Chord Electronics Mojo 2 Portable DAC and Headphone Amplifier at Vinyl Sound Toronto Canada

The Mojo 2 is a portable DAC and headphone amplifier from Chord Electronics (Maidstone, Kent, United Kingdom), available at Vinyl Sound in Toronto, Canada. Handmade in the UK from CNC-milled aircraft-grade aluminium, the Mojo 2 is engineered around a custom-coded FPGA processor running Rob Watts' proprietary conversion algorithms, achieving a dynamic range of 125 dB A-weighted, a signal-to-noise ratio of 123 dB A-weighted, and distortion of just 0.0003% at 2.5V into 300 ohms. Winner of the What Hi-Fi? Best DAC Award four consecutive years from 2022 to 2025, and What Hi-Fi? Product of the Year 2022, the Mojo 2 is the most decorated portable DAC currently available and remains the class benchmark for portable and desktop high-resolution digital audio.

The World's First Lossless DSP: UHD Digital Tone Control

Central to the Mojo 2's advancement over the original Mojo is the world's first lossless DSP implementation, a proprietary Chord Electronics development that enables advanced digital tone control without any degradation in sound quality at any setting. Named UHD DSP, this system provides a degree of frequency-response adjustment that allows the Mojo 2 to be precisely matched to headphones of widely varying tonal balance, from bass-heavy consumer designs to analytically neutral studio monitors, without introducing the artefacts or resolution loss associated with conventional analogue or digital equalisation. The UHD DSP brings unrivalled compatibility with the full spectrum of modern headphone designs and gives audiophiles who use multiple headphones a single portable device capable of optimal performance with each. A new fourth control sphere on the top panel navigates the Mojo 2's menu system, providing access to the UHD DSP tone control, crossfeed selection, mute function, and button-lock for pocket use. Transparency has been significantly improved over the original Mojo through an upgraded noise shaper, lower distortion characteristics, and greater overall neutrality in the conversion stage.

Five Digital Inputs, Enhanced Battery Management, and Poly Wireless Expandability

The Mojo 2 accommodates five digital inputs: coaxial S/PDIF, dual-data coaxial, optical TosLink, Micro-USB, and USB-C. The inclusion of USB-C adds a more modern and widely compatible data connection for use with current smartphones, computers, and portable music players. Battery management has been substantially improved over the original Mojo, with a 75% reduction in power loss during charging, a 9% increase in battery capacity, and faster charging rates via the dedicated Micro USB charging port. The output impedance of 0.06 ohms ensures consistent performance across headphones of any impedance, from sensitive in-ear monitors to high-impedance full-size headphones, and the output stage delivers 90mW at 1% THD into 300 ohms and 600mW into 30 ohms. Digital crossfeed is provided in three selectable stages, based on binaural audio research, to replicate the spatial naturalness of loudspeaker listening through headphones. For listeners who wish to expand the Mojo 2 into a full wireless streaming system, it is compatible with the Chord Electronics Poly wireless streamer and server, which mounts directly to the Mojo 2 to add Wi-Fi, Roon, AirPlay, DLNA, and MicroSD card playback capability.

Key Features

• World's First Lossless DSP (UHD DSP): Chord Electronics' proprietary digital tone control system adjusts frequency response without any measurable degradation in dynamic range, noise floor, or distortion at any setting.
• 125 dB Dynamic Range and 0.0003% Distortion: Reference-class measured performance in a palm-sized portable chassis, with 2.7 microvolts A-weighted noise and no measurable noise floor modulation.
• Custom-Coded FPGA Processor: The Mojo 2 uses a proprietary FPGA implementation programmed by Rob Watts rather than an off-the-shelf DAC chip, delivering a fundamentally more advanced conversion architecture than any chip-based portable DAC.
• Five Digital Inputs: Coaxial, dual-data coaxial, optical TosLink, Micro-USB, and USB-C inputs provide maximum source compatibility with CD transports, computers, smartphones, and portable music players.
• Four Polychromatic Control Spheres: The fourth control sphere navigates the new menu system for UHD DSP tone control, crossfeed, mute, and button-lock, with colour coding providing immediate visual status feedback.
• Three-Stage Digital Crossfeed: Binaural research-based crossfeed processing replicates natural speaker-like stereo presentation through headphones in three selectable levels.
• 0.06-Ohm Output Impedance: An extremely low output impedance ensures consistent frequency response across all headphone and IEM loads without interaction between the source and the transducer.
• Improved Battery Management: 75% reduction in charging power loss, 9% increase in battery capacity, and faster charging rates via the dedicated Micro USB charging port compared to the original Mojo.
• Expandable with Chord Poly: The Chord Electronics Poly wireless streamer mounts directly to the Mojo 2, adding Wi-Fi, Roon Endpoint, AirPlay, DLNA/UPnP, and MicroSD card playback without requiring a separate streaming device.
• CNC-Milled Aircraft-Grade Aluminium Chassis: Handmade in Great Britain from solid aircraft-grade aluminium, the Mojo 2's chassis offers exceptional rigidity and durability for both portable and desktop use.
• 118 dB Stereo Separation at 1kHz: Complete channel isolation at 2.5V into 300 ohms ensures a fully independent left and right channel signal for accurate stereo imaging.

