V-MODA ZN In-Depth Review 2016

 

Zn is V-MODA’s first in ear headphone in over four years. Isn’t that exciting? The name Zn is derived from zinc alloy metal, whose chemical symbol is Zn. V-MODA has made these earphones from a very rare zinc based alloy and these have been made in very limited production – only 25000 units!

Zn has got the signature V-MODA sound and is portable enough to put in your pocket. V-MODA’s Zn are really made for someone looking for a serious high end pair of in-ear earphones. They are priced at Rs. 13990/-

V-MODA calls its audience the modern audiophile, that’s a perfect name to give people who are looking for versatile yet fun sounding pair of in ears. V-MODA Zn looks absolutely fantastic with its sculptural detailing everywhere. V-MODA’s trademark design philosophy is very creatively applied with these in ear earphones. Zn feels very rugged and durable. V-MODA makes them with a patented casting process allowing them to make very complex shapes from liquid zinc alloys.

Keeping the durability in mind, Zn’s cables remain tangle free in use, although they are not detachable. It comes with an in-line mic and remote which can be used with android and iOS devices. The V-MODA Zn is comfortable and very easy to wear. They can be worn over the ear with the help of the earhooks and that makes them absolutely unique. The earhooks are called ActiveFlex™ and are great for use in the gym or while going on the run.

headphone

In the box, you will find bunch of accessories, four pairs of silicone earphone tips and a pretty looking leather pouch. You can use them with a pair of Comply™ Foam earphone tips.  They are comfortable and will help in blocking the outside sound. The 500 series will work great with the Zn. V-MODA Zn also comes with two options for an in-line mic and remote. A three button controller for iOS devices and one button controller for android devices.

In terms of sound, V-MODA Zn has a very detailed and accurate sound. But the trademark V-MODA punch is added to it. V-MODA uses an 8mm dynamic driver and also puts in a custom made acoustic filter, which makes the sound detailed and vibrant. V-MODA calls these the ‘gate-keepers of golden acoustics’.

The bass response that V-MODA is known for is right here in these in-ear earphones. These in ears are appealing to both audiophiles and somebody who just wants a little bit of bass in their music everyday. Zn has a pretty low impedance at 16 ohms so they don’t need an external amplifier to drive them. These earphones should work well with almost all smartphones.

If you use them with a really nice high resolution audio player like the FiiO X5, that will bring out the best in these earphones and offer richness and detailing in the sound output. Comparing V-MODA Zn to a few other alternatives at a similar price point of Rs. 15000, the first one you should consider is the RHA T10i. RHA is from Scotland and the T10i are a great sounding pair of in-ear headphones. Like the Zn, the T10is are extremely durable and well built. They have a unique ability to customize the sound with the help of tuning filters. But the bass response is certainly not as good that of V-MODA.

If you consider spending a little more money, upgrade yourself to the RHA T20i. These earphones unlike the T10is have a Dual Coil Dynamic Driver. That adds a lot of richness and detail in the sound.

Consumer Review Bose QC 15

consumer review of bose qc 15
As pleased as I was with the sound quality of these headphones, I was disappointed with the cost. I spent about $200 on them, which isn’t that bad for noise cancelling headphones.  I felt that the sound quality should have been better and that they could have been more comfortable.

 

The sound on the Bose QC 15  was not that impressive for a pair of headphones with the Bose name, which I thought was supposed to be the best. I have heard better sound on cheaper headphones , but I wouldn’t say that they sounded bad.

 

The noise cancelling capabilities was definitely the major selling point for these headphones. I could barely hear anything. Wearing them for a long time left me with a headache though. I don’t know if this was from the noise cancelling or pressure from them on my head.  Either way, the few long listening sessions I had, left my head hurting with a headache.  Which was not that comfortable for a headphone with comfort in it’s name( QC stands for Quiet Comfort).

 

The one thing I absolutely hated about the Bose QC 15 was their requirement for batteries. Without a AAA battery they won’t work, which is lame. I would have expected a rechargeable battery.

 

 I liked the Bose QC 15, but they definitely don’t live up to the namesake of the brand. If I could turn back time, I probably would have chosen another headphone. For noise cancelling they are great, but that feature was a bonus to me and not the primary function. Bose for sure let me down by the hype. But, because the noise cancelling was so good I would have to rate them 7 out of 10, if they were about 50 bucks cheaper they would be an 8

Picture Sunday: Noble – Wizard PerfectionI

noble k10 earphone

The star of this week’s Picture Sunday is the Custom K10 by Noble. As you can see it’s a Wizard design. Check out other recent Picture Posts Here, and Here.

