As the owner of a recently purchased Mojo-Audio X SE I agree with comments regarding it's sound signature. I don't have the Z chips or the nano-crystalline (NC) chokes but even so the sound is full and engaging. I don't agree with difference being incremental though. My previous DAC was the PSAudio MK1 and the MHDT Orchid before that and each provided a significant upgrade to the sound from the previous. That said I was happy with each one of them until I heard the upgraded component.
I wish I had your talent to express what I'm hearing but I'm pretty much tied to "Mojo good, sound like". There was so much work involved in this post I just want to say Thank You
Six DAC Comparison
I am in the middle of comparing the sound of six different DACs in my system. I own them all (I know weird) but one of them is still within a trial/return timeframe.
Not to share specific comparisons today, but a couple of observations so far are that first, they all definitely sound different from each other. On one hand, they all sound pretty good and play what is fed to them without significant flaws but on the other hand there are definite sonic differences that make it easy to understand how a person might like the sound of some of them while not liking others.
Second, raises the observation that most of them must be doing something to shape the sound in the manner the designer intended since one of the DACs, a Benchmark DAC3 HGA, was described by John Atkinson of Stereophile as providing "state-of-the-art measured performance." In the review, JA closed the measurements section by writing, "All I can say is "Wow!" I have also owned the Tambaqui (not in my current comparison), which also measured well ("The Mola Mola Tambaqui offers state-of-the-digital-art measured performance." - JA). The Benchmark reminds me sonically of the Tambaqui, both of which are excellent sounding DACs.
My point is that if the Benchmark is providing "state-of-the-art measured performance," then one could reasonably presume that the other five DACs, which sound different from the Benchmark, do not share similar ’state-of-the-art" measurements and are doing something to subtly or not so subtly alter the sound. Whether a person likes what they hear is a different issue.
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OP… “but something that requires the reader to be more sensitive to the words written and sometimes “read between the lines” to identify both negative as well as positive aspects of the equipment being reviewed.”.
Just in case this isn’t obvious to anyone… this very true and critical to understand reviews. If you are sensitive to this then professional reviews are very very valuable. I have been reading The Absolute Sound and Stereophile since they began… and they are great sources of information. Damned by faint praise is a big reality. I don’t hold it against reviewer for not being really direct… but most are very obvious about shortcomings. High end audio is about subtitles, and it starts with reading. |
I've been demoing the LTA Aero and Mojo Mystique Y in my system this last week and thought I'd share my early impressions. System is Roon Nuc - Ifi Zen Stream w/ elite LPS - DAC - Luxman l509x - Spendor D9.2. I previously had a Lumin T2. I don't think it synergized well with the spendor Ds and luxman. It was too detailed and analytical for me for speakers which already lean a touch that direction for my tastes. On some advice on another thread, I decided to try a couple r2r DACs. Both of these DACs completely changed the system for me. Albums I previously thought were poor recordings revealed by my revealing system are now enjoyable. There is more weight, organic richness, tone and life to the music. I could happily live with either one. Its going to be difficult to decide. I swapped tubes in the Aero to the Ray Tubes Reserve 6sn7. That changed the character of the Aero and made me realize how tube rolling can influence the sound. The 6sn7 toned down some of the incisive zippy nature of the Aero and gave more tonal richness, lifelike insight into the music. I've also been trying a Cary SLP-05 tube preamp into the separates input on the luxman which is pure magic. The Aero with stock tubes straight into the Luxman gave perhaps 30% of the tube magic vs including the Cary in the chain. The Ray Tubes Reserve 6sn7 gets me 70% of the tube magic while retaining more of the drive and solidity of the Luxman preamp. The aero with the 6sn7s into the luxman I would describe as spacious, detailed, insightful, organic, rich, airy and alive. The band sounds in my room vs listening to a great recording. Acoustic and jazz shines. The Mojo also sounds fantastic and swapping back and forth between the Aero and also including the Cary preamp it's difficult to nail down a clear winner. The Mojo is smooth, dense, very composed and clear. The soundstage is a touch narrower but more dense. It is even handed. It also has similar giddieup to the Aero with the 6sn7 tubes (although not as much as the stock tubes which want to boogie). I seemed to like the Mojo best relative in comparison to the Aero with more produced music like Abbey Road or an Eryka Badu album. At this point I'm leaning towards the Aero with the upgraded tubes and sticking with the Luxman vs going tube pre / ss power amp. It gives me some of the tube magic while keeping the setup simpler and it sounds fantastic. Its a tough call though, the Mojo also is a lovely DAC. I have more listening to do. Thanks to all the folks on this forum sharing their experience. Really happy with how things are sounding over here.
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@trentgordon - Thanks for the update. It sounds like either choice is a win. Interesting that you were able to change the sound of the Aero with different tubes. I believe Michael Lavorgna at Twittering Machines was planning to post a Part 2 to his Aero review after trying some tube rolling. It seems that many are interested in DAC comparisons at that $4K price point. |
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