Mojo Audio Joule III PSU Demo Sale!

Awarded Audiophilia Star Component.

Unlock the potential of your computer or component with Mojo Audio’s power supply upgrades. Significantly improves performance of all media formats on all types of computers and components including Mac Minis, C.A.P.S servers, HTPCs, DACs, converters, streamers, phono stages, and cross-overs that operate on 3.3V-13.6V DC. 

DIY plug-and-play kits for any age Mac Min. 45-day no-risk audition.          .

Upgrading the stock switch-mode power supply that powers your computer or component will be one of the most significant upgrades you can make. It makes more of a performance improvement than RAM, SSD, operating system optimizations, player software, AC power conditioners, power or signal cables, and anti-resonance upgrades combined.

When the distortion caused by power supply noise and unwanted resonance are removed, you will see and hear higher contrasts and more low-level detail than ever before. Harmonic content and articulation improves, and the dynamic range and frequency response expands. Layers of subtlety and nuance are revealed.

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Demo is a like-new 2-month old Joule III power supply traded in newer model.

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Excerpts from the review of our Mac Mini upgrades by Karl Sigman:

“Even people who are obsessed with vinyl might easily believe that they were listening to just that; but all was digital.” 

“...compared to my regular Mac Mini...the sound was even deeper, richer, fuller, and more resolving with amazing clarity and transparency, and so clean, with impeccable quiets and timbral accuracy.” 

“My wife, too, was very impressed with the sound…”

“The Mojo Audio Joule III upgrade kit converts a Mac Mini into a first-rate audiophile quality music server that can compete very favorably with dedicated music servers that cost more.”

“The Mojo Audio Mac Mini upgrade kit...gets my highest recommendation.”

We are proud to be awarded Audiophilia’s Star Component status!

Go to “Audiophilia” to read the full review.

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Excerpt from the review by Al Chieng:

“Mojo Audio is at the forefront of providing a true media server solution. Give it a shot as this product has some serious mojo."

"My listening notes indicated better separation of instruments, lower noise floor, and better imaging."

Go to “Positive-Feedback Online” to read the full review.

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Excerpt from the review by Scott Hull:

“...with the Mojo [Mac Mini Media Server], the sound feels more organic. Resonance and harmonics all seem more realized...The Mojo Audio Mac Mini Server is the best computer source that I’ve heard in my system to date.” 

Go to “Confessions of a Part-Time Audiophile” to read the full review.

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Choose from three high-performance options:

• DIY with a power supply upgrade kit for any age Mac Mini. 
• Send us your Mac Mini for a professional warrantied upgrade. 
• Buy a complete media server package including a new Mac Mini.

FREE power supply upgrade reversal as part of our 45-day no-risk audition.

If you’re not 100% satisfied, we’ll return your Mac Mini to its original condition.

Available in any international voltage, from 100VAC to 250VAC.

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Please note that the $699.95 price for this listing is for the demo Joule III power supply only. AC power cable, DC power cable, Internal Filter Module, anti-resonance devices, installation labor, and shipping are additional.

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What upgrades do we recommend for a 2010 or newer Mac Mini?

• Remove and bypass the Mac Mini’s internal switching mode power supply (SMPS).
• Replace the SMPS with our Joule III ultralow-noise linear external power supply. 
• Install our Internal Filter Module in the space that remains when the SMPS is removed. 
• Use our RF shielded DC power cable between the power supply and the Mac Mini. 
• Use an AV or SSD external drive powered by our Joule III for media library storage. 
• Decouple the Mac Mini, power supply, and drives with anti-resonant feet or platforms. 
• Optimize your OS X for better audio and video performance using our FREE guide. 

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We recommend upgrading RAM to a minimum of 8GB and upgrading the internal drive to an SSD on any high-performance media server.

Our FREE OS X optimizations will improve the performance of any Apple computer. They allow turning on and off unnecessary programs that consume system resources as well as turning on and off noisy unused wireless control interfaces, such as infrared, Bluetooth, and WiFi. 

To learn more, go to mojoaudiofiles.wordpress.com.

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Our warranties are the best in the business!

All Mojo Audio electronics come with a 45-day no-risk audition, a 90-day full-value upgrade option, and an unconditional 5-year warranty.

• We charge no restocking fees. 
• We also except returns on the Mac Mini itself. 
• 100% of the products we sell have a no-risk audition.

