DAC Face-Off: Chord Mojo 2 vs. iFi GR 2
Read Time: Approx. 9 min.
TL;DR:
- Mojo 2 runs Chord's custom FPGA with 40,960 tap WTA filtering for a laser-focused, analytical sound, while the GR 2 uses a Burr-Brown PCM1795 chip for a warmer, more musical presentation
- GR 2's fully balanced 4.4mm output delivers up to 1,513mW (50% more than the original Gryphon), making it the stronger pick for demanding planar magnetics
- Mojo 2's UHD DSP tone control offers mathematically precise, zero-degradation EQ via its color-coded button interface; GR 2 swaps that for a capacitive OLED touchscreen with tap-to-adjust XBass, XSpace, and K2HD tuning — precision vs. tactile convenience.
- Mojo 2 stays a purist, wired-first device (Bluetooth only via the separate Chord Poly module); GR 2 has Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX Lossless built in
- The choice isn't about which DAC is "better" — it's Chord's analytical, custom-FPGA transparency (Mojo 2) vs. iFi's musical, feature-rich, wireless-ready versatility (GR 2), with both units available at Moon Audio
Epic DAC Battles of History
Everyone wants to tell you the iFi Audio iDSD GR 2 just replaced the xDSD Gryphon. It didn't replace anything; it just gave the Chord Mojo 2 a much scarier opponent.
If you've spent any time on audio forums over the last decade, you already know that these two names carry a massive following. When Chord Electronics shook the entire industry with the original Mojo, it became an instant cult-classic–this weird, bulletproof little aluminum block with glowing marble buttons that changed what we expected from portable sound. It was the undisputed king of the hill, but as the years went on, the digital audio landscape moved fast, and passionate audiophiles started demanding more. While they worshiped that original Mojo sound, they wanted modern updates–things like USB-C connectivity, better battery management, and a way to customize the EQ without destroying the purity of the audio signal.
Chord answered that call with the Mojo 2. It took the exact custom FPGA soul that made the original a legend and refined it into a modern reference powerhouse. But while they were perfecting the formula, iFi Audio was busy plotting their own path to portable supremacy. They threw a massive wrench in the gears when they released the original xDSD Gryphon.
Not only did they beat the Mojo 2 to market, but they gave music lovers everything Chord left out, like Bluetooth and a balanced headphone jack, which immediately triggered the legendary "Mojo Killer" debates across the community. And now, with the arrival of iFi's next-generation GR 2 and the Mojo 2, this face-off has officially reached its ultimate boiling point. We aren't just looking at a simple comparison of spec sheets on a screen. These two units represent the direct, physical evolution of that historic, decade-long forum debate–forcing us to choose between two completely different, zero-compromise listening philosophies.
Mojo 2
- Clear and detailed sound
- USB-C finally added
- Added controls and EQ Settings, filters
- No BT, screen, or balanced jack
- Button colors still confusing
GR 2
- Musical, fun-loving sound
- Bluetooth 5.4
- OLED Touchscreen
- Balanced 4.4mm headphone jack
- Features galore
ROUND 1: The Digital Heart
Let's start our first head-to-head round by looking at what's arguably the most important element of any digital audio device: the DAC architecture. How these two units process ones and zeros into analog waves couldn't be more different, and it shapes their entire sonic identity.
The Mojo 2 rejects the industry standard of using off-the-shelf DAC chips and instead uses a powerful, custom-programmed FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) circuit. This custom chipset runs Chord's proprietary WTA (Watts Transient Aligned) filtering with exactly 40,960 taps to reconstruct timing with mathematical perfection.
The result is a sound signature that's laser-focused, clean, and ultra-neutral with world-class transient speed, three-dimensional imaging, and great instrument separation. It's highly resolving, technical, and lets you hear the micro-details of a master recording exactly as it was captured in the studio.
iFi Audio, on the other hand, has built its entire legacy on the musical, organic soul of Japanese Burr-Brown chipsets. The GR 2 leverages a physical, balanced Japanese Burr-Brown PCM1795 current-output DAC chip that delivers a smooth, liquid, and warm analog presentation.
What this means in terms of the sonic result is quite dramatic. With the Mojo 2, you're getting a surgical, razor sharp transparent sound, dead-silent backgrounds, and three-dimensional imaging. With the GR 2, you get a much fuller, more musical mid-to-low end, bringing vocals and instruments forward with an organic, lifelike weight.
Ultimately, the verdict here comes down to your listening style. If you're a critical listener who wants to dissect a master recording and hear every hidden layer of detail with absolute transparency, the Mojo 2 is your weapon. But if you want a sound that is inherently organic, rich, and deeply musical, the GR 2's Burr-Brown soul is the winner.
ROUND 2: Power and Connectors
Round two is where things heat up and we look at how these units deliver current to your headphones.
If you look at the GR 2, it's an absolutely balanced powerhouse. iFi has engineered the unit with a fully balanced, dual-mono circuit architecture from input to output. From its 4.4mm balanced Pentaconn connection, the GR 2 delivers up to 1,513 mW of continuous power at 32 ohms.
That's a 50% power increase over the previous-generation Gryphon, making the GR 2 fully capable of driving demanding planar magnetic headphones with massive headroom. Now look at the Mojo 2, and you’ll also find a 4.4mm termination, but there’s a catch.
The 4.4mm TRRRS connection operates in single-ended mode only. It’s there for convenience because of the number of headphones that now come with a 4.4mm terminated cable. Many audiophiles assume that "balanced is always better," but Chord's engineering philosophy runs counter to that.
