Cozoy Aegis Portable 24/192 DAC/Amp

General Information

USB/OTG DAC/Amp for Android/iOS/PC supporting up to 24/192 hi-res files.

Latest reviews

ExpatinJapan

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Non fatiguing, clear, uncolored
Cons: Volume control has a few jumps (This can be solved with the Relisten or kaisertone apps)

Cozoy Aegis Review - Expatinjapan.

 Head Pie  11:14 AM  3 Comments
Cozoy Aegis.

The Cozoy Aegis is one of the many recent releases by Cozoy in the last few years.
They seem to be making their way nicely in the audio world as a new company, releasing several products that have been greeted favorably by users on various forums.
 
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Lets get the basics out of the way before we move onto the part you are actually going to read properly - the sound.

Packaging.

There are many unboxing videos on youtube and whilst Head pie hasn`t joined their ranks...yet, it is one of the attractive parts of purchasing a new product and the Cozoy aegis doesn`t disappoint in this area.
Although it does come in a small package, the box is an elegant container for what lies inside.

The Cozoy Aegis is snuggled nicely within a black foam casing with the Aegis easily removed by way of a sliver of ribbon, which when removed reveals another layer wherein we discover three sets of cables (lightning, micro usb - micro usb, micro usb - usb) which enables us to use the Cozoy Aegis with idevices via lightning cable, Android and PC/Mac.

All in all it is a beautiful solution without wasted space or excessive and unnecessary bloated packaging which has become the norm for some audio products.
 
 
 
 
 


Build.
The build of the Cozoy Aegis is solid. Can you say seamless. Yes, it is! It is gorgeous to look at. Machined aluminum that is somehow fitted so one cannot  discover how it is spliced together.
It`s also nice and light.
 


Size.

As the writers of various forums mention when talking of the  Cozoy Aegis they often say `size isn`t everything` and the Cozoy aegis certainly fits the bill within the ranks of other contenders for style and grace within a small package.
No more stacking up your device with one, two.....levels. The plug and play of the Cozoy Aegis is easily done and doesn`t interfere or get in the way whilst on my daily commute.
I did give feedback before receiving the device that I did think a shorter lightning cable would be better, but so far that thought hasn`t entered my head now I actually have the product.
 


Sound.

Maybe we`ll just skip this part to annoy the reader now you have been patiently waiting so long for this particular part.......but no, at Head pie we aren`t that sadistic. Pies for everyone!

The Sound! The sound! The sound!

The angels cymbals chime like heaven is close by and cherubs are softly whispering in ones ears.

Oops, getting too overwrought, let`s back track to reviewer mode and not literary masterpiece mode.

The Sound #2.

The Cozoy Aegis whilst small in stature certainly punches above its weight. I have paired it with the ATH-CK10 on my daily train commute and find it to be non-fatiguing for lengths of time, which is one point I look for in additional portable DAC/Amp devices.
I paired the Cozoy Aegis with an ipod Touch 6G 128GB which its self is no slouch in the sound department, Apple seemingly learning more with each release.

For review and testing purposes I paired the ipod touch 6G headphone out, Centrance Hifi-M8,  ATH-ESW11, and DITA-The Truth.
The apps I used were Relisten, Flacplayer and Kaisertone.

The ipod touch 6G headphone is very clean and has a nice balance to it, certainly it is an improvement over its predecessors which I also owned. One factor the Cozoy Aegis has over the touch 6G is certainly the non fatiguing factor which can`t be dismissed as a minor point.
Does it sound better than the ipod touch 6G headphone out? Yes, it does.
For the size factor it certainly does a great job, it cleans up the signal and increases separation of instruments.

Cozoy when pitted against the larger and more ferocious Centrance Hifi-M8 seems to hold its own quite surprisingly. Of course the Centrance Hifi-M8 comes out on top, but not by leaps and bounds (I look forward to trying the Centrance Hifi Skyn when it arrives - soon).
Remembering to remind ourselves at this part of the game we dealing in incremental improvements, but improvements none the less!
The Centrance Hifi-M8 Has a bit more low end, more separation - but not significantly so. The power and muscle of the device batters down most contenders anyway.
But does the Cozoy perform well when pitted against the beast of the west? Yes, I expected to hear much more difference between the two. Whilst not surprisingly the Hifi-M8 comes out on top - the gap between them is not so large.

