Chord Electronics Ltd. Mojo 2 + Poly v3 Combined

Chord Mojo 2 and Poly v3 with Leather Case; portable streaming headphones DAC/Amp setup

Entire setup has about 25 hours of use. Selling as a set only.

Bought these mostly to try Chord products and to see what existed as far as high quality audiophile portable equipment. This portable setup actually sounds similar or better than some desktop equipment that I have heard, which is quite impressive. The sound is very clear, good bass impact and texture, with linear mids. They create an interesting soundspace where sounds just seem to pop out of a black background and then fill the space. There is great representation of depth in the sound field.

I also noticed that these created a similar rythm like other amps/energizers I have tried (stax srs x1000 and Benchmark ahb2) where the music timing is noticeably consistent. As I understand it, those other amps sound that way due to their wide frequency response down to almost 0 Hz, but with these, I suspect it has something to do with the Watts filter tech causing the phenomena. Supposedly the filtering technique focuses on time domain action to achieve better sound. Either way, it sounds really nice when the music is consistent like this. I don't know if you've ever experienced this before, but it can be a bit jarring to hear music temporarily speed up and slow down as it does through Bluetooth sometimes. It's subtle, but once you hear it, it's hard to unhear it.

The digital signal processing options on the Mojo 2 are tastefully done. For example, my favorite function is the crossfeed that I always had set on maximum. In addition, the built in EQ feature works easily once you try it a couple times, and I do like the freqeuncy bands they chose and the level of adjustment you get for each band. The volume control feels a bit archaic at first, but eventually I came to appreciate the fine adjustment you get from them. Just takes some getting used to.

Because of their great sound, I would be comfortable running these portable or as a replacement for a desktop DAC/amp. However, I would prefer actually to run these as a desktop setup and I will explain why.

I am selling these because the technology used (i.e., micro usb ports, only 3.5 mm outputs, and the phone app!!!) just felt wonky to me with my preferred portable audio setup. I eventually opted to sacrifice the superior sound quality from this setup in favor of a simple Bluetooth DAC/Amp where all I gotta do is pair my phone and plug my headphones in before getting going. I would imagine that if you spend more time with these and explore more of how everything works that it will become intuitive and easy to use. I just never had the patience for it and ended up not using them after awhile.

I hope you already know the chord sound or are curious and want try these, because I think they are a good entry point to chord products. Not only to experience their wonky tech (as i understand it, chord seems to be famous for wonky tech), but also for the superior sound you get. I would say it's kind of a trade off. You either go with simpler, obviously inferior sounding products like I did for portable use, or you learn the chord eco system and enjoy desktop level sound quality on the go. Or, you replace your desktop equipment with this tiny setup and enjoy more space for activities! I hope you choose the sound quality option... please enjoy!