The Chord Poly is a music streamer/player that couples with the Mojo DAC/Amp. It plugs into the USB end of the Mojo and the two fit in a case to make a single unit that can wirelessly stream HD audio from WiFi, Bluetooth, or AirPlay connected devices. For the best fidelity you can play music directly from Poly’s onboard Micro SD slot. You control it from a smartphone for the ultimate mobile audio streamer. It can also be controlled from a tablet or computer if you want a larger screen. Chord also claims the Poly is “Roon ready”.
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This is a really fiddly device to use, with a lot of quirks and issues that spoiled the experience (for me) - and while it’s very cool in what it can do, and it results in excellent sound, please make sure you read up on the issues around it carefully before buying one.
Chord have an unusually extensive FAQ for most of these issues - and it’ll give you a better idea of how this thing works in practice than the user-manual.
For example, if you want to play back music from the microSD card slot you’ll need a third-party DLNA/MPD compatible control point application (the recently released “GoFigure” app, from Chord, is really for configuration - there’s a very limited play-back option in there).
And using it both at home and on the go results in a lot of faffing about changing the network/mode configuration. Sadly there’s no seamless transition from, say, using it as a Roon end-point at home and as a DLNA renderer (for microSD card playback) on the go. You’ll be waiting for timeouts or force-closing apps or reconfiguring the units connections every time.
I liked the potential, but I returned mine as it was just too much of a pain to use. Hopefully the “2Go” version (the Hugo 2 equivalent to Poly) will address these issues.
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This is very useful advice . It was worth joining the network for this alone!
If you want to benefit from the Mojo sound but with full source facilities you’re better using an output from such as Fiio X5 into the Mojo.
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I was recently on the fence about whether to purchase a Poly for my Mojo. This article did a great job outlining the strengths and weaknesses of the device and helped me decide to wait until stability improves. Hope it helps out others as well.
http://audiofi.net/2018/05/chord-poly-streamer-player-raising-your-mojo/
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Just a thought… since this is the only Poly thread I could find.
Might be worth changing the title of this thread to Chord Poly - Official Thread under the category “Official AMP/DAC/DAP Model Discussion”
Not sure if only @andrew or @taronlissimore have this authority though…
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It has been moved into the proper category and tagged for visibility! Thanks for the heads up.
Thinking of getting a used Poly as a Roon ready endpoint. Is this device still having issues or are they mostly resolved?
My issues with Poly were only when I left the house. When Poly was continuously connected to the same WiFi I never saw any problems. Thanks for the great idea to use my Poly since I recently moved up to a Chord 2go and Hugo 2. Cheers!
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I ordered the poly so looking forward to it’s versatility.
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I’m interested in the Poly, but it looks a little pricey for my needs. I’d end up only using it for bluetooth. Anyone using the poly for only bluetooth and have a good experience? I’ll be streaming from an iPhone.
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How do you find it so far?
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I am very happy with it. It’s a wonderful Roon endpoint and sounds great (no more laptop electrical storm affecting the dynamic range). Because I bought it used, I had to update the firmware and that was a pain but now works reliably. Now considering getting the 2go/2Yu in the future for my Qutest.
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I had a Poly for about 6 months.
It has great features and (paired with the mojo) sounds fantastic.
I found that it really excelled for mobile home use. There’s a wonderful feeling of freedom in being able to walk around your house with your favorite headphones.
However the software interface was maddening and, ultimately, why I choose to sell my Poly. Any switch in mode is dreadfully unreliable and time consuming. In addition, there were times when an audible noise floor appeared, often after charging or in wireless modes.
So on one hand the mobility and sound quality brought me joy and on the other the reliability and usability brought me pain. In the end, my dollars are worth something more consistent.
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I had a similar experience. In addition to the problems you mention my Poly had frequent dropouts, probably due to it being extremely sensitive to changes in wifi coverage.
Very sad as it is such a useful and versatile unit. If Chord ever manages to solve these issues (which I doubt) I will definitely re-acquire.
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Hello everyone,
Long story short I have the option to buy Chord Mojo & poly together for $500 (2nd hand of course) and also fiio Q5s for $250 (also 2nd hand).
I want this to be my “transportable” setup (as in not something I listen to on the subway but something I take to work and set on my desk and move room to room at my house)
Full disclosure I’m fairly new to the hobby and currently my main headphone is a Beyerdynamic DT1770 which I love. Will add Sennheiser HD660s shortly and go up from there.
This for now will act as my main amp and Dac and from what I’ve gathered the chord stack might be quite enough for a solid state until you go up to +$1000 headphones.
I’m worried about the battery life of chord and the connectivity issues and wondering if I’d be better off saving $250 and go with Q5s
Any feedback is appreciated
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I have the combo and love it. But since the pandemic started, mostly using it as a Roon endpoint in my home office. My battery life isn’t the greatest and mostly due to the Mojo side (have had the unit for 2-3 years now). Its due for a replacement battery.
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I’ve had both, but not at the same time. I ended up with the Q5S based on user experience and value.
Personally, I’d go with the Q5S. The main reason being the experience of use of the go. For use at home with good WiFi coverage, I prefer the chord. However, anytime you are switching between Bluetooth and WiFi, it is a total pain in the butt. This is also super frustrating because I had my music on the darn card in the Poly, but it’s such a pain to access. Lastly, my Mojo would give off an audible hum sometimes after charging. The hum itself was annoying, but its inconsistent nature was maddening. If it only happens sometimes, why? Was there something I could do to prevent it? I experimented a bunch and only ended up with frustration.
The Q5S doesn’t do WiFi which means no UPnP/DLNA and no HiRes, which is considerable downside. The Q5S has better battery life, just works, and was considerably cheaper. When on the go, I don’t have to bake-in an extra 5 min to make sure I’m going to be able to listen to music.
Just FYI, for those who are still looking at the MOJO, I saw that Guitar Center which was previously sold out has moved their MOJO to Backordered and are starting to take orders at a $309 price. Considering USED Mojo’s are still selling for $400, I’d say that this is a pretty sweet deal. (Chord Electronics Mojo DAC Headphone Amp | Guitar Center
Confirmed that they are tentatively going to be shipping June 19th.
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Good to know. I wonder if the price implies that a new version is in the works…
There’s a headfi speculation thread about a v2 Mojo that, lol, has been going for three years now.
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The current Mojo/Poly/Go Figure combination doesn’t allow for offline playing of Qobuz content stored on Poly’s SD card, does it?