Listening now with DITA-The Truth I am certainly struck by the beauty of this device. It does what the buyer pays for. It improves upon using just the source, irons out any irritating noise and is clear with an un-colored sound signature.

Native 24/192 playback.

Gitouttahere! Well yes. it does it seems.
Apple seems to have allowed this feature to be unlocked on several devices i have tried recently.
 
 
 ​
 


Power and Caveats.


The Cozoy Aegis also packs a lot of power, volume control has been an issue for some, finding that sweet spot as the volume is controlled by the source and not the Aegis (which has no buttons). I found using music apps useful in this regards. Either decreasing the gain (Flacplayer and Kaiser tone). Or using Relisten which has an incremental volume control with lots of room for adjustments.
I did not find there to be a significant drain on the battery when in use, but of course it does use the sources battery so there is that. I do believe Brooko on head-fi tested the battery drain.

Output impedance.

0.4ohms as measured by ClieOS on head-fi.

Summary.

If one is looking for a device that is certainly portable and not transportable I do recommend the Cozoy Aegis. It does what it advertises - which is improves upon the sound from most sources. Does it make the rain come when there is a drought?,  well no - let`s keep it realistic here. If one has decent music files of a quality nature and also mid to high end IEMs, or headphones one will find this to be a satisfying purchase.

Thanks to Cozoy for providing an Aegis for me to sample and review.

-expatinjapan for Head Pie.

*postscript note.

Hi-Fi'er
Hi-Fi'er
Does it work on Android 4.1.2 and JetAudio?

DJScope

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Transparent with good clarity, multi platform compatibility, tiny footprint, great styling.
Cons: Somewhat large current draw from source device, logarithmic volume can be problematic for sensitive IEMs, a little pricey, gets a little hot.

[size=24.57px]Introduction[/size]

The Aegis is the second device I've had the privilege to review from Cozoy, the first being the Astrapi. The Aegis inherits the same characteristics of the Astrapi and build on that foundation to create a truly step-up experience.
I've had the Aegis for nearly 2 months now and I've got to say that these 2 months have been enjoyable ones. The Aegis came with me everywhere I went in my carry case; it accompanies me to work, home, outings and even got to join me on our anniversary cruise along the coast of Queensland Australia. The ease of use, "plug'nplay" experience is one of the best I've had with any portable DAC and amp. I don't feel like I'm compromising on sound fidelity when I take the Aegis along for the ride, and it's absolute convenience is one I appreciated on a daily basis.
 

A little about the Cozoy Aegis

More info at http://www.cozoyaudio.com/aegis/
 
Recommended Headphone Impedance​
16-100 Ohms
Output​
Output Power: 60mW at 16Ω;35mW at 32Ω
Total Harmonic Distortion​
≤ 0.1% , 1KHz SNR: 109dB at 3.3V power supply
Maximum Sampling Rate​
24Bit/192KHz
Current Draw​
10mA~95mA max
Compatibility​
iOS/OSX/Android/Windows/Linux
Weight​
12 grams

[size=24.57px]Packaging & Accesories[/size]

The Cozoy Aegis comes with very nice "Appleseque" packaging which mirrors the Astrapi packaging. It's very good packaging, being very minimalistic and eye catching. I am sure that if you had this box in an Apple store, it will sell like hot cakes. 
Inside the box you are greeted with the Aegis right off the bat tucked into a foam cut out with a lovely velvet top. It's very clever that they have made a pull ribbon to pull on to pop the Aegis out without having to struggle to claw it out of the foam cutout as it is in there very tight. You can also use the ribbon to pull out the foam bit to get to the goodies underneath. 
 
Inside the box you get:
 
  1. Black warranty card with silver writing, which doubles as a spec sheet and quick start guide.
  2. Cozoy Aegis
  3. A 30cm (12") MicroUSB to MicroUSB
  4. A 30cm (12") iOS Lightning to MicroUSB cable
  5. A 30cm (12") USB to MicroUSB cable
 
 

Design

If looks could kill, then you should beware the Aegis. It is B-E-A-U-TIFUL! Sharp corners, brushed aluminium, black accents; like a Tanto blade. It looks like precision machining too. The body has been milled from a block of aluminium, and this precision is also been transferred across to the connectors because they are a little tighter than normal, making the connection of the MicroUSB cable and 3.5mm headphone jack very secure. This device was definitely made for portable use and that it does spectacularly.
 
