TDK MOJO Personal CD Player
Out of stock |
Similar in Portable CD Players
- CD-R/CD-RW Playback: CD-R/CD-RW
- Bass Boost: With Bass Boost
- Anti Skip Buffer: 45 sec.
- Supported Formats: MP3
- Overview
-
Reviews
-
Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Mega Mojo Magik... TDK's red hot CD-MP3 player
Pros
Excellent menu system, sturdy design, CD-R/RW storage, large anti-skip buffer
Cons
firmware NOT upgradable, too much competition now, only MP3 and CDA support... no WMA!
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Overall an excellent player but with a few drawbacks. Lack of upgradable firmware and lack of support for other formats other than MP3 and CDA hurts the unit somewhat.
The RioVolt isn't alone out there... that once weak world of CD-MP3 players has been dominated totally by the RioVolt/Soul Player. RioVolt browbeat all the rest of the competition into faint memory... however, the competition doesn't like to lie on their backs soooo... Here comes the one of the newer boys on the block... it's time for TDK to work some of its Mojo Magic the CD-MP3 world.
Coming just about out of nowhere is the excellent TDK Mojo! TDK advertises it as the first CD-MP3 digital jukebox... and since no other company called their CD-MP3 players digital jukeboxes, the TDK monkier is right technically although we all know better. The TDK Mojo is the first offering by TDK in the CD-MP3 world but it competes against one of the biggest guns in the field... the RioVolt (which I consider the first GOOD CD-MP3 digital jukebox)... well, now the RioVolt SP100. The Mojo can be considered a third generation CD-MP3 player since TDK has had plenty of time to view the mistakes of the first two generations.
So how does the TDK Mojo fare?
The Mojo trump card?
The Mojo has one feature that already beats all other CD-MP3 players hands down... TDK's exclusive Navitrack system. The Navitrack system allows the Mojo to read all song on the CD and then automatically organizes them by title, artist, and genre regardless of the CD-R/CD-RW directory structure! The Navitrack system is simply one of the best, if not the best, song searching and picking systems on any MP3 player period. It rivals the file navigation systems of the Nomad Jukebox and Archos Jukebox. This is a system intended for people to enjoy their music with the least hassle! You find your song quickly and easily with Navitrack. This alone makes the Mojo worth the price. It is so hard for me to go back to the navigation system on the RioVolt SP100 despite the improvements brought on with firmware 2.0 (May 2001 release). The RioVolt SP250 is a different story however.
If you don't like this system of organizing your music... you can switch back to looking through files and directories with the appropriate option change in the LCD menu. The traditional way or TDK's way... you decide what's best for you!
Wait! That's not all... there more features!
The TDK Mojo won't win any style awards... you get a jet black unit with a small LCD and four depressable direction buttons and five more multiple function buttons (play, stop, fast forward, rewind, menu, select...). There is a latch at the front of the unit to open it up for CD changes. Just by picking up the unit, you'll feel quite a difference between this and the RioVolt. The Mojo is slightly thinner than the RioVolt although the Mojo is a bit deeper. The plastic casing has a much more solid feel than the RioVolt and the unit feels quite a bit heavier than the RioVolt, but not uncomfortably so.
The package contains some decent TDK backphones which enhance bass output, 2 AA Duracell Ultras (really nice touch there!), an AC adapter, and a CD with some software on it. Not much else comes with the unit.
The Mojo has a nice 45 sec ESP mode (turned on or off through the LCD menu) and up to 8 minutes of MP3 buffer skip protection... yes, you read that right! 8 full minutes of MP3 buffer protection. Problem is that I don't know the sampling rate that 8 minutes was counted for. The RioVolt has 40 sec of ESP for music CDs but up to 3 minutes of MP3 buffer protection. Something doesn't add up here...
The ESP on the Mojo seems to work better than the RioVolt though. I shook the unit vigorously while playing music CDs and CD-Rs with MP3 files with no skipping. Attached the unit to a belt holster and went jogging... no skip. Drove in my Ford Explorer through bumpy and rocky trail roads, the unit didn't skip. That's way better than the RioVolt unit!
The Mojo will remember the last song you played on a particular CD... heck, it will even remember the playlist too! Not only that... it will remember up to the last 3 CDs placed in the unit! How cool is that... I'm loving it already.
Playlist creation is easy to do even on the unit itself. I haven't tried the software on the Mojo but the options allowed through the LCD menu allow for pretty good flexibility.
The LCD is rather small compared to the RioVolt unit... but the LCD on the MOjo is much clearer. This is due to the thick font used by the Mojo. The LCD has a bright blue backlight that works very well with the selected fonts. On the LCD, information like the info on the sampling rate, whether the MP3 is in stereo or mono, whether the MP3 has a constant or variable bit rate, the mode option, and more is shown clearly. The LCD still has to scroll titles across the screen when they're too long but it's the same with the RioVolt.
The unit is rated for 10 hours on 2 AA Duracell Ultras by TDK. It seems to be about right. Battery life is longer if you turn off the backlight, turn off ESP, and a few other options.