Chord argues that single-ended circuitry is innately more transparent because it's simpler and requires fewer components in the signal path. Because the Mojo 2's pulse array DAC is single-ended by design, converting it to balanced internally would actually degrade the sound quality, so the single-ended approach makes more sense.
The Mojo 2 outputs 600 mW into 30 ohms, and while that's less raw power on paper than the GR 2, the Mojo 2's discrete single-ended design has an incredibly low output impedance. It drives high-sensitivity IEMs with a dead-silent, hiss-free background, while still delivering enough power for full-size headphones.
So the verdict in this round is clear. If you are primarily driving sensitive, hiss-prone IEMs, the Mojo 2's ultra-low output impedance and dead-black background are unmatched. However, if you plan on driving demanding, full-sized planar magnetic headphones that require massive current to truly open up, the GR 2 delivers.
ROUND 3: Customize Your Sound
In our third round, let's look at how you actually interact with these devices and the tools they give you to customize your sound. The Mojo 2 introduced the world's first UHD DSP digital tone control (Ultra-High Definition Digital Signal Processor).
It operates linearly below 104 bits, meaning you can surgically adjust treble, mids, and bass with absolutely zero signal degradation, though you have to navigate Chord's color-changing orb interface to do it. Additionally, the Mojo 2 includes an integrated crossfeed setting that subtly mixes the left and right channels to replicate the natural, speaker-like imaging of a two-channel home audio system.
The GR 2 ditches button combinations for a vibrant, capacitive OLED touchscreen that gives you immediate, tap-to-adjust control over iFi's digital sound-shaping tools: XBass for physical sub-bass impact and XSpace for soundstage expansion.
This makes the user experience completely different. On the Mojo 2, customizing your sound is a deliberate, highly precise process. On the GR 2, it’s a modern, smartphone-like experience. You can engage XBass, XSpace, or JVCKENWOOD's K2HD harmonic restoration with a simple tap on the screen as you cycle through tracks.
Ultimately, it comes down to how you like to tune. If you want limitless, mathematically precise EQ precision and don't mind learning a color-coded menu, the Mojo 2 is light-years ahead of its competitor. But if you want instant, tactile convenience and analog-domain tone-shaping at the tap of a screen, the GR 2 wins hands down.
ROUND 4: Modern Usability
Our final round is about lifestyle–how these units fit into your daily routine. The Mojo 2 is built on the belief that a physical, high-purity wire is the only way to experience true, lossless high-fidelity, making it a strictly wired device out of the box.
The GR 2, however, is designed as the ultimate wireless hub, integrating Bluetooth 5.4 with Qualcomm’s aptX Lossless codec to stream true, uncompressed, CD-quality audio directly from your phone. To go wireless on the Mojo 2, you have to buy and snap on the separate Chord Poly module, transforming it into a high-res network streamer and SD server.
The GR 2 gives you wireless freedom instantly, while still hosting analog line inputs, USB-C, and S/PDIF connections in a single, sleek charcoal-blue chassis. Both units do, however, share a brilliant intelligent desktop mode that bypasses the battery when plugged into your desk to protect long-term battery health.
When we look at the verdict, if you want an uncompromising, modular wired stack that you can systematically upgrade over time, the Mojo 2 and Poly ecosystem is legendary. But if you want a single, highly versatile Swiss Army knife that lets you stream lossless audio wirelessly from your couch without a tangle of cables, the GR 2 is the modern champion.
Verdict
To sum it all up, choosing between the Chord Electronics Mojo 2 and the iFi GR 2 isn't about which DAC is technically superior or which one has more features. It's about deciding whether you prioritize the analytical, raw transparency of custom British FPGA engineering or the musical, feature-rich versatility of Japanese Burr-Brown power and lossless Bluetooth.
If you want to sit down at your desk, plug in, and map out every single micro-detail of an acoustic recording with precision, the Mojo 2 and its custom-coded digital architecture will be your ultimate audio sanctuary.
But if you want a true Swiss Army knife of portable high-fidelity—a device that can stream lossless CD-quality Bluetooth from your couch, tap a screen to adjust your bass, and blast massive power into a pair of demanding, full-sized planar headphones—the iFi GR 2 is the definitive all-rounder to beat. Both of these devices are available right now at Moon Audio, and we are always here to help you match them with the perfect custom cables and headphones for your setup.
Featured Products
Related Videos
Chord Mojo 2 DAC Amp Review
iFi xDSD Gryphon DAC Amp Review
Chord Mojo 2 Features Explained
Specifications
Chord Mojo 2
Digital Inputs: Coaxial, Dual-data coax, Optical, Micro-USB, USB-C
Headphone Outputs: 4.4mm TRRRS and 3.5mm TRS
Power Output: 90 mW @ 300 ohms (5.2 V RMS), 600 mW @ 30 ohms (4.2 V RMS)
USB-C Charging: Switchable USB-C charging
Output Impedance: 0.06 ohms
iFi Audio GR 2
Digital Inputs: 1x USB-C, 1x S/PDIF (optical/coaxial), Bluetooth 5.4
Analog Inputs/Outputs: 1x Balanced 4.4mm, 1x Single-Ended 3.5mm
Headphone Outputs: 1x Balanced 4.4mm, 1x S-Balanced 3.5mm
Analog Outputs: 1x Balanced 4.4mm, 1x Single-Ended 3.5mm
Power/Charging: 1x USB-C
