I guess I'm somewhat of an "audiophile" in that I'm very picky about sound. I also work in the high-end musical instruments industry so I know very well what musicians seek in audio quality. That being said, there's definitely a point when there are diminishing returns when it comes to high-end musical instruments and audio gear as well. There are some people who are willing to pay double the price of something that's very good for marginal (3~5%) perceived improvement when it comes to sound. That's what high-end musical instruments and audio gear industries are like and there's just no end to how far some people will go to have something a little "better" than what they had before.
I owned a pretty decent portable DAC/headphone amp that I was happy with since I travel to Asia a lot on business trips but wondered if there was anything out there that could get "desktop" or "tabletop" quality in a very small package. I had invested in a custom ear-mold IEM (Jerry Harvey Audio) and wanted a DAC/headphone amp that could get the best out of it without breaking the bank. While doing my due diligence, I found out about the Chord Electronics Mojo and was immediately intrigued.
After reading various reviews I decided that I can't go wrong with this and my expectations were fairly high. Well, after several days with the Mojo and doing some A/B tests with my incumbent DAC/headphone amp, I have to say that it has exceeded those expectations and then some. What a beautiful sounding little unit! It left my previous unit in the dust and I really liked that one and used it happily for years. It is super compact so makes it ideal for long flights and 2~3 week business trips when you often crave great sound to soothe the frazzled mind and the soul while dealing with long lines at airports, constant flight delays and all the other foibles of business travel.
So what makes the Mojo so special? More than anything else, it's the huge soundstage and the clarity without sounding harsh or sterile. Sonically, it's on the bright/brilliant side of the spectrum than mellow/warm but it's balanced from the very low to the very high and there's an inherent musicality to its sound that is hard to describe but is something you know when you hear it. I was able to hear minute details of instruments and of the overall mix that I simply could not hear before while providing a pleasing sound across the stereo field.
The extremely broad soundstage is what clearly set the Mojo apart from the other DAC/headphone amps I've tried in the past. I only play Apple Lossless or high-resolution audio files like FLAC or DSD on my iPhone because I care very much about hearing the details of the hi-hat cymbals and feeling the thump of the kick drum as well as the orchestra from left to right as if I was sitting right at the center about 20~30 rows back in a concert hall.
When plugged direct into the iPhone's headphone jack, it's as though the soundstage only covers from around 11 o'clock to 1 o'clock. My previous unit was more like 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock in soundstage coverage but the Mojo is more like 8 o'clock to 4 o'clock - a huge improvement where I felt like I'm starting to hear things below or even behind me. The soundstage of the Mojo is that wide. But it still sounds natural and organic, not some electronic gimmick that artificially expands the soundstage. The lows are big and punchy but tight and focused and not at all sounding tubby or boomy like some other units I've tried in the past. It's certainly not for the Beats crowd.
Overall, I think it's in the mids and the highs that the Mojo shines sonically. It's about hearing the details of the string section in an orchestra or the pick attack of an electric guitar or drawing in of the air by the vocalist. The mids are rich but still crisp with excellent separation between various instruments in an ensemble and between the strings of an acoustic guitar. The highs are clear as a bell but still sweet sounding without any hint of harshness. I hate hearing the "ess" on the highs and the Mojo exhibits none of that. It's still silky when other units can make you cringe on the very highs.
The build quality is excellent. It's compact and feels a bit dense but in a pleasing way. You can sense the quality just holding it in your hand. The odd yet cute power and volume control buttons are easy to get used to and soon become endearing to fiddle with. It's also a great feature to have two headphone outs to listen to music with someone else. I always wondered why more manufacturers don't do this. I doubt I would ever need to use the optical or coaxial inputs but I'm sure some others will appreciate them.
