Chord Mojo 2 vs FiiO KA17

102 facts in comparison

Based on 349 Reddit opinions. Mojo 2 leads by 8 points.

349 opinions
Mojo 2 leads by 8pts
Reddit's Pick
Chord Mojo 2
89%
A-
Based on
467 Redditors
Winner

Chord Mojo 2

~$609
276 opinions

tldr; Portable legend. FPGA magic, distinctive sound. The portable reference.

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VS
FiiO KA17
81%
B+
Based on
166 Redditors

FiiO KA17

~$164.99
73 opinions

tldr; Flagship dongle DAC. Insane power, great PEQ, runs hot. The dongle that ate your desktop stack.

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Sound QualityFeatures & ConnectivityAmp PerformanceNoise & InterferenceBuild Quality
🎵SOU
FEA
AMP
🔇NOI
🔧BUI
94
Points
98
Points

Score by Category

Sound Quality
94%94%
Features & Connectivity
100%100%
Amp Performance
94%100%
Noise & Interference
100%
Build Quality
100%

Why is FiiO KA17 better than Chord Mojo 2?

  • Better amp section (100% vs 94%)
  • Powers planars
  • Full PEQ onboard
  • Gets hot under load
Based on 633 Reddit opinions
Slight Edge

Reddit prefers the Mojo 2

Winning by 8 points (89% vs 81%)

Portable king
FPGA DAC
Portable power
High confidence (633 mentions)

💬Reddit Sentiment

Based on 633 Reddit mentions

Overall Rating

Mojo 2
8.9/10
467 mentions
FiiO KA17
8.1/10
166 mentions
SOUND QUALITY
Mojo 29.4/10
FiiO KA179.4/10
AMP SECTION
Mojo 29.4/10
FiiO KA1710.0/10
VALUE
Mojo 27.3/10
FiiO KA170.0/10
FEATURES
Mojo 210.0/10
FiiO KA1710.0/10
BUILD QUALITY
Mojo 210.0/10
FiiO KA17N/A
NOISE
Mojo 210.0/10
FiiO KA17N/A
⚔️

Head to Head

Head to Head

Mojo 2: 3|FiiO KA17: 1
Sound Quality
Mojo 294%
FiiO KA1794%
Amp SectionFiiO KA17
Mojo 294%
FiiO KA17100%
ValueMojo 2
Mojo 273%
FiiO KA170%
Features
Mojo 2100%
FiiO KA17100%
Build QualityMojo 2
Mojo 2100%
FiiO KA17N/A
NoiseMojo 2
Mojo 2100%
FiiO KA17N/A
Mojo 289%
FiiO KA1781%
Mojo 2 wins by 8 points

Key Specs

SpecChord Mojo 2FiiO KA17
Dac Type
Chord proprietary FPGA-based DAC
Dynamic Range
125 dB A wt.
Thd N
0.0003% at 2.5 V 300 ohms
Output Power
90 mW 300 ohms | 600 mW 30 ohms
Inputs
Coaxial, dual-data coax, optical, Micro-USB and USB-C

Key Highlights

Chord Mojo 2Winner
👑 Portable king
🔊 FPGA DAC
🔋 Portable power
💰 Premium price
FiiO KA17
⚡ Powers planars
🔧 Full PEQ onboard
🔥 Gets hot under load
💰 Premium dongle price

Topic Battles

Mojo 2: 2|Tied: 2|FiiO KA17: 1
🎵Sound Quality
Mojo 2
94%
FiiO KA17
94%
Features & Connectivity
Mojo 2
100%
FiiO KA17
100%
Amp Performance
FiiO KA17 wins
Mojo 2
94%
FiiO KA17
100%
🔇Noise & Interference
Mojo 2 wins
Mojo 2
100%
FiiO KA17
🔧Build Quality
Mojo 2 wins
Mojo 2
100%
FiiO KA17

