@@MisterChibs Most comprehensive review I have seen of Mojo 2 . I recently brought B & W 706 s2 speakers but I find them bright for listening to streaming music on my stereo setup comprising of harman kardon 3380 stereo receiver , speakers and iPad . They are causing me ear fatigue though rest of the family is fine !! I use my iPad directly connected to my Harman kardon 3380 stereo receiver to run the speakers . On the iPad I stream Amazon music . I was thinking about some solution for brightness and I read about mojo 2 . My question is that can I use Mojo 2 equaliser connected to my iPad for reducing the brightness in my stereo set up
I pretty much do the same as you, I use my Mojo 2 as DAC in my office rig so it's always charging and ready to go mobile, another thing to note about the Mojo 2 which you didn't mention is the dual headphone outs, I contacted Chord and they said you can use them as two line outs going to two different devices which is big plus compared to many other DACs, so in my setup I have one line out going to my headphone amp, and one going to my stereo integrated amp to power my passive speakers.
That's brilliant! I didn't realize you could have it connected to 2 amps at once. Now the dual outs make much more sense to me. I've got powered speakers in my office now but once I upgrade those, I'm going to using the mojo in this way. Thank you so much for your comment Robert!
Awesome review! Can you also review the Poly. Thank you so much. Thinking about buying this Combo. I listened at Canjam and this Mojo2 was Amazing. Thank you again.
Glad you liked the review Tom! Will consider reviewing Poly in the future. Would be cool if Chord or one of my subscribers sends one in for this purpose. Let me know how you like the Mojo when you get it. 🍻
I’ve been watching several of these Mojo 2 reviews; I just got it and the Focal Utopias. I must say this is by far the best one and most comprehensive. Going through the crossfeed function is really helpful; wasn’t sure when to use that. There are definitely tracks with channel imbalances. Lots of great tips!Thanks it was great! Subscribed
@@jeffberger5773 If @Cassie Cat doesn't reply it's probably because he's busy enjoying them. Would love to demo Utopia one day. I'm assuming it's a killer combo based on my experience with Stellia. Let me know what you think when you get them! 🍻
@@jeffberger5773 I’ve been totally amazed, listen for hours, it’s not fatiguing at all. The sound is incredible you’ll love it. I have a desktop amplifier/dac Questyle and i’m not using it yet so happy with this
@Mr Chibs I've been listening to them for a couple hours, I didn't immediately notice a big difference from the clear og but the more I listen the more I notice better detail and it's smoother sounding but it hasn't blown me away like I thought it would, I know it would sound better with a better dac/amps but so far it's not really that different than the clear, I also have an lcdx 2021 and it actually seems faster in the bass and seems to hit harder than the utopia, im going to give it more time then I will probably notice how good they are, im using a mojo 2 which is probably not good enough to make them sound great
@@MisterChibsfinally paired chord anni with chord mojo. A happy marriage and lovely soul full sound. Avoid everything else if you can is all I can say.
Best explanation of the working of the mojo, especially the button functions! Chord should hire you, it's much better than their manual and also much better than the more than 20 Chord MOJO 2 reviews I have seen. I subscribed. For more information on desktop mode you can also mail CHORD service center.
This is a great review! I think you might be the only reviewer to demonstrate pairing the Mojo 2 to an amplifier. I have had my Mojo 2 since last April and love it. I also have a Denafrips Ares II and prefer the Mojo 2 for headphones.
Thanks Bob, I did it at first just to cover my ground and didn’t think it would amount to much. I was shocked! Total surprise how it performs in that use case! 👍🏻🍻
Excellent review! I had the Mojo 2 for about 2 years and watched a ton of reviews, and this is the best. I recently bought a iFi Micro iDSD Finale (similar in sound to the Signature). I found your review via Head-Fi when I was researching comparisons of it with the Mojo 2. I agree that the Mojo 2 is better than the Micro iDSD in many aspects, including clarity and details. However, I feel like the Micro iDSD has a more holographic soundstage (wider and deeper), more relaxing, and overall a more fun sound signature. I'm mainly using the 64 Audio Volur with both.
My goodness....If it weren't for you, I would not have realized that my computer speakers have been running reversed for over a frickin' year.... THANK YOU!
Good through review. buying mine in a few days. only £400 here in its home country BTW. mine will be desktop use into naim Uniti 1 and B&W 603 s2Sig. I use Rasp Pi / Allo digione sig transport and mostly listen to Radio Paradise FLAC streaming or NAS FLAC files. Appreciate all your testing.
Inverted my headphones cables once. I noticed with a piano recording that low keys played on the right and high keys on the left. For a second I wanted to blame the sound engineer before it occurred to me I had to blame myself. 😂
Next one for you to check out is the Chord Qutest. I (and I think many of us) would be interested in your findings comparing it with the Mojo 2 AND the Venus 2… BTW I am currently comparing Qutest (with Farad Super3 powersupply) against Pontus 2 in my setup. Two great DAC’s, that’s for sure!
@@MisterChibs I’m using Qutest with Farad Super3 since 1 yr in my setup. And bought a Pontus 2 about one week ago, comparing both. Similar depth of soundstage, Pontus definately wilder soundstage, good with ALL music. Qutest - Farad combo impresses more, ‘fidelity’ seems a bit higher, certain details / instruments draw a bit more attention. Pontus draws as much ( or never too much..) attention to everything, more even. Bass is very deep and powerfull with the Qutest and certainly a bit quicker, and stops quicker too on the Qutest. Pontus as powerful and deep and to be short: very good. But Qutest - Farad has the edge by a little. Pontus generally more pleasing sound. You just want to keep on listening. Qutest more accurate / precise / scalpel wise bit without sounding too analytical. Very 3d als well, as the Pontus, for sure. Certainly with the Farad. Don’t know yet wich one I’m going to keep... My setup is a 2 channel system with Naim streamer nd5 xs2 (bypass internal DAC), Supernait 3 with Teddycap and PMC Twenty5.26 speakers (transmission line speakers)
@@maxvdl1262 Keep running the Pontus before you decide. Burn in with those DACs is real. Let me know which you end up keeping and thanks for sharing your experience. 🍻
@@maxvdl1262 Hi there! Just wondering, do you "actively" bypass the internal DAC or do you mean it's automatically bypassed, when using BNC output? I also have a Naim nd5 xs2 and Chord Qutest (linear power supply is on the way...).