You can select from 4 different equalizer settings (but no user defined settings) and also turn on and off the bass booster system.
You have a choice of various repeat and random play modes as well. The Mojo can play back MP3 and CDA (Compact Disc Audio) formats out of the box. The Mojo reads both CD-R and CD-RWs very well... just like the RioVolt unit. The software included is TDK Navitrack software and the MusicMatch Jukebox. I haven't used either of these programs though. You only need to have a CD burning program like Easy CD Creator 5.0 or so. The Navitrack software can help make playlists to write to the CD, which can be helpful.
I'm drooling now! Where can I get one? How much? Do I need to kill somebody for it!
Hold your horses... the Mojo has its share of weaknesses as well. One shortcoming is the fact that the Mojo only supports MP3 and CDA formats. No WMA support! On top of this, the firmware cannot be upgraded in the Mojo like the RioVolt/Soul Player. That limits the player somewhat. The firmware upgrades have proven to be the greatest strength of the RioVolt. When the Mojo was released, SonicBlue released a new firmware for the RioVolt allowing completely new features to be implemented on the unit, which included a sleep function, greater user control, better battery power management, and even better overall unit performance. The Mojo is basically an end product... you can't improve the unit any further (although it really doesn't need all that much more tweaking).
Another problem... except for basic functions, the majority of Mojo's options and functions are accessed through the LCD menu. The RioVolt had additional buttons for other functions, like the equalizers, programming mode, volume, and other features. There is no other way of accessing these features otherwise.
A minor gripe is the lack of any remote. At least provide an inline remote... the RioVolt had a decent one.
Another minor gripe is the higher battery consumption. The Duracell Ultras lasted about 10 hours (plus or minus and hour with further use on Duracell Ultras). I had achieved up to 14 hours on the RioVolt to date.
Conclusions
Regardless of the gripes with the unit, the fabulous navigation system is worth the money. You can expect to pay around $135 for the unit on the internet. $159-$179 in the store. You don't get a lot of extras, but you definitely get a solid unit with excellent ESP and MP3 navigation. You'll definitely have more confidence in the unit build than the RioVolt. It's sad to see no flash memory to upgrade the firmware but the current firmware looks pretty good right now. Overall, this unit has several features that crush the RioVolt SP100 but at the same time, the RioVolt excels in other equally important features. I think if you bought either the RioVolt or the Mojo, you have a good buy already. Besides, it's probably the lowest price you'll pay for a quality MP3 player... period!
I should note that I originally wrote this review nearly 4 months ago and kept it on my hard drive until the topic appeared on epinions... but times have definitely changed. You have competition from all over the place now! Hard Drive based MP3 players have fallen to the $200 range like the Archos and Creative units. Apple released their ultraportable Hard Drive MP3 unit (6 GB for $399 but compatitble with Apple computers only)... I believe the name was iPod. Panasonic, Sony, Phillips, and multiple other large brand names have released their versions of MP3-CD players in the last several months as well. Lastly, the major gun on the field... SonicBlue... well, they just released the RioVolt SP250 unit. This unit kicks major bootie!
Check out my other MP3 reviews through my profile page!
Coming just about out of nowhere is the excellent TDK Mojo! TDK advertises it as the first CD-MP3 digital jukebox... and since no other company called their CD-MP3 players digital jukeboxes, the TDK monkier is right technically although we all know better. The TDK Mojo is the first offering by TDK in the CD-MP3 world but it competes against one of the biggest guns in the field... the RioVolt (which I consider the first GOOD CD-MP3 digital jukebox)... well, now the RioVolt SP100. The Mojo can be considered a third generation CD-MP3 player since TDK has had plenty of time to view the mistakes of the first two generations.
So how does the TDK Mojo fare?
The Mojo trump card?
The Mojo has one feature that already beats all other CD-MP3 players hands down... TDK's exclusive Navitrack system. The Navitrack system allows the Mojo to read all song on the CD and then automatically organizes them by title, artist, and genre regardless of the CD-R/CD-RW directory structure! The Navitrack system is simply one of the best, if not the best, song searching and picking systems on any MP3 player period. It rivals the file navigation systems of the Nomad Jukebox and Archos Jukebox. This is a system intended for people to enjoy their music with the least hassle! You find your song quickly and easily with Navitrack. This alone makes the Mojo worth the price. It is so hard for me to go back to the navigation system on the RioVolt SP100 despite the improvements brought on with firmware 2.0 (May 2001 release). The RioVolt SP250 is a different story however.
If you don't like this system of organizing your music... you can switch back to looking through files and directories with the appropriate option change in the LCD menu. The traditional way or TDK's way... you decide what's best for you!
Wait! That's not all... there more features!
The TDK Mojo won't win any style awards... you get a jet black unit with a small LCD and four depressable direction buttons and five more multiple function buttons (play, stop, fast forward, rewind, menu, select...). There is a latch at the front of the unit to open it up for CD changes. Just by picking up the unit, you'll feel quite a difference between this and the RioVolt. The Mojo is slightly thinner than the RioVolt although the Mojo is a bit deeper. The plastic casing has a much more solid feel than the RioVolt and the unit feels quite a bit heavier than the RioVolt, but not uncomfortably so.
