Good price for those who know why they want this thing. About ~$200 AUD off local (overpriced) RRP and $60 AUD off imports.
I could write a longer product description but I've read enough opinions and reviews to know where I stand on this product. If you're interested in buying this (or just wondering why this costs so much), check out some Reddit and SBAF threads and form your own opinion.
Tl'dr: it's a good price for this product.
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Can you really notice a difference? I was interested in one of these but as the years go by I become more convinced that DACs don't prove as much of a difference to audio quality as I thought. The reviews do suggest that this is different but really?
I've gone the otherway around, convinced now that DACs make a huge difference, I've long held the opinion they didn't matter too much given modern improvements. Especially if you get one that plays your files like DSD natively or is a balanced L/R DAC.
Yes I do notice a differenc with DACs. This is my fourth or fifth DAC. I'm in the camp that believes a higher quality DAC is more important than a higher quality amp.
Any half decent (not super cheap ebay rubbish) external "DAC" will sound the same to human ears.
The only real difference you could come across is if you are directly plugging headphones into a "DAC" that has a high output impedance (same for Soundcards and Headphone Amps), that can change how the headphones sound (depending on how the headphone's impedance changes with frequency and by "high" I mean more than about 1/6 of the headphone's impedance).
Would you say this holds true beyond portable/headphone DACs? Desktop/speaker DACs too?
The headphones/earphones themselves will always make the biggest difference as long as your source isn't completely terrible. But if you have a good set already, it's not a bad idea to get a dedicated source.
The Mojo is a great option because it will drive a very wide range of gear with a low enough noise floor for sensitive IEMs but enough power for full sized headphones. The Orb colour stuff and batterylife is iffy but the sound is very musical and detailed. Sources definitely do make a difference, I have a bunch volume matched on an inline switcher and you can differentiate between them.
You will hear different opinions everywhere you go and from everyone you ask because whether the extent of that difference is worth the price will be up to every individual, their preferences and the gear they currently have.
@ryanjsoo: I totally agree with you on the speaker/headphone front. They make by far the biggest difference.
@wintermadness: Well, you would not drive speakers from a DAC, only send a line level signal to an amp (which could be integrated in the same device as the DAC, but then it would be not just be called a DAC) which would then drive the speakers.
But yes, if a speaker amp has high output impedance it will cause the frequency response of the speakers to change in the same way.
Most class AB amps have low output impedance so they are unlikely to be a problem, but a lot of class D amps (Bar B&O ICEpower and Hypex) and tube amps do, so I would avoid them.
Can't afford or justify it but that's a good price.
Use this as the link, https://www.massdrop.com/buy/chord-mojo-portable-dac-amp?mod…
Otherwise you need to sign in even to just see it
Thanks. Fixed.
I rather get it from Amazon. I prefer reading 3 stars feedback as it is often most honest. It remains too expensive for what it does. I will keep my money for mojo 2.
I don't think this will be a major step up from the DAC in my V20. One less thing to carry around also!
That is why my next phone is the V30 :). I am using the nexus 6p atm.
Massdrop can be good for a bargain, but not always. You definitely need to check other sources like Amazon and eBay (particularly if you get something when they have one of the regular % off sales). The other issue with Massdrop is some items have no warranty!
Also lengthy delivery time.
I've got one of these running my LCD2s and HEX. Great little dac/amp