@@DagReinbott_TerraSound Hi, you have to activate the BNC digital output in the naim app settings. The player cannot deliver analog output by din and/or rca at the same time as digital out. You have to choose/change this in the settings in the app. And when you chose BNC out you have the option for PCM type output or native. I prefer native with streaming Qobuz. The nd5 xs2 player is a very good player. Even worth it when only using the streamer part of it. The internal DAC is not bad but not in the League of Qutest and Pontus.
My first Chord product too. Only I'm on Android. I'm delighted. ....I've had that white noise "russian roulette" on occasion. Scary. (But not with the Mojo). Great video, man!!
Mr Chibs, your review is the best! Can you explain why are there people in the comments everywhere on youtube etc. that says Mojo 2 is the same sound quality as Apple Iphone smartphone or some cheap dongle DAC? I dont really get it.. because other people praise Mojo's sound quality? Thanks
Lol, I'm assuming those comments are from people that haven't tried the Mojo. Everyone has an opinion, some like to insert theirs without fully understanding. An other possibility is poor hearing I suppose. These opinions are not wrong... No, no I can't back that up. They're dead wrong! haha 🤣😆 Listening to "Pony Boy" by The Allman Brothers Band with Meze Empyreans into Mojo 2 as I type this. Sounds effing amazing.🍻
Hey just saw your channel, good job like your approach, very nice collection of headphones you have there any plans on doing a video about them? Cheers
Thanks man, doing a headphone video is an eventuality for sure. Would you like to see a general battle royal shoot out or individual reviews per set of cans? I’m all over the place with these videos and plan to go in all sorts of directions (that’s just my personality as far as what fires me up). Have a good one! 👍🏻🍻
@@MisterChibs I think individual videos because all your cans look like they are all different from each other (open, closed, different driver tech etc) but everybody likes a good shootout. Thanks.
First video of yours I've seen, what you found with the Venus' XLR you may run into if you have a Susvara as well. It's inverted phase and I bet 99% of people listen to em that way 😅. They wired em for "Japanese standard xlr" so all western standard xlrs will require you invert the phase of your dac.
Nice review and content. I haven't purchased the Mojo 2 yet as yet. How do you think the stock audio compares to the RME ADI2 DAC FS UNIT? Just a suggestion.... your audio room headphone slave/prisoner is looking a tad undernourished and somewhat anatomical....he/she may need a feed soon. Some Ministry of Silly Walks to come, I hope. Cheers.
Thanks Keith, I didn't have the Mojo and ADI at the same time so It's tough to make a direct comparison. Having said that, I have a feeling that I'de prefer the Mojo's sound. Different beasts, though. The Mojo can be used portably and the ADI has more features, although much more cumbersome to access. If you ever get the Mojo 2, let me know what you think in SQ vs the ADI2. That's Herby you're talking about. He'll stay put until I tell him otherwise. I assure you, he's well taken care of. 😂
I have white noise issues with first gen Mojo. But in my case, only when I connect it to computer. I also had a hissing issue which was resolved in warrenty period. It takes more than one hour of listening Spotify/Tidal and skipping tracks to trigger white noise. Really disappointed to see that Mojo 2 suffers from the same illness and for me thats it from Chord. I will never consider buying their DACs in the future, SQ is good but it seems like paying good money for unfinished or even faulty product.
Sorry to hear that man! I read that some have issues with computer and that's a whole can of worms I haven't yet opened. My use case involves streamers / iphone / ipad and leaves computers out of the equation. Still interested to see how I fair connected to a pc and Mac so I may test (using headphones I don't care about). One thing I can tell you is that at least with my unit, it was the cable causing white noise. that fio cable would consistently blast my ears but I haven't had the problem once with my DD Hifi 50 cm cable, and listen a ton! Hopefully that helps if you're considering to demo one. It's such an amazing piece of kit! 👍🍻
I don’t know if I’m asking the right guy but I have an audio problem due to disease. I have MS and it has damaged the nerves to my ears. I perceive digital as a painful beam of music. I’m a 70’s kid….big speakers, vinyl and cassettes. I was just recently diagnosed with it but I’ve been sick with it since my teens…..eff’n doctors thought I was just pill chasing and probably a million dollars later….”Oh….yeah, you’ve got MS, lesions all around”….no apologies, no refunds- it’s a sore point but losing the ability to enjoy music has been just as crushing. Just got my vinyl up and spinning and I’m loving the sound with no pain….none. So I’m looking for a dac to handle my IMac and an old Nakamichi CDPlayer 2. Does this dac provide great imaging, dynamics and space? I’m disabled from this whole mess of my life so you have to save where you can. It doesn’t look like you do vinyl but I have no choice; I have tons of it from my youth and it has once again came to the rescue of my emotional being, whether that be age 5, 10, college 20’s or today at 54. I have a lot of cd’s from the 90’s and a few from the 00’s so it would be nice to be able to listen to them without the pain, at levels I’m used to listening to. I like it loud, but it has to hit like a wave. I have some Forte IV’s coming soon and want to reimagine my music. Any thoughts? Would this little guy do the job and can it handle both IMac and an a coaxial caviar from the Nak? Cheers….I like the cut of your jib. The Python opener made me smile.
Thanks for the kind words PreWar, To answer your questions: Yes! It's a great DAC. Imaging, dynamics, sound quality in general is amazing for it's price. You can definitely hook it up to your Mac and should be able to connect to your CD player. You may need an adapter (not familiar with that brand). It should work very well in conjunction with an amp and your Forte's. An other rout for you to check into is R2R. I've got a Denafrips Pontus / Venus review you can watch if interested. The Ares is more in line with the Mojo 2 when it comes to price though. Not as fast as the mojo but more "analogue" sounding and forgiving on the ears (which is why I brought it up) Both DACs are great choices in any case. You're on the right track but definitely try and demo before buying if you can. Hope this helps! 🍻
Haha it’s not that bad honestly. Takes a bit of getting used to but becomes second nature after a day or two. One thing I didn’t touch on was the natural progression of the LED colours as you get up in volume. Really cool implementation!
I felt the same way as you did before I purchased it, but don't worry. As someone who has never had the best memory, I was able to fully 'memorize' the buttons and what they mean in the first 30 minutes of just using it with the reference chart next to me. I think you'll realize that it's pretty simple and straight forward.
