If it’s USB only he better be doing something special with the USB input the way Lampizator does because I was not impressed in the slightest going from the USB out of the opticalRendu into the Evo Pro and the opticalRendu’s USB out is clean.
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It looks like the USB port is isolated. Based on the description, it might be similar to how the Mystique X isolate their USB input. Probably would be best if the Mystique X owners can chime in on how the USB input is for them.
Edit: Read what USB lift does in the Mystique X and that turns off USB so further enhance the AES and SPDIF input LOL. It’s really weird that Ben just did a 180 and decided to make a USB only DAC.
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FYSA to all, while using the Mystique X i did try the USB input direct from my Innuos Zenith mk3 and i had no negative issues to report. It worked well, sounded good and performed fine within the limitations of my equipment. If it has issues it will take better gear than i used it with to bring them out 
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Can only speak to the evo, but my impressions mirror @dB_Cooper’s, the usb is pretty meh compared to spdif input for that dac
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Dang, USB that bad for the Evo? I was planning on using the USB input with the Mojo Server since the SPDIF is reserve for my CD transport. Probably not going to be worth blindly buying the Mojo Server and just stick with the NS1 at that point.
2nd rumor rumor from a company I like is going to release a cd transport or a SD Card reader late 2024. I think I might try to get that used as well and not buy new while sticking with my NS1 the entire way.
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I have not been able to use the X with usb only as the antipodes wasnt cooperative when i tried. But i trust DBs, M0Ns opinion so i never pushed on it again. But even BEN HIMSELF is on the record with his opinion. That is why i am questioning it a bit. But we will see.
CD transports are seemingly hot again, i think Hegel just announced theirs.
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The conversation I had with him was interesting because he did say to me the same thing that 80% of his customers tell him they use USB.
If you can save $ and put that to other portions of the DAC, maybe it’s worth it. I also wouldn’t discount USB because it can be a great input and Lampi’s high end stuff proves that. In the end he’s making this his entry level DAC which means that you’ll probably get a lot of the people buying it being just fine plugging their laptop USB to it and calling it a day.
Problem is that you can’t unhear things. lol
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I guess it just means that we’re not really his target audience. i would be hesitant to spend that much on a DAC that most likely just uses an XMOS USB chip.
Honestly I’d be hesitant to spend that much on his new dac designs in general compared to the evo line, at least from a parts and design perspective they just seem like cost cut versions even though he claims they’re an improvement. One of the reasons keeping me from trying out the X and now this one. Feel like my suspicions were confirmed a bit by some of the other members here as well lol
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The designs of his I’ve seen use the JL Sounds USB daughter card.
Yes, Lampizator use a modified/custom version of the same board.
It’s considered to be the best of the off the shelf solutions.
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It is all implementation, but I would personally not go for Mojo if usb was your main connection and i would be hesitant to recommend that even if youre usb decked out like Nick.
I do wonder what a full out EVO vs full out X would sound like. Both can get the Z-chip and nanocrystal chokes. Would it be one 100% better than the other? Would it be a preference and synergy thing? Possibly just tradeoffs (ie one is quieter background, the other a more 3D stage). Unfortunately only 1 person knows and that person is also the person in charge of selling the units as well. In those cases the latest is the greatest especially when you cant make the old models.
I am interested in what his new unit does. It will be a different dac chip, and the dual chassis design. I will wonder if he brings back the full power build out from the EVOs and that is all in one chassis, that would be very telling of where the Xs and such really sit.
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You can get the Z chip upgrade on the Evo? Ben keeps egging me to sell my Evo for his Z chip Mystique X SE, but I didn’t think it would be possible for the Mystique Evo to get upgraded with the Z chip. Honestly been thinking about Z-chip Mystique X SE the entire time since it’s November, but I would have to sell both my Evo and Susvara to get it.
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@Souldriver was right. I guess asking questions takes you a long way lol. Ben was pushing me to get the Mystique X SE so I thought it was just a exclusive to the Mystique X, but apparently you can do it for the Mystique Evo as well.
There some bad news I want to get out of the way first. The nano chokes upgrade is sold out for the rest of the year. Most likely being use for his new Mystique Y DAC that is going to be release in December. You can pay Ben now to be in front of the line, but the upgrades most likely won’t happen until next year 2024.
Some interesting news, Ben have 1 pair of AD1862N-Z chip left. Ben described it a rare chip that he uses for his personal DAC. If anyone is interested in doing a DAC chip upgrade, email Ben to see if he still got it.
Other news, Ben new TOTL DAC for late 2024 is going to be using a different DAC Chip altogether which is the PCM58 DAC chip with of course a bigger beefier external power supply and the nano crystal chokes for the analog power supplies.
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PCM58? What happened to the PCM63 version he was talking about years ago?
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Not too sure, but that was what he told me. He told me I could try swapping my Mystique Evo DAC chip with a PCM58 DAC Chip and do the nano crystal upgrade so I can make a mini DAC version of his newest TOTL.
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You just jogged my memory. This is from an email exchange I had with Ben where he talks about the PCM58.
Personally I would go with the PCM58 DAC chip upgrade over the Z chips, but the PCM58 is going to cost more just because they have 4X MSB fine tune adjustments and require a very sensitive distortion analyzer to do the fine tune adjustments. By comparison the Z chips are about 1/3 the size and have only 1X MSB adjustment.
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Interesting. Maybe chip sourcing for the PCM63s didnt work out.
I dont know if I would opt to put a different chip in his older designs just as they were designed around the ADs. Doesnt mean they are bad or wont match, but you really start getting into odd ball stuff.
If i was offered the PCM63 and it was a better binned chip, i would be interested. But hard to say there. I really like the Burr Brown in my Cowon and it would be interesting to see what could be done with what many consider THE best dac chip.
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Late last night/this morning I reinstalled my Mojo X SE into my system. Reinstalling as it is freshly back after receiving an AD1862-Z chip and Nano Crystal choke upgrade. So as upgraded as an X can get, the Mojo X ZiNC. (sans any previously mentioned PCM chip swap which was not offered to me, and may not be available for an X, but ill see if I can dig up more info on this)
In from the cold, zero warm up, zero break in and only 1 hour in before my head started to go more than it has lately… I can safely say, I hear a little difference.
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