Looking for top-tier portable DAC/AMP

[Jorj]

Apologies for the thread necromancy. I thought it relevant to update the gang with some recent experiences.

I picked up a Cayin N3 DAP a few months back as I found my Galaxy Note 8 was just abysmal, sound wise. The feature set is amazing, and the sound...well, it's not TOTL, but it will drive HD6xx's with authority. I knew this was not end game, but it sounds pretty darn good and helped until I got something better.

I recently picked up a Chord Mojo, and I hafta say, it's a fine device. If you've not heard one, please make it a point to do so. So much so that I am looking for a chance to put ears on the Chord Dave. JA did a fine job measuring it, it did better than good.

The HeadFi fanbois gush about the Mojo, so much so that other 'cognoscenti' forums simply turn their noses up at it, as if popularity is some kind of indication of poor performance. The hate is crushing. The reality is that I've not heard anything in the price range that even gets close. I won't bother describing how it sounds, since they are so cheap that anyone who can afford TOTL portable gear should have one as a reference device. If the gear (A&K, Sony WM, Lotoo) you're looking at can't top it, then send it back. My two cents.

 

[JJB70]

I like the Mojo in some ways but am put off by two things :

1. The design isn't great if you want to carry it around with a smart phone, the regular flat rectangle is much more sensible and user friendly, and

2. Having seen their responses to a battery issue and the price they wanted to replace a battery doesn't really give me the confidence to buy a battery powered device from them.

Maybe I got lucky with a particularly good handset or just have cloth ears but I find that the DAC and headphones output of my phone is transparent and drives my headphones to a perfectly good volume so don't need a separate device.

 

[Jorj]

I like the Mojo in some ways but am put off by two things :

1. The design isn't great if you want to carry it around with a smart phone, the regular flat rectangle is much more sensible and user friendly, and

2. Having seen their responses to a battery issue and the price they wanted to replace a battery doesn't really give me the confidence to buy a battery powered device from them.

Maybe I got lucky with a particularly good handset or just have cloth ears but I find that the DAC and headphones output of my phone is transparent and drives my headphones to a perfectly good volume so don't need a separate device.

1. With new phone designs (all screen), strapping a DAC to it is no longer really an option. At this point, the design issue is kind of moot, none of them work well. I kinda like how it looks, visually interesting. But I get where you are coming from, none of the add-on gear is really portable, more like luggable.
2. Agree, they should not be dicks about it, and the price they are charging is extortionate. I bought mine second-hand (so no warranty worries), and have a line on replacement batteries for around $80 (still crazy high), but I can very easily replace the battery myself. FYI, mine is an older SN, and the battery still handles all day sessions no problem.
3. I thought the same for a while. Then I heard better gear. Yes, phones make sounds. Some make pretty good sounds. None that I've heard get anywhere near the spatial reconstruction this goofy looking box does, including the V30.

Again, my thoughts are simple. Mojo is cheap in terms of TOTL gear (see Sony WM1A). It does some amazing things. This thread is looking for TOTL portable gear, and my take is, if you are shopping, getcha a Mojo for a reference, unless you are well-heeled, then grab a Hugo 2. If a prospective purchase can beat it, then you are onto something, and I'd be really interested in knowing what it is.