This is not true of all companies that advertise a 100% Money-Back Guarantee.

Since altering the power supply on any age Mac Mini will void the Apple hardware warranty, we warranty any Mac Mini we upgrade. We assume the full terms of the original Apple warranty, or if the original Apple warranty is expired, we offer a minimum 90-day warranty on any age Mac Mini we upgrade.

FREE power supply upgrade reversal as part of our 45-day no-risk audition. 

If you’re not 100% satisfied, we’ll return your Mac Mini to its original condition.

For more information on our warranties, visit www.mojo-audio.com.

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Joule III Ultralow-noise Power Supply features:

• Less than 15% of the noise of a LiO4 battery 
• Factory adjustable from 3.3VDC to 25VDC 
• Up to 7.5 amps continuous power with up to 10 amp peaks 
• Over 70% of the heat is dissipated through the face plate 
• Automatic thermal overload, ground fault, and short-circuit protection 
• Sophisticated AC filtering that does not require special conditioners or cables 
• Cascaded spread spectrum inductive and capacitive filtering for expanded bandwidth 
• Factory set to any international voltage from 100VAC to 250VAC
  
  

Internal Filter Module features:

• LCLCLCLCCCCC spread spectrum quadruple Pi filtering for expanded bandwidth 
• Engineered to remove -70db of FM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Cellular RFI noise 
• Removes EMI, digital, regulator, and clocking noise up to and above 3GHz 
• High-performance hardwired or convenient removable 5.5mm DC power cable 
• Fully shielded inductive filters that are rated for 10A continuous power 
• Anti-resonant thermally transparent (no covering) internal mounting system 
• No unnecessary dielectric covering (shrink tubing) to add noise and hold heat
  
  

We use only the highest-quality parts:

• Organic polymer capacitors with ERS as low as 7mOhms 
• High-frequency RF rated capacitors to filter beyond 3GHz 
• IXYS ultrafast soft recovery Hexfred diode bridge 
• Vishay 5ppm 1% tolerance resistors
• Furutech rhodium-plated IEC AC power inlet 
• Neutrik silver-plated XLR DC power outlet 
• Heavy gauge all-aluminum chassis 
• All non-magnetic stainless steel hardware 
• Durable high-temp powder coating inside and out 


• Low-noise 160VA toroidal power transformer 
• Sorbothane or adjustable stainless steel spiked anti-resonant feet
  
  

Software options:

Mojo Audio can install any operating system or player software you want. We’ll even partition your storage drive for multiple operating systems and install more than one player software.

Some recommend Apple OS X, some recommend Windows, and some recommend Linux. We recommend all three. Any operating system can sound amazing when it’s properly optimized for audio and video playback.

Different operating systems and different players have different features, plug-ins, and device drivers that are more suited to interface with different peripherals and DACs. 

There is no one right answer that will satisfy every person’s needs.

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FAQs * FAQs * FAQs * FAQs * FAQs * FAQs * FAQs * FAQs * FAQs * FAQs * FAQs

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What Is the Mojo Audio Difference?

We’re originals—not copycats...

Over 30 years experience modifying and upgrading computer power supplies for professional applications. We were the first to engineer internal filter modules and hardwired DC power cables for 2010 and newer Mac Minis. 

The coolest designs...

With 70% of the heat dissipating through the faceplate, our Joule III power supply not only extends its own life, but also draws out heat from inside the system rack, extending the life of your other components. 

Less is more...

We are the manufacturer - there are no middle men doubling the price every time the product changes hands. We also don’t dumb down our best designs to offer varying levels of performance at varying price points. 

You can’t go wrong...

We have 45-day no-risk audition. Return any Mac Mini you buy from us for a full refund, or return any Mac Mini that we’ve upgraded and we’ll reverse the upgrade free of charge. No restocking fees and no exceptions.  

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How does a low-noise power supply improve computer performance?

All computer communication works on a system of checks and error correction. If a packet of data doesn’t pass the check, a new packet of data is sent to replace the original. A computer that has lower power supply noise makes fewer bit read errors, so the computer has fewer errors to correct. When a low-noise power supply is used with media data, the resulting sound and motion are more liquid and more articulate. 

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Don’t batteries have the purest DC power?