Yep! More than enough power and the EQ is amazing for taming the highs. My friend just bought Mojo 2 after demoing mine with his Celestee and I use it all the time with my Stellia. Get it! 🍻
Unfortunately not 😞 I recently upgraded my 13Pro to an iPhone 14 Pro max. It was fine at first but now unfortunately I'm into the same intermittent white noise problem. I still recommend that DD Hifi cable with the 13 Pro but not Apples latest 14 Pro Max. I plan on researching alternatives, contacting Chord support, and making an update video with my findings. So good timing on this question. I'm pinning this comment so people see this update. Stay tuned. 🍻
@@MisterChibs That is a bummer that you’ve encountered the noise again with your new iPhone. I look forward to your new findings, information from Chord, and such. Thanks again and good luck!
@@buenahora001 My pleasure! If you have a brick and mortar near by, try and Demo first. I can't imagine anyone not liking the Stellia's though. Probably the best closedback you can get right now. Best closed back with best portable dac/amp (imo). You're good to go!
While the term "Best" is a completely subjective and individual thing, I would love to see a review where the 2 devices are compared and the BTR7 comes out on top. Mojo 2 is in a completely different league. Is it worth the upgrade? If you like listening to music, yes. This coming from someone who also owns the BTR7. Thanks for watching and let me know what you think if & when you get the Mojo II. 🍻
To add to this. I owned the btr7 which is great as a bluetooth device. The wired mode is good but buggy (need to use UAC 1.0 to use the EQ, but UAC 1.0 doesn't remember its EQ setting... so wired with EQ is not a good idea). I got the Mojo2 and it is clearly better. BTR7 is very good, but in A/B testing the Mojo2 kept coming out on top in several ways. We are, however, getting into picky audiophile territory, but it was very obvious to me.
Me again... So it happened to me too (loud >SCARY LOUD< white noise, thru my Dan Clark Aeons...) Switched to a usbc to usbc cable (the 1 that came with my Galaxy 22 ultra) and so far so good (for how long...?).... My concern (and I'd really appreciate your input) is: could I have damaged the drivers on the Aeons? I just picked 'm up a couple days ago (and loving them!). I've been testing them after the deafening noise incident, and they seem to be ok. But who knows, at some microscopic/quantum level... This picky overkill perfectionist 'd really appreciate your knowledgeable input. Thanks a bunch.
I doubt you damaged your Aeon’s drivers. You’d know if they were damaged and it would be obvious imo. Either they don’t sound right at all, or you hear random popping noises. So no worries there, enjoy your Aeons and Mojo 2! Great combo imo! I’ve never had the white noise problem using USBC cables but the ones I’ve used are all high quality and not the ones just intended for charging things. Hope that helps! 🍻
I've been gaming with my Kef Ls50 Metas lately so this is from a somewhat murky memory. I think I lowered green (3rd eq option) by 2 or 3 and lowered blue (fourth option) by 1 or 2. The beauty about the mojo 2's EQ is you can change it while listening so It's easy to dial in to your taste. It's also going to depend on your headphones and how you prefer things to sound. Once you get used to using the EQ, it becomes fun and easy to use. Hope this helps!🍻
Hi and thanks for the video, so i can't choose between the mojo2 and the ifi gryphon, I like the EQ part of the mojo a lot but I heard it sounds analytical and i would like you opinion on texture, bass and dynamics on the mojo, is there descent bass rumble and extend ? I wanna pair it with focal celestee that is already a bit bright, and I dont want it to sound flat. ( I know I can eq but not the texture/rumble/extend of it). Thanks again and have a good one :)
Thanks Jean. I have not tried the Gryphon but as you saw in this video, I put it head to head with the idsd Signature (which has more power than Gryphon). My friend Andy brought his Celestee over and A/B'd with both my dac-amps and ended up buying the Mojo 2. This sucked for me because I would have sold him my Signature with a nice discount. I still have the Signature but it sits in a drawer. The Mojo competes on a much higher level than the stuff I've tried from ifi including Diablo. Lossless EQ on the Mojo is great for raising midbase and taming brightness. It's really invaluable. As far as rumble, I don't think you're going to get that from Focal Celestee in any configuration. You're better off with planar magnetic's or even better yet, loud speakers with a sub. 😉 My advice if you can't demo is just get the Mojo 2. It's going to spank pretty much everything under 1k pretty badly. 🍻
@@MisterChibs ok so first test day, for now I kind of like it but I kind of don't, so let me explain: it is nicely detailed i hear that, but compared to my pc's dac(4 years old MSI entry level gaming laptop) it is lacking of soundstage, separation, imaging is better on my pc, dynamics and bass also better on the pc. It is better tuned also: more balanced. I tried to EQ it but then I loose the detailed, I tried crossfeet but then it muddys up the sound... I am kinda desprate, how can a 4 years old pc sound better than a recent 500E device that is DEDICATED to sound. This I really dont understand. same thing happened with the RU7 CAYIN, only worse, the mojo2 gets really closer to my pc's but, for the first day of use, nope, I can't say that it sounds better. Again disapointed, I'll give it a try tomorrow
I only got the one (ddhifi) to work flawlessly directly from my phone. Using the camera connector, the other cables I used all sounded the same which was very good. 🍻
Ps2. I really think Chord should provide (bundle) the Mojo with a proper certified usbc (preferably long-ish) cable to make life easier for all of us.....
Completely unnecessary unless you want to get into tube amps imo. Stellia's are so easy to drive brotha! Great synergy in combination with the Mojo 2.👍🍻
@@MisterChibs Oh that sounds neat. So no need to bother with anything like fiio k9 pro, or hugo 2, or naim unity atom or any such big boys? The sound won't get much better with these?
@@thor_86 I haven't demoed any of those but based on my experience, I suspect that Chord dac's trump the chip dacs Fiio and Naim use. The Hugo 2 has more taps but you're loosing in portability and the lossless EQ. Hugo is also due for an update. I'll be all over Hugo 3 when it comes out next year (just a guess). Having said that, the Mojo is so good at what it does. I honestly doubt you'll be disappointed.🍻
Does yours picking up mobile phone signal noise? Mine does and apparently this is normal. But how could this be normal if it’s stops you to listen music on the go.
Good question. What sort of cable are you connecting and to which phone? I actually don’t get signal interference with mine. Try running in airplane mode and see if that makes a difference. If it fixes your problem, try running in airplane mode with wifi enabled and see if that works.