 

Compatibility

As it stands, from what I've read on the forums the Aegis is compatible with iOS, OSX, Android, Windows and Linux. Personally I've only tried it on my Moto G XT1033, my PC at home which runs Windows 10, my PC at work which runs Windows 7, and my wife's tablet which also runs Windows 10. From what I can notice is that the Aegis preforms better with devices that have a higher current output, but saying this, it is no slouch running from a phone. 
There is a common problem that I've read from a few users because of it's logarithmic volume steps. This is actually a bit of a quirky thing because I only get a problem with this on my work PC, where it feels like there is only 5-6 volume steps. On my home PC and the tablet this is more like 10 steps, but funny enough, on my Moto G is get the full range of volume steps which I've got set to 30 steps. This could be the fact that I am running a custom ROM and kernel. Either way, I don't find this to be problematic at all with any of my IEMs, which includes BA driver IEMs.
 

Drivability

I have driven everything I own from the Aegis with very good results. The Aegis works especially well with warmer headphones. I don't have any particularly hard to drive headphones so it's hard to comment on this subject. In fact I find it to be overpoweringly loud with almost everything when it is set to 100% volume.
 

Sound

This is the hardest aspect of all the gauge on DACs and other source devices as the whole point of them is to stay as close as possible to being transparent and true to source. The Aegis did this very well. 
I would say that the Aegis is leaning on the colder more analytical side of the spectrum, but with a bit of a warm tint as well, which fills in vocals very nicely. When you get good synergy with a headphone you get a very "alive" performance, where vocals sound very real. There are only few DACs where I've actually felt this. When driving the Aegis a little louder then usual I've found it to be a bit bright and grainy in the mid to upper treble regions, this could somewhat sound digital, but works out well with music that has a lot of nuance, like pops and crackles, or filter noise. 
It doesn't have the blackest background but noise is only heard when nothing is playing and only with sensitive BA driver IEMs. 
Overall, I was more than satisfied with the sound performance of the Aegis.
 

Ratings

As Head-Fi doesn't properly show the ratings, this is how I've scored the Aegis:
 
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Conclusion

Another great device from Cozoy, and I can only expect more great things coming out of their workshop. Even though both the Aegis and Astrapi aren't perfect and have some minor quirks, they are absolutely brilliant little devices. The Aegis being one that has not left my side for 2 straight months, and hopefully for many more to come. For that, I'd like to give huge Kudos to Cozoy!
 
Cheers!
 
beerchug.gif

 

 

Light - Man
Light - Man
Thanks Man for taking the time to do all your reviews, I find your opinion most helpful.
 
Cheer to you also bro and not the type that you regret next day with a bad headache!
DJScope
DJScope
hakushondaimao
hakushondaimao
I keep hearing good things about Aegis! Looking forward to receiving a unit from @nmatheis soon to try out.

twister6

twister6 Reviews
Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: excellent build, tiny footprint, powerful high quality sound, compatibility with Android/iOS/PC/MAC.
Cons: high current drain connected to mobile devices, too much power for sensitive or efficient headphones, PC driver needs some work to fix volume control.

Before I start my review, I would like to Thank Cozoy for providing me with a review sample in exchange for my honest opinion.
 
The product website: http://www.cozoyaudio.com/aegis/, and for those interested you can buy it from Penon, CTC Audio, and other Distributors listed on Cozoy website.
 
Btw, despite my 3.5 star rating and a more critical than usual review/analysis, I still think it's a fantastic product that deserves an attention, thus a purpose of my review.

 
Cozoy/Shozy (two sister companies) made a big splash in portable audio world with their popular releases of a unique Alien DAP and miniature Astrapi DAC/amp.  As a matter of fact, the big part of this splash was not only related to a sound quality but also to a fine crafted minimalistic design utilizing cutting-edge metal processing technology.  I’m telling you how it is, their products look and feel like a piece of Art.  Also, as part of their design philosophy, their minimalistic exterior is carried over to an optimized circuit board design/layout with a simplified clean signal path.  After all, the shortest uninterrupted distance between point A and B is a straight line, and that’s how they approach their design without gain switches, playback controls, or multiple in/out ports.  It’s a straight forward design with a fine partitioning of digital domain from the input source and analog domain driving headphones load.
 
