Portable DAC and headphone amplifier
Chord Mojo 2 is a digital-to-analogue converter with a built-in headphone amplifier, pocket-sized (83 × 62 × 22.9 mm and 185 g) and battery powered. It is designed and handmade in the UK, in a CNC-milled aircraft-grade aluminium chassis.
Conversion is not left to an off-the-shelf chip: the whole design is built around an FPGA processor coded by Chord Electronics, with a WTA filter running on 40 DSP cores. Compared with the first Mojo the manufacturer states an improved noise shaper, lower distortion and greater neutrality. Chord points out that the Mojo 2 won «Best DAC» at the What Hi-Fi? Awards from 2022 to 2025.
Inputs, outputs and formats
There are five digital inputs: coaxial, dual-data coaxial, optical, Micro-USB and USB-C. Micro-USB and coaxial accept PCM signals up to 768 kHz, optical up to 96 kHz; DSD is supported up to DSD256, also as DoP. A second Micro-USB socket is reserved for charging, while the USB-C socket carries data and charging, the latter switchable.
There are two headphone outputs, one 3.5 mm and one 4.4 mm, and Chord states compatibility with headphones up to 800 Ω. The stated power at 1 % distortion is 600 mW into 30 Ω and 90 mW into 300 Ω, with an output impedance of 0.06 Ω. The manufacturer speaks of compatibility with headphones of every kind and of great freedom in matching partnering equipment.
Menu, DSP and battery
The fourth illuminated sphere opens a menu to set mute, crossfeed, button lock, USB-C charging and tone controls. The latter rely on a DSP that Chord calls «UHD DSP» and describes as lossless: a digital equaliser designed to match the sound to different headphones without degrading the signal.
Battery management has also been revised and is controlled by the FPGA: Chord states faster charging, 75 % less power loss and 9 % more capacity than the previous model. Paired with the Chord Poly streamer, sold separately, the Mojo 2 becomes a wireless network player. A Micro-USB to USB Type-A cable is included.
Technical data
- Digital inputs: coaxial, dual-data coaxial, optical, Micro-USB, USB-C.
- Headphone outputs: 1 × 3.5 mm and 1 × 4.4 mm.
- Formats: PCM up to 768 kHz (Micro-USB and coaxial), up to 96 kHz (optical); DSD up to DSD256, also DoP.
- Output power (1 % distortion): 600 mW into 30 Ω (4.2 V RMS); 90 mW into 300 Ω (5.2 V RMS).
- Output impedance: 0.06 Ω.
- Dynamic range: 125 dB (A-weighted).
- Noise: 2.7 µV (A-weighted).
- Distortion and noise: 0.0003 % at 2.5 V into 300 Ω.
- Stereo separation: 118 dB at 1 kHz (300 Ω, 2.5 V).
- Dimensions: 83 × 62 × 22.9 mm.
- Weight: 185 g.
- Finish: black.
- Included: Micro-USB to USB Type-A cable.