Noble & the Wizard

All CIEM makers like Jomo Audio, CustomArt, Lime Ears, 64 Audio, Cosmic Ears, Rhines, and so many more make great looking custom inear monitors but Noble probably has the best looking monitors on the planet.

When you order a Noble custom monitor there’s an option to have them designed by the Wizard himself. The Wizard aka John Moulton is one of Noble’s co-owners and he simply can do amazing stuff with ciem designs. His work is so great I just have to feature them in this article series.

Dr. John Moulton is an audiologist by training and an audio enthusiast at heart. Dr. John has been working with custom in-ear monitors for nearly a decade now and is the President of Noble. Beyond presiding, John is also the creative and artistic force behind the brand. Together with Brannan Mason they both run Noble and they’re doing a great job.

nobke k10 earphone
The pictures featured in this article are a perfect example of their design brilliance, and they don’t only look good, they sound incredible too. The monitors in today’s post are actually new K10’s that are on their way to a friend of mine now and he absolutely wanted a Wizard design that cost him $400 extra.

A Wizard design clearly doesn’t come cheap but the K10 are TOTL monitors and most people will only buy a monitor like this once in their life time. Like my friend said: “I’m already spending this much on an inear, why not go all the way? I’m only doing this once.” I told him that was a dangerous statement to make, we’ll see who’s right in the end.

noble k10 earphone

If you – like me – can’t have enough of Wizard’s designs, you can always head over to the Noble Facebook Page or lookbook and drool over his other creations. I find myself surfing to the Noble website more often lately, I’m afraid it’s only a matter of time before I order one too.

Hot: Consumer Review 2016– Audio-technica ATH-M40

consumer review submission

Since I’ve never seen anyone that I knew wear it, and always saw other people wear beats and such, I was a little skeptical of how well these headphones were. I researched and saw a lot of people say that beats are just really good at advertising there stuff. I’ve seen many videos researched a whole lot before picking these headphones. I was on a tight budget so I only got one chance at making these right. I hate my job but I gotta work, these headphones helps me relax and zone out when I’m on break. Its GREAT!!! I probably would’ve gotten fired by now if I did’t buy these. I BRING THESE EVERYWHERE! But Remember this is a review so I’ll try my best to not be biased toward these, and if you don’t trust me, check it out yourself you won’t regret it. I promise.

 

In my opinion for the Audio-technica ATH-M40 reviewing, first off this isn’t a fake review to get you into buying it and secondly if you’re thinking of buying beats, don’t. These bad boys are way cheaper and work just as well as beats. I’ve personally tried Beats studio 2 and really that it was absurd how that was around 200$, whereas these were < 99$ and the quality was the same except for the bass, the beats slightly beat audio technica in that. The audio quality is amazing, I compared it too a 20$ earbuds and just saw a huge difference, not only are these crystal clear audio but I even noticed sounds that I’ve missed which made a song a whole lot better. Also if you just wear it straight up it sorta cancel noises, obviously not as well as real ones but I sometimes just wear them to just turn off the area around me, also it improves the songs quality.

The headphones in general is super comfortable but it might get uncomfortable if you wear glasses, I say ‘might’ cause I have really crappy glasses and that might be the problem. No lie but I think that if these headphones were a girl I would definitely make her my princess wife. But nonetheless these were the best headphones you could get. These might not be the kind of headphones you bring to the public depending on your personality but I do so anyways and I noticed that people can’t say crap about it because of how great the sound is, also who cares what other people think, they aren’t the ones that are listening to there awesome songs.

Pros:

  • + Light weight
  • + Beautiful Sound Quality
  • + Softer cushions, making them quite comfortable.
  • + Detachable Audio Cable
  • + Tight Around Head
  • + Looks Good

Cons:

  • Might Be uncomfortable with glasses (Might be because of my glasses)
  • Big Cable (Can be solved, I use those things you tie your bags of fruit/vegetables in the store to make them smaller)

2016 Best Headphones Review: Massdrop Akg K7XX Limited Red Edition- The Dark Side

k7xx-ii Headphone black

BACKGROUND

We all known that Massdrop creates nice opportunities to get wide selection of gear with really nice prices. It has become really popular as we see every type of equipment in several price levels, from Lo-Fi to Hi-Fi. The only drawback is the waiting time but I suppose for those prices it’s worth the wait.

