Review of Mojo Audio Mystique V3 DAC

Wow, talk about great timing. I just bought a Mystique v3 today. You have a nice system. Thanks for your impressions. Enjoy!

I want one, except I don't have permission 😔 

Congrats on the new DAC, Celtic.  I recently purchased a used Mystique V3 that was listed here.  It's been in my system for about 2 weeks now.  Loving it and I'm hearing similar results in my system to your review.

I'm now looking to upgrade my source to see if there is more I can get out of the V3.   Currently using Sonos Connect modified by W4S.

Thaluza.  I'm interested to hear your impressions on the V3 as well.  Doesn't seem that many A'goners own this exceptional (IMO) dac. 

Enjoy.

Eventually, a 12 step program must be considered for this addiction.  Of course, the downside is not nearly as destructive as many other kinds.  

I'm observing with all of these upgrades that power regulation and filtering are everything.  The installation of the Decware ZLC power conditioner and now the Perfect Path Technologies The Gate have upped the game considerably.

To that point, now the system outruns some of the lesser recordings.  One hears slight flaws in mic position, recording equipment glitches, small tape dropouts, dropped or banged music stands and chairs, etc.

But the overall effect is positive as the great recordings are such a tremendous facsimile of the performance.  And besides, haven't we all been to terrible live performances:   badly mixed, too much reverb, blown tweeter on the left sided monitor, people walking in front of you?  It's a mixed bag, isn't it?

Hey celtic66 -
Hope you’re still enjoying your Mystique!

I picked mine up personally from Ben last week as I happened to be in New Mexico at the time. Loved chatting with him. I had ordered the demo single ended version, but it wasn’t ready - it was the one he used at Axpona - so he upgraded me to the balanced version at no extra cost. Very cool of him to do that, as I can use the extra output into my digital recorder if I want.

Anyways, after a week of owning this thing, I gotta say I’m impressed. It is replacing a Benchmark DAC3L in my system.

The Mystique fills in the space between the speakers much better than the DAC3L. Improvements are across the board in scale, weight, tone, and naturalness. Detail and presence are about the same, it’s just a different soundstage presentation between the two dacs. The Mystique is not as crystalline sounding as the Benchmark, but the heightened sense of blackness between the performers that the Benchmark presents just seems unnatural to me. It is not what I would hear in a live performance. The Mystique just sounds more like real music to my ears, perhaps because of its richness and fullness, and the way it captures the harmonics. I’m glad I bought it.

Review of Mojo Audio Mystique V3 DAC

Purchased the Mystique V3 DAC months ago to replace a Naim DAC V-1. Okay, the Naim certainly is not in the same league

Your comparing two different conversion techniques, the Mojo Mystic V3 is an R2R ladder Multibit dac. While the Naim V1 is a Delta Sigma dac.

For converting 16/44, 24/96, Redbook, PCM, DXD I’d back a well implemented R2R dac over a well implemented Delta Sigma any day.

Cheers George

thaluza,

Yes, still enjoying immensely and even more so as I've really ramped up the power clean up.  Added the Decware ZLC power conditioner and Perfect Path Technologies' The Gate.  Odd how long I've been in this game and not paid enough attention to truly clean power.

The Mystique seems to benefit terrifically from all of this.  It's one of my benchmarks regarding equipment.  If with each improvement a piece keeps up with it and performs better, I consider that a keeper.

Georgehifi,

Didn't really consider the technology differences, but appreciate the observation.  I simply recognize improvement, or not, with changes to components.  I expected a fairly large leap in resolution, impact and imaging with the upgrade and that is exactly what I received.  Thanks.

Didn’t really consider the technology differences, but appreciate the observation.

Basically Delta Sigma (single bit dsd) is good for DSD or SACD, but can only give a "facsimile" of PCM (redbook, CD, dxd, 16/44 24/96)

R2R Multibit gives "bit prefect" conversion of PCM (redbook, CD, dxd, 16/44 24/96).

From Mojo Music:

When a PCM file is played on a native DSD single-bit converter, the single-bit DAC chip has to convert the PCM to DSD in real-time. This is one of the major reasons people claim DSD sounds better than PCM, when in fact, it is just that the chip in most modern single-bit DACs do a poor job of decoding PCM.

Cheers George

I have had the Mystique V3 and the Deja Vu server for a couple years.  I have had the server for 4 years, or at least I keep upgrading the original I got from him.  Maybe even longer.

I'm very happy with what Mojo products.  I hear some great digital out there, but I find mine more real and natural than pretty much anything else I hear in the $10K to $30K.  In my setup, I feel I have a more natural and real recreation of music than pretty much all the setup I hear at friends houses.  Some friends have more punch with the Wilson / Dagostino setup, but I have better tone.

I recently had a friend bring some Add Power devices to my house.  An Electraclear and a Symphony.  He installed them and I did not let him take them home. $450 total.  They will bring even a greater sense of truth and realism to your system.  Really made my digital stand out as unmistakably close to being there .

FYI, all my router, modem, switches are on LPS.  The Switch is a Linear Solution switch.  All Cat 6 is Blue Jeans.  All power is from a 10 AWG ofc cord from my panel to a custom distribution strip I built with Porter Ports.  I am pulling away from the receptacles and now bolting the power cables together in the power strip.  I have all my gear on the same CB in my panel.  I find the power supply to equipment to be critical in getting the best from my system.