@@MisterChibs the cable is high quality usbc to usbc. I have iPhone 15 pro. Yes airplane mode works for the signal but it completely defeats the purpose of portability because I would be offline (no calls, ni internet, no music streaming on the go). I wonder if there is any solution to this.
@@pistopitpitIf you use Apple Music and have your library downloaded to the phone, music will still play. when you say high quality, do you mean a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 rated cable? That’s what I recommend for iPad and iPhone 15 pro. Also make sure the cable isn’t too short.
@@MisterChibs Thunderbolt 4. Yes I could download music up front but I usually have a habit to shuffle my entire library so it would be hard to download that. Just another inconvenience. I love mojo 2 when it works but that phone signal picking completely ruins the fun. Why they did not fixed it knowing this was already an issue in first mojo. I have other portable DACs and they don’t interfere with my phone. One last solution that I will be trying is purchasing a pouch that blocks all kinds of wireless signals, it is called faraday pouch. I will put mojo into that pouch and strap the pouch to the back of my phone. If this last solution does not work then I am returning mojo 2 because it is simply not as advertised, meaning it is not rally on the go solution.
@@pistopitpit That would annoy the FK outa me too. So weird I've never experienced that problem. Once I solved the white noise issue it's been flawless with the 14 Pro Max. Maybe they changed something internally on the 15? My entire apple music library is downloaded on my phone so I can listen while travelling or just not be disturbed. Takes up half my phone's storage 😆Let me know if that pouch works but I would be inclined to also try an other cable. The Cable Matters brand is my "go to" for thunderbolt, and they're relatively inexpensive.
Hi I have the excellent Mojo 2 and would really like to purchase that usbc to lightning cable but that linked website doesn’t work to purchase it; says server error or something. Any other way to buy it? thx
Mojo 2 firmware update - video th-cam.com/video/dAUwZU5Hsmk/w-d-xo.html Resolution to white noise problem - video th-cam.com/users/shortsQcLAVDozsX8?feature=share
@@MisterChibs So the hype on this thing is real? I really want to hear one. I emailed my local hifi shop and they never bothered responding, despite their website carrying Chord.
Feels really nice in person and once you get used to the way things work, it’s just second nature like anything else. Aesthetics may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but see if you can demo one. You may b surprised like I was. 👍🏻🍻
I accept any and all comparisons to Tom Cruise. Unless it's Vinella Sky Tom Cruise, because that movie made me dislike and not trust Cameron Diaz. That's more of a Cameron Diaz thing though and not so much Tom Cruise, so I'll actually still accept comparisons to Tom in that movie. But what a mind job it was eh? What were we talking about?
Great review, appreciated the detailed explanation of the white noise issue
The channel tester was an added bonus 😛
Subscribed!
Thanks Andy! Haha that was fun to figure out how to do in the edit 🤣🍻
Thanks! Been looking forever to figure out how to work my mojo2 in desktop mode. You're the only one who explains it at which color. 🙏🏼
Thanks Adam! I found that a bit confusing myself at first, because it’s not really well documented. Glad you found it useful! 👍🏻🍻
@@MisterChibs Most comprehensive review I have seen of Mojo 2 .
I recently brought B & W 706 s2 speakers but I find them bright for listening to streaming music on my stereo setup comprising of harman kardon 3380 stereo receiver , speakers and iPad . They are causing me ear fatigue though rest of the family is fine !!
I use my iPad directly connected to my Harman kardon 3380 stereo receiver to run the speakers . On the iPad I stream Amazon music .
I was thinking about some solution for brightness and I read about mojo 2 . My question is that can I use Mojo 2 equaliser connected to my iPad for reducing the brightness in my stereo set up
@@rishelbhallabhatia1672 You can use the Mojo 2's EQ this way. Have you tried angling both speakers outwards a bit?
I pretty much do the same as you, I use my Mojo 2 as DAC in my office rig so it's always charging and ready to go mobile, another thing to note about the Mojo 2 which you didn't mention is the dual headphone outs, I contacted Chord and they said you can use them as two line outs going to two different devices which is big plus compared to many other DACs, so in my setup I have one line out going to my headphone amp, and one going to my stereo integrated amp to power my passive speakers.
That's brilliant! I didn't realize you could have it connected to 2 amps at once. Now the dual outs make much more sense to me. I've got powered speakers in my office now but once I upgrade those, I'm going to using the mojo in this way. Thank you so much for your comment Robert!
Awesome review! Can you also review the Poly. Thank you so much. Thinking about buying this Combo. I listened at Canjam and this Mojo2 was Amazing.
Thank you again.
Glad you liked the review Tom! Will consider reviewing Poly in the future. Would be cool if Chord or one of my subscribers sends one in for this purpose. Let me know how you like the Mojo when you get it. 🍻
That’s exactly the review I was looking for, was very much interested in connecting to iPhone without CCK. Other points very are useful as well.
Thanks for watching! 🍻
I’ve been watching several of these Mojo 2 reviews; I just got it and the Focal Utopias. I must say this is by far the best one and most comprehensive. Going through the crossfeed function is really helpful; wasn’t sure when to use that. There are definitely tracks with channel imbalances. Lots of great tips!Thanks it was great! Subscribed
Glad I helped. Thanks for the kind words! 🍻
I just ordered the 2020 utopias and I have a mojo 2, do you think they sound good together
@@jeffberger5773 If @Cassie Cat doesn't reply it's probably because he's busy enjoying them. Would love to demo Utopia one day. I'm assuming it's a killer combo based on my experience with Stellia. Let me know what you think when you get them! 🍻
@@jeffberger5773 I’ve been totally amazed, listen for hours, it’s not fatiguing at all. The sound is incredible you’ll love it. I have a desktop amplifier/dac Questyle and i’m not using it yet so happy with this
@Mr Chibs I've been listening to them for a couple hours, I didn't immediately notice a big difference from the clear og but the more I listen the more I notice better detail and it's smoother sounding but it hasn't blown me away like I thought it would, I know it would sound better with a better dac/amps but so far it's not really that different than the clear, I also have an lcdx 2021 and it actually seems faster in the bass and seems to hit harder than the utopia, im going to give it more time then I will probably notice how good they are, im using a mojo 2 which is probably not good enough to make them sound great
Great detailing and energy. Such enthusiasm. Love it
Thanks man!! 🍻
@@MisterChibs any thoughts on the Chord Anni amplifier. Thinking of buying it.
