“Audio processing isn’t sexy. Better sound doesn’t lend itself to easy marketing through numbers or pretty posters, and so many companies treat it as an afterthought when designing their products,” Vlad Savov writes for The Verge. “The blissful ignorance of ‘good enough’ audio pervades the world of consumer technology, leaving only a niche of audio enthusiasts supporting a few boutique hi-fi manufacturers. Things have been like this for quite some time, but recently a new gadget was introduced that bridges the gap between the many and the few, and its name is the Chord Mojo.”
“The Mojo is an audio processor and amplifier that’s smaller than a pack of cards yet delivers the awesome performance of much larger rivals. Honestly, I think its size works to its disadvantage because it looks like, and is, a portable unit you can plug into your phone and use off its 10-hour battery,” Savov writes. “By audiophile standards, it’s almost too practical.”
CHORD Electronics Mojo, ultimate DAC/Headphone Amplifier, USB, Coaxial, and Optical, Black
“But those same audiophiles would struggle to find anything to complain about from the Mojo’s sound output, which is as pure and crystalline as that of digital-to-analog converters that cost multiple times its $599 price (such as Chord’s very own $2,195 Hugo DAC),” Savov writes. “The Mojo fits the performance of VCR-sized audio equipment into a shirt pocket. If it were a graphics card, it’d be an Nvidia Titan X priced at $100 instead of $1,000.”
Much more in the full review here.
MacDailyNews Take: We’ve heard the difference the Chord Mojo makes and, for those who care about pristine quality audio, it’s easily worth the price.