume adjusted for the DCA

After ruining everyone's Christmas eve breakfast it was a landslide for the Ananda SE apart from mother who is deaf who liked the DCA pads


----------



## Pulcino

BS5711 said:


> I doubt Poly is popular at all in the true sense if the word.
> 
> I think it is a fair bet that Poly users are over represented here relative to Mojo and Mojo 2 users simply because it is a somewhat specialist piece of gear so it seems like it is far more popular than it really is.


Poly simply sounds so much better via SD card than any usb c connected device I tried: iPhone and iPad. Only my Auralic Aries sounded via optical connector on the same level. If you love your Mojo2 sound via USB you really need to compare Poly via SD


----------



## AussieMick

Streaming to Poly from my home network runs a close second to the SD card, and both are substantially better than USB C from phone, iPad or laptop.


----------



## Chibs (Dec 24, 2022)

AussieMick said:


> Brilliant! Where are you? I did my doctoral degree at University of Iowa. I loved the snow and the cold! Hated the ice, though.


Ontario, Canada. I could do without the cold, snow, and ice altogether!


----------



## BS5711

Pulcino said:


> Poly simply sounds so much better via SD card than any usb c connected device I tried: iPhone and iPad. Only my Auralic Aries sounded via optical connector on the same level. If you love your Mojo2 sound via USB you really need to compare Poly via SD



That might be so but that has nothing to do with the popularity of the Poly which was the subject of my comment.

I would be intrigued to know just how many Poly even exist, I imagine possibly not very many at all, especially if compared to the number of Mojo and Mojo 2 combined.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

BS5711 said:


> That might be so but that has nothing to do with the popularity of the Poly which was the subject of my comment.
> 
> I would be intrigued to know just how many Poly even exist, I imagine possibly not very many at all, especially if compared to the number of Mojo and Mojo 2 combined.


You'd be surprised. 

It's been on sale for a long time. Yes, I'm sure that Mojo and Mojo 2 outpace sales easily. They've sold enough of them to justify the Mojo 2 to keep the dual micro usb inputs. And that will continue on until Mojo 3 comes out (which will be several/many years from now).


----------



## miketlse

BS5711 said:


> That might be so but that has nothing to do with the popularity of the Poly which was the subject of my comment.
> 
> I would be intrigued to know just how many Poly even exist, I imagine possibly not very many at all, especially if compared to the number of Mojo and Mojo 2 combined.


It was posted a few years ago that Mojo 1 had shipped 100,000+ units.
When you publicly speculate that for Poly 'I imagine possibly not very many at all', do you mean 200, 500, 1000, 2500+ or what sort of ballpark.
Without more clarity on your ballpark, pure speculation helps no owners on this thread.


----------



## BS5711

Daniel Johnston said:


> You'd be surprised.
> 
> It's been on sale for a long time. Yes, I'm sure that Mojo and Mojo 2 outpace sales easily. They've sold enough of them to justify the Mojo 2 to keep the dual micro usb inputs. And that will continue on until Mojo 3 comes out (which will be several/many years from now).



Maybe I would be surprised.

My original comment was …..   

“   ….  For every good comment about Poly there seems to be two more with nothing but frustration.

With the age of both the original Mojo and the Poly perhaps Chord should have introduced a Poly 2 as well and not used the comical arrangement of Micro USB and a USB-C plug in one of the Mojo 2’s rubber feet.

SBC bluetooth only and we are days away from 2023 for goodness sake.  ….  “


I was sort of wondering if the number of Poly in existence made any sense to Mojo 2 owners in respect of the daft implementation of both Micro and USB-C on the Mojo 2.

It obviously did for Chord because they designed it that way.


----------



## BS5711 (Dec 25, 2022)

miketlse said:


> It was posted a few years ago that Mojo 1 had shipped 100,000+ units.
> When you publicly speculate that for Poly 'I imagine possibly not very many at all', do you mean 200, 500, 1000, 2500+ or what sort of ballpark.
> Without more clarity on your ballpark, pure speculation helps no owners on this thread.



I was just wondering aloud.

I really don’t understand your comment, in what way do I need to be trying to help anybody here ?

It was just a passing question/comment because once again the Poly came up in discussion and once again the comment was about the frustration of using it.

There are inevitably the responses about how fantastic the Poly is, I was simply pondering on how many Poly users exist and how many have favourable experiences.


----------



## Kentajalli (Dec 25, 2022)

BS5711 said:


> I was just wondering aloud.
> 
> I really don’t understand your comment, in what way should I be trying to help anybody here ? It was just a passing question/comment because once again the Poly came up in discussion and once again the comment was about the frustration of using it.
> 
> There are inevitably the responses about how fantastic the Poly is, I was simply pondering on how many Poly users exist and how many have favourable experiences.


Why do you think Mojo2 is poly compatible ?
Ever thought of that?
I bet it is because they have a rather large stock-pile of Polys they never managed to sell.
Otherwise why on earth they had to screw up the inputs of Mojo2 like that.


----------



## BS5711

Kentajalli said:


> Why do you think Mojo2 is poly compatible ?
> Ever thought of that?
> I bet it is because they have a rather large stock-pile of Polys they never managed to sell.
> Otherwise why on earth they had to screw up the inputsimput of Mojo2 like that.



There you go, that makes perfect sense, well, to Chord at least !


----------



## MgMGM

Hey folks BBC RADIO 6 MUSIC platforms worldwide.  Treasure trove for new tunes. Fill ya boots, through  a TT2 or a Mojo2 or from days gone by a little bit or an enlightment dac and all is good. Merry Christmas from warm n mild Yorkshire UK


----------



## Scrum92

Just ordered a Mojo 2 and I have a few questions I hope you can all help me with!

Like with the original Mojo, is it required to fully charge the device before powering it on for the first time?
How long does a full charge from 0% typically take when charging at maximum speed?
How long before it enters into the desktop mode? With my old Hugo 2, it was 24 hours of continuous power in. 
Thank you in advance for any input you can offer.


----------



## thecrow (Dec 27, 2022)

Scrum92 said:


> Just ordered a Mojo 2 and I have a few questions I hope you can all help me with!
> 
> Like with the original Mojo, is it required to fully charge the device before powering it on for the first time?
> How long does a full charge from 0% typically take when charging at maximum speed?
> ...


My experience my mojo2 was between 40-75% charge (green light) when i opened the box, 

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Mojo-2-user-manual-V.1.1.pdf

i think i read it is about 4 hours to charge it from 0-100%


----------



## Scrum92

thecrow said:


> My experience my mojo2 was between 40-75% charge (green light) when i opened the box,
> 
> https://chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Mojo-2-user-manual-V.1.1.pdf
> 
> i think i read it is about 4 hours to charge it from 0-100%



Thanks. There was a common piece of advice for the original Mojo to fully charge before you turned it on for the first time. I don't really know why exactly, something to do with optimising the battery's capacity rooted in historical best practices. I think. 

That is not so this time around by the sounds of it?


----------



## AussieMick

Scrum92 said:


> Thanks. There was a common piece of advice for the original Mojo to fully charge before you turned it on for the first time. I don't really know why exactly, something to do with optimising the battery's capacity rooted in historical best practices. I think.
> 
> That is not so this time around by the sounds of it?


No, same advice to give it a full charge, which can be seven or eight hours first time around. It goes into intelligent desktop mode as soon as it’s finished charging. You can see all of this in the manual online. 
Congrats on the purchase!


----------



## LykkeligLyd

Are there any solution for the problem regarding sudden hizz from MacBook (M2 air)?


----------



## Scrum92 (Dec 30, 2022)

I have just received my Mojo 2 and it's charging before I turn it on for the first time. One thing I have noticed is that I cannot seem to get it to go into "maximum" charging speed, and instead it seems to be on blue for "intermediate". I suppose that is most likely the fault of the power adapters I am using with the micro USB cable in that they don't actually achieve 5v typically? Any thoughts here?