The rest of my stuff is PAP Trio 15 horn, Ampsandsound Casablanca monoblocks, First Sound Audio Paramount upgraded with all current technology.  I have some analog,  Allnic and a pretty custom TT.  My digital is much nicer and more natural, real and just alive than vinyl.  FWIW 

Owners still love the V3? Does Ben offer upgrades to match what he is doing in the next generation Mystique choices/options coming soon? Better quality chokes etc... New usb input board....

I ask because I have a V3 coming that I will compare to my Lampizator Amber 3.  

When I bought my dac, Ben told me he was planning on an improved version of the Mystique, which if I remember right included upgraded chokes. He said he was not going to offer the upgrades to V3 owners, but he talked about offering a trade-in program. This was last year, and he has yet to make an announcement, though. The V3 works so well for me that it is hard to fathom it getting any better. I have it paired with a Laufer Teknik Memory Player which is a good mate with the V3.

Thank you @thaluza.

You are building up a very impressive collection of dacs Bill!

I'm still loving my v3, Bill.

I've done extensive upgrades on my digital front end as well as other system tweaks, and with each one, I feel like I'm unlocking more of the v3's capabilities.

2 things:

I confirmed with Ben at Mojo that the Schoeder Method double IC's will not damage the v3.  I've confirmed that with your cables.  Sounds awesome.

I tried an Omega Emat+ under the v3.  Maybe the mats don't play well with the 5 choke power supplies, or the EMI/RFI barrier in the chassis, but the sound went a bit flat and compressed, and I pulled it out after a day.  This mat had been in the breaker box for about a day before going underneath the Mystique.  I probably should have been more patient, and I'll probably try a mat under there again once all my mats get to 14 days in the breaker box.

Anyways, would love to hear your impressions of the Mojo DAC.  I've always wanted to compare it to a Lampizator (as well as Audio Note, MHDT and SW1X)

VeroGuy

Mojo Audio Mystique V3 DAC In my system, I’ve never heard such resolution, dynamics, soundstage and micro-detail. Mojo has really pulled out the stops regarding power regulation and it shows. The soundstage is so stable and full.

Mostly due to them using R2R Multibit dacs, it’s what they do, "make music sound real", warts and all if a bad recording.
And how it should be, not to neuter the best recordings by making the bad recordings sound more listenable.

Cheers George

Thanks @veroguy. George, I tend to like R2R NOS dacs more the more I compare them to other dac designs. 

The V3 dac sounds wonderful.  Very enjoyable dac that simply sounds so right and musical.  Loving it! 

@grannyring 

Any initial impressions of the V3 versus your 2 modded DACs?

Can the Mojo MystiqueV3 be considered on the warm/sweet side of neutral or neutral to cool?

The Mojo Audio Mystique V3 can certainly be considered a tad bit on the warm and full bodied end of the spectrum. It is a wonderful dac revealing nuances that deliver a greater sense of realism and dimension vs other well respected dacs.

The Mojo offers more of this nuance vs the MHDT Orchid and the Lampizator Amber 3. The Lampi was more fussy of the recording while the Mojo just sounds more right more of the time. The Mojo excels in realism, musicality, smoothness and depth of stage. The Lampi Amber 3 is more vivid than the Mojo or Orchid and with its DSD capability can sound more detailed and resolving.

The Mojo is my favorite dac to date. For long term listening it is a joy. I can relax into the music more with it vs. the Amber 3 which had me thinking more about the sound vs. the music. The Mojo is all about the music!

The upgraded Orchid is very close in its musicality and also sounds just right on most every recording. Some may even prefer the Orchid on certain vocals. The Mojo pulls ahead with a greater sense of ease and control and higher volumes by always staying composed and in control. The Mojo sounds more 3D and layered vs the upgraded Orchid. Not day and night, but noticeable.

The Mojo sells for nearly 3-4 times the cost of the upgraded Orchid so one should not be too surprised.

Thank you very much for your additional thoughts!

I traded some emails with Benjamin today and made a deposit for what will be an incoming trade-in V3 that he will get sometime in May to coincide with someone's purchase of the new model - EVO. He stated that I should [probably have it late May or early June after they check it out/tune it up. 

He stated that the EVO will be on the website after he gets the casework for it  on site

I realize this is a DAC thread, but Ben Z offered to do some mods on my LTA and I purchased his Illuminati V3 PS to go with the mods... It certainly transformed my  unit. I bet that dac is quieter than a church mouse and flat out musical. 

Hi everyone,
Does anyone have a chance to compare Mystique Evo to Denafrips Terminator or Holo May?

I believe they are all r2r. 

I am debating myselft to choose one from the 3 candidates. I did a lot of googling but I couldnt find any comparison between EVO and the other 2 DACs.

Huy

The first review was just posted for the new Mystique X SE DAC in Audiophilia.

The reviewer used to own a Mystique EVO Pro as his reference DAC but he was to taken by the new Mystique X SE he sold his EVO Pro and bought the demo unit.

Needless to say he awarded the X SE Star Component..

More reviews and awards should be posting over the next few months :^)

https://www.audiophilia.com/reviews/2022/8/13/608mtkw85c1oncpqf68o9b80nng10b