@@psysword haven’t tried one out. Let me know what you think if you end up with one.
@@MisterChibsfinally paired chord anni with chord mojo. A happy marriage and lovely soul full sound. Avoid everything else if you can is all I can say.
@@psysword Nice! which speakers are you driving with them?
Best explanation of the working of the mojo, especially the button functions! Chord should hire you, it's much better than their manual and also much better than the more than 20 Chord MOJO 2 reviews I have seen. I subscribed. For more information on desktop mode you can also mail CHORD service center.
Thanks Thalita, welcome aboard! I would love Chord to hire me! Better yet send me some of their other dacs / amps to review. 🍻
@@MisterChibs That would be great!
This is a great review! I think you might be the only reviewer to demonstrate pairing the Mojo 2 to an amplifier. I have had my Mojo 2 since last April and love it. I also have a Denafrips Ares II and prefer the Mojo 2 for headphones.
Thanks Bob, I did it at first just to cover my ground and didn’t think it would amount to much. I was shocked! Total surprise how it performs in that use case! 👍🏻🍻
Great video. Subscribed!!! When my Mojo 2 arrives I'll be using this video as a guide. Many thanks!
Glad it helped you! 🍻
Excellent review! I had the Mojo 2 for about 2 years and watched a ton of reviews, and this is the best.
I recently bought a iFi Micro iDSD Finale (similar in sound to the Signature). I found your review via Head-Fi when I was researching comparisons of it with the Mojo 2. I agree that the Mojo 2 is better than the Micro iDSD in many aspects, including clarity and details. However, I feel like the Micro iDSD has a more holographic soundstage (wider and deeper), more relaxing, and overall a more fun sound signature. I'm mainly using the 64 Audio Volur with both.
Cool, thanks for sharing your experience. 🍻
My goodness....If it weren't for you, I would not have realized that my computer speakers have been running reversed for over a frickin' year.... THANK YOU!
My hidden speaker PSA worked 👍
@@MisterChibs 😂
Good through review. buying mine in a few days. only £400 here in its home country BTW. mine will be desktop use into naim Uniti 1 and B&W 603 s2Sig. I use Rasp Pi / Allo digione sig transport and mostly listen to Radio Paradise FLAC streaming or NAS FLAC files. Appreciate all your testing.
Nice! Thanks for watching and enjoy your new Mojo!
a very good review man! love it!
Thank you Nia! 👍🏻🍻
Inverted xlr cables. Sounds like something I would do and drive myself crazy. Great video!!! Mojo 2 sounds like a great deal!
Thank you Obi1! 👍🏻🍻
Inverted my headphones cables once. I noticed with a piano recording that low keys played on the right and high keys on the left. For a second I wanted to blame the sound engineer before it occurred to me I had to blame myself. 😂
Great review! That speaker test made me doubt the wiring of my own speakers for a bit 😆
Thanks John! 🍻
very articulate.I can see you have a bright future Sir
Aww thanks!! 👍🏻🍻
Great video! Thats quite the McIntosh set-up.
Thanks Neil, it really is!! Maybe one day Ill get it as a hand me down when he upgrades 🤣
thank you very much👍
🖖🏻
Next one for you to check out is the Chord Qutest. I (and I think many of us) would be interested in your findings comparing it with the Mojo 2 AND the Venus 2…
BTW I am currently comparing Qutest (with Farad Super3 powersupply) against Pontus 2 in my setup.
Two great DAC’s, that’s for sure!
Not a bad idea! I'm definitely interested to check out more Chord dacs. How does do the Qutest and Pontus 2 compare in your opinion? 🍻
@@MisterChibs I’m using Qutest with Farad Super3 since 1 yr in my setup. And bought a Pontus 2 about one week ago, comparing both. Similar depth of soundstage, Pontus definately wilder soundstage, good with ALL music. Qutest - Farad combo impresses more, ‘fidelity’ seems a bit higher, certain details / instruments draw a bit more attention. Pontus draws as much ( or never too much..) attention to everything, more even. Bass is very deep and powerfull with the Qutest and certainly a bit quicker, and stops quicker too on the Qutest. Pontus as powerful and deep and to be short: very good. But Qutest - Farad has the edge by a little. Pontus generally more pleasing sound. You just want to keep on listening. Qutest more accurate / precise / scalpel wise bit without sounding too analytical. Very 3d als well, as the Pontus, for sure. Certainly with the Farad. Don’t know yet wich one I’m going to keep...
My setup is a 2 channel system with Naim streamer nd5 xs2 (bypass internal DAC), Supernait 3 with Teddycap and PMC Twenty5.26 speakers (transmission line speakers)
@@maxvdl1262 Keep running the Pontus before you decide. Burn in with those DACs is real. Let me know which you end up keeping and thanks for sharing your experience. 🍻
@@maxvdl1262 Hi there! Just wondering, do you "actively" bypass the internal DAC or do you mean it's automatically bypassed, when using BNC output? I also have a Naim nd5 xs2 and Chord Qutest (linear power supply is on the way...).
@@DagReinbott_TerraSound Hi, you have to activate the BNC digital output in the naim app settings. The player cannot deliver analog output by din and/or rca at the same time as digital out. You have to choose/change this in the settings in the app. And when you chose BNC out you have the option for PCM type output or native. I prefer native with streaming Qobuz. The nd5 xs2 player is a very good player. Even worth it when only using the streamer part of it. The internal DAC is not bad but not in the League of Qutest and Pontus.
Amazing videos Mr. Chibs
Thank you sir 👍🏻 I hope the Peggy talk was to your liking!
My first Chord product too. Only I'm on Android. I'm delighted.
....I've had that white noise "russian roulette" on occasion. Scary. (But not with the Mojo). Great video, man!!
Thanks for watching! 🍻
My favorite review thus far for the Mojo 2.
Thank you Corn Dog!! 👍🍻
Agreed!
Mr. Chib's you got me brother! Yes sir, a new subscriber!😂
Hey man! 🍻
@@MisterChibs 🍻 Cheers! Clink! Have a great week my man.
I love that high energy intro, ha-ha!