*Edit: It was the cable. Using the included cable, it goes into maximum charging.*


----------



## rocketron

Scrum92 said:


> I have just received my Mojo 2 and it's charging before I turn it on for the first time. One thing I have noticed is that I cannot seem to get it to go into "maximum" charging speed, and instead it seems to be on blue for "intermediate". I suppose that is most likely the fault of the power adapters I am using with the micro USB cable in that they don't actually achieve 5v typically? Any thoughts here?
> 
> *Edit: It was the cable. Using the included cable, it goes into maximum charging.*



Enjoy your Mojo 2.
My walk around the house rig.
Mojo 2 iPhone 13 mini Fiio LT-1 cable.
Near desktop quality that’s pocketable.


----------



## daveya

Currently enjoying Sigrid


----------



## Scrum92

I am almost done charging (have been on blue a little while now) so when do I know it is at 100%? Will the little battery light indicator change to purple?


----------



## daveya

Scrum92 said:


> I am almost done charging (have been on blue a little while now) so when do I know it is at 100%? Will the little battery light indicator change to purple?


Yes, that means it's in desktop mode, IE it's stopped charging


----------



## Scrum92

daveya said:


> Yes, that means it's in desktop mode, IE it's stopped charging



...and that happens instantly following full charge?


----------



## daveya

Scrum92 said:


> ...and that happens instantly following full charge?


Dunno about the instant bit, mine gets to the magenta stage that's all I know


----------



## NYer718

weexisttocease said:


> You have no problem with Qobuz/Tidal and UAPP you have bit-perfect.


I can't seem to get bit perfect playback off of the Mojo 2 off of the mobile Android app. It's stuck on Android's 48khz sample rate. And Tidal can't seem to help me as their reason for the Android app can't see the Mojo 2 is because the Mojo 2 isn't MQA certified, yet Tidal on my Window 10 PC works just fine with bitperfect playback with the Mojo 2. 

Now today I tried Qobuz and it also doesn't see my Mojo 2 and only playing music off of Android's mixer. And I really don't want to use another app to play bitperfect Qobuz or Tidal music.

Tidal plays bitperfect music off of my PC only and not my mobile phone, and the only reason I'm paying for streaming services is fornthe bitperfect playback. 

What is a solution to this?


----------



## daveya

NYer718 said:


> I can't seem to get bit perfect playback off of the Mojo 2 off of the mobile Android app. It's stuck on Android's 48khz sample rate. And Tidal can't seem to help me as their reason for the Android app can't see the Mojo 2 is because the Mojo 2 isn't MQA certified, yet Tidal on my Window 10 PC works just fine with bitperfect playback with the Mojo 2.
> 
> Now today I tried Qobuz and it also doesn't see my Mojo 2 and only playing music off of Android's mixer. And I really don't want to use another app to play bitperfect Qobuz or Tidal music.
> 
> ...



UAPP


----------



## Kentajalli

UAPP as mentioned, not only works perfectly with just about any DAC, it has built in Qubuz playback, no need for Qubuz app!


----------



## daveya

Kentajalli said:


> UAPP as mentioned, not only works perfectly with just about any DAC, it has built in Qubuz playback, no need for Qubuz app!


Annoyingly, only reason for Qubuz app is for offline music , you can't access it via UAPP


----------



## BS5711 (Dec 31, 2022)

NYer718 said:


> I can't seem to get bit perfect playback off of the Mojo 2 off of the mobile Android app. It's stuck on Android's 48khz sample rate. And Tidal can't seem to help me as their reason for the Android app can't see the Mojo 2 is because the Mojo 2 isn't MQA certified, yet Tidal on my Window 10 PC works just fine with bitperfect playback with the Mojo 2.
> 
> Now today I tried Qobuz and it also doesn't see my Mojo 2 and only playing music off of Android's mixer. And I really don't want to use another app to play bitperfect Qobuz or Tidal music.
> 
> ...



As has been said already download USB Audio Player Pro (UAPP) which allows bit perfect playback and has built in support for Tidal and Qobuz.

Unfortunately UAPP doesn’t support playback of downloaded music in Tidal or Qobuz but will access local music files.

Alternatively get a DAP like the Fiio M11 Plus which has built in hi res audio so will bypass the Android 48khz limitation and allows bit perfect from the native Tidal and Qobuz apps.


----------



## daveya

Will the M11 Plus be any better than phone/UAPP/Mojo2? I may get one to just scratch an itch and see for myself


----------



## NYer718 (Dec 31, 2022)

BS5711 said:


> As has been said already download USB Audio Player Pro (UAPP) which allows bit perfect playback and has built in support for Tidal and Qobuz.
> 
> Unfortunately UAPP doesn’t support playback of downloaded music in Tidal or Qobuz but will access and local music files.
> 
> Alternatively get a DAP like the Fiio M11 Plus which has built in hi res audio so will bypass the Android 48khz limitation and allows bit perfect from the native Tidal and Qobuz apps.


So is the Mojo 2 the only unsupported DAC by mobile streaming apps? Why are local music players like Neutron Player and UAPP but not mobile streaming apps like Tidal and Qobuz??


----------



## daveya

NYer718 said:


> So is the Mojo 2 the only unsupported by mobile streaming apps? Why are local music players like Neutron Player and UAPP but not mobile streaming apps like Tidal and Qobuz??


I'm not sure what you mean, but remember Android is limited by default ,  UAPP bypasses Android so the Mojo gets the full bit rate , Quobuz through UAPP benefits from that, but is restricted by Android when run through a phone. None of this is anything to do with the Mojo


----------



## NYer718

daveya said:


> I'm not sure what you mean, but remember Android is limited by default ,  UAPP bypasses Android so the Mojo gets the full bit rate , Quobuz through UAPP benefits from that, but is restricted by Android when run through a phone. None of this is anything to do with the Mojo


My question is why is Mojo and Mojo 2 the only DAC that seems to be unsupported by mobile streaming apps when it comes to bitperfect but are supported by music players like Neutron and UAPP??


----------



## Daniel Johnston

NYer718 said:


> My question is why is Mojo and Mojo 2 the only DAC that seems to be unsupported by mobile streaming apps when it comes to bitperfect but are supported by music players like Neutron and UAPP??


No USB DAC is supported above 16/48 except for apps that bypass the Android Audio like UAPP, Roon ARC, Neutron, etc... Not just the Mojo and Mojo 2. Unless Tidal, Qobuz, Apple Music build a way to bypass android audio, you'll be limited to 16/48.


----------



## rocketron

It’s nothing to do with the Mojo.
Its Android on your phone upscaling and not sending out a bit perfect signal.

You could try a iPhone as these send a bit perfect signal out.
I use a iPhone with a Mojo 2 along with a Fiio LT-1 cable.
Plays perfectly from Qobuz.

Also you could try smaller daps as a transport.
Hiby RS3 Pro , Fiio M11s and Shanling M3 ultra.
These have their own wat to over come the Android upscaling.
If it for home use something like the WIM mini as a cheap streamer?


----------



## daveya

NYer718 said:


> My question is why is Mojo and Mojo 2 the only DAC that seems to be unsupported by mobile streaming apps when it comes to bitperfect but are supported by music players like Neutron and UAPP??


Mojo does support streaming apps, I really don't know what you mean. Using OTG a Mojo to a phone running UAPP it will initiate USB mode and use the drivers in UAPP bypassing Androids drivers.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

rocketron said:


> It’s nothing to do with the Mojo.
> Its Android on your phone upscaling and not sending out a bit perfect signal.
> 
> You could try a iPhone as these send a bit perfect signal out.
> ...


Won't the streaming apps on any DAP have the same limitation? Qobuz, Tidal, and Apple Music apps themselves need to bypass the android audio.  

The only work around as mentioned before is using an app like UAPP to bypass aaudio and use the streaming service implementation in the app.