AKG K7XX is a Massdrop exclusive headphone. This one is more exclusive though, as it’s colored red instead of the full black one. K7XX is a reconfigured version of AKG’s 65th Anniversary model; K702 and the main purpose was to improve low frequencies and making a more flexible sound overall. If you’ve seen my UM Martian review, I’ve talked about how great it is to see high performing equipment with competitive price levels. In this case the price is 200$ which is very affordable. This headphone is a real steal at this price range, so let’s look upon it in detail.

SPECS

  • Configured by Massdrop
  • Manufactured by AKG
  • Open-back construction
  • Ruby Red (RAL 3003) colorway
  • Frequency response: 10-39,800 Hz
  • Sensitivity: 105 dB/V
  • Rated impedance: 62 ohm
  • Genuine leather headband
  • Memory foam earpads with velour covering
  • Weight: 8.3 oz (235 g)

PACKAGING

It is a classic AKG package with the cool K7XX and Massdrop logos on it and it’s in black all around. Non-red version comes with a white box. It’s not a premium type of box to say the least, which is expected of course. There’s nothing special about the package or the contents inside. You open the box and you meet the headphones with a ¼ inch adapter supplied, nothing else. Quite straightforward, but I guess it’s enough.

k7xx Headphone black

DESIGN, BUILD and COMFORT

Design wise, I can say I loved this red color touch. Compared to full black version it brings an exciting look to the table. The full black variant is also very cool and classy, but kind of boring compared to this one. Other than that the design of K7XX is still old fashioned, like the former AKG headphones, maybe except it looks a little more modern because of the color scheme. Anyway it’s what we’ve accustomed to from the likes of K601 and K701, the classics.

Build is fairly good for the price: it’s plastic overall but doesn’t give a cheap feeling. Although it’s not a premium build, plastic structure helps to keep the weight very low and through my time with the headphone, I didn’t face any problems. The cable is very long with a 3 meters length so be aware of that. General quality of the stock cable is pretty fair, just like the headphones; not premium but not cheap.

K7XX is a very comfortable headphone like the other AKG’s that were released before it. The lightweight and comfy feel is here again. The pads are big enough to cover your ears all around and clamping force is minimal. Perhaps it’s a little too minimal for my liking because I prefer a tighter sitting. Sometimes I think it sits too shallow on my head as it moves around easily. But that’s my thought; your experience might be different. The headband is real leather and that’s a nice material to have, it gives the headphone a classic and old school type of quality look and it’s also quite comfy.

There’s no sliding mechanism to adjust the headphone to your head, instead the leather headband adjusts itself to the wearer by moving up and down as a whole. So you don’t need to adjust the headband time and time again to find the sweet spot. Another benefit of this design is that it helps to distribute the weight across your head. The pads are very nice and thick enough to make your ears comfortable. They’re made of velour, and there is memory foam inside them.

Overall the K7XX is very comfortable and you can easily sit down with it for about 1 hour. My only complaint is the shallowness, which is just my preference. Isolation is basically non-existent as it’s an open-back and it leaks plenty of sound to the outside too. You may want to be alone to crank up the volume or to listen to your favorite music in a quiet environment.

AKG’s Open Back Headphones

SOUND

We know AKG’s Open Back Headphones as flatter and thinner sounding. They are mostly suitable for classic and jazz oriented types of music. Well, not this time, because we now have different things to talk about.

K7XX shifts to a more all-rounder type with its self-evident differences from the old K701, K702, K601 and so on… Now it’s not limited to specific genres; it’s more versatile, musical and forgiving. In general, it’s a nice change in presentation which I found pleasing.

The star of the show is probably the bass response here. From the claims by Massdrop, we know that there’s 3 decibels of increase in bass department which is quite a substantial difference. I can confirm this input with my listening sessions as well, it’s definitely more bassy than the original model, in a good way. It’s of course not the best bass response out there because you know, there are some great planars and also fellow dynamics around, but when we consider the price this is going for, we can agree about this being pretty darn close to the best price/performance ratio in an open back dynamic. Especially considering the old AKG’s, this is a great addition to the bass section. It’s not only a “bass boost” by the way, it’s not about just the quantity, it’s also about the texture and extension.

