Six DAC Comparison

So, first off, right out of the gate I would like to extend a sincere thank you to Mitch for undertaking this huge "six dac comparison"! What a huge undertaking this must have been, not just with the costs involved, but also the enormous amount of time and dedication that you put into listening, comparing and writing up these excellent reviews of each dac! You did an amazing job and I greatly appreciate it very much!

This has been such an amazing thread, I was hoping it might be okay if I could share some of my own personal experiences as of late?

So, after being devoted to vinyl for the last 50+ years, I have curated probably over 1,000 truly mint records (both in jazz and classical) that play without noise, pops or clicks. They have a full, rich, harmonically fleshed out sound with an excellent dynamic structure, but at the same time plays with a natural sense of ease and flow, without being etched or hard. Just truly wonderfully musical in every sense of the word.

However, I have come to know and understand that there is a great amount of music out there that is performed by some really talented musicians that I cannot obtain on vinyl and I don’t want to miss out on hearing it. So, my goal was to try and develop a digital side to my audio system what will engage my mind, my heart and my soul just as my vinyl does for me.

I figured the best way would be to invest in a separate dac and dedicated cd transport. Unfortunately though, I don’t have a huge budget for this endeavor. I’ve had many medical issues over the last several years which has cost me many thousands of dollars each and every year and sadly, I don’t really see that coming to an end anytime soon. So at the moment, I only had about $10,000 ( and preferably less ) that I felt comfortable spending toward this project as I feel vinyl will likely still be my primary and preferred source.

So, I ended up buying a brand new Mojo Mystique X-24AM dac from Benjamin. Oh btw, the 24 simply stands for the year 2024. The "AM" stands for Amorphous Cores by the Swiss Company Lundahl who makes audiophile transformers and chokes.

I had given some thought to other dacs as well, but I would have to buy most of them on the used market and then there would be no return options available. I’d have put them up for sale and wait for a buyer; and who knows what kind of loss I’d take.

I decided on the Mojo, because i have read that many people who appreciate vinyl playback seem to like what this dac does. That it plays music in a way that doesn’t sound hard or etched or thin or lean or "digital" in the bad sense of the word. I know that digital has the ability to sound really, really good. I just didn’t know if I could afford to pay for what is considered the really, really good sounding units.

This brand new Mojo was on sale with $1,000 off and it still cost me nearly $7700 including the shipping! Holy Crap; and I still had to buy a dedicated cd transport yet. Oh my Lord... what was I getting myself into, lol.

I’ve had the Mojo Dac running 24/7, with my cd player on repeat, since I’ve received it and now have over 500 hours on it. I am listening to it right now as I type this message and I am getting very excited as the sound has really opened up now and I am really liking what I’m hearing! (It actually really started to sing quite beautifully at around 150 hours - but amazingly, it continues to keep sounding better and better)

The sound is full; it’s rich; it’s organic; it’s dynamic; it’s got great tone; it’s got detail; it’s got bass; it’s got weight and density...I’m loving that when it plays the "note" that you hear the attack of the note, but it’s not hard or over emphasized. You hear the full harmonic structure of the note (the fullness of sound/ the meat on the bones); and you can hear the decay of the note (ie: ringing of the cymbals/ bells/ or the trailing off of a sustained piano note).

With the Mojo, it sounds dynamic without sounding hard. With the Mojo, it plays in a relaxed and natural way without becoming fatiguing, but yet at the same time it still plays with speed, with dynamic expression and with emotion!

So, I recently ended up taking a look at USa’mart one day and just moments prior to me bringing up the site, a seller posted a used black (which goes very nicely with the rest of my gear) Jay’s Audio CDT2-MK3 dedicated cd transport for sale in like new condition which included the Headquarter Qstab bone cd clamp at a price that was attractive to me, so I bought it!

I couldn’t believe the timing of it getting listed moments before I decided to look at the ad’s! It almost felt like it was meant to be! I paid more for the Mojo than I had originally planned on paying for a dac, but I can honestly say that I’m glad I gave it a try as the Mojo, in my humble opinion, is worth every penny I paid for it. It’s got great tone, body, weight, timing, and dynamics without being forced. There is no glare, hardness or digital nasties. My wife actually comes into my music room and comments on how great it sounds. She often looks to see if I have a vinyl record spinning!!! That’s a huge compliment to the Mojo and is exactly what I was hoping for.