----------



## daveya

Daniel Johnston said:


> Won't the streaming apps on any DAP have the same limitation? Qobuz, Tidal, and Apple Music apps themselves need to bypass the android audio.
> 
> The only work around as mentioned before is using an app like UAPP to bypass aaudio and use the streaming service implementation in the app.


I believe they can still bypass Android


----------



## rocketron

The dap manufacturers have there own Android work around to enable bit perfect out put.


----------



## NYer718

daveya said:


> I believe they can still bypass Android


This is what I mean, why don't mobile streaming apps bypass Android's limitations natively without having to use workarounds like Neutron and UAPP can? Seems like a logical thing for streaming apps to do considering streaming apps like to boast Hi-Res and MQA music playback only for it to be brought down to Android's 48khz and upsample CD quality streams from 44.1khz to 48khz


----------



## daveya

NYer718 said:


> This is what I mean, why don't mobile streaming apps bypass Android's limitations natively without having to use workarounds like Neutron and UAPP can? Seems like a logical thing for streaming apps to do considering streaming apps like to boast Hi-Res and MQA music playback only for it to be brought down to Android's 48khz and upsample CD quality streams from 44.1khz to 48kh


They need Androids drivers, UAPP have their own, which you pay for


----------



## Daniel Johnston (Dec 31, 2022)

rocketron said:


> The dap manufacturers have there own Android work around to enable bit perfect out put.


If you use their app (or neutron, UAPP) But if you download Qobuz, Tidal, etc… apps, they can’t bypass the aaudio limitations. These apps aren’t and can’t be bit perfect because they don’t bypass aaudio.

So, it really doesn’t matter if you buy a DAP or use an android phone when using the Qobuz or Tidal apps . Until the major streaming services build their own driver to bypass the aaudio built in to android, you’re stuck with 16/48.

It’s crazy frustrating that android does this. I can’t even use the onboard DAC of the iBasso DX320 when using the Qobuz app. Roon ARC will allow bit perfect over USB, but not to the onboard hardware. Same with coax out.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

NYer718 said:


> This is what I mean, why don't mobile streaming apps bypass Android's limitations natively without having to use workarounds like Neutron and UAPP can? Seems like a logical thing for streaming apps to do considering streaming apps like to boast Hi-Res and MQA music playback only for it to be brought down to Android's 48khz and upsample CD quality streams from 44.1khz to 48khz


It is ridiculously frustrating. 
You’d think with enough android phones out there, Tidal and Qobuz would develop a driver to bypass aaudio.


----------



## daveya

Daniel Johnston said:


> If you use their app (or neutron, UAPP) But if you download Qobuz, Tidal, etc… apps, they can’t bypass the aaudio limitations. These apps aren’t and can’t be bit perfect because they don’t bypass aaudio.
> 
> So, it really doesn’t matter if you buy. DAP or use an android phone when using the Qobuz or Tidal anpps. Until the major streaming services build their own driver to bypass the aaudio built in to android, you’re stuck with 16/48.
> 
> It’s crazy frustrating that android does this. I can’t even use the onboard DAC of the iBasso DX320 when using the Qobuz app. Roon ARC will allow bit perfect over USB, but not to the onboard hardware. Same with coax out.


I don't believe that's correct, DAPs can run streaming apps bit perfect bypassing Android


----------



## Daniel Johnston

daveya said:


> I believe they can still bypass Android


I haven’t found one yet. That’s why I’m  curious. 

To be clear, I’m talking the Qobuz app, not accessing Qobuz through the DAP native player or apps like UAPP


----------



## daveya (Dec 31, 2022)

Daniel Johnston said:


> I haven’t found one yet. That’s why I’m  curious.
> 
> To be clear, I’m talking the Qobuz app, not accessing Qobuz through the DAP native player or apps like UAPP


----------



## borkenarrou

Anyone has this issue with the official Mojo 2 case, the lower lips of the port cutout is raised quite a bit obstructing the Type-C port, this cause my Type-C cable to not fit completely.


----------



## BS5711

Daniel Johnston said:


> Won't the streaming apps on any DAP have the same limitation? Qobuz, Tidal, and Apple Music apps themselves need to bypass the android audio.
> 
> The only work around as mentioned before is using an app like UAPP to bypass aaudio and use the streaming service implementation in the app.



No, an Android DAP will generally (My M11 Plus does) have built in hi res audio so the combination of the DAP and the streaming app will allow the full hi res data stream to be sent to whatever DAC you connect to it, Mojo 2 in this conversation but it could be anything.


----------



## BS5711

NYer718 said:


> This is what I mean, why don't mobile streaming apps bypass Android's limitations natively without having to use workarounds like Neutron and UAPP can? Seems like a logical thing for streaming apps to do considering streaming apps like to boast Hi-Res and MQA music playback only for it to be brought down to Android's 48khz and upsample CD quality streams from 44.1khz to 48khz



I don’t know why they don’t, as you said logically they could, but the simple fact is they don’t.


----------



## BS5711

Daniel Johnston said:


> If you use their app (or neutron, UAPP) But if you download Qobuz, Tidal, etc… apps, they can’t bypass the aaudio limitations. These apps aren’t and can’t be bit perfect because they don’t bypass aaudio.
> 
> So, it really doesn’t matter if you buy a DAP or use an android phone when using the Qobuz or Tidal apps . Until the major streaming services build their own driver to bypass the aaudio built in to android, you’re stuck with 16/48.
> 
> It’s crazy frustrating that android does this. I can’t even use the onboard DAC of the iBasso DX320 when using the Qobuz app. Roon ARC will allow bit perfect over USB, but not to the onboard hardware. Same with coax out.



That isn’t correct, on my M11 Plus there is no 48khz limitation.

With the native Tidal, Qobuz or Apple Music apps the output data received by the DAC is the same bit depth and frequency as that displayed on the music file. Say an Apple Music song is 24/192 that is what my ifI Gryphon screen will show or the Mojo colour will indicate.

That is via USB out or Coaxial out.


----------



## daveya

That's what I thought, DAPs bypass Androids limitations


----------



## Daniel Johnston

BS5711 said:


> No, an Android DAP will generally (My M11 Plus does) have built in hi res audio so the combination of the DAP and the streaming app will allow the full hi res data stream to be sent to whatever DAC you connect to it, Mojo 2 in this conversation but it could be anything.


Good to know. 

Fiio M6 doesn’t with Roon or Qobuz app. I’m glad they fixed this. 

iBasso DX320 Qobuz app doesn’t do bit perfect either. 

I guess the point is not all android DAPs are bit perfect using the Qobuz, Tidal, etc… apps. YMMV


----------



## Daniel Johnston

BS5711 said:


> That isn’t correct, on my M11 Plus there is no 48khz limitation.
> 
> With the native Tidal, Qobuz or Apple Music apps the output data received by the DAC is the same bit depth and frequency as that displayed on the music file. Say an Apple Music song is 24/192 that is what my ifI Gryphon screen will show or the Mojo colour will indicate.
> 
> That is via USB out or Coaxial out.


So the Fiio M11 plus has a work around. Good. 

There’s an ongoing discussion in the Qobuz app thread that contradicts your notion that android DAPs in general are bit perfect using the Qobuz app.


----------



## BS5711 (Dec 31, 2022)

A few pics for clarity.

Fiio M11 Plus LTD streaming The Cars in 24/192 from Apple Music.

First close up is USB out to Gryphon with the Gryphon showing the 192 khz stream, note USB on Gryphon’s display.

The wider shot is showing coaxial to Gryphon still at 192khz, note S/PDIF on the Gryphon’s display.


----------



## BS5711

Daniel Johnston said:


> So the Fiio M11 plus has a work around. Good.
> 
> There’s an ongoing discussion in the Qobuz app thread that contradicts your notion that android DAPs in general are bit perfect using the Qobuz app.



