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In the highly polarizedworld of high-end audio, there are nearly as many approaches as there are manufacturers. Despite what some may want you to believe, there isn't one approach that is inherently correct; the best approach, rather, depends on what specifically the designer aims to achieve.

At Mojo Audio, we seek to provide the most transparent window possible to the music on the recording as opposed to a measurably more accurate or universally pleasing interpretation. Every circuit, component, and module we use is painstakingly chosen from…

More than a decade later, today's audio market is well populated with luxury phono preamps costing $30,000 and up. That this fact drives the…

Herb Reichert reviewed the Mojo Mystique X SE very favorably in Stereophile's April 2023 issue (footnote 1). While he found that the dCS Bartók DAC made piano recordings sound crisper and more dramatic, "sounding bigger, tighter, and more forceful through the piano's left-hand octaves" than they did through the Mystique X SE, "Mojo's Mystique X SE ... disappeared from my listening awareness more than any DAC I'd previously encountered." He concluded that this nonoversampling (NOS) D/A processor "produced a unique…

There is no one like Tyshawn Sorey. As a jazz drummer, he is at home in the far reaches of the avant-garde. As a composer of contemporary classical music, he gets commissions from major orchestras for his concertos, oratorios, and operas. His extreme eclecticism makes him an enigma (he cites Asian…

Evil Grinch proved no match for the visiting electrician. While our savior was here, I tapped his knowledge of the eccentricities of Port Townsend's…

Onward
I thought the POWERa monos sounded mighty fine powered by the Stromtank, sounding best when their power conditioning was turned off, but I was also aware that current limitations imposed by the S 2500 Quantum MKII might squash dynamics. Not that I expected to use anywhere near each monoblocks' 3600W into 4 ohms in my 16' × 20' × 9.25' listening room.

With wall power, the POWERa monoblocks sounded best with their internal power conditioning engaged. It's not that they didn't sound quite good without power conditioning—my wall power provides far smoother sound than it…

Description: Solid state, fully balanced, sliding bias class-A, mono power amplifier. Inputs: 1 single-ended (RCA), 1 balanced (XLR). Output: 1 pair binding posts. Power output: 2100W into 8 ohms (33.22dBW), 3600W into 4 ohms (32.55dBW), 6000W into 2 ohms (31.76dBW). Peak power output: 2400W into 8 ohms (33.8dBW). Frequency response: 20Hz–20kHz, ±0dB (DC–300kHz, –3dB). Voltage gain: 36dB. Input sensitivity: 2.0V RMS (for max output). Input impedance: 30k ohms (balanced/unbalanced). Rise and Settling time: <450ns. Slew rate: 1500V/µs (amplification stages). THD…

Digital sources: dCS Vivaldi Apex DAC, Vivaldi Upsampler Plus, Vivaldi Master Clock; Innuos Statement NextGen Music Server; Uptone Audio EtherRegen, AfterDark Giesemann Emperor Double Crown Master Clock, and Nordost QNet Ethernet Switch, all powered by Nordost QSource linear power supplies (2); Synology 5-bay 1019+ NAS, Small Green Computer Sonore Deluxe opticalModule, Linksys mesh router and Arris modem, all powered by HDPlex 300 linear power supply; Apple 2017 iPad Pro and 2017 MacBook Pro laptop with 2.8GHz Intel i7, SSD, 16GB RAM.
Preamplifier: Dan…