Technical Specifications

Connections at a Glance

• 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF input
• 1 x Dual-data coaxial input
• 1 x Optical TosLink input
• 1 x Micro-USB data input
• 1 x USB-C data input
• 1 x Micro-USB charging port (dedicated)
• 2 x 3.5mm headphone outputs (front panel)

Awards and Critical Recognition

• What Hi-Fi? Product of the Year 2022 - Overall Product of the Year across all categories
• What Hi-Fi? Best DAC Award, four consecutive years: 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025
• StereoNET International Product of the Year 2022
• Headfonia Product of the Year 2022
• Trusted Reviews Best DAC 2022

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Chord Electronics Mojo 2?

The Chord Electronics Mojo 2 is a portable DAC and headphone amplifier, handmade in Great Britain by Chord Electronics from CNC-milled aircraft-grade aluminium. It uses a custom-coded FPGA processor programmed by Rob Watts, achieving 125 dB A-weighted dynamic range, 123 dB SNR, and 0.0003% distortion at 2.5V into 300 ohms. It features five digital inputs including USB-C, the world's first lossless UHD DSP tone control, three-stage digital crossfeed, and an output impedance of 0.06 ohms. It won the What Hi-Fi? Best DAC Award four consecutive years from 2022 to 2025, and was named What Hi-Fi? Overall Product of the Year 2022.

How does the Chord Mojo 2 compare to the iFi Zen DAC 3 or AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt?

The Chord Mojo 2 is in a fundamentally different class of portable DAC compared to devices such as the iFi Zen DAC 3 or AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt. Where the iFi Zen DAC 3 and DragonFly Cobalt use conventional OEM DAC chip implementations, the Mojo 2 is built around a proprietary FPGA processor with custom conversion code developed by Rob Watts over more than two decades. This enables the world's first lossless UHD DSP tone control, a feature with no equivalent in either competitor, and achieves 125 dB dynamic range versus figures significantly lower in chip-based portable DACs. What Hi-Fi? has awarded the Mojo 2 Best DAC every year since 2022, while the DragonFly Cobalt won Best DAC under £200/£300 in the same periods, reflecting a clear performance hierarchy between the two devices.

What is the UHD DSP tone control in the Chord Mojo 2?

UHD DSP (Ultra High Definition Digital Signal Processing) is Chord Electronics' proprietary lossless digital tone control system, a world first implemented in the Mojo 2. Unlike conventional equalisation that reduces dynamic range, increases the noise floor, or introduces phase anomalies, the Mojo 2's UHD DSP adjusts the frequency response of the output signal without any measurable degradation in the 125 dB dynamic range, 123 dB SNR, or 0.0003% distortion specification at any setting. This allows the listener to compensate for headphone colouration, personal preference, or room and source characteristics without any sonic compromise, giving the Mojo 2 a versatility that no other portable DAC can match.

Can the Chord Mojo 2 drive demanding headphones and IEMs?

Yes, the Chord Mojo 2 drives a wide range of headphones and in-ear monitors effectively from its two 3.5mm front-panel outputs. Its output impedance of just 0.06 ohms ensures that the Mojo 2 does not alter the frequency response of sensitive low-impedance IEMs, which are particularly susceptible to source impedance interaction. It delivers 90mW at 1% THD into 300 ohms for high-impedance designs and 600mW into 30 ohms for lower-impedance headphones, providing adequate power for most full-size headphones from Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, HiFiMan, Audeze, and Focal, as well as virtually all in-ear monitors on the market.

Can the Chord Mojo 2 be used as a wireless streaming system?

Yes, when paired with the Chord Electronics Poly wireless streamer, the Mojo 2 becomes a complete wireless streaming system. The Poly mounts directly to the Mojo 2 and adds Wi-Fi network streaming, Roon Endpoint capability, AirPlay, DLNA/UPnP, and local media playback from a MicroSD card, transforming the Mojo 2 into a self-contained streaming DAC that requires no external computer or network bridge. The Mojo 2 and Poly combination is fully pocket-portable and can also be used on a desktop, making it one of the most versatile and compact high-resolution streaming systems available.

How does the Chord Mojo 2 differ from the original Chord Mojo?

The Chord Mojo 2 advances the original Mojo in several significant ways. The most notable addition is the world's first lossless UHD DSP tone control, which has no equivalent in the original Mojo. The new fourth control sphere provides access to the full menu system for crossfeed, mute, button-lock, and tone control adjustment. Battery management has been overhauled with a 75% reduction in charging power loss and a 9% increase in battery capacity. A USB-C data input supplements the original's Micro-USB input for broader source device compatibility. The noise shaper has also been upgraded for improved transparency, lower distortion, and greater neutrality compared to the original Mojo's conversion stage.

Where can I buy the Chord Electronics Mojo 2 in Toronto or Canada?

The Chord Electronics Mojo 2 portable DAC and headphone amplifier is available at Vinyl Sound, an authorised Chord Electronics dealer located in Toronto, Canada. Vinyl Sound carries the full Chord portable range including the Mojo 2 and Chord Poly wireless streamer, and can provide expert advice on the complete Chord portable and desktop ecosystem. Canadian customers across the Greater Toronto Area and beyond are welcome to contact or visit Vinyl Sound Toronto for a listening demonstration and system-matching guidance.