QoA (Queen of Audio) New Mojito IEM Review

 

 

Introduction:

QOA was established in 2019 as a sister company of Kinera. It continues Kinera’s technology and R&D experience and incorporates its own innovative ideas in the positioning of products. The company has released some products like the Pink Lady, Mojito and Vesper.

• QoA Official Website: http://www.qoa-audio.com/

The QoA New Mojito is the latest flagship IEM of the company and the successor of the original Mojito. Each monitor features 2x Sonion + 4x Knowles Balanced Armature Drivers that are located inside a very premium looking monitor shell made from CNC machines Birch Wood material. It comes also with a High Purity FURUTECH Silver Plated OFC detachable cable that with 4.4mm TRRRS Pentaconn.

 

 

 

Disclaimer:

I would like to thank QoA for providing me the New Mojito sample for review purposes. I am not affiliated with QoA beyond this review and these words reflect my true and unaltered opinions about the product.

 

 

Price & Availability:

The actual price of the QoA New Mojito is $ 429,00USD that is available in two different colors black and grey. More information’s can be found under the link below;

• QoA New Mojito

 

 

 

Package and Accessories:

The QoA New Mojito came inside a very stylish rectangular box with the some brandings on the top and details of the product at the bottom.

 

This box is including the following contents/accessories; 

• 1 pair x QoA New Mojito In-Ear Monitors
• 1 piece x High Purity FURUTECH Silver Plated OFC detachable with 2-Pin Connectors
• 1 piece x 4.4mm Balanced Female to 3.5mm Single Ended Male Adapter
• 3 pairs x Custom RS-B45 Silicone Ear Tips
• 3 pairs x Custom JH-FY009-R Silicone Ear Tips
• 1 pair x Foam Ear Tips
• 1 piece x Protective PU Carry Case
• 1 piece x Some Print Material

 

The accessory package of the QoA New Mojito includes a wide variety of ear tips such like 3 pairs of RS-B45 and 3 pairs of JH-FY009-R custom ear tips that are placed in to the foam later of the box. 1 pair of foam ear tips was inside the case.

The Pleather case in grey color looks pretty fancy and that has the QoA logo on the top. The case shows a high quality workmanship that is a very nice addition.

I really like the presentation of the box and all of the accessories which are carefully chosen and placed inside of it.

 

 

 

 

Design, Fit and Build Quality:

I really love IEM’s that do have a wooden shell and the New Mojito is one of my favorites with its precious looking shell made of pure birch wood that has a special protective oil coating, which gives it the fancy looking glossy finish. The New Mojito is available in to color options, one in grey and the one in black color same like my review unit.

The each monitor the shell was processed with a 5-axis CNC process that requires a lot of effort to have the final look, which is simply gorgeous.

Inside the heart of each monitor are 2x Sonion + 4x Knowles Balanced Armature Drivers that that are part of the 3-way crossover design. Two of the Knowles balanced armatures are for the lows, the Sonion balanced armatures are reserved for the midrange and lower treble regions while the other two Knowles balanced armatures are responsible for the upper treble (ultra-high) range.

The faceplate of the New Mojito sports the Mojito logo on the top that has a shiny gold color.

At the inner surface of the monitor shell is the sound nozzle which has three openings for the 3-Way crossover design.

On the top of the monitor is the 0.78mm diameter 2-Pin female connector that offers a tight and secure connection.

The build quality and the esthetics that is offered are of high quality especially considered the price tag.

 

FURUTECH Silver Plated OFC Cable:

The New Mojito comes with a decent High Purity FURUTECH Silver Plated OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) Cable with 2-Pin male connectors.

The cable has a nice looking braided design with a soft transparent PVC insulation that shows only a very low amount of microphonic effect. It features also a metal y-splitter in silver color and the plastic chin slider that made of transparent plastic material.

The 2-Pin connectors have metal housings with left and right (red) color indicators.

The cable sports on both sides flexible ear guides, which offers extra comfort.

The detachable cable features a 4.4mm TRRRS Balanced (Pentaconn) headphone plug that has a straight profiled metal housing with a carbon fiber effect. Near the metal housing is a flexible transparent plastic strain relief for extra durability.

Inside the box is a 4.4mm (TRRRS) Balanced Female to 3.5mm (TRS) Single Ended Male adapter, which is a nice addition.

The overall build quality of both the monitors and of the cable is top of the line!

 

 

 

Fit, Comfort & Isolation:

The QoA New Mojito has a semi custom monitor shape that fits quite comfortable to my medium sized ear concha’s without to hurt them even after longer listening periods.

The passive noise isolation on the other hand is above average when I do use the New Mojito with the silicone ear tips that are included inside the package. This makes it quite ideal for the use in fairly noise environments such like a metro, bus or train.

