Chord Electronics has unveiled (via Forbes) the Mojo 2. The device comes as a long-awaited replacement for the original Mojo. To those unaware, this product was determinant for the genre of portable DAC and Headphone Amplifiers.
The new Mojo 2 comes almost seven years after the start of
this portable DAC genre creation. During that interval, the company’s digital
design consultant, Rob Watts has worked effortlessly to build a stellar sequel
for the product that started this genre and won multiple awards in the process.
After multiple projects, prototypes, he found the perfect substitute for the
original Mojo.
The new Mojo 2 arrives with a lossless DSP and it’s the
first of its kind in the world. The device comes with an innovative “UHD DSP”.
It enables a comprehensive range of tone adjustments, that can be applied
across the frequency range. Chord Electronics states that it does this without
any degradation in sound quality. The new technology gives Mojo 2 compatibility
with the latest headphones, regardless of how hard they are to drive and their
sonic signature. The new design offers flexibility with different source
components and digital file types.
Another new feature is the introduction of a menu system
that is navigated with the fourth control sphere. These frosted spheres are
buttons but they also grow to show the type of file being decoded. The menu
brings a mute function to the new Mojo, four crossfeed settings, and there is
also a button-lock feature. Last but not least, the Mojo 2 comes with fully
lossless tone controls.
The choice of digital inputs now is four. It counts with the
addition of a USB Type C data input. It’s a new remarkable step in the current
industry. After all, USB Type C is walking (slowly, but walking) to become the
new standard. There are also optical, coaxial, and micro USB inputs. Moreover,
it counts with two 3.5 mm mini-jack headphone outputs allowing two people to
listen to the sound at the same time.
There are also significant battery improvements through a
new FPGA-based battery-charging system. The new design allows the battery to
charge faster and reduces the power loss by 75 percent. The charging is also
cooler and more efficient. According to the company itself, the battery
capacity is up by 9 percent with around eight hours of playing time in
real-world use.
The Mojo 2 uses proprietary technology with a 104-bit custom
DSP core running at 705 / 768 kHz. Chord claims that no other audio DSP offers
the same level of accuracy. By using 104 bits, plus extensive internal
noise-shaping, the Mojo 2 delivers complete transparency and preserves the
filtering of ultra-small signals.
As per the launch report, the UHD DSP enables fine-tuning
over the full frequency range with 18 steps of adjustments for lower bass,
mid-bass, lower treble, and high treble. The volume control range also comes
with improvements with a new range of +18 dB to -108 dB. Now, the Mojo 2
benefits from two distinct operational ranges: low and high volume.
The new Mojo has been crafted in the UK. It boasts a
bead-blasted aluminum case with a high-quality black anodized finish. Control
is via four frosted control spheres that change color.
