Mojo Audio Mystique EVO

A new review is out in Head-Fi:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/mojo-mystique-evo-pro-d-a-converter.25088/
Just in case you’re wondering Taylor02, we’ve replace quite a few Bricasti DACs.

IMO there is no comparison between Delta-Sigma and R-2R.
The question is: would you like the the flavor of sugar added to all your food? Well, Delta-Sigma is digital sugar.

Delta-Sigma is based on error correcting algorithms that always assume there is an error. And those algorithms can’t tell the difference between a bit read error and emotional content in the music. To my ear all Delta-Sigma DACs sound pasteurized, homogenized, and overly refined.
Nothing wrong with that...some people love that sound...that’s why Baskin Robbins has 31 flavors, right?
On the other hand, R-2R will give you whatever is on the recording, good, bad, or otherwise.
Your best recordings will sound better than ever but your bad recordings will sound worse than ever. That’s the price you pay for accurate digital reproduction.

Have a Mystique v2x (upgraded) that will soon be shipped.
Excited to receive. New Linux based i5 NUC.
It is Christmas in May.

I have been using the Coax input on my base model EVO since I purchased it but decided that I wanted to try out the AES input to see if there would be a SQ improvement. In order to do so I ordered a Mojo Audio digital AES cable that Ben listed as a demo on his website. I received it this afternoon, put some Furutech nano enhancer on the cable and DAC AES pins, hooked it up, ran a system tune up disc for an hour or so, and am now listening to the Roman Street Amore cd. My initial impression is that the AES connection is a positive sq step above the very enjoyable Coax which itself I would not hesitate recommending. The Mojo AES cable is very well made , provides a black background , allows all of the detail and texture of the recording to flow through. YMMV

I received my Mojo EVO 2021 B4B about 2 weeks ago and thought I would share some initial thoughts (actually I posted some of the below in another thread, but thought I would re-post some of it here since couple of posters on this thread have asked for EVO owners’ impressions of the DAC).

The EVO 2021 has been a wonderful DAC and the first component change that has totally transformed my system. And it continues to amaze me as I continue to "burn it in". When I added the First Watt Sit-3 into my audio set up, I was happy you could get some of that SET magic/tone from a solid state amp, and then when I introduced the Shindo Masseto preamp into the setup, I got more of that 3D dimensional body and meat on the bones in the music. When I added the EVO into the setup, I (finally) started to enjoy and listen and move to the music, and stopped thinking about and analyzing the sound. With prior DACs in my system (Borderpatrol SE-i, TotalDAC D1-core), I was always analyzing soundstage width/depth, instrument separation, tonality etc. Although these previous DAC’s had moments of "pop" and "excitement", but in the back of mind, those moments always felt exaggerated. To be clear, I am not trying to disparage these other DACs, they are very good DACs at their price points. And given the subjectiveness of audio perception, these "exaggerations" could be another person’s musical bliss. Pick your own poison as they say....

One of the pieces of music that I use as a litmus test is a Chesky recording of Earl Wild (pianist) playing with a full orchestra. Supposedly a very good recording, but it was probably the piece that I skipped past the most when i played that album. The piano tonality was off and just sounded flat, and overall it was like hearing the piano "versus" the orchestra. With the EVO, the piano came alive, and I could finally hear and enjoy Earl Wild’s masterful and nuanced articulation, and, Earl Wild and the orchestra "playing together" and "having a high energy conversation". Quite frankly, I continued to play that piece (even though i didn’t enjoy it that much) each time I introduce a new component into my system because, subconsciously, I guess I was hoping to see which component change would stop me in my tracks to have a second listen. Every CD I have put on since the EVO 2021 arrived, the immediate reaction has not been "wow, I am hearing this new detail or that new detail" (though this is true), but I am just smiling and enjoying the music immensely. The recorded trumpet has always been a tough instrument for me to appreciate because it sounded harsh and lacked richness, but all that changed with the EVO. I actually started to like listening to the trumpet, and I am developing a new found appreciation for Miles Davis.

Hope this was helpful to some. Enjoy the music!