OK, I can’t speak for all DAP obviously and perhaps my use of the term “generally” was a bit generous ….. “some” might have been more accurate, I wasn’t aware of the limitations when I bought the M11 Plus, I obviously got lucky 🍀


----------



## pattont

Could someone clarify something for me?

If I want to run the Mojo 2 mainly in desktop mode and I wanted to buy a USBC to Micro cable the device won’t even trickle charge off the microUSB playback port correct? I need both a MicroUSB power cable plugged into a 10w minimum adapter AND a playback cable which in that case would just be USBC for simplicity. 

Do I have that all correct? 

I have been searching for the answer for some time to be clear before I thought about buying one. If that is the case it’s crazy that in 2022 my 2021 MacBook or iPad Pro could not power the mojo 2 off a single usbc and do playback at the same time. 

Thanks in advance


----------



## Daniel Johnston

pattont said:


> Could someone clarify something for me?
> 
> If I want to run the Mojo 2 mainly in desktop mode and I wanted to buy a USBC to Micro cable the device won’t even trickle charge off the microUSB playback port correct? I need both a MicroUSB power cable plugged into a 10w minimum adapter AND a playback cable which in that case would just be USBC for simplicity.
> 
> ...


Mojo 2 can only charge on micro USB charge cable plugged into the specific charging port. 

You'll have to keep the micro USB plugged in to charge and use either the other micro USB to connect to source or the USB C.


----------



## pattont

Daniel Johnston said:


> Mojo 2 can only charge on micro USB charge cable plugged into the specific charging port.
> 
> You'll have to keep the micro USB plugged in to charge and use either the other micro USB to connect to source or the USB C.



Thank you for clarifying!


----------



## BS5711

pattont said:


> Thank you for clarifying!



An alternative option would be an ifI Gryphon which has a menu option to turn on and off single port data and charging.


----------



## pattont

BS5711 said:


> An alternative option would be an ifI Gryphon which has a menu option to turn on and off single port data and charging.



That is a really nice looking DAC+Amp. I had not seen that one, but I have heard of that company and the Diablo they sell. Thanks for sending me down that rabbit hole


----------



## BS5711

pattont said:


> That is a really nice looking DAC+Amp. I had not seen that one, but I have heard of that company and the Diablo they sell. Thanks for sending me down that rabbit hole



I have a Gryphon along with a Mojo original and a Diablo. I like them all but if I could keep only one it would be the Gryphon, it is so versatile.

I like the idea of Mojo 2 but haven’t bothered getting one since I like the Gryphon very much and prefer it’s features over the Mojo 2.


----------



## borkenarrou

Any RCA to 3.5mm coaxial cable known to work with the mojo 2.


----------



## MgMGM

borkenarrou said:


> Any RCA to 3.5mm coaxial cable known to work with the mojo 2.


futureshop.co.uk     have loads of quality cables. Pick ya budget and take ya pick. Happy New Year


----------



## daveya

MgMGM said:


> futureshop.co.uk     have loads of quality cables. Pick ya budget and take ya pick. Happy New Year


I can only find one there, it's £110?


----------



## daveya

Use case for Poly, I know there is another long thread and YouTube's etc, but just checking .

I don't have a network streamer, NAS or whatever , nor any digitised music , all my listening is streaming via Quobuz and Amazon music.

I have an old Pixel 3, permanently sat next to me using UAPP/ Quobuz

Is there any need for the Poly? All I'll get is BT, which isn't LDAC, versus a USB cable? As I like to turn my own phone off, the Pixel 3 doesn't have a SIM or anything on it, there doesn't seem to be any use case for the Poly ? Am I missing something?


----------



## Zap67

borkenarrou said:


> Anyone has this issue with the official Mojo 2 case, the lower lips of the port cutout is raised quite a bit obstructing the Type-C port, this cause my Type-C cable to not fit completely.


it happens to me too, just move the border slightly


----------



## borkenarrou

daveya said:


> I can only find one there, it's £110?


Yeah, have asked few sellers in AliExpress let's see if they have any, else will get an optical one which I guess should be ok for portable use.


----------



## borkenarrou

Zap67 said:


> it happens to me too, just move the border slightly


Yes, but it can put strain on the connector which can damage the port in the long run, I may just return the case and get a 3rd party one.


----------



## MgMGM

daveya said:


> I can only find one there, it's £110?


I got a QED one from there in the summer, around £20 I think. No need to pay top dollar.


----------



## BS5711

borkenarrou said:


> Any RCA to 3.5mm coaxial cable known to work with the mojo 2.



I assume you want to go from the RCA coaxial output from your source to the 3.5mm coaxial input of the Mojo 2.

Any RCA to _*2 pole 3.5mm*_ will work.

The Mojo end is a normal mono 3.5mm with the tip being the signal and the sleeve being the ground just like the RCA end.

The problem is many RCA to 3.5mm cables are designed to work the other way round meaning the 3.5mm is intended to plug into a 3.5mm output from a DAP and as such can be wired in one of various different arrangements to suit whatever the DAP manufacturer chooses. The Fiio set up for example uses only two poles from a four pole plug. These cables will usually have 3 or 4 pole 3.5mm at one end with RCA at the other end so avoid any that have that arrangement.

Any cable that has an RCA at one end and a _*2 pole 3.5mm*_ at the other will work as they have a standard wiring set up.

Another way is to get a little 3.5mm male to RCA female adapter that plugs onto the end of an RCA to RCA coaxial cable and into the Mojo at one end and the RCA output from your source device.

Generic photos for reference.


----------



## BS5711

borkenarrou said:


> ……… should be ok for portable use.



What are you wanting to plug into the Mojo 2 ?


----------



## Daniel Johnston

borkenarrou said:


> Any RCA to 3.5mm coaxial cable known to work with the mojo 2.


Be careful what you buy. Coaxial cables are typically 50-75ohm impedance for data transfer. Typical audio cables can be up to 500ohms. Using wrong impedance cable can lead to noise and signal transmission issues.


----------



## borkenarrou

BS5711 said:


> What are you wanting to plug into the Mojo 2 ?


A Wiim Mini / Pro.


----------



## borkenarrou

Daniel Johnston said:


> Be careful what you buy. Coaxial cables are typically 50-75ohm impedance for data transfer. Typical audio cables can be up to 500ohms. Using wrong impedance cable can lead to noise and signal transmission issues.


Good point, I'll keep that in mind, I see some cables labelled as "coaxial digital audio", I guess those should be fine, I'll confirm with seller anyways.


----------



## BS5711 (Jan 1, 2023)

Daniel Johnston said:


> Be careful what you buy. Coaxial cables are typically 50-75ohm impedance for data transfer. Typical audio cables can be up to 500ohms. Using wrong impedance cable can lead to noise and signal transmission issues.



I did a lot of reading on the matter when buying cables. The consensus from guys that had a very obvious grasp on the detailed technical aspects was that for a short interconnect cable the impedance made no difference at all. The cable would need to be quite long to matter.

I ended up with a short Moon Audio 75 ohm 3.5mm to 3.5mm custom cable but using an adapter and a standard RCA to RCA cable usually used between a DAC and an Amp made no audible difference.


----------



## BS5711 (Jan 1, 2023)

borkenarrou said:


> A Wiim Mini / Pro.



OK so standard coaxial output.

What I said above should apply.

Assuming you are parking the Mojo 2 close to the Wiim so the cable length is say 1 metre (3 feet) or less the specific impedance of the cable should not matter but if you can get one that is specifically 75 ohm so much the better.

If you use the little _*2 pole 3.5mm*_ to RCA adapter at the Mojo end and a normal RCA to RCA cable you will have a much bigger selection of better quality cables of 75 ohm of various lengths and prices. Not quite as elegant as a single cable but it would make the cable selection very simple, any decent audio store or even a general electrical/technology type store would probably have at least one or two options.