The prominence is on mid-bass but for this kind of an headphone, I can’t say sub-bass is lacking. In fact, it’s surprisingly good, it has good extension and punch, also can go fairly deep which are surprising things to hear from an open-back manufactured by AKG. While the midbass is somewhat the more elevated part of the lows; it retains a good level of control and there’s no excessive mid-bass hump. It doesn’t bleed to other parts of the spectrum so the headphone doesn’t give a muddy sound overall. These things aside, you still shouldn’t expect a flagship type of texture, extension or speed.

The Second Gen Improvements : HiFiMAN HE1000 V2 & Edition X V2

Headphone HE1000 V2 & Edition X V2

 

Two of the staple pieces in their reference collection of headphones have just been upgraded by HiFiMan. The HE1000 V2 & Edition X V2 are finally here and delivering some unexpected changes. While both of these headphones have received several accolades for their impeccable delivery of high quality sound. Hifiman decided to further impress their audiophile clientele by upgrading to already amazing sets of headphones.

 

The Edition X  Vs Edition X V2

HiFiMan listened carefully to critiques that their highly vetted headphone received while changing the Edition X. One issue that they heard about was the fit.  HiFiMAN decided to change the up the headband and created a wider range of adjustments to cater to larger and smaller heads. Additionally, HiFiMAN decided to take the opportunity to change the earpands to provide a better, more comforting fit. They made the earpads on this model thicker and increased the asymmetrical angle that the Edition X had. The purpose of this was to provide an a more secure fit that better followed the natural curvature of the human ear

The biggest change made to these headphones come in the upgraded materials sourced to make them. The yoke on the Edition X was made of plastic, now the Edition X V2 has an aluminum yoke which provides a more stable listening experience and increases the durability of the headphone.

The earpads have changed a bit as well. While the exterior of the pads is still made of the soft leathette, the surface of the earpads have been upgraded from velour to a high grade polyester. This change  helps create a more accurate, crisper, clearer sound representation.

 

HE1000 Vs the HE1000 V2

One of the most sought out headphones on the market-the HE1000 which being the recipient of many prestigious awards in the audiophile community, HiFiMAN didn’t have much room for improvements.  Somehow they managed to pull off some upgrades that have impressed the already impressed.

Like the Edition X, HiFiMAN decided to make the fit of these headphones a bit better for consumers, by adding more adjustments to the headband and changing the shape of the ear pads. The surface of the earpads has also been upgraded from velour to the same high grade polyester that the Edition X V2 has received. But, there are some more noticeable changes.

The earcups on these headphones have been slimmed down form 14mm to 11mm, to create lighter lower profile look. Previously weighing in a 480 grams, now the HE1000 V2 are 420 grams.

The most noticeable difference in this upgrade is the new diaphragm. The  HE1000 V2 is actually has the thinnest headphone diaphragm on the market, and the World’s first diaphragm in nanometer thickness. This, according to HiFiMAN, has significantly impacted the already amazing sound quality. In addition to this, the HE1000 V2 sports New and improved  cables made of Crystalline Copper and Crystalline Silver, designed to enhance the low and and reduce signal loss.

 

So are these upgrades worth it?

Yep, the Edition X and HE1000 were already amazing headphones to start off with. The new expansions in the HE1000 V2 & Edition X V2, have vastly improved the original incarnations, but the old versions are still amazing. If you were trying to decipher which of the models to buy with either pair of headphones, I would say pick version 2. Both of the V2 models are worth the extra money that you will spend. This especially applies to the HE1000, which now boasts improved signal quality and a deeper low end. However, If you already own either model, I don’t see the upgrades to be significant enough to warrant repurchasing them in an upgraded version. While these are amazing improvements, the original versions are still considered to be excellent high quality audiophile headphones.

 

Picture Sunday: FitEar Titan & Campfire Audio Vega impressions

Fitear Earphbubs
The stars of this week’s Picture Sunday are FitEar’s TITAN, and Campfire Audio’s Vega. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to flash my camera at Vega, so Titan is the only one to show its face. Check out other recent Picture Posts Here, and Here.

