When I survey the realms of fancy-pants audio, the first thing I notice are cohorts of luxury-brand manufacturers selling pride of ownership with emblematic faceplates. After that, I spot another type of manufacturer, one that mocks the first type and aims its products at a younger, more working-class demographic, seducing potential customers with how much “truth” they are offering for only $15. But sometimes, when I look beyond the full-page ads and big rooms at audio shows, I discover a rogue manufacturer that is peddling a very specific type of listening experience, which they believe is the best. A listening experience only they could have created. I am grateful for manufacturers like this. They make my job more interesting, and I admire them for their courage in betting on their own taste in music reproduction.
I am relating these observations because this month I’m reviewing a digital converter from an off-the-paved-road audio manufacturer named Benjamin Zwickel. He operates a company called Mojo Audio, which is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. When Editor Jim Austin asked if I was interested in reviewing Mojo Audio’s Mystique X SE DAC, I told him I had never heard of Mojo Audio, but that I would check out their website. Halfway through the first website page, I realized Mr. Zwickel was one of those too-rare manufacturers with a strong viewpoint, one that inspires him to create products designed with a specific type of listening experience in mind. Zwickel explores an engineering strategy he believes is truer than others to the data in our digital files.
His well-stated beliefs