There is a common misconception that batteries have the purest DC power. Though better than the inexpensive wall wart type switch-mode power supplies (SMPS) that come with many audio, video, and computer products, battery performance can’t compare to the performance of an ultralow-noise linear power supply.

Batteries use a chemical reaction to generate DC power, and each chemical reaction from each type of battery has its own audible noise signature. This is why a specific type of battery, such as LiO4, sounds better than another type, such as SLA. The noise level of a battery also changes significantly during different phases of the discharge and recharge cycle, making batteries an inconsistent-sounding power source as well. 

Ask yourself this: if battery power has the lowest noise, then why do the military, aerospace, and telecommunications industries only use them for portable devices? 

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Aren’t RAM-buffered music players bit perfect?

There’s a common misconception that if music player software buffers the data to RAM, the output is bit perfect. Yes, the data buffered in the RAM is bit perfect, but RAM is not the final link in the chain. Bit read errors still occur between the RAM, output buffer, and the digital to analog converter (DAC). 

Unlike most computer communication, the music data that leaves a computer is most often not rebuffered or error corrected at the DAC. 

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How difficult is it to upgrade the power supply in a Mac Mini?

For 2009 and older Mac Minis the upgrade is plug-and-play requiring no tools. 

For 2010 and newer Mac Minis, if you have the tools and skills to change the hard drive, you also have the tools and skills to install one of our plug-and-play power supply upgrade kits. 

Our Internal Filter Module (IFM) with a 5.5mm jack and our removable DC power cable with a 5.5mm plug are designed for ease of installation and convenience (see photos).

We also make a high-performance hardwired soldered IFM and DC cable for people who have more technical expertise. Our hardwired soldered power supply upgrade kit requires some basic electronics skills, a volt/ohm meter, and soldering gun to install.  

Most of the upgrade kits we sell are of the hardwired and soldered variety (see photos).

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What is the best way to set up a Mac Mini media server?

The more upgrades you make, the higher performance your media server will have:

• Replace the stock SMPS with a linear power supply or battery. 
• Upgrade the RAM to a minimum of 8GB, and use16GB if possible. 
• Use an internal solid state drive (SSD) for your OS and player software. 
• Use an external drive with a dedicated power supply for your media library. 
• Use a different data buss coming in from the drive and going out to the DAC. 
• Use a powerless cable between your external library drive and your Mac Mini. 
• Turn off unused wireless control interfaces and control “headless” using an iPad. 
• Interface your headless device through the Ethernet port using a Wi-Fi NAS or LAN. 
• Use anti-resonant devices under your Mac Mini, power supply, converters, and drives. 
• Optimize your operating system to improve audio and video performance.
  
  

Data busses, such as USB and Firewire, are bi-directional. That means when data is going both in and out of the same data buss at the same time, the data controller has to act like a traffic cop, constantly stopping and starting data going in each direction. This causes the sound and motion to become awkward and less liquid. 

Spreading the three types of data (software commands, media data coming in from drives, and media data going out to DAC) over three different data busses improves performance more than having a faster processor, more RAM, and faster drives. For example, if you are using USB out to your DAC, then use Firewire, Thunderbolt, or Ethernet in from your library drive. 

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What are the highest-performance drive options?

SSD drives have the fastest speed, lowest noise, and lowest data corruption. This is because there are no motors or moving parts to cause electrical and mechanical noise like in a magnetic spinning drive (HDD). 

If you have the budget, using SSDs for your external storage drive is recommended. 

AV drives have the next best-performance because the are engineered for continuous play and do not pause for read/write head self-calibration. An AV drive will give noticeably smoother and more liquid playback than a standard HDD and is almost as good as an SSD. They also come in 3.5" size with up to 4TB of storage. 

We consider AV drives to be the best value as an external library drive. 

Since the price of SSD storage has gone down and capacity has gone up, many people are using a single large SSD inside of their computer to hold everything: OS, player software, and media library. A  large internal SSD is an elegant alternative with nearly as high performance as the best external library drives.

There is a common misconception that NAS drives are best for media server performance. NAS drives are optimized for multi-user file storage. For a single-user media server an AV drive has better performance. 

Keep in mind that the data buss, drive controller, case, cable, and anti-resonant devices that all make significant contributions to drive performance. 

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What about a local area network (LAN) or network attached storage (NAS)?