The all metal outer adapters seem better made than the very cheap part plastic ones but they should all do the job.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

BS5711 said:


> I did a lot of reading on the matter when buying cables. The consensus from guys that had a very obvious grasp on the detailed technical aspects was that for a short interconnect cable the impedance made no difference at all. The cable would need to be something like 3 metres or longer to matter.
> 
> I ended up with a short Moon Audio 75 ohm 3.5mm to 3.5mm custom cable but using an adapter and a standard RCA to RCA cable usually used between a DAC and an Amp made no audible difference.


I like the moon audio digital interconnects. I have the 3.5 to 3.5 coax, 3.5 to BNC, and the short toslink cable. Maybe a bit pricey, but I've had zero issues with the cables.

I'm glad you did the research. I'm wary of wavering from the accepted digital cable standards. It shouldn't matter until it does. Besides, with the proliferation of Chinese made interconnects, you'll be able to find what you want in the budget you want.


----------



## borkenarrou

BS5711 said:


> OK so standard coaxial output.
> 
> What I said above should apply.
> 
> ...


This is a great idea as i don't see many known brand good quality RCA to 3.5mm coax cable, and a regular coax cable will have more usage without the adapter too as a side effect, thanks for the suggestion!


----------



## rocketron

borkenarrou said:


> A Wiim Mini / Pro.



Use the optical out put of the WIIM mini.

Standard optical cable will be fine.

There was a debate on the TT2 thread about which connection was best and most people use optical.
I prefer my TT2 and Mojo 2 from an optical input.
A cheap cable will do and some will even pass 192khz without any problems.

If I’m right in remembering Robb Watts uses a cheap optical cable .
I bought one from eBay well two actually and both work perfectly.
One 500mm the other 3meters.
Shall take a picture of the 192 kHz signal into TT2 using a cheap optical cable.





Shall see if I can find the vendor from eBay.


----------



## rocketron (Jan 1, 2023)

KabelDirekt is the name.
No need to spend any more than this.





£6.99 1m from Amazon.


----------



## borkenarrou

rocketron said:


> KabelDirekt is the name.
> No need to spend any more than this.
> 
> 
> ...



Cool, thanks!


----------



## vlach (Jan 1, 2023)

BS5711 said:


> OK so standard coaxial output.
> 
> What I said above should apply.
> 
> ...


Borkenarrou: Here's another option if you should opt for coax.


----------



## borkenarrou

Tried the Mojo 2 with my Focal Clear OG, didnt like it , the sound is much looser, the trademark Focal slam and physicality is gone, the LCD-X is a much better match though, the Clears sounds better on my Questyle M15,I expected the Clears to be a perfect match for the Mojo 2 retain all the good stuffs and take off the top edge a bit, surprisingly it didnt go that way.


----------



## emilsoft

e


borkenarrou said:


> Tried the Mojo 2 with my Focal Clear OG, didnt like it , the sound is much looser, the trademark Focal slam and physicality is gone, the LCD-X is a much better match though, the Clears sounds better on my Questyle M15,I expected the Clears to be a perfect match for the Mojo 2 retain all the good stuffs and take off the top edge a bit, surprisingly it didnt go that way.



Mojo 2 is quite slammy, just need to run it from very good source preferably optical - it scales up to the moon with better sources. Run it out of pc usb and it can sound worse than a common dongle.

Also use it's eq to tame headphones


----------



## Daniel Johnston

borkenarrou said:


> Tried the Mojo 2 with my Focal Clear OG, didnt like it , the sound is much looser, the trademark Focal slam and physicality is gone, the LCD-X is a much better match though, the Clears sounds better on my Questyle M15,I expected the Clears to be a perfect match for the Mojo 2 retain all the good stuffs and take off the top edge a bit, surprisingly it didnt go that way.


I'd use the EQ. 

In my case, it is the Shure KSE1200. They uncomfortably bright with the Hugo 2. I never was enthusiastic about the OG mojo either. However, with a little tweak, I get near the details of Hugo 2 and a much more pleasing sound. I'm not normally and EQ person. Like you, my EQ usually is pairing transducers to the right source.


----------



## emilsoft (Jan 2, 2023)

Daniel Johnston said:


> I'd use the EQ.
> 
> In my case, it is the Shure KSE1200. They uncomfortably bright with the Hugo 2. I never was enthusiastic about the OG mojo either. However, with a little tweak, I get near the details of Hugo 2 and a much more pleasing sound. I'm not normally and EQ person. Like you, my EQ usually is pairing transducers to the right source.


It’s a great combo with the kse1200 isn’t it?

the Mojo 2 is more of a chameleon - the eq is an integral part to it and it’s designed to gently affect tonality, so one can’t make excuses the Mojo 2 is bright or warm, it can be what you want it to be. Ofcourse you cant eq out the Chord sound flavour, so this is up to taste.


But holy moly the Mojo is affected by source quality like nothing else. It scales up and up with $$$ sources - I’m currently settled on wyred4sound usb to optical converter with ifi Ipower x - everything is audible downstream, from power supply changes to spdif be optical, to computers/streamers - typically as you improve things the mojo sounds warmer and euphoric, moving towards analog and organic (whilst retaining its clarity)

It also needs warm up time every time I turn it on for 30 mins or so to settle from bright to normal


----------



## Daniel Johnston

emilsoft said:


> It’s a great combo with the kse1200 isn’t it?
> 
> the Mojo 2 is more of a chameleon - the eq is an integral part to it and it’s designed to gently affect tonality, so one can’t make excuses the Mojo 2 is bright or warm, it can be what you want it to be. Ofcourse you cant eq out the Chord sound flavour, so this is up to taste


Agreed.

I’ve had KSE1200 for going on 4 years. They’ve been in and out of my storage drawer several times. I want to love them, but up until Mojo 2, I haven’t.


----------



## emilsoft

Daniel Johnston said:


> Agreed.
> 
> I’ve had KSE1200 for going on 4 years. They’ve been in and out of my storage drawer several times. I want to love them, but up until Mojo 2, I haven’t.


Let me tell you something about the kse1200 - tips. They’re incredibly sensitive to tips and can change from very bright to smooth and warm. I commented on the kse thread about some test. Please ensure you try all the tips candidates, and then try different insert lengths on the nozzles, then try trimming and adapting spinfits. 

I think they go very well with the Mojo as they appreciate it’s detailed, clean but also slammy nature to awaken them. The Mojo 2 has lot of detail in the mids, a Chord trait, and the kse appreciates a little boost and color there


----------



## MgMGM

BS5711 said:


> I assume you want to go from the RCA coaxial output from your source to the 3.5mm coaxial input of the Mojo 2.
> 
> Any RCA to _*2 pole 3.5mm*_ will work.
> 
> ...


Need 3.5mm stereo plug  Tip Ring Sleeve (TRS) to a  left rca plug and a right  rca plug.   (Stereo)   These are not suitable.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

emilsoft said:


> Let me tell you something about the kse1200 - tips. They’re incredibly sensitive to tips and can change from very bright to smooth and warm. I commented on the kse thread about some test. Please ensure you try all the tips candidates, and then try different insert lengths on the nozzles, then try trimming and adapting spinfits.
> 
> I think they go very well with the Mojo as they appreciate its detailed, clean but also slammy nature to awaken them. The Mojo 2 has lot of detail in the mids, a Chord trait, and the kse appreciates a little boost and color there


Trust me, I’ve done extensive tip rolling over the past 4 years. I’ve spent at least $200 in different brands/style tips. Comply with the tech shield ended up the best for my tastes. Believe me, I wanted to love the KSE. 

Hugo 2 and KSE1200 always was no good to me. No tip I found tamed brightness to my ears. I ultimately moved the Hugo 2 on since it spent most of the time in the drawer. Mojo OG didn’t have the details I expected from KSE. The Mojo 2 with a bit EQ I find to be the best combo. I switched to the comply professional series tips. 