Thanks man! 🍻
Mr Chibs, your review is the best! Can you explain why are there people in the comments everywhere on youtube etc. that says Mojo 2 is the same sound quality as Apple Iphone smartphone or some cheap dongle DAC? I dont really get it.. because other people praise Mojo's sound quality? Thanks
Lol, I'm assuming those comments are from people that haven't tried the Mojo. Everyone has an opinion, some like to insert theirs without fully understanding. An other possibility is poor hearing I suppose. These opinions are not wrong... No, no I can't back that up. They're dead wrong! haha 🤣😆 Listening to "Pony Boy" by The Allman Brothers Band with Meze Empyreans into Mojo 2 as I type this. Sounds effing amazing.🍻
Hey just saw your channel, good job like your approach, very nice collection of headphones you have there any plans on doing a video about them? Cheers
Thanks man, doing a headphone video is an eventuality for sure. Would you like to see a general battle royal shoot out or individual reviews per set of cans? I’m all over the place with these videos and plan to go in all sorts of directions (that’s just my personality as far as what fires me up). Have a good one! 👍🏻🍻
@@MisterChibs I think individual videos because all your cans look like they are all different from each other (open, closed, different driver tech etc) but everybody likes a good shootout. Thanks.
@@blejzerosamigos6115 Thank you for the input and stay tuned! 🍻
First video of yours I've seen, what you found with the Venus' XLR you may run into if you have a Susvara as well. It's inverted phase and I bet 99% of people listen to em that way 😅. They wired em for "Japanese standard xlr" so all western standard xlrs will require you invert the phase of your dac.
Crazy, I didn't know that about Susvara. Thanks for watching! 🍻
Fellow Phish fan here and noticed you also play Apex? neat
Hehe Yup! Welcome home Nate! 👍🍻
Cool video. Very nice high production value. 👍
Thanks man!! 👍🏻🍻
Nice review and content. I haven't purchased the Mojo 2 yet as yet. How do you think the stock audio compares to the RME ADI2 DAC FS UNIT?
Just a suggestion.... your audio room headphone slave/prisoner is looking a tad undernourished and somewhat anatomical....he/she may need a feed soon. Some Ministry of Silly Walks to come, I hope. Cheers.
Thanks Keith, I didn't have the Mojo and ADI at the same time so It's tough to make a direct comparison. Having said that, I have a feeling that I'de prefer the Mojo's sound. Different beasts, though. The Mojo can be used portably and the ADI has more features, although much more cumbersome to access. If you ever get the Mojo 2, let me know what you think in SQ vs the ADI2.
That's Herby you're talking about. He'll stay put until I tell him otherwise. I assure you, he's well taken care of. 😂
Best Mojo 2 review ever 👍👏
Thank you! 🍻
Its like a riddle to get the right setting
Naa, you get used to it pretty quickly. It helps to have the manual in front of you at first though.
I have white noise issues with first gen Mojo. But in my case, only when I connect it to computer. I also had a hissing issue which was resolved in warrenty period. It takes more than one hour of listening Spotify/Tidal and skipping tracks to trigger white noise. Really disappointed to see that Mojo 2 suffers from the same illness and for me thats it from Chord. I will never consider buying their DACs in the future, SQ is good but it seems like paying good money for unfinished or even faulty product.
Sorry to hear that man! I read that some have issues with computer and that's a whole can of worms I haven't yet opened. My use case involves streamers / iphone / ipad and leaves computers out of the equation. Still interested to see how I fair connected to a pc and Mac so I may test (using headphones I don't care about). One thing I can tell you is that at least with my unit, it was the cable causing white noise. that fio cable would consistently blast my ears but I haven't had the problem once with my DD Hifi 50 cm cable, and listen a ton! Hopefully that helps if you're considering to demo one. It's such an amazing piece of kit! 👍🍻
I don’t know if I’m asking the right guy but I have an audio problem due to disease. I have MS and it has damaged the nerves to my ears. I perceive digital as a painful beam of music. I’m a 70’s kid….big speakers, vinyl and cassettes. I was just recently diagnosed with it but I’ve been sick with it since my teens…..eff’n doctors thought I was just pill chasing and probably a million dollars later….”Oh….yeah, you’ve got MS, lesions all around”….no apologies, no refunds- it’s a sore point but losing the ability to enjoy music has been just as crushing. Just got my vinyl up and spinning and I’m loving the sound with no pain….none. So I’m looking for a dac to handle my IMac and an old Nakamichi CDPlayer 2. Does this dac provide great imaging, dynamics and space? I’m disabled from this whole mess of my life so you have to save where you can. It doesn’t look like you do vinyl but I have no choice; I have tons of it from my youth and it has once again came to the rescue of my emotional being, whether that be age 5, 10, college 20’s or today at 54. I have a lot of cd’s from the 90’s and a few from the 00’s so it would be nice to be able to listen to them without the pain, at levels I’m used to listening to. I like it loud, but it has to hit like a wave. I have some Forte IV’s coming soon and want to reimagine my music. Any thoughts? Would this little guy do the job and can it handle both IMac and an a coaxial caviar from the Nak? Cheers….I like the cut of your jib. The Python opener made me smile.
Thanks for the kind words PreWar,
To answer your questions:
Yes! It's a great DAC. Imaging, dynamics, sound quality in general is amazing for it's price. You can definitely hook it up to your Mac and should be able to connect to your CD player. You may need an adapter (not familiar with that brand). It should work very well in conjunction with an amp and your Forte's. An other rout for you to check into is R2R. I've got a Denafrips Pontus / Venus review you can watch if interested. The Ares is more in line with the Mojo 2 when it comes to price though. Not as fast as the mojo but more "analogue" sounding and forgiving on the ears (which is why I brought it up) Both DACs are great choices in any case. You're on the right track but definitely try and demo before buying if you can. Hope this helps! 🍻
So I need to remember about 15 different colour codes. I ain’t that clever 🤪
Haha it’s not that bad honestly. Takes a bit of getting used to but becomes second nature after a day or two. One thing I didn’t touch on was the natural progression of the LED colours as you get up in volume. Really cool implementation!
I felt the same way as you did before I purchased it, but don't worry. As someone who has never had the best memory, I was able to fully 'memorize' the buttons and what they mean in the first 30 minutes of just using it with the reference chart next to me. I think you'll realize that it's pretty simple and straight forward.
Do you think this would pair well with the Focal Elegia and Clear OG?