The package contains some decent TDK backphones which enhance bass output, 2 AA Duracell Ultras (really nice touch there!), an AC adapter, and a CD with some software on it. Not much else comes with the unit.
The Mojo has a nice 45 sec ESP mode (turned on or off through the LCD menu) and up to 8 minutes of MP3 buffer skip protection... yes, you read that right! 8 full minutes of MP3 buffer protection. Problem is that I don't know the sampling rate that 8 minutes was counted for. The RioVolt has 40 sec of ESP for music CDs but up to 3 minutes of MP3 buffer protection. Something doesn't add up here...
The ESP on the Mojo seems to work better than the RioVolt though. I shook the unit vigorously while playing music CDs and CD-Rs with MP3 files with no skipping. Attached the unit to a belt holster and went jogging... no skip. Drove in my Ford Explorer through bumpy and rocky trail roads, the unit didn't skip. That's way better than the RioVolt unit!
The Mojo will remember the last song you played on a particular CD... heck, it will even remember the playlist too! Not only that... it will remember up to the last 3 CDs placed in the unit! How cool is that... I'm loving it already.
Playlist creation is easy to do even on the unit itself. I haven't tried the software on the Mojo but the options allowed through the LCD menu allow for pretty good flexibility.
The LCD is rather small compared to the RioVolt unit... but the LCD on the MOjo is much clearer. This is due to the thick font used by the Mojo. The LCD has a bright blue backlight that works very well with the selected fonts. On the LCD, information like the info on the sampling rate, whether the MP3 is in stereo or mono, whether the MP3 has a constant or variable bit rate, the mode option, and more is shown clearly. The LCD still has to scroll titles across the screen when they're too long but it's the same with the RioVolt.
The unit is rated for 10 hours on 2 AA Duracell Ultras by TDK. It seems to be about right. Battery life is longer if you turn off the backlight, turn off ESP, and a few other options.
You can select from 4 different equalizer settings (but no user defined settings) and also turn on and off the bass booster system.
You have a choice of various repeat and random play modes as well. The Mojo can play back MP3 and CDA (Compact Disc Audio) formats out of the box. The Mojo reads both CD-R and CD-RWs very well... just like the RioVolt unit. The software included is TDK Navitrack software and the MusicMatch Jukebox. I haven't used either of these programs though. You only need to have a CD burning program like Easy CD Creator 5.0 or so. The Navitrack software can help make playlists to write to the CD, which can be helpful.
I'm drooling now! Where can I get one? How much? Do I need to kill somebody for it!
Hold your horses... the Mojo has its share of weaknesses as well. One shortcoming is the fact that the Mojo only supports MP3 and CDA formats. No WMA support! On top of this, the firmware cannot be upgraded in the Mojo like the RioVolt/Soul Player. That limits the player somewhat. The firmware upgrades have proven to be the greatest strength of the RioVolt. When the Mojo was released, SonicBlue released a new firmware for the RioVolt allowing completely new features to be implemented on the unit, which included a sleep function, greater user control, better battery power management, and even better overall unit performance. The Mojo is basically an end product... you can't improve the unit any further (although it really doesn't need all that much more tweaking).
Another problem... except for basic functions, the majority of Mojo's options and functions are accessed through the LCD menu. The RioVolt had additional buttons for other functions, like the equalizers, programming mode, volume, and other features. There is no other way of accessing these features otherwise.
A minor gripe is the lack of any remote. At least provide an inline remote... the RioVolt had a decent one.
Another minor gripe is the higher battery consumption. The Duracell Ultras lasted about 10 hours (plus or minus and hour with further use on Duracell Ultras). I had achieved up to 14 hours on the RioVolt to date.
Conclusions
Regardless of the gripes with the unit, the fabulous navigation system is worth the money. You can expect to pay around $135 for the unit on the internet. $159-$179 in the store. You don't get a lot of extras, but you definitely get a solid unit with excellent ESP and MP3 navigation. You'll definitely have more confidence in the unit build than the RioVolt. It's sad to see no flash memory to upgrade the firmware but the current firmware looks pretty good right now. Overall, this unit has several features that crush the RioVolt SP100 but at the same time, the RioVolt excels in other equally important features. I think if you bought either the RioVolt or the Mojo, you have a good buy already. Besides, it's probably the lowest price you'll pay for a quality MP3 player... period!
I should note that I originally wrote this review nearly 4 months ago and kept it on my hard drive until the topic appeared on epinions... but times have definitely changed. You have competition from all over the place now! Hard Drive based MP3 players have fallen to the $200 range like the Archos and Creative units. Apple released their ultraportable Hard Drive MP3 unit (6 GB for $399 but compatitble with Apple computers only)... I believe the name was iPod. Panasonic, Sony, Phillips, and multiple other large brand names have released their versions of MP3-CD players in the last several months as well. Lastly, the major gun on the field... SonicBlue... well, they just released the RioVolt SP250 unit. This unit kicks major bootie!
Check out my other MP3 reviews through my profile page!