These are purely my observations. Im not suggesting that the Hugo 2, Mojo 2, or mojo OG are better or worse than one another.


----------



## emilsoft (Jan 2, 2023)

Daniel Johnston said:


> Trust me, I’ve done extensive tip rolling over the past 4 years. I’ve spent at least $200 in different brands/style tips. Comply with the tech shield ended up the best for my tastes. Believe me, I wanted to love the KSE.
> 
> Hugo 2 and KSE1200 always was no good to me. No tip I found tamed brightness to my ears. I ultimately moved the Hugo 2 on since it spent most of the time in the drawer. Mojo OG didn’t have the details I expected from KSE. The Mojo 2 with a bit EQ I find to be the best combo. I switched to the comply professional series tips.
> 
> These are purely my observations. Im not suggesting that the Hugo 2, Mojo 2, or mojo OG are better or worse than one another.


Did you try putting the tips half way through on the nozzles? Slightly increasing the nozzle length this way tapers the treble. The triple flanges for example completely reduce the treble peak and make them sound warm - perfect for leaner sources, they’re in fact too warm for me like this and I’m very treble sensitive. I haven’t experienced such huge tonal variations with other iems before.

I’m glad you found your combo with the Mojo 2. I also find the Sony WM1AM2 makes for a good partner, as it bring detailing in the mids, has more prominent bass and the treble is controlled and delicate (plus you get the global dsp with eq to tailor further)


----------



## borkenarrou

Thanks for the suggestions I'll play with the EQ, currently am running off my smartphone will try optical/coax at some point. the experience with my Moondrop Kato is stellar though, the Questyle M15 reduced the soundstage by quite a bit, but with the Mojo 2, man the soundstage remind me of my HE1000v2 with excellent slam and impact, my Radiance is on the way, hoping it will pair great too.


----------



## BS5711 (Jan 2, 2023)

MgMGM said:


> Need 3.5mm stereo plug  Tip Ring Sleeve (TRS) to a  left rca plug and a right  rca plug.   (Stereo)   These are not suitable.



Not for coaxial digital audio you don’t.

How do you plug two RCA cables into a single RCA ?

The arrow on the image below is pointing to a common RCA coaxial input. Only one RCA and only a signal and a ground, two wires. The 3.5mm version of the coaxial plug of course also only uses two wires and therefore only needs a TS two pole plug.


----------



## daveya

Long shot.

Anyone in Devon Cornwall UK with a Mojo 1 who is prepared to update a Poly to V3 for me? Can come to you and buy lunch


----------



## MgMGM

BS5711 said:


> Not for coaxial digital audio you don’t.
> 
> How do you plug two RCA cables into a single RCA ?
> 
> The arrow on the image below is pointing to a common RCA coaxial input. Only one RCA and only a signal and a ground, two wires. The 3.5mm version of the coaxial plug of course also only uses two wires and therefore only needs a TS two pole plug.


Sorry, I stand corrected. I had wrongly assumed it was to hook the mojo2 up a pre amp or power amp. Yep for digital use that cable be spot on. Should read the posts more carefully  in future,!,


----------



## Zubo

vlach said:


> Borkenarrou: Here's another option if you should opt for coax.


Looks great. Where did you get it and what's the manufacturer?


----------



## killermax

I tried playing different sample rate files ranging from 44khz to 192khz files (mp3s, FLACs, youtube, tidal) on PC. The mojo 2's display colour did not change from orange (48khz). I tried all inputs the from USB-C, MicroUSB and Optical the results are the same. I tried it with the WIIM mini through optical. The colour turned red.
Is this normal?


----------



## syazwaned

killermax said:


> I tried playing different sample rate files ranging from 44khz to 192khz files (mp3s, FLACs, youtube, tidal) on PC. The mojo 2's display colour did not change from orange (48khz). I tried all inputs the from USB-C, MicroUSB and Optical the results are the same. I tried it with the WIIM mini through optical. The colour turned red.
> Is this normal?




Have you installed mojo 2 software?


----------



## killermax

syazwaned said:


> Have you installed mojo 2 software?


Yup. Im playing it through foobar.


----------



## borkenarrou

Try with Hiby player (android) and enable fixed output sample rate, if it changes (mine does) its a software issue.

P.S. make sure Hiby direct USB access is allowed when prompted.


----------



## vlach (Friday at 1:28 PM)

Zubo said:


> Looks great. Where did you get it and what's the manufacturer?


https://www.cablesandconnectors.com/
Part #: 45-324G Adapter


----------



## rlanger

killermax said:


> I tried playing different sample rate files ranging from 44khz to 192khz files (mp3s, FLACs, youtube, tidal) on PC. The mojo 2's display colour did not change from orange (48khz). I tried all inputs the from USB-C, MicroUSB and Optical the results are the same. I tried it with the WIIM mini through optical. The colour turned red.
> Is this normal?



Sounds like you're not outputting bit-perfect from your PC. The Mojo is getting fed by your PC's sound card, so it's receiving the bit rate at whatever your PC's soundcard is set to.

From your PC, you need to ensure that the playback software you are using is set to output to ASIO or WASAPI. You can use something like MusicBee, for example, where you can Edit the playback preferences to output WASAPI to your MOJO.


----------



## killermax

rlanger said:


> Sounds like you're not outputting bit-perfect from your PC. The Mojo is getting fed by your PC's sound card, so it's receiving the bit rate at whatever your PC's soundcard is set to.
> 
> From your PC, you need to ensure that the playback software you are using is set to output to ASIO or WASAPI. You can use something like MusicBee, for example, where you can Edit the playback preferences to output WASAPI to your MOJO.


I think my pc does not auto switch the bit rate of the songs. I tried to fiddle around with the settings. Whatever settings i set the default format to, the mojo will show the colour according to the settings I chose even if I played a track that is lower in bit rate. Wierd...


----------



## rlanger

killermax said:


> I think my pc does not auto switch the bit rate of the songs. I tried to fiddle around with the settings. Whatever settings i set the default format to, the mojo will show the colour according to the settings I chose even if I played a track that is lower in bit rate. Wierd...


That's correct. Your PC will not auto-switch the bit rate. Like I said, you need software to output WASAPI or ASIO bit-perfect to Mojo. Then your Mojo will receive the correct bit-rate of the file. Try MusicBee. It's free, and it's great.

You can't get bit-perfect out of Youtube as far as I know.


----------



## BS5711

killermax said:


> I tried playing different sample rate files ranging from 44khz to 192khz files (mp3s, FLACs, youtube, tidal) on PC. The mojo 2's display colour did not change from orange (48khz). I tried all inputs the from USB-C, MicroUSB and Optical the results are the same. I tried it with the WIIM mini through optical. The colour turned red.
> Is this normal?



In the Tidal app you should be able to select the Mojo as the output device, click “more settings” then toggle on “Exclusive Mode” which should override all other audio settings.


----------



## killermax

Thanks Guys! Got it! I have to dig into the preferences settings for foobar. Will try out musicbee.


----------



## hakunamakaka

Anyone feeding USB from Laptop/PC to Mojo/Mojo2 should look into something like Douk Audio u2 and use optical input on Mojo. I totally forgot what this DAC is capable of and found myself mainly listening through Shanling m6 pro DAP, till Douk cheap converter arrived. Staging goes up a notch, while my DAP in comparison has no depth. I'm mainly experienced with Chord DAC's and even Qutest suffers from Macbooks USB input. 

Might be a bit too big of a stack for portable use, but well worth for my case


----------



## CRITICALSHOT

Chibs said:


> Can’t argue with this except to say that it’s very very unfair.
> 
> This is me today. It’s -12 now without windshield. I would trade all the Mojo-Poly’s for a trip to Australia right now. Would still keep a mojo without Poly for the flight though 😅


Good looking dog.