Yesterday kicked off Fujiya Avic’s Fall Headphone Show. I had time to visit three booths before being whisked away to cover an interview on Audeze’s new Sine earphones. (Am I the only one getting a 1978 Cylon Baystar feel from them?) The three booths I visited were: FitEar, Head-fi, and Campfire, in that order.

I got just a minute or two to spend with Vega, Campfire Audio’s latest, and hope to get a few more minutes today. The booth was packed. Typical for FitEar, there was a queue. FitEar sat me down behind a special Titan with a simple, but stiff rule set. Basically, you couldn’t listen to your own music. And you had to listen to the set through the balanced port of Sony’s new NW-WM1Z Walkman.

No skin off my neck.

After crowds had dispersed, I had the chance to plug in my Ryuzoh-modified AK100 mkii. (Hit up Ryuzoh’s website to get into contact.)

My notes on the set:

Clearest instrument separation I’ve heard from an earphone. In particular, percussion detail and texture, not to mention z-axis depth, were off the charts. Speed. Bam.

Y-axis height towers over you. Male vocal leading edges are strangely, if minorly occluded by the sheer amount of detail thrust through surrounding instrument detail.

Bar none, these are the most z-axis detailed earphones I’ve ever heard, and surpass even Campfire Audio’s Andromeda. Listening to them was like looking at a composite macro image for the first time, picking over myriad manufacturing defects and dust invisible to the naked eye. The problem I have is that, while I had fun listening to my music, I was listening way more to the earphone.

I had far less time to relax and listen at Campfire’s booth, so my Vega impressions are woefully short. My notes:

Bass is its most impressive feature. Vega reveals loads of z-axis texture detail, but mainly in the bass and low mids. If you’re into contra bass, violin, and drums, Vega is bound and determined to rock your boat. Its top end follows Lyra’s lead: sound pressure taking a slow dive toward the top end, reminiscent of first-run Sennheiser HD650s. It is rich and warm, and rocks crazily textured lows.

In general terms the two earphones couldn’t be more different. One is all about micro detail. One is about the whole scene. And yet, the sound stage cast by both is wide, round, and detailed along the z-axis. With just minutes’s listening under my belt, it is unfair to extrapolate, but I can imagine that Vega is the one I’d plug in when I want to enjoy my music whilst Titan is the one I’d plug in if I want to listen to my music.

Audio world, you’re a strange animal.

2016 REVIEW: ALO Audio Continental V5 – CDM COMPETITION?

Alo audio V5 continental

Disclaimer: ALO Audio is a site advertiser. The ALO Audio Continental V5 was sent to us free of charge in exchange for this review. As far as I know we’re one the first international sites to cover the Continental V5.

 

ALO Audio

 

I believe that you must head about ALO Audio before for those who’s serious about personal audio. ALO Audio is a Portland, US based company that over the years has launched a series of very successful cables and portable and desktop amplifiers such as the Rx MK-series, the Studio Six, the Rx, the CDM and so many more. They also recently launched their Campfire Audio brand that makes very popular universal inear monitors such as the Andromeda, Jupiter, Nova and Orion. Now ALO Audio is back with the CV5. There was a time where things got quiet around the brand but with the CDM, the CA IEMs and now the new Continental amp; they’re completely back and as popular as ever. ALO always brings quality and people never forgot that.

Continental V5

The Continental V5 simply is a portable vacuum tube and solid state hybrid portable amp. It delivers the low output impedance and tight bass control and sonic detail you expect from a solid state amplifier (such as the RX) with the added spatial qualities and sonic lushness you’d expect from a vacuum tube based amp such as the Continental Dual Mono (CDM). The CV5 (in stock form) uses a 6111 micro vacuum tube that is placed at the input stage of the CV5, running in class A. The CV5 has a class A tube input and a class AB solid state output.

The Cv5 features a stock 6111 micro vacuum tube and uses a hi/low gain switch that allows finer adjustment to gain and better versatility usage with a wide variety of IEMs and headphones. The CV5 produces low heat with low microphonics making the Cv5 a true portable amp. The ALO CDM runs quite warm, especially in DAC mode, so this is a welcome change. More on that in the “Why?” part below.

ALO audio cv5 features

 

Unlike the CDM, the CV5 is not a DAC. According to ALO hey decided not to include a DAC because of a few reasons. First of all a lot of phones, DAPs and sources nowadays already have top quality DACs inside. Second, the advantage of skipping the DAC part was that they could make the CV5 a whole lot smaller. Third, it reduces the cost of the amp resulting in a lower sales price and finally, not having a DAC strongly increases battery life.