The Mojo is simple and compact like so many other devices of this type but it stands - no - it *towers* above the rest. The build quality is superb but it's really the sound that sets the Mojo apart. Everything else is only skin deep. Ultimately, it has to deliver the sound and the Mojo sounds quite amazing. This is one of those products that not only wows you with quality but with its value. I talked about the "diminishing return" factor of high-end musical instruments and audiophile gear where you pay up through the nose to hear slightly sweeter highs or wee bit wider soundstage, etc. In comparison to such products (and I've heard and tried - although not owned - plenty with five figures being the norm for amps/speakers and four figures being the norm for DACs and even cables), the Mojo is literally a steal. It's one of those rare products that smash the diminishing return factor and something that all music lovers on the go (or even at home) should seriously consider owning.
Similar items that may ship from close to you
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Reviews with images
Excellent amp for sennheiser hd 820 headphone!
Excellent amp for sennheiser hd 820 headphone. Best travel companion and long battery life.Chord Mojo is the finest pocket DAC/headphone amp that delivers much of the sound of Chord Hugo, at a fraction of the price. I also have Hugo for office use. No issues with driving Sennheiser HD 820 and Hi-Res ALAC Audio from iPhone. Two 3.5mm headphones sockets can easily drive Sennheiser HD650. Main use of Mojo is for travel via Micro USB and iPhone with Lightning to Micro USB cable or MacBook Pro with USB-C to Micro USB cable.
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
what a thoroughly enjoyable experience listening to my music with ...
Reviewed in Canada on March 7, 2017何？フェイク・レビュー詐欺師
RMEのFireface に似た雰囲気の音で、音場に立体感が際立ち、中高域の繊細な表現力あり。
Reviewed in Japan on December 16, 2015
何？フェイク・レビュー詐欺師
Reviewed in Japan on December 16, 2015
Mojoからスピーカーまでの機器と音質のレビューは http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B0163P4OY8/ref=yamaha_premain ここへも投稿していますのでよろしければ御覧ください。
コストの嵩むアルミ削り出しの筐体です。FPGAによるD/A変換ですが、似たような音として、RME社の音質にどことなく似ています。ゼンハイザーHD650を通してブラインドテストみたいにして聴き比べてみると、RME fireface UC との違いが私には識別できないほどです。RMEの半額ですのでこの４，５年でここまで来たかと驚いています。
最新のMacOSにアップグレードしてしまったMacBook Pro retina 2014earlyとのUSB接続では、どうやら相性に疑問な点があり。私だけかもしれませんが、再生中に（あたかも電波が弱くなった時のラジオのような少し弱くササーという感じの）気になるバックグラウンドノイズが絶え間なく混入しています。このノイズは入力が過大のため、あたかもサチュレートしたかのようでもあります。そこで、MacBook Pro側の出力を上下させたり、Mojoのゲインを下げたり、いろいろ試みましたが全く改善することなく現在に至っております。 レイテンシーはいずれチェックしてみようと思いますが、今のところ、全く気になりません。プチプチノイズはありません。 MacBook Proとの光TOSリンクディジタル接続は、綺麗な音質で、全くノイズはありませんので使えます。
ということで、現状ではMacBook Proとの光接続か、もしくは iPad mini2 retina とのUSB接続を楽しむことで落ち着いています。
追加です。
MacBook Proに接続したZOOM オーディオコンバーター TAC-2（USBではなく、Thunderbolt接続） は半額の3万円以下で、結構頑張って良い音質です。しかし、Mojoと比較しますと、Tac-2が音は綺麗だが、平板な音の良く出来た６万円くらいのミニコンポの音みたいで綺麗なだけで退屈です。これに対し、Mojoは実際のコンサートの舞台の袖のカーテン越しに生演奏を楽しんでいるかのような、とても臨場感のある音、ダイナミックレンジ大であり、繊細な高音域の生に近い雰囲気の音です。どちらのマシンも良く出来ていますが、Extremeに南極で越冬する(笑)など究極の選択の際には、ちゅうちょすることなくMojoにしますね。
Images in this review
