Six DAC Comparison

@mitch2 

Yes, what an awesome experiment!

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.  
Please include what you used as a source… streaming/cd etc and what kind of connection… Is2/aes/coax/usb, etc. 

Thank you for taking on such a time exhausting task for us all 👍

Best wishes,

Don

I agree, one who actually has the LTA AERO dac currently order, I am very interested in hearing what @mitch2 has to share regarding its sonics, etc.

This should be very interesting to many of the forum members and I truly appreciate him taking on this endeavor!

Best wishes to all,

Don

I think I agree with zlone, and feel that the ddc should not be used and should hear how each dac performs based on its own merits.  
 

However, this is Mitch2 experiment and can conduct it as he desires to.  
I feel grateful that he is sharing his experiences with us!

Best wishes,

Don

@vthokie83 

When you say “Yes it would, you'd want to keep the oven controlled crystal oscillator in the Jay's transport as the master clock”

Do you mean.. then use the coax or aes balanced digital output?

Im just trying to understand. 
 

Thank you and best wishes to you!

Don

@vthokie83 Thank you for helping me understand.  I've been a vinyl guy for 50 years and am just now trying to add a nice digital source to my system.

Best wishes,

Don

@sns Just a thought….

Seeing as how you would really like to have his opinion on how it sounds directly compared with the others in his collection of dacs, maybe you would consider sending your to him so that he could conduct the review for you 👍

Just a thought. 

Best wishes,

Don

@mitch2 

Thank you so much for the immense undertaking that you endured with this Six Dac comparison.  I think you did an amazing job, better than many professional reviewers, imho.  I truly appreciate all of the time, energy and resources you put into this endeavor.

I have two questions for you...

1.  In you post on 10/05/2024 you had said "...I recall a slightly dryer presentation from the non-NCZ version, that I do not perceive with the X SE NCZ or with the EVO Pro."

Would you be willing to share a little more as to what you mean by a slightly dryer presentation ?

2.  Also, another question if you don't mind.  I have found that some audio equipment "sounds" better when played later in the evening when there isn't typically more demand on our power grids that ends up polluting the AC signal coming out of the wall socket.

Have you ever experienced that?  Do you feel the Mojo dacs are sensitive to the quality of the AC power coming out of the wall?  Do the Mojo's sound any different when playing during the day vs later in the evening?

Thanks again Mitch for your valuable contributions to this forum!

Best wishes,

Don

Thank you Mitch for your follow up to my questions!  I appreciate the time you take to further help me better understand your thoughts.

I'm impressed with the extent that you have gone regarding the incoming power to your audio system.  Outstanding job there! 

Thanks again and best wishes,

Don

@stuartk FYI, I'm still working with this site to fix my messaging issues.  I haven't forgotten about you 

Sorry for the interruption... Now back to your regular programming,

Best wishes,

Don

So, first off, right out of the gate I would like to extend a sincere thank you to Mitch for undertaking this huge "six dac comparison"! What a huge undertaking this must have been, not just with the costs involved, but also the enormous amount of time and dedication that you put into listening, comparing and writing up these excellent reviews of each dac! You did an amazing job and I greatly appreciate it very much!

This has been such an amazing thread, I was hoping it might be okay if I could share some of my own personal experiences as of late?

So, after being devoted to vinyl for the last 50+ years, I have curated probably over 1,000 truly mint records (both in jazz and classical) that play without noise, pops or clicks. They have a full, rich, harmonically fleshed out sound with an excellent dynamic structure, but at the same time plays with a natural sense of ease and flow, without being etched or hard. Just truly wonderfully musical in every sense of the word.

However, I have come to know and understand that there is a great amount of music out there that is performed by some really talented musicians that I cannot obtain on vinyl and I don’t want to miss out on hearing it. So, my goal was to try and develop a digital side to my audio system what will engage my mind, my heart and my soul just as my vinyl does for me.

I figured the best way would be to invest in a separate dac and dedicated cd transport. Unfortunately though, I don’t have a huge budget for this endeavor. I’ve had many medical issues over the last several years which has cost me many thousands of dollars each and every year and sadly, I don’t really see that coming to an end anytime soon. So at the moment, I only had about $10,000 ( and preferably less ) that I felt comfortable spending toward this project as I feel vinyl will likely still be my primary and preferred source.

So, I ended up buying a brand new Mojo Mystique X-24AM dac from Benjamin. Oh btw, the 24 simply stands for the year 2024. The "AM" stands for Amorphous Cores by the Swiss Company Lundahl who makes audiophile transformers and chokes.

I had given some thought to other dacs as well, but I would have to buy most of them on the used market and then there would be no return options available. I’d have put them up for sale and wait for a buyer; and who knows what kind of loss I’d take.

I decided on the Mojo, because i have read that many people who appreciate vinyl playback seem to like what this dac does. That it plays music in a way that doesn’t sound hard or etched or thin or lean or "digital" in the bad sense of the word. I know that digital has the ability to sound really, really good. I just didn’t know if I could afford to pay for what is considered the really, really good sounding units.

This brand new Mojo was on sale with $1,000 off and it still cost me nearly $7700 including the shipping! Holy Crap; and I still had to buy a dedicated cd transport yet. Oh my Lord... what was I getting myself into, lol.