Now with the Jay’s CD Transport, the sound has gotten even better in every respect. The Jay’s does indeed improve the sound very nicely.... so I’m very happy right now with the digital side of my system!

Thank you for allowing me to indulge you all, with my excitement.

Best wishes to you all,

Don

Congrats Don! That is a great dac and certainly sets up your total system up for sonic success!  Well done. 

Don has certainly described the Mojo X '24 experience far better than I could've, but so far -- and he's a good bit further along on burn-in than I am -- his words echo my own experience to the letter.

@no_regrets 

So glad to hear your foray into upgraded digital has turned out so well, Don!

Saw your system pics on the other forum and aside from what are clearly undersized speakers ;o) your vinyl rig looks amazing.

After finishing my initial comparison of six DACs without coming to a final conclusion about which of the DACs I enjoyed most, I decided to devote the past month or so to listening more intently and forming a more definitive conclusion.

I struggled with the words to convey my final thoughts because any of my four favorites provided a very enjoyable sonic result in my system. It seems that maybe, after everything else in one’s system is dialed in, the specific DAC is important but not solely critical to achieving a successful result.

Another outcome of my past month of listening was a better understanding how critical it is to dial-in the every aspect of the subject component and the rest of one’s system in a manner that allows the component to perform at its best. Playing with inputs, cables, subwoofer settings, and more helped me determine that I had initially underestimated the performance levels of the Merason and the SMc DAC-2. Also, by more intently listening, I was able to better discern the differences between the two Mojo Audio DACs.

My final thoughts on the four top DACs are discussed below.

IMO, the Mojo Audio Mystique X SE NCZ is the most capable of the DACs in the comparison and my overall favorite of the six DACs. If I were to choose just one DAC for my main system, it would be the X SE NCZ. The X SE line shares the natural organic sound signature of Mojo Audio’s previous DACs, including the EVO Pro that I still have here, and also displays a level of resolution that extends beyond Mojo Audio’s previous DACs. This is most noticeable in the bass, which is deep, powerful, and defined, with subterranean impact that exceeds what I hear from most other DACs. Continuing through the midrange, the additional resolution is noticeable in the dimensionality and staging of musicians and singers, that are well-positioned in space and more dimensional than with the EVO Pro. The treble is sweet and extended.

The Mojo Audio Mystique EVO Pro has been a very enjoyable reference in my system for a couple of years. It is as discussed in my earlier write-up and is every bit as natural and organic sounding as the X SE line. I have no doubt that many would find it an improvement in musicality, compared to other DACs. Compared to the X SE NCZ, the EVO Pro includes still prodigious (yet fuller vs. more defined) bass, and a bit darker and warmer sonic signature. Sound staging seems more homogenous, sort of like you might hear from a live concert, compared to the X SE line, which seems to stage more precisely wrt the placement of musicians and singers. Some may find the presentation of the EVO Pro to be kinder to lesser quality recordings. It also retains the sweet, clear, and never fatiguing high frequencies of the X SE line.

The Merason DAC1 MkII, in comparison to the two Mojo Audio DACs, is more reserved yet a bit more refined in its presentation. Bass is solid and well proportioned but not quite as impactful. This is easily compensated by adjusting subwoofers. The mids are not quite as dimensional as with the Mojo Audio DACs, and the high frequencies are all present but displayed in more of a supporting role. Everything comes out wonderfully crystal clear in a presentation that is truly reminiscent of vinyl without the pops and hiss. I enjoyed all of my listening to whatever types of music I was playing, and I never wished for something more when the Merason was in my system. It is a wonderful DAC to listen to, and IMO offers a bit more refinement but a bit less excitement, when compared to the Mojo Audio DACs.

In revisiting the SMc Audio DAC-2 GTE-24, I found that even though the DAC-2 will usually process 96 kHz signals, sending it that higher sampling rate signal may be responsible the occasionally raggedy high frequencies I heard during my initial listening. By strictly limiting the sampling rate to 48 kHz, as recommended by SMc Audio, I achieved smooth, clear, high frequencies, good resolution, and nothing less than outstanding sound from the DAC-2 GTE-24. It displays a similar rich tonality as the Mojo Audio DACs, with some of the refinement of the Merason, but a level of excitement that is closer to the Mojo Audio DACs. Bass is solid but, like the Merason, is more proportional than with the Mojo Audio DACs, and can be fully compensated to the desired level of impact by adjusting my dual subs.