AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt USB Digital-to-Analog Converter, Cobalt

My go to so far was a Helm Audio, which I much preferred over Ifi Hip DAC 2 despite bringing less depth and clarity to the sound, as it was warmer and more natural and pleasant. The Dragonfly Cobalt takes the best of the two. Depth in the sound, details, clarity, while remaining somewhat on the warmer side and providing a very natural sound. Love it! My new go to DAC for good sound on the go.

I’m a satisfied owner of the dragonfly red and was a bit hesitant to buy the cobalt and not without a reason. Opinions online seem to be mixed. Some say that they can’t hear any difference. Some have done extensive technical analyses and trust their graphs more than their ears. Some prefer the red and insist that the cobalt brings a different flavour to music but isn’t necessarily an upgrade. Some disregard it without having heard it first simply due to the fact that it’s made by Audioquest – a company that sells cables for exorbitant prices, as well as other products of a questionable value, which may seem characteristic of a company that sells snake oil products. But I wanted to hear it for myself. If the sceptics were right, my plan was to return it. No loss. I kept it. On to the sound. Wow and meh. Okay, it absolutely sounds better and more fleshed-out than the red. They sound nothing alike. It certainly is tuned to sound differently. Whether you will appreciate the change, in my opinion, will not only depend on whether your headphones are resolving enough to reproduce the extra clarity and separation but also on how you listen to music. When listening to music while I’m answering e-mails or reading an online article, my ears don’t pick up much difference because my brain has to process so many other inputs. The story changes when I lay in my bed and enjoy music with my eyes closed. It’s then when this little thing takes me to another world. I pair the cobalt with Sennheiser HD650 and Beyerdynamic DT150. Both require quite a bit of juice to sound their best and the cobalt drives them sufficiently well, with a lot of headroom to spare. I rarely set the volume above 20 out of 100 for critical listening and usually it’s set on 8-12 on the windows volume slider for background listening. The first difference I noticed is the rolled-off treble and more impactful bass on the cobalt. It employs a minimum phase slow roll off digital filter that promises better impulse response and less artefacts that can muddy up the signal but the price to pay for this is a slight slope downwards in the upper treble region of the frequency response. For a casual listener, the red appears to be having more detail and sparkle in the treble region but the treble is a bit grainy upon more critical observation. The cobalt renders it fluidly and naturally. This quality will tame overly bright headphones and I noticed that the sibilance I experienced with the DT150 on some songs is no longer present. The cobalt goes louder without giving listening fatigue. The bass is another major improvement over the red. It is fuller and richer while being very tight (defined). Instruments and percussion instruments in particular carry more body and realism while on the red they were present and detailed but perhaps their identity was a bit lost in a mix. A drum hit now feels more authoritative. Lower registers of instruments can now be felt and feel less like a mere reproduction. The midrange is excellent on both but the cobalt enhances it by having better detail and separation of various elements in a mix. The red sounds a bit fuzzy in comparison as if the sound has been smeared a bit. Now, the difference isn’t big but it sort of puts you in the territory where artists come alive and stop sounding like a reproduction. One thing that stood out is the superior separation and imaging. Each instrument has a pin-sharp location on the soundstage. It was actually a jarring experience to listen to electronic music or tracks that contain many sound effects and elements that were baked in in audio software. Each element popped out vividly and some heavily edited tracks sounded fragmented. On multiple occasions my brain was imagining a cursor that was moving across the little squares that are placed on the timeline in audio software. Build quality. My unit seems to be rock solid and so far I haven’t experienced the issue of the board inside coming loose. I use my cobalt with the dragontail cable that was provided to minimise wear and tear on the USB plug and, by extension, on the board, as by doing so you don’t subject the board to forces when frequently plugging in and unplugging. I love it!

Was looking for a tiny DAC that I could take anywhere with me. There were a few key features that were absolutely non-negotiable for me: - It HAD to be from a reputable brand that makes quality products. - It had to do what it claims to do (strangely enough I’ve bought cables and accessories that claimed to me ‘Apple certified’ that didn’t last a week, so this is a big deal. - It had to be truly portable. Something the size of a hip flask wasn’t going to cut it for me. I need my pockets for other stuff. - Had to be usable with a phone, a computer or laptop (all Apple products in my case), or home stereo. - Great sound quality. This unit hits all the marks, and it’s no wonder it’s so highly recommended all over the internet by audiophile reviews. The unit comes with a USB C adapter as well (the dragontail), and a small pleather pouch. It is very portable, and it sounds great. I bought it on sale on Amazon, so it was less than the Dragonfly Red’s price. I was leaning towards this unit prior to seeing that price. I’d also considered other brand DACs. My main concern with electronics is quality. There is a lot of poorly built stuff out there that may do exactly what it says but basically fails after a few months or years. This unit not having an internal battery is a good step, as it is less to go wrong. Besides, anything with a rechargeable battery that’s not replaceable has already booked its landfill space the moment you bought it. This unit is powered by your phone or computer/amplifier. It really just lightly sips the power. My phone is an older iPhone 11 Pro, so if it lasts perfectly fine through my work day, it should last well for most phones. Highly recommend this product.

apport non négligeable et belle finition .

Works as expected, although a little pricey

I hooked this dragonfly up to my high-end computer speakers. I noticed a slight enhancement to the detail and crispiness to the sound. Definately less flat and more exciting. I liked the easy plug-and-play approach to the Dragonfly, with no need to think about an external power source.