35-207 Chord Electronics / Audeze / Vienna Acoustics Room

It was a big suite this year for the latest products from Chord Electronics, Audeze and Vienna Acoustics and factory reps from all three companies were there too. We showed the latest headphones from Audeze along with Chord’s fantastic headphone amp/DACs, including: Hugo, Hugo TT and the brand new Mojo and DAVE.  Also on demonstration was a Chord Electronics reference system driving Vienna Acoustic’s flagship loudspeaker, The Music, all wired with Kubala-Sosna Elation cables. Thanks to Robert Watts, digital design guru of Chord Electronics, the full Chord crew and Maria Gansterer, CEO of Vienna Acoustics for their help and support at the show.

Three rock stars, L to R: Graham Nash, yes that Graham Nash, Mark Rein of Epic Games, and Rob Watts of Chord Electronics.

Graham Nash Tries Out The Audeze EL-8 and Chord Mojo

In the back room of the Chord suite, at the top of the Venetian, a variety of Audeze headphones were set up connected to various Chord portable and desktop products and arrayed on a couple of long tables.

Instead of going for the most expensive system, Chord’s John Franks handed Graham a pair of Audeze EL-8 headphones ($699) connected to the company’s Mojo DAC/headphone amp ($599) and somebody’s phone.

‘They handed me an iPhone with a lot of things to play. Now one of the things on the phone was Neil Young’s A Man Needs a Maid from the Harvest album. I happened to be present with Neil when he recorded that with the London Symphony in London. I was there, so I know what it’s supposed to sound like. And they put me right in the middle of the orchestra. Those headphones were amazing, and this little Mojo thing they’ve got, good lord. 16 bit lossless and it sounded amazing.’

He noted that the emotional impact of good sound was clear ‘and it didn’t even cost an arm and a leg.’ Later that night at dinner Graham mentioned that he was charging his new Mojo up back at his hotel room, to use on his flight to LA the next morning. Music to his and my ears!

Jon Iverson, Stereophile, CES Show Report, January 2016