This is a common misconception that a LAN or NAS give media servers better performance. Actually the is no performance advantage connecting to a LAN or NAS, they are only for convenience. 

One performance advantage comes from connecting the library drive through the Ethernet port. When streaming another performance advantage comes from connecting directly to your ISP modem through the Ethernet port. 

Note: NAS, LAN, and Ethernet peripherals are not plug-and-play like USB, Firewire, and Thunderbolt, and they require a good bit of technical expertise to configure. 

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Are there any other advantages when using Wi-Fi enabled NAS or LAN?

The Wi-Fi from your LAN or NAS can be used to control your media server. This allows you to turn off all the noisy internal wireless control interfaces, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and infrared, and to control your media server “headless” with a mobile device, such as an iPad. This can easily be accomplished by plugging your media server directly into any wireless server using an Ethernet cable and changing your Network Preferences. 

To learn more, go to mojoaudiofiles.wordpress.com.

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What is the highest-performance type of plug-and-play external storage drive?

Thunderbolt and USB 3 drives have among the highest data transfer rates of any plug-and-play cable-powered external storage drives. The drawbacks are that the controllers and cables are complex and there are few choices in a powerless cable. 

In comparison, Firewire and USB 2 controllers and cables are far less complex and many audiophile Firewire and USB 2 cables are available without power. Powerless data cables significantly reduces bit read errors and are recommended. 

Though technically slower, a high-quality Firewire drive that has a dedicated power supply and a powerless data cable is considered by many AV professionals to perform better in a media server than the technically faster Thunderbolt and USB 3 drives.

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What about external Thunderbolt card cases?

If you require professional grade sound cards, video cards, or interface boards,Thunderbolt card cases are a good option. For most people, adding a Thunderbolt card case to a Mac Mini is a waste of money. Another consideration is that these cases have fans that produce significantly more mechanical noise. 

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What about fanless operation and IC chip shielding?

Unlike some companies that offer Mac Mini upgrades, we don’t recommend heating internal parts of a Mac Mini with fanless operation using the chassis of the Mac Mini as a heat sink. We also don’t recommend covering hot IC chips with insulating shielding. Though these upgrades can yield subtle improvements in performance, they significantly reduce the life of the Mac Mini. 

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What about degradation caused by heat?

On our Joule III power supply, we position the rectifier diodes far from sensitive capacitors and heat sink them directly to the chassis faceplate. This topology conducts 70% of the heat through the face plate to minimize heat buildup both inside the power supply and in your system rack.  

Our power supplies and Mac Mini upgrades are engineered to last for over a decade.

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What is the best operating system and media player for a Mac Mini?

Some recommend Apple OS X, some recommend Windows, and some recommend Linux. We recommend all three. Any operating system can sound amazing when it’s properly optimized for audio and video playback. 

The big concern should be the compatibility of the operating system with the player software, plug-ins, and devices that are being used. For example, some USB converters or DACs work with only one operating system.  Some systems require specific software with DSP plug-ins for equalization, room correction, and digital cross-overs. And if you want to use a Blue-Ray drive, there is currently no Apple approved option in OS X. 

There is no one right answer that will satisfy every person’s needs.

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Which year and model Mac Mini has the best performance?

We recommend the new i7 quad-core Mac Minis for a combination of performance, compatibility, and reliability. 

Some companies say that specific discontinued models of Mac Minis have higher performance. Many of these "magic Minis" that are cited as universally better are, in fact, quite system-dependent. 

For high-res audio and video, the newest i7 quad-core Mac Minis with 16GB of RAM have a distinct advantage. Remember: a 24-bit 192KHz audio file has roughly six time the number of bits as a 16-bit 44.1KHz audio file. That means that it requires six times the CPU speed, six times the amount of RAM, and six times the storage drive space as a 16/44.1 file. Similarly, high-res video files also require more system resources. 

Some characteristics of specific older versions of Mac Minis:

2010 and older Mac Minis with optical drives have a subtle degradation in performance due to a combination of electrical noise and mechanical resonance. Removable external optical drives are preferred. 

All older Mac Minis with i7 processors can accept 16GB of RAM even though Apple specs state they only accept 8GB of RAM. 16GB of RAM will give smoother, more liquid playback. 

The only advantage of Mac Minis made in 2009 or earlier is that they have an external “white brick” SMPS that can easily be upgraded with a plug-and-play replacement. There is no other advantage.