Though eye-candy design details are important, we all know they won’t be able to carry the weight of the product without sound quality behind it.  I don’t have Alien, but heard from a lot of trusted sources that it sounds quite amazing, despite lack of a display and supporting only wav and flac audio formats.  I have reviewed Astrapi in the past and found it to be a jack of all trades or as I called it: a Swiss army knife audio interface.  To be able to pair up with Android/iOS/PC/MAC and to use it as an external audio interface with your smartphone or laptop regardless of OS platform is very impressive in such a small package.  While using Astrapi, sound improvement was more noticeable with my laptop versus smartphone, and the output power was just modest to drive “average demand” headphones.  To take the performance of Astrapi to the next level, Cozoy released a new more powerful model - Aegis.
 
My review sample arrived inside of a foam insert that suppose to go into the compact packaging box (white Apple style), exactly the same one that was used with Astrapi.  And just like Astrapi, it will arrive with accessories of micro-usb to micro-usb otg short cable for your Android smartphone, micro-usb to lightning short cable for your iPhone (no need for any intermittent connector kit), and micro-usb to full usb cable for your PC/MAC laptop or desktop.  I still remember my unboxing experience when I received Astrapi - it was quite shocking to find how tiny it was, even smaller than usb memory stick.  Though I received Aegis "as is" without official packaging box, the unboxing experience shouldn't be any different.
 
Unboxing.
 
cozoy_aegis-01_zpsvag2gni8.jpg cozoy_aegis-02_zpsbomurzp1.jpg
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Overall this new design has some similarities to Astrapi, but the shape of Aegis took on more of “Alien” lines and there is no more clip on the back.  The only available ports are micro-usb for digital data input and 3.5mm for analog output where you plug in your headphones.  There is also a small led pinhole to indicate the power.  The build is solid, bulletproof, lightweight, high-end scratch proof CNC milled aluminum.  It really felt great in your hand, but I do miss the clip from Astrapi.  The clip allowed different mounting options for this tiny device, like for example clipping it inside of your jeans pocket with 3.5mm jack sticking out for easy headphone access while a smartphone is somewhere in your pocket connected with usb-otg umbilical cord.  Another advantage of Astrapi was clipping it to the attached rubber band without rubber band going over the top of the DAC/amp, exposing bigger heat dissipation area.  At the same time, Aegis is small enough to leave in-line with your headphones cable, though micro-usb smartphone port gets loose after awhile and it will be easy to pull otg cable or accidentally disconnect it.  Bottom line, I miss that clip.
 
Design details.
 
cozoy_aegis-04_zpsz360a9z2.jpg cozoy_aegis-05_zpsnq9ddam7.jpg
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There is a good reason I mentioned about heat dissipation because due to its higher output power, I found Aegis to consume more current which puts a strain on your smartphone device.
 
cozoy_aegis-13_zpsth05710q.jpg
 
Just to put it in a better perspective, I found HRT dSp - 60 mA, Cozoy Astrapi - 40 mA, Geek Out 450 - 400 mA, Schiit FULLA - 140 mA, AQ DragonFly - 90 mA, and finally Aegis - 150 mA.  From this list, dSp, Astrapi, and Aegis are the only three with an official USB OTG support, where dSp and Astrapi draw a fraction in comparison to Aegis.  Such current drain even at a moderate volume level had a negative effect on my Note 4 battery when listening to music, which got even worse while watching a movie since a screen stays on (more current drain).
 
I don’t want to go into exact numbers in hours since every smartphone will drain battery at its own specific rate depending on your model, battery capacity, and all the apps running in the background, but in general I noticed approximate 3x faster drain rate in comparison to my typical audio use.  In theory it’s not the end of the world since it could be on the same battery playback level as other android or non-android based DAPs, but when dealing with a smartphone on the go you have to realize this is not just a dedicated audio stack-up.  With Aegis connected to your smartphone when you're out, better keep an external battery handy to juice up your phone.
 