 

 

 

Technical Specifications: 

• Driver Configuration   : 2x Sonion + 4 Knowles Balanced Armature Drivers
• Frequency response  : 5Hz ~ 50kHz
• Sensitivity                   : 118 dB +/- 2dB
• Impedance                  : 23 Ω
• Cable Material            : High Purity FURUTECH Silver Plated OFC Wire
• Connector type           : 0.78mm Diameter 2-Pin Connector
• Plug                            : 4.4mm TRRRS Balanced (Pentaconn)
• Cord length                 : about 1.2 m

 

 

 

 

Drivability:

The QoA New Mojito is a pretty efficient In-Ear Monitor due to the relative low impedance of only 23Ω and a sensitivity of about 118dB, which makes it compatible with relative weak sources like Smartphone’s, Tablet’s and DAP’s with weak amplification.

 

 

 

Equipment’s used for this review:

• IEM’s              : QoA New Mojito, Oriveti OH500, HiBy Crystal6
• DAP&DAC’s   : iBasso DX220 MAX, FiiO M11 Pro, Shanling UP5

 

 

 

 

Albums & tracks used for this review:

• Hayley Westenra – Odyssey Album (Dezzer HiFi)
• Dionne Warwick – Walk On By (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Sarah McLachlan – Angel (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Sertap Erener – Aşk (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Edith Piaf – Non Je Ne Regrette Rien (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Diana Krall – So Wonderful (DSF)
• Aretha Franklin – I Say A Little Payer (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• David Bowie – Heroes (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Barry White – Just The Way You Are (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Isaac Hayes – Walk On By (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Elton John – Rocket Man ((Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Sting – Englishman in New York – (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Really Slow Motion – Deadwood (Deezer HiFi)
• Jo Blankenburg – Meraki (Spotify)
• Gogo Penguin – Raven (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Lorde – Royal (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Toutant – Rebirth (Deezer HiFi)
• Portishead – It Could Be Sweet (Spotify)
• Charly Antolini – Duwadjuwandadu (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Chopin – Nocturn No. 20 In C-Sharp Minor (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Fazıl Say – Nazım Oratoryosu (Live) (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Vivaldi – Le QuarttroStagioni “The Four Season” (Deezer HiFi)
• Otto Liebert& Luna Negra – The River (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Armin Van Buuren – Vini Vici (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Lunatic Soul – The Passage (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Deftones – My Own Summer (Shove it) (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Metallica – Sad but True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Opeth – Windowpane (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Megadeth – Sweating Bullets (Tidal Hi-Fi)
• Rush’s – Leave That Thing Alone (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Slayer – Angel of Death (Spotify)s
• Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain (Spotify)
• Yosi Horikawa – Bubbles (Spotify)

 

 

 

 

 

The Sound:

The New Mojito shows a lively/fresh presentation with a nicely warm tonality. The bass shows a pretty fast and controlled response with moderate sense of intensity, while the midrange and treble regions are transparent, airy and detailed thanks to the well-adjusted Sonion and Knowles Balanced Armature Drivers.

 

Bass:

The QoA New Mojito separates the bass layer by layer and the fact that it produced in a pretty fast, tight and balanced manner makes it to a quite detailed IEM in this region.

The subbass region of the New Mojito shows an adequate level of depth and extension, while it has soft and warmish tonality. The subbass region stands out with its authority and pretty fast decay that was audible in songs like Massive Attack’s “Angel”, Portishead’s “It Could Be Sweet” and Jo Blankenburg’s “Meraki”.

The midbass region on the other hand has a nicely warm tonality and shows a pretty controlled, tight and fast response. I have listened to instruments like contrabass, drums or violas, together and individually and couldn’t hear any remarkable midbass issues. The QoA New Mojito offers also a good sense of layering and resolution in this region along with an intensity that is neither too low nor too high.

The bass quantity and intensity of the New Mojito is quite sufficient when I do listen to genres like rock, pop, classic and metal music. However, people who mainly listen to bass intensive genres like EDM, Dance or Trace music can maybe wish slightly more depth and impact in this area.

 

Midrange:

The QoA New Mojito has a pretty transparent and airy midrange presentation with a nice sense of warmth that comes from the lower midrange area. The New Mojito is able to produce a good level of clarity and resolution in this region thanks to the well-adjusted High-End Sonion Balanced Armature Driver.

The lower midrange of the New Mojito shows a good harmony with the lower frequency region. It has a neutral tonality and shows a sufficient sense of depth, while it is neither too upfront nor recessed. Male vocals such like Barry White and Isaac Hayes are reproduced in a fairly clear and emotional manner.

The New Mojito has a fairly pronounced, detailed and controlled upper midrange tuning that adds the overall presentation a nice sense of clarity and liveliness thanks to a mildly peak around the 3 kHz region. The transitions can be slightly sharp or soft, depending on the record quality, but doesn’t sound very aggressive or piercing in most cases.

Female vocals from Hayley Westenra to Diana Krall, from Edith Piaf to Sarah McLachlan are reproduced with a pretty good sense of transparency and extension, without to show remarkable levels of sibilance or harshness. From jazz vocals to pop vocals, from soprano to trance vocals, all are quite transparent and detailed.

