[davidavdavid]

My four years in the UK taught me a great deal about hi-fi across the pond. One thing that became glaringly obvious was both a predilection and penchant for championing homegrown hardware. Chord fanaticism is but one example. I don't blame Chord itself, I could put some of this at the feet of at folk(s) in their marketing team, but to hear UK HiFi magazines and forums extol the virtues of the Mojo one would expect the second coming.

With the introduction of the MOJO, I became interested in QUALITY USB powered headphone amp/DACs. One that caught my eye and that I subsequently purchased was/is the FOSTEX HP-A4 (Note, if using with an Apple Macintosh computer do not upgrade to the latest Sierra - MAC OS X verification pending)

I am really pleased with the HP-A4 as a portable PCM/DSD DAC. Am curious to hear of others' experiences with such USB powered devices.

[wushuliu]

It's a niche following world now.  Same can be said for IFI and schiit on and on.  Real question is what do you find overrated about the MOJO.

[I.Greyhound Fan]

I find that budget or lower end gear that is a bargain and a lot of bang for the buck tend to get a huge following and its prowess way overblown.  Examples are IFI, Schiit, Grant Fidelity DAC's, Crown amps, Class D amp co. etc..  I have had some experience with these products and while they are good, I have not found any that compare well to higher end gear and as good as some people tout them.

[davidavdavid]

Having lived in the UK (London) most recently for four years, I had the opportunity (sic) to sample and explore so much of the British HiFi industry. As such I listened to much Chord equipment, specifically the MOJO and is indeed good, but not the be all and end all when it comes to portable DACs. At the price point, I believe/know there are alternatives to the MOJO.

If you have the ability to get some folks together with a number of these portable units, do a blind test. I did so with the help of a friend over there and we compared the MOJO to the Fostex HP-A4 and found it hard/difficult to sonically differentiate the two.

It's a niche following world now.  Same can be said for IFI and schiit on and on.  Real question is what do you find overrated about the MOJO.

[jarcher]

 If there is a better DAC portable or home use that's better than the Mojo for the money, I have yet to hear it.

Sometimes products are overly hyped. That's not the case with the Mojo.

 To me the Ifi Nano is definitely overhyped. It does a lot of things and it's very cheap, but sound quality is pretty mediocre. I actually prefer the even less expensive audio quest dragonfly for sound quality. Interestingly the slightly more expensive ifi micro for some reason sounds a lot better than the nano.

[Armaegis]

The Dragonfly variants are pretty good, and have the bonus of very very low power draw to use with portable devices.

All the various Geek Outs are quite good, but I find it hard to keep track of all the different models. Personally I find them a bit too "airy", but that's picking nits.

I think the NuPrime uDSD is very hard to beat in it's price bracket.

[roscoeiii]

If there is a better DAC portable or home use that's better than the Mojo for the money, I have yet to hear it.

Sometimes products are overly hyped. That's not the case with the Mojo.

 To me the Ifi Nano is definitely overhyped. It does a lot of things and it's very cheap, but sound quality is pretty mediocre. I actually prefer the even less expensive audio quest dragonfly for sound quality. Interestingly the slightly more expensive ifi micro for some reason sounds a lot better than the nano.

I've got to agree here. I am interested in these DACs that the OP believes or even more interestingly knows to be better or equivalent to the Mojo at less than $1,000.

Mojo kills my Light Harmonic Geek Out, and I far preferred the Mojo to the iFi MicroDSD at a meet (and the iDSD Nano was a real disappointment due to its high noise floor with sensitive IEMs).

Not only does the Mojo excel as a DAC alone, it is also superb with a wide range of headphones, from the super-sensitive Shure 846 to much harder to drive cans. And it is not out of place in a serious 2-channel home rig.

IMHO, YMMV. But I find it one of the great bargains in audio at this moment (the other fabulous bargain that leaps to mind are the Andrew Jones ELAC speakers).