Based on Reddit sentiment across 5 categories

📈Where They Rank

💬What Redditors Actually Say

What Redditors Say

Best praise vs top criticism for Chord Mojo 2

Best Praise
+62 pts
Great price! On the other hand, I find it difficult to spend a lot of money on a product with a micro USB 😂. Afterwards the rest is super quality
r/headphones
View
Top Criticism
+7 pts
Ah, the Mojo ear blast of deafness and destruction. It’s honestly probably the thing that’s making me lean towards Q5K and Qutest over Mojo2.
r/headphones
View
3 more quotes available below

What Redditors Say

Best praise vs top criticism for FiiO KA17

Best Praise
+4 pts
Your hearing the intended tuning rather than the changes that come with your high output impedance sources. Run it balanced and use EQ. The KA17 is just straight up miles ahead of onboard audio, no matter what. And using almost all Bluetooth headphones wired bypasses the built in DSP that makes their tuning not total crap.
r/HeadphoneAdvice
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Top Criticism
+1 pts
I’m experiencing popping and clicking sounds in the Tidal app when playing music in Exclusive Mode. I'm using a FiiO KA17 connected via a high-quality USB cable. I’ve also tried using a Type-C connection, but the same issue persists. The popping and clicking only occur with certain tracks, and only when Exclusive Mode is enabled. I’ve tried various fixes, including installing Soundkeeper, but nothing has helped. However, as soon as I disable Exclusive Mode, the issue disappears—even on the same problematic tracks. Has anyone else encountered this issue? And if so, how did you resolve it? For reference, my FiiO KA17 is updated to the latest firmware. My main settings are: Gain: Low Filter: Fast
r/headphones
View
3 more quotes available below

📈Historical Price Data

Chord Mojo 2
FiiO KA17
$200$400$600Jul '25Aug '25Oct '25Nov '25Nov '25Dec '25Jan '26Jan '26Apr '26Apr '26Low: $600Low: $144.99Current: $600
Chord Mojo 2
All-time low: $560(2024-08)
$0 below 90-day avg
FiiO KA17
All-time low: $144.99(2025-11)

Which is Better?

Chord Mojo 2 Wins
89%
2
vs
81%
KA17

Chord Mojo 2 leads by 8 points based on 633 Reddit opinions.

Why Mojo 2Winner
  • Better Value for Money (73% vs 0%)
  • More discussed (467 vs 166)
Why FiiO KA17
  • ⚡ Powers planars
  • 🔧 Full PEQ onboard

❤️The Love/Hate Breakdown

Sentiment Breakdown

54%Positive
Positive
54%
Neutral
40%
Negative
6%
Based on 467 Reddit opinions

Sentiment Breakdown

37%Positive
Positive
37%
Neutral
56%
Negative
7%
Based on 166 Reddit opinions

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Chord Mojo 2 or FiiO KA17?
Based on 633 Reddit comments, Chord Mojo 2 is the preferred choice with 89% positive sentiment vs FiiO KA17's 81%. Chord Mojo 2 leads by 8 percentage points.
Should I buy Chord Mojo 2 or FiiO KA17?
If you want the safer choice based on community sentiment, Chord Mojo 2 has stronger approval ratings (89% vs 81%). However, FiiO KA17 may still be better depending on your specific needs, budget, or use case.
What do Redditors love about Chord Mojo 2?
Reddit users highlight: Portable king. FPGA DAC. Portable power. With 467 mentions and 89% approval, it's a well-regarded choice in the community.
What do Redditors say about FiiO KA17?
Reddit users highlight: Powers planars. Full PEQ onboard. Gets hot under load. With 166 mentions and 81% approval, it remains a popular alternative.
How many Reddit reviews were analyzed?
This comparison analyzed 633 Reddit comments: 467 about Chord Mojo 2 and 166 about FiiO KA17. Data was sourced from DACs community discussions.
How accurate are these ratings?
Our sentiment analysis is approximately 80-85% accurate compared to manual review. Well-discussed products with many mentions tend to have more reliable scores than niche items with fewer data points.
Why trust Reddit over professional reviews?
Reddit users bought products with their own money and have no incentive to mislead. You're seeing hundreds of real opinions across different use cases, not just one reviewer's take. This crowdsourced approach surfaces both common praise and recurring complaints.

349 Reddit opinions analyzed · Last updated 7/28/2026