Overview

The Chord Electronics Mojo 2 launched in 2022 as the successor to the original Mojo. It keeps Chord’s proprietary FPGA DAC with a 40,960-tap WTA filter, adds a bit-perfect “UHD DSP” tone system with crossfeed, and introduces an improved power system including Intelligent Desktop Mode for battery-friendly 24/7 use. [2][3][8]

Scientific Validity

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Independent measurements show transparent-class performance. Using an APx555-grade rig, results include Dynamic Range (AES17) 117.7 dB and SNR 118.8 dB, with ~4.3 V maximum before clipping and exemplary jitter behavior. The long-tap reconstruction filter fully resolves to the 22.05 kHz Nyquist region with strong ultrasonic attenuation; HF THD rises mildly yet remains below audibility in normal use. [1]

Technology Level

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Mojo 2 is a fully in-house FPGA DAC with long-tap WTA filtering and a 104-bit, 705/768 kHz DSP implementing lossless tone control and crossfeed. Engineering depth, algorithmic sophistication, and longevity of know-how are clear strengths. It falls just short of a perfect score because the portable DAC category is now mature and, while advanced, Mojo 2’s 2022-era approach doesn’t newly expand capabilities in 2025 beyond rivals that already reach transparent performance at lower cost. [2][8]

Cost-Performance

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Current market price is 650 USD. The cheapest product with equal-or-better user functions and transparent-class measurements we could confirm is TOPPING G5 at 299 USD (adds LDAC Bluetooth, 4.4 mm balanced out, and line-in; published specs/third-party data show SNR ~124 dB, THD+N ≤0.0001% on line out). CP: 299 ÷ 650 = 0.46 → 0.5. [3][4][5][6]

Reliability & Support

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The CNC-aluminum chassis and conservative thermal design inspire confidence. Chord’s portable warranty is 1 year, shorter than some peers. Battery life is about 8+ hours, and Intelligent Desktop Mode mitigates wear during continuous powered use. [2][7][8]

Rationality of Design Philosophy

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The design prioritizes measurement-first fidelity: long-tap filtering to minimize imaging error, robust clocking/jitter control, and bit-perfect on-device DSP for practical EQ and crossfeed. Clear progression over the original Mojo is observed. It stops short of price disruption, since comparably transparent performance is achievable for substantially less outlay, but the approach remains technically coherent and user-oriented. [1][2][3]

Advice

Choose Mojo 2 if you want a compact, wired-first DAC/amp with state-of-the-art reconstruction filtering, very low noise/jitter, and on-device EQ/crossfeed. If you need wireless, balanced output, or simply the lowest cost for transparent performance, the TOPPING G5 is the stronger value at less than half the price. [4][6]

References

[1] GoldenSound (The Headphone Community), “Chord Mojo 2 Review & Measurements — Results,” https://forum.headphones.com/t/chord-mojo-2-review-measurements/19768, accessed 2025-09-01. DR (AES17) 117.7 dB; SNR 118.8 dB; max ~4.3 V; jitter & filter analysis.
[2] Chord Electronics, “Mojo 2 — Product Page,” https://chordelectronics.co.uk/mojo-2, accessed 2025-09-01. UHD DSP, WTA 40,960 taps, desktop mode, specs.
[3] Headphones.com, “Chord Electronics Mojo 2 Portable DAC and Headphone Amplifier,” https://headphones.com/products/chord-mojo-2-portable-dac-and-headphone-amplifier, accessed 2025-09-01. Market price 650 USD and feature summary.
[4] L7Audiolab, “Measurements of TOPPING G5 USB/BT DAC/HPAmp,” https://www.l7audiolab.com/f/topping-g5/, accessed 2025-09-01. Third-party bench data.
[5] Apos Audio, “TOPPING G5 Portable DAC/Amp — Specifications,” https://apos.audio/products/topping-g5-portable-dac-amp, accessed 2025-09-01. SNR 124 dB, THD+N ≤0.0001% (line out), FR ±0.1 dB.
[6] Headphones.com, “TOPPING G5,” https://headphones.com/products/topping-g5, accessed 2025-09-01. Price 299 USD.
[7] Chord Electronics, “Product Warranty (PDF),” https://www.audioadvisor.com/content/pdf/Chord_Electronics_Warranty_Policy.pdf, accessed 2025-09-01. Portable products: 1-year warranty.
[8] Headphones.com (Chord page copy), “Mojo 2 — Highlights & UHD DSP details,” https://headphones.com/products/chord-mojo-2-portable-dac-and-headphone-amplifier, accessed 2025-09-01.

(2025.9.1)