Yep! More than enough power and the EQ is amazing for taming the highs. My friend just bought Mojo 2 after demoing mine with his Celestee and I use it all the time with my Stellia. Get it! 🍻
@MisterChibs,
Thanks for the great vid. Has the 50 cm DD cable continued to be issue-free?
Unfortunately not 😞
I recently upgraded my 13Pro to an iPhone 14 Pro max. It was fine at first but now unfortunately I'm into the same intermittent white noise problem. I still recommend that DD Hifi cable with the 13 Pro but not Apples latest 14 Pro Max. I plan on researching alternatives, contacting Chord support, and making an update video with my findings. So good timing on this question. I'm pinning this comment so people see this update. Stay tuned. 🍻
@@MisterChibs That is a bummer that you’ve encountered the noise again with your new iPhone. I look forward to your new findings, information from Chord, and such. Thanks again and good luck!
@@Tennis3Fan the mojo update is live now. 🍻
Nice fluff shirt man. I'm a huge phish head. Getting ready for Dicks in Commerce !! Good review too.
Thanks man, hope you have a good time!! 🐠🍻
What usb c to c cable do you recommend for Mojo 2?
@@sleepyrhythms6668 Cable Matters - Thunderbolt 4.
@@MisterChibs thank you sir
How’s the synergy with the Stellia’s specifically?
They work very well together Andrew. Very resolving while not sounding too dry and analytical. 👍🏻🍻
@@MisterChibs thank you!!! I own the Mojo 2 and have been considering the Stellia for a while. Appreciate the quick response!
@@buenahora001 My pleasure! If you have a brick and mortar near by, try and Demo first. I can't imagine anyone not liking the Stellia's though. Probably the best closedback you can get right now. Best closed back with best portable dac/amp (imo). You're good to go!
I have fiio Btr7 which also claimed by some to be the best. Is it worth upgrade to mojo 2 - which has 2x of the btry7 price
While the term "Best" is a completely subjective and individual thing, I would love to see a review where the 2 devices are compared and the BTR7 comes out on top. Mojo 2 is in a completely different league. Is it worth the upgrade? If you like listening to music, yes. This coming from someone who also owns the BTR7. Thanks for watching and let me know what you think if & when you get the Mojo II. 🍻
To add to this. I owned the btr7 which is great as a bluetooth device. The wired mode is good but buggy (need to use UAC 1.0 to use the EQ, but UAC 1.0 doesn't remember its EQ setting... so wired with EQ is not a good idea). I got the Mojo2 and it is clearly better. BTR7 is very good, but in A/B testing the Mojo2 kept coming out on top in several ways. We are, however, getting into picky audiophile territory, but it was very obvious to me.
Me again... So it happened to me too (loud >SCARY LOUD< white noise, thru my Dan Clark Aeons...) Switched to a usbc to usbc cable (the 1 that came with my Galaxy 22 ultra) and so far so good (for how long...?).... My concern (and I'd really appreciate your input) is: could I have damaged the drivers on the Aeons? I just picked 'm up a couple days ago (and loving them!). I've been testing them after the deafening noise incident, and they seem to be ok. But who knows, at some microscopic/quantum level... This picky overkill perfectionist 'd really appreciate your knowledgeable input. Thanks a bunch.
I doubt you damaged your Aeon’s drivers. You’d know if they were damaged and it would be obvious imo. Either they don’t sound right at all, or you hear random popping noises. So no worries there, enjoy your Aeons and Mojo 2! Great combo imo! I’ve never had the white noise problem using USBC cables but the ones I’ve used are all high quality and not the ones just intended for charging things. Hope that helps! 🍻
@@MisterChibs it helps a lot. Thanks
Just curious to what eq you use to tame the highs on Xbox while using the mojo.
I've been gaming with my Kef Ls50 Metas lately so this is from a somewhat murky memory. I think I lowered green (3rd eq option) by 2 or 3 and lowered blue (fourth option) by 1 or 2. The beauty about the mojo 2's EQ is you can change it while listening so It's easy to dial in to your taste. It's also going to depend on your headphones and how you prefer things to sound. Once you get used to using the EQ, it becomes fun and easy to use. Hope this helps!🍻
Hi and thanks for the video, so i can't choose between the mojo2 and the ifi gryphon, I like the EQ part of the mojo a lot but I heard it sounds analytical and i would like you opinion on texture, bass and dynamics on the mojo, is there descent bass rumble and extend ? I wanna pair it with focal celestee that is already a bit bright, and I dont want it to sound flat. ( I know I can eq but not the texture/rumble/extend of it). Thanks again and have a good one :)
Thanks Jean. I have not tried the Gryphon but as you saw in this video, I put it head to head with the idsd Signature (which has more power than Gryphon). My friend Andy brought his Celestee over and A/B'd with both my dac-amps and ended up buying the Mojo 2. This sucked for me because I would have sold him my Signature with a nice discount. I still have the Signature but it sits in a drawer. The Mojo competes on a much higher level than the stuff I've tried from ifi including Diablo. Lossless EQ on the Mojo is great for raising midbase and taming brightness. It's really invaluable. As far as rumble, I don't think you're going to get that from Focal Celestee in any configuration. You're better off with planar magnetic's or even better yet, loud speakers with a sub. 😉 My advice if you can't demo is just get the Mojo 2. It's going to spank pretty much everything under 1k pretty badly. 🍻
thanks for taking the timeto do this. Its helpful! I'll go for that then :)@@MisterChibs
@@amadismusic_SWORDFISH My pleasure, let me know how you like it! 🍻
@@MisterChibs ok so first test day, for now I kind of like it but I kind of don't, so let me explain: it is nicely detailed i hear that, but compared to my pc's dac(4 years old MSI entry level gaming laptop) it is lacking of soundstage, separation, imaging is better on my pc, dynamics and bass also better on the pc. It is better tuned also: more balanced. I tried to EQ it but then I loose the detailed, I tried crossfeet but then it muddys up the sound... I am kinda desprate, how can a 4 years old pc sound better than a recent 500E device that is DEDICATED to sound. This I really dont understand. same thing happened with the RU7 CAYIN, only worse, the mojo2 gets really closer to my pc's but, for the first day of use, nope, I can't say that it sounds better. Again disapointed, I'll give it a try tomorrow
@@amadismusic_SWORDFISH thanks for sharing your experience. What’s feeding the mojo?
Did you try and compare the sound of the mojo with different USB cables?