 

Looks and build Quality

The new Cv5 more or less has the same footprint as the Rx amp (see picture) and it measures only 2.28 inches x 3.64 inches. The RX measures 2.28×3.64×0.69 inches and as you can see in the pictures, the new CV5 is just a little thicker because of the battery used and the presence of a 6111 tube. Build quality – as usual – is top notch with all units being assembled and quality tested in Portland. The casing isn’t the same as the RX though, and it feels and looks a little different (matte finish). With its small size and light weight the new CV5 is very stackable and portable. It matches the Mojo and AK70 perfectly, just to name two. I personally think the CV5 looks pretty and its size is perfect for a portable amp.

On top of the case you’ll find the typical ventilation holes for the tube and the Continental V5 name. On one side there is nothing at all while the other side has even more holes for ventilation and it shows the blue LED as well (mute circuit activated). On the back of the unit you’ll find the micro USB plug for charging the CV5 and a LED that informs you when the amp has been fully juiced up. The front plate of the units has the volume know, 3.5mm input, 3.5mm output and the gain switch (-10dB/+10dB). The witches, in- and outputs are fairly close to each other though, if you’re using bigger plugged headphones and interconnects and have not the smallest of fingers, it might not be the best handling device.

Rx amp

 

Out of one charge you can more or less get about 8-9 hour play time, depending on the inear or headphone used. The CV5 comes with a dedicated charger but it can also be charged by plugging it in to your USB port. In fact ALO advises to use the USB charge method in case you’re planning on listening to it while it’s charging, in order to keep the best sound quality. I however do get a high pitched sound when I’m listening while it’s charging, but it’s barely audible.

2016Review:Chord Electronic MoJo AMP/DAC – The Traveling Digital Audiophile’s Full Monty

We’ll admit to suffering tiny pangs of jealousy whenever a really cool new headphone amp like the Chord Mojo saunters its way across our review desk.

After all, we invented the first portable USB amp/DAC way back in the day (look here for our archive of classic HeadRoom Audio products) and we still know a thing or two about designing killer high-performance headphone amplifiers – natch, our new 2016 HeadRoom Audio Standard Amp.

But despite our gills perhaps going a bit green around the edges, we are genuinely sincerely stoked when a superb new product appears like the Chord Electronics Mojo amp/DAC that pushes the whole game forward a bit.

The Mojo is chock full of cool new advancements and offers excellent audio performance we can recommend to a broad swath of music-loving listener needing the best portable sound possible from the smallest size box. The Chord Mojo amp/DAC unit helps bring to life true high-resolution audiophile smartphone/Mac/PC listening with any good headphone in your arsenal.
Chord Mojo audio player black
The folks over at England’s Chord Electronics have been in the business for a very long time designing and manufacturing high-end audiophile headphone amps like the awesome Chord Hugo amp/DAC, a widely acclaimed, universally revered reference amp topping out around $5,000 USD for the top-of-the-line Chord Hugo TT model.

Chord Electronics recently created another enormous splash on this side of the pond with their introduction of the much smaller portable Chord Mojo amp/DAC, which actually uses the superb Hugo platform as a jumping-off point for the Mojo’s internal topology.

So among the Mojo’s biggest selling points, then, becomes its fairly accessible $599 price given the supremely high-end audio DNA pedigree and upscale digital audio performance capabilities stuffed under its beautifully curved little bonnet.

Chord Mojo Amp/DAC
The Chord Mojo’s attractive matte-grey chassis is precision machined from one single solid block of extruded aircraft grade aluminum. The amp feels like a dense river-smoothed stone held in the palm of your hand – that is, if river stones had colorful roller ball lights embedded in the exterior. The glowing ball lights change hues to serve as input file status indicators and as volume / power controllers that illuminate when operational.

Designed for use with either smartphones or computers, the Chord Mojo handles almost any caliber of digital audio input from 44kHz and 48kHz all the way up to 768kHz / 32-bit and even quad DSD 256-encoded files, with differently colored lights glowing under the power balls to indicate the digital file rate. The colorful Mojo design nicely stands out in today’s staid grey-gris world of headphone amplification.

