Chord Mojo vs. Halide DAC HD

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.  I don't need the headphone function so that that's a plus for the Halide.  I have looked for a used Halide but have had no luck on Ebay and Audiogon though I have not pursed diligently.  If you know of where I can find one used I would be interested and appreciative.

the Halide will come up fairly often on Audiogon for about $300, but there is not always one available...keep checking

Will do. Tks!

I've had a Chord Mojo for two years, very lightly used (3x per week for 9 months and then sat in a box after I moved house for 1+ years) and it's crapped out.  When you power it on it runs thru the logon sequence and then dies. 

I'm in touch with Chord about it, but I've lost a bit of confidence in the company and their products (in the 2 years, the internet is filled with unreliability reports and other problems with the Chord Mojo). 

These days with MP3 and music streaming, the DAC is just a mission-critical component in my system.  It cannot be flaky or break.  My previous Derek Shek DAC lasted 10+ years, always on, never powered off.  It sounded great and was made by... a pro-hobby-ist! 

I'd love recommendations for something with the sound quality in the Derek Shek or Mojo range, but that is reliable and dependable.  Similar price range would be nice ($300-$600)  

Any other suggestions aside from the Halide (which is hard to find)?