I’ve had the Mojo Dac running 24/7, with my cd player on repeat, since I’ve received it and now have over 500 hours on it. I am listening to it right now as I type this message and I am getting very excited as the sound has really opened up now and I am really liking what I’m hearing! (It actually really started to sing quite beautifully at around 150 hours - but amazingly, it continues to keep sounding better and better)

The sound is full; it’s rich; it’s organic; it’s dynamic; it’s got great tone; it’s got detail; it’s got bass; it’s got weight and density...I’m loving that when it plays the "note" that you hear the attack of the note, but it’s not hard or over emphasized. You hear the full harmonic structure of the note (the fullness of sound/ the meat on the bones); and you can hear the decay of the note (ie: ringing of the cymbals/ bells/ or the trailing off of a sustained piano note).

With the Mojo, it sounds dynamic without sounding hard. With the Mojo, it plays in a relaxed and natural way without becoming fatiguing, but yet at the same time it still plays with speed, with dynamic expression and with emotion!

So, I recently ended up taking a look at USa’mart one day and just moments prior to me bringing up the site, a seller posted a used black (which goes very nicely with the rest of my gear) Jay’s Audio CDT2-MK3 dedicated cd transport for sale in like new condition which included the Headquarter Qstab bone cd clamp at a price that was attractive to me, so I bought it!

I couldn’t believe the timing of it getting listed moments before I decided to look at the ad’s! It almost felt like it was meant to be! I paid more for the Mojo than I had originally planned on paying for a dac, but I can honestly say that I’m glad I gave it a try as the Mojo, in my humble opinion, is worth every penny I paid for it. It’s got great tone, body, weight, timing, and dynamics without being forced. There is no glare, hardness or digital nasties. My wife actually comes into my music room and comments on how great it sounds. She often looks to see if I have a vinyl record spinning!!! That’s a huge compliment to the Mojo and is exactly what I was hoping for.

Now with the Jay’s CD Transport, the sound has gotten even better in every respect. The Jay’s does indeed improve the sound very nicely.... so I’m very happy right now with the digital side of my system!

Thank you for allowing me to indulge you all, with my excitement.

Best wishes to you all,

Don

@debjit_g 

I just recently bought the Mystique X-24AM and am absolutely loving how it sounds in my system.  I can't imagine it sounding any better... different with the NCZ yes, but better - I have no idea.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on how they differ in sound, if you ever have the opportunity to compare them side by side.

Best wishes,

Don

@debjit_g 

Yes, you are correct. The X-SE is identical to the X-24AM.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that the NC chokes are a better quality choke.  They are simply made with different materials and cost more.  Due to the different materials being used, they offer a different sonic flavor.  Which one is better between the AM and the NC will depend on the rest of one's system/room acoustics, etc.

Mitch is also correct.  The last time that I had spoken with Benjamin regarding the Z-Chips... he was out of stock, so "upgrading" your existing dac is not an option.

It seems that there may be a lot of Mystery behind the "Z-chips"  I believe that both chips are basically the same chip, but that the "Z-chip" might have tighter tolerances.  Whether those tighter tolerances of the Z-Chip alone can be heard in a reliable and consistently blind test method - I have no idea.  

I think hearing a sonic difference between the AM and NC chokes would be much more easily heard.  Whether those sonic differences are a plus or a minus would depend on the rest of your system - the whole system synergy idea.

I agree with Mitch that the X-SE; X- 24AM (both of which are the same), and the X-NCZ would all be excellent dacs.  It's just a matter of getting the correct flavor of sound to gel with your system/room.

Best wishes,

Don

@mitch2 Although I am very pleased with my new Mojo Mystique X-24AM (which is a product that I was completely unaware of until you did this fantastic writeup of the 6-dac comparison) I’ll look forward to reading your write-ups on the upcoming dac’s.

I’m not one to hop from one piece of gear to the next. I do my research, audition, and then select the piece that gives me the emotional connection to the music. When I get it right, I tend to keep that piece for decades. The X-24AM will be that piece for me.

However, I still enjoy reading about what else is out there and hearing the passion that people have in their gear and the music that touches their souls.

Thank you for introducing me to the Mojo!

Best wishes,

Don

@mitch2 

I'm looking forward to reading about your experiences with the Helene vs your Mojo Mystique.

I just got back from spending 4 days at the AXPONA Show near Chicago.  I heard a lot of systems over the few days that I was there.  There were systems that were moderately priced to the insanely exhorborantly priced of well over 2 million dollars!

It was a great reminder to me that we need to check our preconceived notions at the door.  Take the price of the component/system out of the equation and just simply listen with our ears, not our brain.  Does the system connect with your emotions?  Does it touch your soul?

Don't let the cost of the component/s or the number of boxes, etc cloud your perceptions of what it may or may not sound like.

I heard the multibox MSB, DCS, WADAX, etc and also Benjamin's Mojo Mystique.and I have to say that I am very impressed with the quality of sound that the Mojo puts out in such a small and unassuming box and for just a small fraction of the price of the aforementioned digital behemoths.

It made me very happy that I had recently purchased a new Mystique X-24AM from Benjamin just a few months ago.  I don't feel that I am missing anything sound wise, nor do I have to contend with multiple huge boxes, extra expensive cables, worrying about the space they would take up or if my equipment stands would handle their excessive weight, etc.

Sadly, Aeries Cerat was not at the show, so I didn't have the opportunity to hear the Helene.

I've read many positives things about the AC dac, so I'm very interested in your thoughts after comparing the two dacs.  You always do a fantastic job with your descriptions.... you're  very articulate and a gifted writer and I trust that you will be a strait shooter as you have been throughout this very informative, multi-page thread.

Best wishes.

Don