Indeed, the Chord Electronics Mojo has a very distinctive look & feel that seems exceptionally well-built – rather like a rugged British Challenger tank – along with an elegant sense of curve and shape, like a classic 1970s Aston-Martin roadster. The Mojo unites the best of those disparate architectural sensibilities and couples sheer power with lithe musicality housed in a tough, cool chassis. No doubt, its a wholly unique aesthetic in the world of high-end mobile audio. Nice work, Chord Electronics!

Chord Mojo mobile audio

As mentioned, digital audio inputs are ubiquitous on the Mojo – USB, optical, and mini co-axial – with two 3.5 mm headphone outputs located on the opposite panel so you can share the tunes. The Chord Mojo TOSLink optical input handles 44.1KHz-192KHz, PCM and DSD64 in DoP formats while the micro-USB input handles 44KHz-768KHz PCM and DSD64, DSD128, and DSD256 in DoP format. The 3.5mm COAX SPDIF is capable of playing 44.1KHz-384Khz PCM and DSD64, DSD128 in DoP format. It’s 100% driverless on Mac, Android, and Linux systems but note that Windows users will need to perform a one-time download of the proper audio drivers from the Chord Electronics website to make your PC fully compatible with the Mojo.

The Mojo will also work with all iPhones/iPads that have an Apple Lightning connection with an Apple USB camera connection kit. To use Mojo with an Android device, you’ll need an ‘on the go’ [OTG] cable for connectivity. The only cable that comes in the box with the Mojo is a small USB charger connector. To add to its flexibility of application, the Mojo can also be employed as a DAC-only ‘stand alone’ device by pressing a pre-ordained button array during start-up.

CHORD MOJO TAKES ON THE OPPO HA-2
Chord Mojo Amp/DAC
When we compare the Mojo to the popular Oppo HA-2 Amp/DAC unit, the sleek form and intuitive operative function of the terrifically slim HA-2 beats the larger, somewhat clunkier weight and size of the bigger Mojo. The Oppo also costs only about ½ the price of the Chord Mojo and its more iPhone-like dimensions may make it an easier travel partner for smartphone listening. It’s almost impossible to pair a Mojo and a smartphone together in a slim-profile manner due to the thicker construction of the Mojo unit.

However, if the smallest possible travel size is second on your list to best acoustic performance, the Chord Mojo has it all over the HA-2 in overall sound quality with both high impedance headphones and highly sensitive multiple-driver in-ears. Especially with highly revealing balanced armature IEMs like a custom UE11Pro or the universal-fit Shure SE846, the Mojo’s deep black background remains dead silent with zero hiss evident in the presentation, even at high listening levels. When you need to plug in your big hard-to-drive full-size cans, the Oppo can struggle a bit and get slightly grainy around the edges at high volume while the Mojo sounds clean, effortless and potent even using difficult power-hungry headphones like the Sennheiser HD800S or the Audeze LCD-3 planar magnetic headphones.

So in our estimation, the Mojo’s excellent multiple-duty reference performance exceeds that of the well-priced Oppo. And look Ma, no gain switch! The Chord Mojo automatically senses the load and adapts itself instantaneously in response to the impedance and sensitivity of your headphones of choice, making a gain switch superfluous.

MOJO VERSUS DRAGONFLY

Versus the newest Audioquest Dragonfly Red amp/DAC, the incremental sonic differences are again all about sound quality detail with the beefy Chord Mojo plainly besting the dynamic reach, openness and extension of the tiny Dragonfly USB-stick unit.

With in-ear monitors in particular, the significantly lower noise floor of the Mojo made for a much more refined, dynamic sound and a more overall pleasing listening experience. To be fair, the nicely inexpensive and radically tiny Dragonfly certainly takes the cake in overall portability and ease of use; its simple ‘plug & play’ design with any computer is a no-brainer to use even for the completely non-techie person. If you’re using audiophile headphones, the Dragonfly Red clearly improves the overall musicality, detail and dynamic range compared to connecting your cans directly to the laptop or PC headphone jack.  Both Apple and Android smartphone users can also employ cable adapters to use with the Dragonfly amp/DAC for listening on the go.

CONCLUSIONS

For serious audiophiles not necessarily constrained by size/weight considerations and for those listeners who want the best portable sound possible – in a unit that can effectively double as a home or office headphone amp and/or DAC system – the Chord Electronics Mojo fits the bill better than any other product of its type on the market today. Its superior high-resolution feature set and connectivity to most modern smartphones (with the appropriate interconnects) presents very strong sound quality upgrade potential for a wide array of sources.

