Mojo Audio - Mystique Y NC DAC

Congrats on a great DAC.  A better streamer from Aurender, Innuos, etc. will get you even more. 

Yeah. Thanks. I’m looking forward to a streamer upgrade someday but I need to rest on this rung of the ladder for a while. I’m getting into thin air with bigger dollars. 

Benjamin makes a great DAC.  I've the Mystique' 3 and it is beautifully musical as you described your DAC.  There is a simple rightness about his sound.  Enjoy.

I’m so happy to have almost literally stumbled into Ben and Mojo Audio at the Southwest AudioFest. I was right place right time although he has asserted that there are no coincidences in the universe. 

@mfisher702 - I started with Benjamin modifying my Mac mini years ago and have owned his Mystique v3, B4B21, EVO PRO, and X SE.

I have kept my EVO PRO which has the (more highly sought after) Z-version of the AD1862 chips and sold the others. However, I would like to hear an X SE with my Z-chips in it to compare.

I would also like to hear the Mystique Y NC DAC since Benjamin speaks very highly of it but unfortunately I am not sure a DAC with only a USB input would work well in my system. Based on what I have heard from his other DACs, I am sure it sounds great. Enjoy!

It sounds so much better than....what?

@mfisher702 - Is "NC" the Nano Crystal Core Chokes version?

Did Ben state any opinions on how your version compares to the X SE?

For me….the Y NC dac sounds so much better than the internal dac in the Eversolo DMP A-8.
 

The Y NC does have the nano crystal core chokes. 
 

From Benjamin and another guy that have heard the Y NC and the X SE, I’m told the Y NC has a slightly more forward presence. 

Here ya go, in the words of the mfg:

The X24 NC with Z chips is going to be the best of all worlds of our DACs with the AD1862 DAC chips IMO.

Then again, the Y NC does things with the AD1865 DAC chips that none of our DACs with the AD1862 chips can do...the speed and transparency are amazing…The X24 NC with Z chips sounds a bit softer, sweeter, textured, nuanced, and organic. 

I am sure they both sound great although offering different presentations.

Thanks, @mitch2 .  That's one difference I didn't notice:  "Y" uses 1865, and my EVO uses 1862.

I remember you mentioning your Z chip a while ago an being intrigued.  Going to ping Ben to see if he has any available, or if a choke upgrade might make more sense.

A slightly different presentation in the Y is probably a good strategy for Ben.  Not everyone engages with his natural, textured, organic signature.  The stereophile reviewer was amazed, but the measurements guy was, "meh".  

Not exactly on topic, but is there a marked difference in SQ between the EVO B4B21 and the Mystique X SE?

@ken6217 - I have owned all four (v3, B4B21, PRO, and X SE) and IMO, yes there is. The EVO B4B21 is the second to highest culmination of Mojo Audio DACs starting with the Mystique v3 and ending with the PRO. The X SE IME was more forward and traded off a bit of the organic tone and body of the previous DACs for more resolution and drive. Both are from the same lineage for sure, but two different presentations.

Thanks for your detailed reply. For some reason, I had a feeling that was going to be the presentation of the X SE.

I purchased the X SE in Oct 2022 and had it upgraded in January 2024 with the AD1862N-Z chips and Nano Crystal Chokes. The upgrade brought an already very good sounding Dac to the exceptional level. More body, sound stage depth/expansion, realism, and separation. The difference was immediately noticeable and has gotten better with time. I have about 600 hours on it now and the music is more engaging than with the stock Dac. I only listen to CD from a transport so I can’t comment on the USB input sound. I’ve owned multiple dacs over the years and the NOS dacs sound best to me in my horn system. The Mojo Mystique XSE with the upgrade sits at the top of the heap. 
Glad to see the new Y NC Dac is continuing the trend. 

Good stuff. I think we’re with the right guy.