When it comes to the instrument presentation I can say that the QoA New Mojito is quite successful in terms of clarity and resolution. Instruments like drums have a good intensity and there is only a slightly sharpness in faster drum passages. Bass guitars are successful, when it comes to the depth and extension and are pretty controlled in fast passages without to show remarkable mixing.

 

Treble:

The treble range of the QoA New Mojito is fairly highlighted, bright and detailed with a focal point in the lower treble region. The transitions from the upper midrange towards the lower treble area are in general controlled when instruments do play with high level of distortion.

The lower treble range of the New Mojito offers a good sense of clarity and definition when I do listen to instruments such like hi-hats, snare drums up to pianos organs. The presentation in this area is lively, soft and balanced without to show any noteworthy over-sharpness.

The upper treble region is less pronounced and slightly less detailed compared to the upper treble area, which is concentrated around the 7-8 kHz region. This tuning is quite popular these days that adds the overall presentation a good level of airiness and sparkle.

Instruments from strings to cymbals are reproduced with an efficient sense of brilliance and extension, while snare drums do sound pretty energetic yet controlled.

I do really like the balanced and controlled of the treble tuning that is also technical pretty successful thanks to the well-tuned Sonion and Knowles Balanced Armature Drivers.

 

Soundstage & Imaging:

The QoA New Mojito offers a pretty spacious and airy soundstage atmosphere that is ideal for a fairly precise placement and separation of instruments and vocals. The soundstage shows an above average wideness and a moderate level of depth and height.

 

 

 

 

Some Short Comparisons:

 

QoA New Mojito versus HiBy Crystal6:

Both In-Ear Monitors do feature 6 Balanced Armature Drivers configuration and do come in a fancy high quality monitor shell.

The subbass region of both IEM’s shows a moderate level of depth and rumble, while the New Mojito has the upper hand in terms of decay, clarity and general resolution in this area. The midbass area of the HiBy Crystal6 shows a tad more body and intensity, while both IEM’s are pretty equal when it comes to detail retrieval and control in this area.

The midrange of the New Mojito sounds more natural, mature and controlled, while both do share a good sense of clarity and detail retrieval in this area. Both male and female vocals do sound more balanced and natural with the New Mojito. The same situations continues with instruments where the HiBy Crystal6 sound a bit unnatural, bright and prone to sibilance especially with poor recorded tracks.

The treble range of both IEM’s is pronounced and detailed, however the HiBy Crystal6 shows an audible peak in the upper treble region, which makes it sound a bit unnatural and sharp in this area.

The soundstage of the both the QoA New Mojito and the HiBy Crystal6 is suitable for a precise placement of instrument and vocals. The difference in terms of soundstage wideness is minimal, while the New Mojito has the edge when it comes to the depth of the stage.

 

 

 

QoA New Mojito versus Oriveti OH500:

The Oriveti OH500 is a Hybrid IEM with a V shaped sound signature that has a pretty comfortable semi-custom monitor shell. The OH500 has a slightly warmer tonality compared to the New Mojito that is slightly more neutral in this regarding.

The subbass region of the OH500 is noticeably more highlighted with greater level of depth and rumble. The New Mojito shows a better sense of subbass decay and it has also the slightly edge when it comes to the control in this area. The midbass region of the OH500 has more depth and impact compared to the New Mojito, which is otherwise superior in terms of clarity and resolution.

The midrange of the QoA New Mojito offers a better sense of transparency and airiness, while the Oriveti OH500 is the more musical IEM in this area. The lower midrange of the OH500 has more body and depth which makes is more successful with male vocals and instruments like acoustic guitars, trumpets and violas. The QoA New Mojito on the other hand is superior in terms of upper midrange brightness, extension and resolution, which makes it more successful with female vocals and instruments like electro guitars, pianos and violins.

The treble range of the New Mojito offers a better sense of extension, clarity and definition while both IEM’s are controlled in this area. The upper treble region has slightly less airiness and sparkle.

When it comes to the soundstage performance, I can say that the QoA New Mojito offers a better level of airiness, wideness and depth.

 

 

Conclusion:

The New QoA (Queen of Audio) Mojito is a very clear, lively and somehow fresh sounding In-Ear Monitor with a pretty fast and controlled bass response that shows an efficient sense of intensity, while the midrange and treble regions do offer an above average level of airiness, sparkle and detail retrieval that definitely fulfils the expectations from an product at this price level. All of these sound features are packed in to a gorgeous looking Birch Wood shell, which comes with a High Purity FURUTECH Silver Pated OFC Cable and rich set of accessory package.

 

 

 

Pros & Cons:

• + Balanced Bass Tuning with Good Sense of Resolution and Control
• + Transparent and Airy Midrange Presentation
• + Lower Treble Clarity, Extension & Detail Retrieval
• + Beautiful Birch Wooden Shell
• + Good Stock Cable & Rich Set of Accessories

 

• – Not Ideal for Bass Heavy Genres
• – Slightly Roll-Off in the Lower Midrange & Upper Treble Region
• – 2.5mm TRRS Balanced Adapter is Missing

 

Thank you for the Read!