Mystique X updated for 2024!

All the signal path, power supply, shielding, and anti-resonance upgrades from our award-winning Mystique X SE with three custom Lundahl choke options.

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Mystique X User Manual

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Mystique X and Mystique Y Comparison

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Reviewed by Ken Redmond for The Audio Beatnik

"Frankly, the highest praise I can give any audio component is to say that it can, for a moment, render the believable suspension of reality. And so it was with the Mojo Mystique X SE DAC."

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Awarded "Product of the Year 2022" by The Sound Advocate

"There is no doubt that what Benjamin Zwickel has designed here in his Mystique X DAC is a revelation in its musicality and ultimate fidelity."

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Reviewed by Dr. Mathew Clott for Enjoy the Music

"Pace and rhythm, high-frequency extension, low-end oomph, soundscape depth, image density, and localization? Ummm, yes and yes, wow, woah, so very deep, palpable, and overwhelmingly realistic."

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Awarded "Star Component" by Karl Sigman for Audiophilia

"...the Mojo Audio Mystique X SE is a gem itself; it is addictive. A must-hear DAC."

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What is the Mystique X?

The circuit and most of the component parts in the Mystique X are identical to our award-winning Mystique EVO.

The X stands for "extruded chassis." Our new massive extruded aluminum chassis significantly lowers mechanical resonance and thereby lowers noise floor.

In addition to the new extruded chassis, the additional power supply isolation, shorter analog signal path, and advanced anti-resonance typologies, lower noise floor even further. The result is all the organic character and harmonic coherency our Mystique DACs have been known for with more transparency, an even darker background, and more subtlety and nuance, than any DAC Mojo Audio has ever manufactured.

The Mystique X sets a new standard in digital-to-analog conversion.

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Time, tune, tone, and timbre.

Our Mystique X incorporates the same no-compromise ultra-purist non-oversampling direct-coupled R-2R circuit that Mojo Audio is famous for.

With no pre-digital filtering, digital noise shaping, upsampling, oversampling, or error-correcting algorithms, our digital signal path is the purest possible.

The result is the most natural time and tune you can get from a digital source. Effortless micro-dynamics and incredible micro-details preserve the tone, timbre, texture, and spatial cues that bring you closer to the original musical performance.

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Error prevention vs. error correction.

Five independent power supplies isolate each stage to eliminate bit read errors. Each power supply incorporates Mundorf M-Lytic AG+ 4-pole capacitors which in turn feed nine Belleson SPX ultralow-noise ultrahigh-dynamic regulators, to isolate each type of IC chip, discrete module, and clock. The power supplies for the analog sections are LC choke input and offer three performance levels of custom Lundahl chokes: ferrous core, amorphous core, and nano crystal core.

The analog output stage is direct-coupled to provide the most linear and extended frequency response possible by eliminating output coupling capacitors and transformers that color the sound, narrow the bandwidth, and cause phase and time distortion. For ultimate transparency the direct-coupled output stage incorporates Staccato class A discrete op amps and ultralow-noise Vishay TX2575 "Nude" resistors laser matched to 0.1% tolerance.

Our hardware-based demultiplexing circuit has notably lower noise than any processor or FPGA demultiplexer. It assures 100% phase and time coherency between channels by using a bank of six ultralow-noise logic gates to perfectly align the bits of the left and right digital words to the same clock cycle.

To optimize linearity left and right channels each have an independent fine-tune circuit that adjusts the voltage of the most significant bit (MSB) at the zero voltage crossing.

For isolation from grounding noise an advanced hybrid star/plain grounding schema is used to isolate input, digital, and analog grounds. And a DC ground lift switch isolates signal ground from Earth, chassis, and AC grounds.

Our unique ultra-purist approach lowers noise floor and optimizes linearity.

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Three 24-bit 192KHz PCM digital Inputs.

Our Mystique X digital-to-analog converter converts PCM format files up to 24-bit 192KHz via Femto clocked USB, coaxial S/PDIF, or balanced AES.

The fifth of our independent power supplies powers our digital input board. Five Belleson SPX ultralow -noise ultrahigh-dynamic regulators isolate the USB input from all other power supplies and eliminates the need for USB buss power or any external USB reclocking or regeneration devices. Each stage is independently powered and all stages are galvanically isolated from USB input data and USB buss power.

Another unique feature in our Mystique X is a USB lift switch to 100% eliminate noisy clocking inside the chassis to lower noise floor even further to optimize S/PDIF and AES performance.

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Uncompromising design.

• Built around Analog Devices' legendary AD1862 R-2R ladder DAC chips.
• Converts PCM files up to 24-bit 192KHz via USB, coax, and balanced AES.
• Direct-coupled ultrahigh-performance Staccato class A discrete op amps.
• No output transformers or coupling caps to narrow bandwidth or distort phase.
• Hardware-based demultiplexing ensures perfect phase and time.
• Fine tune circuitry to optimize linearity at the MSB zero voltage crossing.
• Vishay TX2575 "Nude" resistors matched to 0.1% in analog signal path.
• Lundahl amorphous core input transformers on S/PDIF and AES Inputs
• LC choke input analog power supplies with custom Lundahl chokes.
• Optional Upgrade: Lundahl amorphous core analog PSU chokes.
• Optional Upgrade: Lundahl nano crystal core analog PSU chokes.
• 9 Belleson SPX ultralow-noise regulators isolate IC chips, modules, and clocks.
• Cryo'd Kimber VSS VariStrand wire between main PSU and digital input board.
• Rel-Cap Polystyrene film and tin foil capacitors in the anti-aliasing filters.
• Furutech rhodium plated low-mass RCAs directly soldered to the PC board.
• Neutrik gold plated XLR connectors directly soldered to the PC board.
• Schurter AC input module and medical grade advanced AC input filtering.
• Ground lift switch isolates signal ground from Earth, chassis, and AC grounds.
• USB lift switch to optimize S/PDIF inputs and eliminate clocking noise.
• 3-point Herbie's Audio Lab Fat Dot anti-resonance footers.
• Low-resonance high-rigidity extruded aluminum chassis.
• Ultra-fast ultralow-noise zero recovery SiC Schottky rectification diodes.
• Five independent power supplies with 22,000uf Mundorf 4-pole capacitors.
• Field convertible from 110VAC to 250VAC both 50Hz and 60Hz.
• 9"W x 4"H x 16"D and 19 pounds.