Chord Mojo 2

HiFi, DAC
Chord Mojo 2 — The Portable DAC That Started a Revolution

The original Mojo was a phenomenon — a pocket-sized DAC/amp that sounded so good it made people question their desktop setups. The Mojo 2 builds on that legacy with improved features and the same Rob Watts FPGA magic that makes Chord products sound unlike anything else. British engineering at its most eccentric and brilliant.

Build & Design

The Mojo 2 is tiny — genuinely pocket-sized at 83g. The distinctive coloured ball buttons control volume and input selection, changing colour to indicate level. It’s a design language unique to Chord that you’ll either love or find baffling. Build quality is solid with an aluminium shell that feels premium and durable.

New to the Mojo 2 is a built-in EQ system — four bands controlled via those coloured balls. It’s not the most intuitive interface, but once you learn the colour codes, it’s remarkably effective.

Sound

Character

There’s something uniquely musical about Chord’s FPGA approach. The Mojo 2 doesn’t sound like a delta-sigma DAC and it doesn’t sound like an R2R DAC — it has its own character. There’s a naturalness and fluidity to the presentation that’s immediately apparent. Instruments have body and dimension, vocals are present and emotive, and the overall presentation is engaging without being coloured.

Detail & Resolution

Remarkable for a portable device. The Mojo 2 resolves micro-details with a clarity that embarrasses many desktop DACs costing twice as much. The noise floor is impressively low, and even through sensitive IEMs, the background is silent.

Driving Headphones

As a headphone amp, the Mojo 2 drives my HD600 adequately — not with the authority of the Sparkos Gemini, but with surprising competence for a battery-powered portable. It sings with IEMs and efficient headphones. For demanding planars, it runs out of steam at higher volumes.

Comparisons

Against my RME ADI-2 DAC FS, the Mojo 2 trades features and power for portability and a distinctly musical character. The RME is more analytical and versatile; the Mojo 2 is more emotionally engaging. What HiFi awarded it five stars, praising its “ability to make music sound like music rather than data,” and that captures the Chord magic perfectly.

Against dongle DACs like those in my Dongle DAC roundup, the Mojo 2 is a clear step up in resolution, dynamics, and musicality — though the gap has narrowed with modern dongles.

Verdict

Pros

  • Unique, musical FPGA sound
  • Remarkably capable for a portable device
  • Built-in EQ adds genuine versatility
  • Solid build quality

Cons

  • Button interface has a learning curve
  • Battery life is adequate but not exceptional
  • Limited power for demanding headphones
  • Premium price for a portable

Ratings:

  • Build & Design: 8 / 10
  • Sound: 9 / 10
  • Portability: 9 / 10
  • Value: 7.5 / 10

The Mojo 2 is proof that great things come in small packages. The best portable DAC I’ve heard, and not far off many desktop units.