I only got the one (ddhifi) to work flawlessly directly from my phone. Using the camera connector, the other cables I used all sounded the same which was very good. 🍻
@@MisterChibs thank you for your answer :)
Ps2. I really think Chord should provide (bundle) the Mojo with a proper certified usbc (preferably long-ish) cable to make life easier for all of us.....
Agreed! If you want to be super careful get a thunderbolt 3 or 4 USBC cable off of Amazon. 🍻
@@MisterChibs I just did. Arriving tomorrow. Thanks 👍
30:18 that's what she said.
🤣YAAAAAAAAAS!!
Aaaaaaannnnnd pinned.
I wonder how the Mojo would pair with the Verum 1
Haven’t tried this combo. Let me know if you get it. 🍻
@@MisterChibs my friend just picked up this combo as well as the usb cable you recommended for the iphone. Going over for a listen soon :))
@@Temmple Nice! Update if you get the chance. 🍻
How is the stellia with mojo2? Would you recommend a bigger dac amp for it than the mojo, or is the mojo already so good on it that it's unnecessary?
Completely unnecessary unless you want to get into tube amps imo. Stellia's are so easy to drive brotha! Great synergy in combination with the Mojo 2.👍🍻
@@MisterChibs Oh that sounds neat. So no need to bother with anything like fiio k9 pro, or hugo 2, or naim unity atom or any such big boys? The sound won't get much better with these?
@@thor_86 I haven't demoed any of those but based on my experience, I suspect that Chord dac's trump the chip dacs Fiio and Naim use. The Hugo 2 has more taps but you're loosing in portability and the lossless EQ. Hugo is also due for an update. I'll be all over Hugo 3 when it comes out next year (just a guess). Having said that, the Mojo is so good at what it does. I honestly doubt you'll be disappointed.🍻
@@MisterChibs So if I understand you, mojo2 not only is a great dac, but the amp in it is enough as well?
Cheers and thanks for the response🍻
@@thor_86 that’s correct!
Does yours picking up mobile phone signal noise? Mine does and apparently this is normal. But how could this be normal if it’s stops you to listen music on the go.
Good question. What sort of cable are you connecting and to which phone? I actually don’t get signal interference with mine. Try running in airplane mode and see if that makes a difference. If it fixes your problem, try running in airplane mode with wifi enabled and see if that works.
@@MisterChibs the cable is high quality usbc to usbc. I have iPhone 15 pro. Yes airplane mode works for the signal but it completely defeats the purpose of portability because I would be offline (no calls, ni internet, no music streaming on the go).
I wonder if there is any solution to this.
@@pistopitpitIf you use Apple Music and have your library downloaded to the phone, music will still play.
when you say high quality, do you mean a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 rated cable? That’s what I recommend for iPad and iPhone 15 pro. Also make sure the cable isn’t too short.
@@MisterChibs Thunderbolt 4. Yes I could download music up front but I usually have a habit to shuffle my entire library so it would be hard to download that. Just another inconvenience. I love mojo 2 when it works but that phone signal picking completely ruins the fun. Why they did not fixed it knowing this was already an issue in first mojo. I have other portable DACs and they don’t interfere with my phone.
One last solution that I will be trying is purchasing a pouch that blocks all kinds of wireless signals, it is called faraday pouch. I will put mojo into that pouch and strap the pouch to the back of my phone. If this last solution does not work then I am returning mojo 2 because it is simply not as advertised, meaning it is not rally on the go solution.
@@pistopitpit That would annoy the FK outa me too. So weird I've never experienced that problem. Once I solved the white noise issue it's been flawless with the 14 Pro Max. Maybe they changed something internally on the 15? My entire apple music library is downloaded on my phone so I can listen while travelling or just not be disturbed. Takes up half my phone's storage 😆Let me know if that pouch works but I would be inclined to also try an other cable. The Cable Matters brand is my "go to" for thunderbolt, and they're relatively inexpensive.
Hi I have the excellent Mojo 2 and would really like to purchase that usbc to lightning cable but that linked website doesn’t work to purchase it; says server error or something. Any other way to buy it? thx
Well I ordered something similar from Woo Audio so be ok hopefully
If you go on DD Hifi page I linked, there's a link to order it on Ali express. Make sure you get USB C - Lightning Cable that works: MFi06S (50 CM)
Ah looks like I got back to you to late. Hopefully the one you get works. I don't have any experience with it so let me know! 🍻
@@MisterChibs Yes i tried that but the server was down for that sale service
@@MisterChibs I will; should be good
Mojo 2 firmware update - video
th-cam.com/video/dAUwZU5Hsmk/w-d-xo.html
Resolution to white noise problem - video
th-cam.com/users/shortsQcLAVDozsX8?feature=share
Damn, you really live in the sticks, huh?
Took me a while then I was like "OH he means the farm" haha. That's my good friends place and yes it's sticky up there! 🍻
@@MisterChibs So the hype on this thing is real? I really want to hear one. I emailed my local hifi shop and they never bothered responding, despite their website carrying Chord.
Seems like a lot of rigmarole in the menu and it also seems cheaply made for nearly 800 us
Feels really nice in person and once you get used to the way things work, it’s just second nature like anything else. Aesthetics may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but see if you can demo one. You may b surprised like I was. 👍🏻🍻
@@razisn ^This
Did you grow up watching Ren and Stimpy or something?!
@@sleepyrhythms6668 Yes.
th-cam.com/video/WKLMI-vMGiE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Nsqr8A-JmyD7rxBW
Thank you.
@@MisterChibs Great review btw
@@sleepyrhythms6668 thx!
This guy looks like Salman Rushdie 😂
Great catch, that’s my dad!
@@MisterChibs 👍🏽
Don't see a resemblance. More like Jeff Goldblum! ^^
Canadian, eh?
🇨🇦🤙
@@MisterChibs ha ha. Got the friendliness through the video
The user interface is pretty much useless for colorblind people.
Yea, really unfortunate. I guess you could get by with basic features and still benefit from its sound quality, but you’d be missing out on so much.
Tom Cruise much?¿? Geez...
I accept any and all comparisons to Tom Cruise. Unless it's Vinella Sky Tom Cruise, because that movie made me dislike and not trust Cameron Diaz. That's more of a Cameron Diaz thing though and not so much Tom Cruise, so I'll actually still accept comparisons to Tom in that movie. But what a mind job it was eh? What were we talking about?
Cringey
No. 🍻