Brief Thoughts on Chord Mojo

tgia note: I listened to the Mojo around one month ago back home, when one of my relatives lent me his Mojo for a week so I could audition it. 

Setup used: Macbook Air -> Mojo -> FLC8S/HD668B

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Appearance & Build Quality:

This thing is built like a tank. The solid slab of metal (aluminum?) feels very reassuring in my hands. I can see why it’s so portable – that thing’s so tiny I could fit it in my small Pelican case and bring it around. The two spherical buttons are a nice touch. I personally think the Mojo looks very unique and gorgeous.

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Sound Quality:

I can tell that it’s a very musical piece of gear and handles everything with aplomb, sounding well with all types of genres. I put in some Bach Trio Sonatas that I have and the separation was amazing – it captured the spirit of the pipe organ perfectly. None of the frequencies particularly stand out but they all work together to make the Mojo sound coherent. It also sounds excellent with the Kpop songs I have on hand – the rumbling of the bass and the clear vocals make it an excellent pairing too. Soundstage wide I feel that it’s pretty all-rounded with nice depth, width and height.

The one thing I like the most is its musicality – compared to my reference, the O2/ODAC combo, the Mojo sounds very musical without loosing neutrality and balance. While the O2/ODAC combo sounds slightly sterile with some music (especially pop music) at times while being technically proficient, the Mojo sounds more musical but without sacrificing the neutrality that an amp should have.

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Conclusion:

The price tag is steep and I don’t have much use for a high-end portable combo, so I won’t be buying this anytime soon. However, I can see why it has many fans and is loved – at the price, there are few things that can rival its form factor and sound quality.