DAP discussion thread

I like the Mojo's sound, but it's so prone to RF interference at times I find it distracting.

Another thing I don't like is that when I asked for the demo to audition, the Mojo is scorching hot when it's charged sometimes.

I can see how Chord fanbase can be as bad as Noble fanbase defending their stuffs. Truth to be told if I am to invest on any desktop DAC Amps though, I might lean to Schiit stuffs, such as the Modi and Magni combo.

As for portable, I am still quite happy with my Fiio X1 + E12A.

Sometimes I just feel the sound is a bit overly warm and congested but nothing offensive enough.

I am not sure how much a DAC extraction or implementation affects the sound quality, but I believe Fiio X1's PCM5142 DAC can sound great if implemented correctly.

 

I know about polarizing, as well, Kattefjaes. I love how the PonoMusic Player (balanced) sounds.

I am not a fanboy, though. I just find it easy to recognize when I am enjoying the sound of music.

 

Oh it's worse than that. On hot days, you can't charge and listen at the same time, the thermal cutout just makes it shut down all the time. Drove me nuts- made me buy a proper desktop DAC (which cost less, and sounds better, incidentally).

If you do ever go this route and build a stack with small Schiit units, it's really worth paying the extra for the Modi Multibit over the D/S models. Thank me later. Oh, and if I might might a tiny suggestion? The Vali 2 is probably a better amp than any of the Magnis, including the Uber- once you drop a decent $20 aftermarket tube in. Don't be scared that it takes a tube, it's a very low-hassle amp.

Incidentally, since I joined the Noble X Massdrop, and own a Mojo, will I now reach fanboy critical mass, and be capable of self-sustaining nuclear reactions? It could come in handy.

 

The Mojo is a scorching fireball when it's done charging. Can't even use the damn thing until it settled down for like 30 minutes or so. That's why I don't like it all that much despite it having a good sound.

Truth to be told, I actually find the much cheaper ALO RX Amp to be just as great sounding vs the Mojo and that thing cost significantly less.

And I appreciate the advice, but since I have no plans to build a desktop DAC/AMP stack yet, I'll just take note of your suggestion since the community here seem a lot more experienced on desktop stacks than those I saw in Head Fi which usually just lean to Chord Hugo TTs and DAVE which is beyond absurd and totally not consumer-friendly at all in price bracket.

I heard of the Noble X Massdrop hype, but isn't all too enticed by it since I am gonna join the Empire Ears family soon when my CIEM Supra ADEL arrives.

Noble makes great products, but the fans drove me away sometimes with their absolute claims that Noble makes the "best exquisite quality" stuffs and nothing comes close.

Which is crazy.

 

Damn. Sorry to hear about that, pal.

The Supra-ADEL should have a more open sound and less fatiguing due to the modules help to reduce pneumatic pressure on eardrums. I pulled the trigger without trying but from the original Supra of Empire I am quite pleased that it's actually better sounding than the Noble Savant from my ears. And cheaper too.

I'll say that Empire IEMs are a lot better and worth the money than 64 Audio's Apex series.

Recently their release of the U18Tzar and Tia Fourte just made me cringe at the pricing.

The U18Tzar is sold at $2999 and the Tia Fourte at $3499, which is nothing short of absurd.

I am going with the G1 module since I always find the Supra to be a bit bass-light.

Its not a bad IEM by all means, but for a dual BA customs it's definitely up to my price bracket since I don't think I'll spend over 600 dollars on an IEM. It's certainly a lot better than Savant so there's that. Of course, I won't say that on Head Fi forums or the Noble fans will be stabbing me with pitchforks everywhere.

 

ZD, solid solid advice. bought the Andromeda, bought a Fidue MMCX to TRRS cable, bought a used Japanese edition of the ZX2 for $550, now can you say kick back and relax ?

 

Have the same setup. Great except for the hiss! Wish there was a way to reduce it without changing the sound sig. The andro with iematch from zx2 does not sound good

 

I don't hear the hiss for some strange reason (not that I'm complaining). Oh, iEmatch is not a good idea with the ZX2, I like it better with the iPhone 7.

 

I had the SoundAware M1 and M1pro for a couple weeks on the loaner tour.

Well... it's better than the Aune and Shanling pieces that I heard earlier this year, but that's not exactly a shining endorsement. The headphone stage is still gimped, and there's a bit of pushiness/grit in the uppermid registers. I actually like the cheaper M1 more vs the M1pro which feels like it's trying too hard.

The digital/coax output is really good, but that's an awful of money just to act as a transport.

 

Had the opportunity to run ZX2 -> Jotunheim balanced using a simple 3.5mm TRRS to dual XLR adaptor. Used my AR6 balanced and HD600 through the 6.3mm SE.

Sounds bloody marvellous. Warm-ish overall tone. Great sense of space without sounding fuzzy or unfocused. Very sharp and quick transients (snappy?). Clarity and detail are top-notch. Also hearing subtle nuances in certain passages of music for the first time.

I'm inclined to say that I prefer it quite a bit more to the Momby + Jotunheim pairing.

 

Really love the zx2....just hoping the wm1a is a step up!

 

I'm in general agreement with the rest of your post, but, come on, this is rather hyperbolic. The Mojo certainly gets mildly warm in use and reaches higher temps while charging, but a "scorching fireball" it is not. It's nowhere near as hot as the Asgard runs, for example. Or even the Jodie under load! And I don't regard either of those as being uncomfortable to operate, though the Asgard occasionally verged on my threshold.

 

Well, I admit I might be a bit hyperbolic since I've no idea amps can get to that temperature before. And when I reported the temp issue to the shopkeeper he decided to send the Mojo to service and see if there's something wrong with the unit.

And I've never used the Asgard or Jodie before so I obviously cannot compare. But perhaps my perspective will change once I tried something that will really make me feel the heat. Lol

But I shall keep my choice of words in check from here on.

 

Oh, you're fine. Just wanted to provide some perspective. Who knows, maybe you did have a defective unit? But a Mojo won't melt through a countertop in normal operation, trust me.

 

True.

And I think it's definitely a defective unit to be fair since my friend's Mojo is admittedly more well controlled in the temp even when it's been running for an hour long.

So I am probably being a bit harsh and unfair on temperature bit.

Back on topic a bit, I wonder if it'll be wise to invest in the cheaper ZX100...

I know the ZX2 might sound even better but the price of the ZX100 seemed tempting...

Has anyone here any experience with it? How does it compare to the Fiio X5 II?

 

So with the need for good quality DAC chips to warm-up how does this work well? Does the small size mean a very fast warm-up time? Does this particular DAC chip just not require warmup?

 

I don't think the GO V2+ needs warmup to sound good....which is nice for portability and the battery. I am currently using them with the Andromedas with IFI iematch.......then switching to the same track on the zx2. I can't really recommend anyone use a GO V2+ and go through the hassle of stacking when the sound quality is simply worse with iems than the Sony ZX2 using balanced 3.5mm trrs.