The Mojo really has a broad-based range of audio uses and it genuinely excels at them all. True, it does not have the slimmest dimensions and the traveling carry weight ergonomics are slightly larger than would be ideal ( e.g, the Oppo HA-2), but to our ears the Chord Mojo may just be the best-performing ‘under $600’ portable amp/DAC unit on the market today. Cheers to Chord Electronics!

2016 REVIEW: BASE AUDIO G8 – BEST BANG FOR BUCK

Earphone black

Disclaimer: The Base Audio G8 sample was sent to us free of charge by Base Audio for the purpose of this review. It doesn’t need to be returned. The Italic parts are Base Audio’s description of the G8 IEM.

 

Base Audio

The Base Audio G8 earphone is currently being Kickstartered! and there is hope that this review might be able to put them over the top.  Of course, as of me writing this, the campaign isn’t far from its goal.  By the time this goes live, even though it will have 20 days left, it might already have reached its goal; therefor, ruining my dreams and making me cry into my morning cereal.  Of course, on the other hand, that means I can recommend to you, dear readers, a great IEM without worry that the campaign won’t be funded, so, I suppose that is a win.

Base Audio is a fairly new company based out of Scottsdale, AZ.  Base Audio was created by Joe O’Connor and Mike Eberly. Together, the founders have a combined 40 years of development, engineering and manufacturing experience. With an innovative eye for design, high quality products, and a zest for quality music. The creators continually strive to produce precision audio equipment, manufactured in the United States.They have one other headphone available, the Reflex G7.  I haven’t heard it, but it has a few pretty solid reviews on Amazon, so it might be worth checking out.  Let’s start looking at the topic of today’s review: the G8 IEM.  Here are some Tech Specs for your perusal:

  • Speaker – 9mm
  • Sensitivity – 102 +/- 3dB
  • Frequency response – 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz
  • Impedance – 32 Ω
  • Rated Power – 10mw
  • Max Power – 20mw
  • Connector – 3.5mm Jack Plug
  • Color – Black / Polished Aluminum
  • Cable Length – 1.2m

earbuds

“The look and feel of the G8 Earphones by Base Audio is a great example of quality engineering built into a simple yet attractive design. You might notice the housing seems a little larger than similar earphones, which is due to the 9mm driver which is larger than similar products.” 

The G8 is built with polished aluminum and while it doesn’t look or feel extraordinarily fancy, it does feel solid.  It is a little larger than your average IEM, but it still fit comfortably in my ear.  I never had any problem getting a good seal, but I know that can be a very personal thing so your mileage may vary there.  With the impedance at 32 ohms and the sensitivity at 102, it isn’t very difficult to drive, yet it isn’t extremely sensitive either, so hiss should never be an issue with the G8 (if it is, I might think twice about your player).  The cord is flat.  Base Audio calls it tangle resistant, and so it must be, as I have yet to tangle it, and up to this point, there hasn’t been a cord that I couldn’t tangle.  The only downside for me with the cable is that I like to drape the cable behind my ears, and it doesn’t always want to stay there.  The cable is not detachable.  It does have a mic and volume slider built into the cable, so you can turn down your music when taking a call.  I can see that being useful for people with smart phones, but I wouldn’t know being that I hate them.  Just as a note, I tend to be brief with the physical build part of my reviews.  Please feel free to ask a question, if I left out something you would like to know.

Let’s talk about extras!  It comes with a case.

Features:

  • Premium Bass Reproduction
  • Tangle Resistant Cord
  • Polished Aluminum Construction
  • Comfortable Lightweight Design
  • Durable Carrying Case

Moving on… okay, it comes with a nice little, hard shell case, but that is it.  It doesn’t have a big fancy box (I’m okay with that one), or come with multiple tips (the tips they come with fit me well, but again, my ears aren’t yours).  While I would like to complain about the lack of the extras, for the price, I do find it hard to.  Their whole mission seems to be to spend all the money on the product itself… on the sound, and to let the “extraneous” things fall by the wayside.  This may be a sticking point for you, or it may not.  Personally, I like their train of thought here.  Of course, this is all moot if the G8 doesn’t have the sound to back it up.