Chord "Mojo"

I have read multiple times in this thread about Mojo's crappy USB implementation. I take it this mostly has to do with EMI/RFI interference with other devices such as phones. I personally did not feel I had this problem with my Iphone, but I never stacked them and the Iphone would usually be at least 6 inches away from the Mojo.

But I am wondering if crappy implementation would also explain the USB failure in my Mojo as described above, or is that really a build issue versus implementation. I like, but don't love the Mojo, and an having a hard time deciding whether to get a refund or a replacement while I still have that option from Amazon. It would take up to one month for a replacement to ship from Europe and if I have any further trouble I am dealing with cross-atalntic warranty coverage. Not sure it is worth the trouble. If I felt that build quality was good and I just got unlucky on my first one then I would be inclined to get a repalcement and give it another shot. But I am wondering if notwithstanding the "built like a tank" reputation whether this is actually sturdy or not (at least with respect to the USB input). For context, I have had mine a very short time and did not use it as a portable, but rather only on my bed or couch and with my phone.

I am always a little leary of products that fail so quickly even though I udenrstand that a certain number of units of any product will fai and that does not inherently mean it is a bad product.

 

Hypothetical- if you didn't have a Mojo, but knew what you knew today, would you buy one? That might help you decide.

 

Great point!

 

That's one aspect of it.

However, it has unpredictable issues keeping pace/sync with larger data transfers with some hardware and USB stacks. This is not noise related ... it's down to how the USB interface is being handled via the FPGA. You can, for example, play 24/192 PCM or 1x DSD content on it all day from a macOS* machine, but try and do double-rate DSD and it will be drop-out city. I've not found this to be the case with ANY other DAC at this point, even with quad-rate DSD material, or artificially up-sampled octo-rate, other DACs handle it fine on mac OS ... no drop-outs at all.

It's only "built like a tank" in the context of having a comparatively heavy metal shell. Nothing special about the build if you take that off.

--

*Note that this is NOT just a Mac issue. There is, for sure, something in the way El Capitan and Sierra handle USB that really disagrees with Mojo, but the problem can also be observed under Windows, and is apparent when driven from other non-computer USB sources as well, so Mojo (and indeed the entire Chord DAC line) is part of the problem as well. Something they were completely unable to provide any support on.

 

The 3.5mm and USB sockets are soldered onto the board with no torsion relief. Not exactly premium stuff. I give it 18 months till they all crap out.

 

So maybe that's the real reason they included two 3.5mm ports? Redundancy?

 

Hey guys,

I have a Mojo, but have had nothing but trouble using USB. I don't get interference or anything, but either my jack is loose, or the micro usb cables I am using keep becoming loose, I'm not sure which it is. I figured I'd spend a tiny bit more and get a decent audioquest micro usb cable, and three months later it needs to be at just the right angle to have any connection with the Mojo. Really frustrating. I have a macbook pro from 2011, so it has the optical output, which I figure I'm going to start using to bypass the USB issue. Which optical cable do I need? Is it mini toslink to regular toslink? Sorry I'm totally new to the optical side of things so I'm probably getting that wrong.

Is this the sort of thing I would need?

https://www.audiovisualonline.co.uk...=FIS-MJI-100?gclid=CLKBtKWOutECFTgo0wodwqEIkw

 

Rando to Rando.

You need 3.5mm mini tos to regular toslink. A nice cable is Lifetec, feels good in the hand.

 

Assuming you have read through this thread and seen other peoples experience with the Mojo's USB, I would suggest getting that checked if it still has warranty.

 

Aye I've read the whole thread. It is still under warranty, but I can't be without it as it is my only means (apart from the MBP's headphone jack...) to listen to music/use as a DAC currently due to my GO2A being wonky. If I can get the GO2A fixed, I'll look into sending off the Mojo. Until then, it seems like optical might be a good way to go, and if the reports are right, it might be the way to go permanently.

Thanks. I'll try to pick one up this afternoon. By "Rando to Rando" do you mean Random to Random? As in I'm new here? Sorry, still working the ins and outs.

 

Do we have to tolerate Randos using a Pepe the Frog avatar?

Call me old-fashioned, but politics should be kept out of audio forums. MHO.

 

How is using a frog avatar political? I just used it so people would know I'm the same ufospls2 from head-fi. If it offends you that much, I'll change it.

 

Call me crazy, but I don't feel like SBAF is a place to be all super-PC. And I'm not too worried about @ufospls2 using the Pepe picture here. Let's see what the ADL says about Pepe: (source = http://www.adl.org/combating-hate/hate-on-display/c/pepe-the-frog.html#.WHZDTxsrI2w)

"However, because so many Pepe the Frog memes are not bigoted in nature, it is important to examine use of the meme only in context. The mere fact of posting a Pepe meme does not mean that someone is racist or white supremacist. However, if the meme itself is racist or anti-Semitic in nature, or if it appears in a context containing bigoted or offensive language or symbols, then it may have been used for hateful purposes."

Now let's look at @ufospls2's "Introduce Yourself" posting - http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...ers-introduce-yourself.17/page-81#post-110503. Again, call me crazy, but doesn't seem like he's (assuming it's a he) a troll spewing hatred. Plus, he's from Canada!

Cheers

 

There. Perhaps this is less divisive. I guess it fits my username better to

 

Oh, please don't give in!

 

I had an audio quest cable as well....have to use it at the right angle too so it's not the mojo. Just don't buy audio quest. Using belkin gold usb cable and it fits just right.

 

Welcome to my world (see posts above). I cannot get the USB on my Mojo to work. Since I use with an IPhone that connection is necessary. Your post just reinforces that I should probably just return for a refund while I can rather than go for replacement/repair. I have a feeling this will be a recurring problem.

 

Well I went out yesterday and picked up the right optical cable for use with my MBP to Mojo. It might be placebo and my brain playing tricks on me, but I do think it sounds a little bit better. Its a much more robust connection than the micro USB as well for what its worth. If you have the capability from your source, I'd definitely recommend trying out the optical input.

 

Yeah, there are many people (including me) who prefer the optical in. Cheers and glad you're enjoying it better

 

Sadly my MacBook Pro 2016 doesn't have optical out. *sighs*