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Review of Mojo Audio Mystique V3 DAC

Purchased the Mystique V3 DAC months ago to replace a Naim DAC V-1.  Okay, the Naim certainly is not in the same league, but is no slouch for the money either.  The Mystique however is multiples better....and much more expensive.  Go figure.

The Mystique is set on a Quadraspire Reference X stand and has a scratched VPI DB5 Magic Brick on its head.  The DAC sounds wonderous of course.  It is fed by a Naim UnitiServe (powered by a custom external PS) through a Nordost Valhalla 1 digital cable.

In my system, I’ve never heard such resolution, dynamics, soundstage and micro-detail.  Mojo has really pulled out the stops regarding power regulation and it shows.  The soundstage is so stable and full.

All of this is fed through a Manley Neo-Classic 300B (Takatsuki tubes) preamp onto ATC 40 active floorstanders with Gaia II footers.  Decware ICs, Patrick Cullen Crossover II PCs, WireWorld Silver Eclipse 8 ICs pre>ATCs.

I just installed a Perfect Path Tecnologies The Gate, so we’ll see how that goes in addition to the other upgrades.

My therapist gave me written permission to explore my inner audiophile child.  She said it was healthy....at least that is what I heard.
celtic66

Showing 3 responses by thaluza

thaluza's avatar
thaluza
279 posts
 
Wow, talk about great timing. I just bought a Mystique v3 today. You have a nice system. Thanks for your impressions. Enjoy!
thaluza's avatar
thaluza
279 posts
 
Hey celtic66 -
Hope you’re still enjoying your Mystique!

I picked mine up personally from Ben last week as I happened to be in New Mexico at the time. Loved chatting with him. I had ordered the demo single ended version, but it wasn’t ready - it was the one he used at Axpona - so he upgraded me to the balanced version at no extra cost. Very cool of him to do that, as I can use the extra output into my digital recorder if I want.

Anyways, after a week of owning this thing, I gotta say I’m impressed. It is replacing a Benchmark DAC3L in my system.

The Mystique fills in the space between the speakers much better than the DAC3L. Improvements are across the board in scale, weight, tone, and naturalness. Detail and presence are about the same, it’s just a different soundstage presentation between the two dacs. The Mystique is not as crystalline sounding as the Benchmark, but the heightened sense of blackness between the performers that the Benchmark presents just seems unnatural to me. It is not what I would hear in a live performance. The Mystique just sounds more like real music to my ears, perhaps because of its richness and fullness, and the way it captures the harmonics. I’m glad I bought it.
thaluza's avatar
thaluza
279 posts
 
When I bought my dac, Ben told me he was planning on an improved version of the Mystique, which if I remember right included upgraded chokes. He said he was not going to offer the upgrades to V3 owners, but he talked about offering a trade-in program. This was last year, and he has yet to make an announcement, though. The V3 works so well for me that it is hard to fathom it getting any better. I have it paired with a Laufer Teknik Memory Player which is a good mate with the V3.
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