----------



## Nick24JJ

Hey guys, if anyone of you is using the Mojo 2 with a computer and a wireless keyboard/mouse, have a look at this question of mine, please  

Thank you


----------



## rush1

Nick24JJ said:


> Hey guys, if anyone of you is using the Mojo 2 with a computer and a wireless keyboard/mouse, have a look at this question of mine, please
> 
> Thank you


I am using Mojo 2 with desktop PC and wireless mouse and keyboard with no issue at all. For headphone use I connect the Mojo 2 to Burson Soloist 3X GT and it is dead silent. If that's what worries you.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Sunday at 7:18 AM)

rush1 said:


> I am using Mojo 2 with desktop PC and wireless mouse and keyboard with no issue at all. For headphone use I connect the Mojo 2 to Burson Soloist 3X GT and it is dead silent. If that's what worries you.


Thank you, and yes, I am asking because I never had a wireless keyboard/mouse so I was wondering it there could be any interference affecting the sound quality or even the functionality of the keyboard/mouse, like seeing a jumpy cursor or the keyboard not responding, etc.  I will be connecting all the Bluetooth devices on my signature via Bluetooth and the Mojo 2 via Optical connection.

Thanks again! 

PS: if anyone can recommend a good/reliable wireless keyboard and mouse, up to £100, preferably from Amazon UK, I'd appreciate it! I am not a gamer. Some lights on the keys would be great.


----------



## BS5711

Nick24JJ said:


> Hey guys, if anyone of you is using the Mojo 2 with a computer and a wireless keyboard/mouse, have a look at this question of mine, please
> 
> Thank you



I also use a wireless keyboard and mouse on my work/home office HP Z Book which I occasionally use with various DAC/Amps.

I use a Microsoft Surface Keyboard and Mouse and like them, no key lighting though, I am not sure how common that is on a bluetooth keyboard since they are only powered by a couple of small batteries.

More importantly I don't believe there is any downside to using them in terms of sound quality of connected devices.

What you do want to avoid is using a USB-C hub.

I have a second Dell screen that has a built in hub which connects the screen and powers the laptop. While great in terms of other functionality there is some audio downsides. If I use a connected audio device with the laptop plugged into the second screen, and thus the hub and power, I can hear annoying scraping sort of noise when moving the mouse. If I removed the screen by simply unplugging the USB-C the noise disappears and I can use the mouse connected to the laptop without issue. I have read other references to audio issues with USB-C hubs, presumably the downside of having so much happening over one small cable.


----------



## Nick24JJ (Sunday at 4:20 PM)

BS5711 said:


> I also use a wireless keyboard and mouse on my work/home office HP Z Book which I occasionally use with various DAC/Amps.
> 
> I use a Microsoft Surface Keyboard and Mouse and like them, no key lighting though, I am not sure how common that is on a bluetooth keyboard since they are only powered by a couple of small batteries.
> 
> ...


Thank you for sharing our experience, I went on and ordered this one, it will arrive the day after tomorrow and then we will see


----------



## digitalnomad

For anyone traveling to the UK and interested in buying a Mojo 2, bear in mind that if you buy a Mojo 2 from a retailer and have DHL pick it up and deliver it to your home country, you can save the VAT getting a 20% discount. Between exchange rate variations and VAT refund, pricing can be really attractive. 

p.s. Btw I bought mine from Richer Sounds and reclaiming VAT ended up requiring support from my credit card provider as Richer Sounds dropped the ball. However, that was a Richer Sounds issue, as had not problems with other retailers in London


----------



## Kentajalli (Monday at 6:44 PM)

digitalnomad said:


> For anyone traveling to the UK and interested in buying a Mojo 2, bear in mind that if you buy a Mojo 2 from a retailer and have DHL pick it up and deliver it to your home country, you can save the VAT getting a 20% discount. Between exchange rate variations and VAT refund, pricing can be really attractive.
> 
> p.s. Btw I bought mine from Richer Sounds and reclaiming VAT ended up requiring support from my credit card provider as Richer Sounds dropped the ball. However, that was a Richer Sounds issue, as had not problems with other retailers in London


I did the reverse!
I purchased a pair of $1300 headphones, used my address in UK and my UK bank card to pay for it, so no US sales tax was charged.
I asked the guy to deliver it to a "care of" address in USA!
I did bring it back to UK, so nobody was cheated.
Tax would have been about $100.
If travelling to UK, and staying less than a month (I think) just buy whatever you want, keep the receipt, go to airport early, and there is a VAT refund office there.
Just submit your receipts, fill a form and the office refunds your taxes.


----------



## digitalnomad

Hard to bring speakers to the VAT refund office - which BTW I was told is no longer available in the airport (but I did not check). Mojo 2 plus Poly in the US would be $1,600. In the UK it was 1,000 GBP - which with exchange rate at the time and VAT refund, ended up being $800. Was kind of surprised it worked out . . .


----------



## AussieMick

Great deal. Bravo!


----------



## syazwaned

digitalnomad said:


> Hard to bring speakers to the VAT refund office - which BTW I was told is no longer available in the airport (but I did not check). Mojo 2 plus Poly in the US would be $1,600. In the UK it was 1,000 GBP - which with exchange rate at the time and VAT refund, ended up being $800. Was kind of surprised it worked out . . .


that a good price! I got my Mojo 2 at 450 usd and I thought price could not goes lower.


----------



## Kentajalli

Two years ago the vat refund office was there at Heathrow airport, I took my niece to it, she got her refunds.
they only ask for receipts , and you must declare you are taking them with you .


----------



## daveya

Does this product exist 

4k DVD player, in small form factor, that can double up as CD transport , optical/coax out to Mojo? So I can listen to my large cd collection, hifi system had to go after moving to small house


----------



## Daniel Johnston

daveya said:


> Does this product exist
> 
> 4k DVD player, in small form factor, that can double up as CD transport , optical/coax out to Mojo? So I can listen to my large cd collection, hifi system had to go after moving to small house


Yes. I think a greater majority of all Blu-ray players will have optical out.


----------



## daveya

Daniel Johnston said:


> Yes. I think a greater majority of all Blu-ray players will have optical out.


Mine doesn't lol


----------



## borkenarrou

Any mid to low end DAPs with optical out to pair with the Mojo 2.


----------



## Daniel Johnston

daveya said:


> Mine doesn't lol


Correction. I’ll revise my statement that most Sony Blu-ray players have optical out. 

You can also buy a hdmi to optical converter to strip the audio channel out of the hdmi signal from the Blu-ray player.


----------



## daveya

I don't want a


Daniel Johnston said:


> Correction. I’ll revise my statement that most Sony Blu-ray players have optical out.
> 
> You can also buy a hdmi to optical converter to strip the audio channel out of the hdmi signal from the Blu-ray player.


Tbh I was asking more about size , my question was poorly worded, the important thing is small size. Think I'll just get a small cd transport there are a few to choose from , will sit on the dvd


----------



## Johnfg465vd

borkenarrou said:


> Any mid to low end DAPs with optical out to pair with the Mojo 2.


I had the same question some time back and was only able to find some old Fiio DAPs and xDuoo X10T II that had Optical Outputs.


----------



## Johnfg465vd

I've noticed something every time I'm listening to the Mojo 2 and I'm not sure if it's my brain adjusting to the sound or if it's the Mojo 2 but for the first few minutes of listening, I notice some minor harshness in the sound and after more than 5-10 mins of listening this goes away and everything sounds smooth and good. Does any one else notice this phenomenon?


----------



## daveya

Johnfg465vd said:


> I had the same question some time back and was only able to find some old Fiio DAPs and xDuoo X10T II that had Optical Outputs.


I think the x7 has coax/opt out and you can download UAPP and streaming apps


----------



## pattont

Johnfg465vd said:


> I've noticed something every time I'm listening to the Mojo 2 and I'm not sure if it's my brain adjusting to the sound or if it's the Mojo 2 but for the first few minutes of listening, I notice some minor harshness in the sound and after more than 5-10 mins of listening this goes away and everything sounds smooth and good. Does any one else notice this phenomenon?


