No wonder it has won What Hi-Fi? Awards for its efforts.Īnother Award-winner, albeit back in 2018, this DAC/amp offers a more affordable alternative to the flagship Cobalt in AudioQuest's DragonFly range. See past its quirky looks, and you'll be rewarded with a handsomely detailed, dynamic and punchy performance. There are plenty of inputs to take advantage of, plus aptX Bluetooth as well. And not just sparklingly high res ones, but lower-quality files, too – whatever you feed it, Hugo 2 serves up a detailed, dynamic and punchy performance. It's very difficult indeed to fault the way Hugo 2 converts and delivers your digital audio files. So what's it doing on this list, you might ask. It's also at the higher end of the price scale, so entry-level users seeking a bargain may want to consider a cheaper alternative. It's also not the easiest device to use at times, mostly thanks to its system of coloured lights, which can get confusing. It's just about small enough to take with you (this is clearly the intention, as it has its own built-in battery), but a little too large to sit in a pocket, so it's not ideal for on-the-go listening. And what about existing Mojo owners? Honestly, Chord has left us no choice but to recommend the upgrade. But for those who are after a primarily portable or desktop DAC solution in this price region (and cannot triple their budget to Chord Hugo 2 territory), we believe the decision to Mojo 2 or not to Mojo 2 is far easier. While from a performance point of view the Mojo 2 can just as confidently raise a hi-fi system’s game too, some of those looking for a boost might reasonably prefer a dedicated system alternative with more suitable connections, such as the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M (below). And while those familiar with Chord’s most affordable product will see from this review’s accompanying images that the aesthetic hasn’t exactly been overhauled for the sequel, significant progress has been made elsewhere to protect its position as the pinnacle of portable DACs. The fittingly named Mojo 2 is the long-anticipated, re-engineered replacement to the 2015-released original, which burst onto the scene as a real benchmark-setting game-changer in the then-fledgling world of portable DACs/headphone amps. If you've just forked out many hundreds of pounds for some decent wired over-ears, you may not be that keen on parting with even more cash to make some noticeable, but possibly incremental, audio gains. Your headphones need to be of a pretty decent standard before you get the benefits of a dedicated amp - we use Austrian Audio’s Hi-X15 (£89/$119/around AU$160) or the similarly-priced Grado SR80x as decent benchmarks - so you might not want to bother if you're currently rocking a pair of £20/$20 knock-offs you found on sale at Amazon.Ĭonversely, you may decide that your headphones are performing well enough as it is, and that you like the sound just fine without needing any extra oomph or refinement. Then, of course, there's the matter of price, and the quality of the equipment you're going to be plugging your new gadget into in the first place. In short, you'll need to decide whether you'll be listening to your headphones on the move or solely at home before committing to a purchase. Bigger models, whether they're are battery- or mains-powered, command that you clear your desk or make some room on your hi-fi rack. Some of the headphone amplifiers below will happily slip into a jeans pocket and, with the right cables and connectors, can be paired with a phone. Size and portability are also key considerations. This means many headphone amplifiers are also DACs (and can be called such), although be aware that you can get DACs without headphone sockets, such as the Chord Qutest. These days, though, analogue- only headphone amplifiers like the Chord Anni and SPL Phonitor xe are a rare breed, as the majority of headphone amps also boast built-in DACs (digital-to-analogue converters) that feed digital inputs for broader compatibility – ideal if, say, you are listening to music stored on a computer. So what should you look for in a headphone amplifier? Analogue inputs are the most common and mean you can plug in any source that has analogue outputs (which is most of them). Why do you need a headphone amplifier at all? An external headphone amp is designed to sit between your source/stereo amplifier and pair of headphones for listening to your hi-fi in intimate isolation, and it can be the basis of a compact and effective computer-based desktop hi-fi system too.Ī headphone amp is specifically designed to drive headphones rather than speakers, and while dedicated headphone outputs are now less common for many smartphones, they still exist on a huge array of products that span the audio and video fields.
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