I just got my first Mojo2 two days ago. It’s my first introduction to Chord products and I have not no noticed this harshness.


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## rlw6534

daveya said:


> I think the x7 has coax/opt out and you can download UAPP and streaming apps



My FiiO X7ii definitely has optical (and coaxial) outputs...  I don't believe the original X7 had optical.


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## wcrespo178

hakunamakaka said:


> Anyone feeding USB from Laptop/PC to Mojo/Mojo2 should look into something like Douk Audio u2 and use optical input on Mojo. I totally forgot what this DAC is capable of and found myself mainly listening through Shanling m6 pro DAP, till Douk cheap converter arrived. Staging goes up a notch, while my DAP in comparison has no depth. I'm mainly experienced with Chord DAC's and even Qutest suffers from Macbooks USB input.
> 
> Might be a bit too big of a stack for portable use, but well worth for my case


Thanks for sharing! 

I just bought the cheaper version of that USB interface. I'll compare its sound quality with the Mojo 2 VS the same Mojo w/ a Wiim Mini Streamer. Both will connect to the Mojo via optical cable.

I considered MiniDSP's interface, but they were charging $30 shipping, totaling $160. Not worth it for me.


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## BS5711 (Today at 2:02 PM)

Since there is a few comments about optical and DAPs that can do it. For what it is worth I used the coaxial out of my Fiio M11 Plus into my original Mojo. The later Fiio DAPs seem to have dropped the optical output option.

Yesterday I streamed all day while working, shutting the screen off when not interacting with the M11, and used only 15% of the full battery. That is probably half of what USB would use.

Being a “dumb” connection coaxial uses significantly less battery than USB.

Connecting to ifI Gryphon or Diablo (Gryphon in particular) the difference is even greater, I assume because they do a lot of back and forth communication over USB sorting out volume levels, music file data etc while coaxial is a one way data transfer only.

I prefer the coaxial if only for the battery life and simplicity, there is no interaction between the M11 and receiving device, plug it in and go, the volume is always right, the data rates are always right and it sounds at least as good.

I use a custom Moon Audio cable.


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## jsk ksj

BS5711 said:


> Since there is a few comments about optical snd DAPs that can do it. For what it is worth I used the coaxial out of my Fiio M11 Plus into my original Mojo. The later Fiio DAPs seem to have dropped the optical output option.
> 
> Yesterday I streamed all day while working, shutting the screen off when not interacting with the M11, and used only 15% of the full battery. That is probably half of what USB would use.
> 
> ...


I have the mojo2 and the fiio m11 (regular). is it possible to connect the spdif out on the fiio to the optical in on the mojo2 ? if so, what cable do i need?


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## rlw6534

jsk ksj said:


> I have the mojo2 and the fiio m11 (regular). is it possible to connect the spdif out on the fiio to the optical in on the mojo2 ? if so, what cable do i need?



Why not use the coax in?


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## BS5711

jsk ksj said:


> I have the mojo2 and the fiio m11 (regular). is it possible to connect the spdif out on the fiio to the optical in on the mojo2 ? if so, what cable do i need?



I don’t know if your M11 supports optical out.

If it does you just need a optical mini 3.5mm plug at one end for the M11 and a full size optical at the other for the Mojo.


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## rlw6534

BS5711 said:


> I don’t know if your M11 supports optical out.
> 
> If it does you just need a optical mini 3.5mm plug at one end for the M11 and a full size optical at the other for the Mojo.


 
The original M11 does not support optical out, only coax.  It's the same for the newer models as well.


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## jsk ksj

rlw6534 said:


> Why not use the coax in?


Hi, im totally in the dark here. Fiio spdif out to mojo2 coax in?

if so, can you point me towards a suitable cable?


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## jsk ksj

rlw6534 said:


> The original M11 does not support optical out, only coax.  It's the same for the newer models as well.


my M11 has spdif out, a format i am new to.


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## BS5711

rlw6534 said:


> The original M11 does not support optical out, only coax.  It's the same for the newer models as well.



The attached image is a custom Moon Audio Fiio specific 4 pole coaxial out to a standard 2 pole coaxial in for the Mojo end.

This is the most simple way to do it but probably the most complex in understanding what you need any why.

The 2 pole is the standard small device coaxial in. The 4 pole in my case is specific to Fiio and I think one or two other brands, it actually only uses 2 of the 4 terminals available as coaxial is a simple 2 wire signal and ground connection.

Go back to _*pages 423 to 425 *_and there is some discussion about it. The same thing can be achieved with a simple cable and adapters, your M11 should have come with a Fiio specific adapter to full size coaxial. You can plug that into the M11 then into a commonly available RCA to RCA 75 ohm coaxial cable and put a 1 x RCA to 3.5mm 2 pole adapter on the Mojo end. You could try that out and see if it suits your needs and buy a more specific cable if you want.

It is very simple in practice but a bit of a minefield to get your head around initially. The issue all coming from the non standard implementation at the source DAP end.

You will see all sorts of 3.5mm and RCA coaxial cables on line, they are not all created equal. Some will have 2 pole 3.5mm, some will have 3 and some will have 4, some are receiving ends and some are sending ends !!

The Mojo only can accept the standard 2 pole, the other end you need a Fiio specific 4 pole ..... or a standard RCA to RCA 75 ohm coaxial cable with adapters at each end, the M11 end adapter should have come with the M11.

If you use the image as a guide to what you finally need you will get a better handle on what I am on about above.

Mojo end on the left ................... Fiio M11 end on the right.


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## jsk ksj

Thanks for your extensive post. I think I understand.

Would any of these options have any audible advantage over my current setup, connecting the M11 to the Mojo2 via the usbc cable?


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## BS5711

jsk ksj said:


> Thanks for your extensive post. I think I understand.
> 
> Would any of these options have any audible advantage over my current setup, connecting the M11 to the Mojo2 via the usbc cable?



Some would say yes, I don't hear anything different, I did it out of interest but that isn't a cheap cable and if there isn't a problem with USB you are trying to solve I frankly wouldn't bother.


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## jsk ksj

BS5711 said:


> Some would say yes, I don't hear anything different, I did it out of interest but that isn't a cheap cable and if there isn't a problem with USB you are trying to solve I frankly wouldn't bother.


Thanks for your kind help & honest opinion. I will continue as I am.


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## BS5711

jsk ksj said:


> Thanks for your kind help & honest opinion. I will continue as I am.



You are very welcome and I believe that is an eminently intelligent decision !


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## AussieMick

Johnfg465vd said:


> I've noticed something every time I'm listening to the Mojo 2 and I'm not sure if it's my brain adjusting to the sound or if it's the Mojo 2 but for the first few minutes of listening, I notice some minor harshness in the sound and after more than 5-10 mins of listening this goes away and everything sounds smooth and good. Does any one else notice this phenomenon?


I’ve seen quite a few posts about this. You’re not alone, it seems normal.


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## daveya

I always turn mine on for 30 minute warm up


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## CaptainFantastic

Johnfg465vd said:


> I've noticed something every time I'm listening to the Mojo 2 and I'm not sure if it's my brain adjusting to the sound or if it's the Mojo 2 but for the first few minutes of listening, I notice some minor harshness in the sound and after more than 5-10 mins of listening this goes away and everything sounds smooth and good. Does any one else notice this phenomenon?



See here at 28:38



Small indie company. Some units hiss. Some units take 30 min to warm up. Others are perfect. I've been told above (by an engineer!) it's too small a company to be expected to get it right almost always, so we need to live with this crappy QC.


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## vlach (Today at 6:12 PM)

jsk ksj said:


> Thanks for your kind help & honest opinion. I will continue as I am.


Also, with USB you can pass DSD signals natively to the Mojo2.
S/PDIF is limited to 192Khz/24-bit PCM.


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