Pair-up with a phone (Note 4 + Aegis + Linum cable + Oppo PM-3).
 
cozoy_aegis-10_zpsalzpjj06.jpg cozoy_aegis-11_zpsn7cgbrp6.jpg
 
Of course battery drain it’s not as much of an issue when connected to your laptop or desktop, but you will have to deal with other problems.  In order for Aegis to be recognized, you need to install Cozoy provided drivers which you can find on their product page: http://www.cozoyaudio.com/aegis/.  Once installed, device is recognized without a problem, but you will get a very erratic volume control.  I really hope it’s a work in progress because my experience of using it paired up with my ThinkPad was not the most pleasant.
 
As usb dac it works OK under Win7, but hardware volume control is very jerky with sudden jumps and poor resolution.  Even down to Vol 0 there was still a low level of audio leakage; USB2.0 performance was inconsistent where sometime even at low volume setting the actual volume all of a sudden jumped to the max giving me an unpleasant earful surprise.  Of course, the workaround of this problem is to find a suitable volume setting for your headphones and use the software volume slider within your audio playback program for a smoother adjustment, like from within Foobar or whatever is your favorite audio player.  I just hope this driver issue is going to be resolved.  Coincidentally, there are no volume issues connected to my Note 4 (Android), the control was smooth, but there was an issue with a power drain.
 
Connected to Laptop (USB DAC + Audeze EL-8C).
 
cozoy_aegis-14_zpsltiau0yq.jpg
 
Well, it feels like I started my review on a high note talking about the product and the design, and went downhill from there talking about the pain of a pair up.  But things get better really fast once you get to a sound analysis.  All my testing was done using Note 4 connected as a source and Neutron MP as audio app.  Aegis quickly redeems itself with a signature of a warm smooth dynamic sound and a great staging expansion, tight low end control, and a decent retrieval of details.
 
The combo of Note 4 + Aegis yielded following results with some of my headphones.
 
w/MSR7 – an expanded sound, with a nice deep sub-bass extension, clear and detailed mids, and a smooth detailed airy treble without metallic harshness.
 
w/R70x - transparent warm sound, drives these 470 ohm cans with authority, excellent sub-bass extension, smooth mids, and a surprisingly smooth sparkle in treble.
 
w/EL-8C - among the best portable pair ups I heard w/EL8, full body sound with a great low end extension, smoother (in comparison to other sources) mids, and non-sibilant sparkly treble.  I typically like to drive EL-8C with external portable amp and turn bass boost on to add body to a sound – here it drove it like a champ without a need for a bass boost!
 
w/PM-3 - smooth detailed dynamic sound with a good retrieval of details, also an excellent pair ups, even better than HA-2 which requires high-gain setting. It has a high level of transparency, and even slightly better dynamics in comparison to N6/PM-3 pair up.  Keep in mind, I was using Linum BaX litz cable which also makes a big difference in sound.
 
w/ZEN - clear detailed natural transparent balanced sound with an excellent layering and separation, dynamics of the sound is even better than with N6/ZEN.  No issues driving these 300 ohm earbuds.
 
Due to its high output power, pair up with my sensitive or just regular IEMs wasn't as good because I had to keep the volume down, leaving a rather narrow dynamic range for a volume adjustment, and even some background hissing (more like buzzing).
 
The next comparison was next to my other portable USB DACs: Astrapi, HRT dSp, AQ DragonFly, Schiit FULLA, and GO450.
 
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Using Note 4 and ATH-MSR7, here is what I found in a relative comparison to Aegis:
 
dSp - an average soundstage, a little flatter sound (not as dynamic).
 
Astrapi - nice expanded soundstage (more width then depth), thinner sound.
 
GO450 - better dynamics (similar to Aegis, just a touch better), wide/deep soundstage, and a bit more sparkle/airiness in the sound.
 
FULLA - great dynamics (similar to Aegis, just a touch flatter in comparison), and also a touch less detailed (that one was a surprise).
 
DragonFly - good dynamics (but not as good as Aegis), a little less detailed, sound is smoother/warmer.
 
 
Conclusion.
 
Fortunately, or unfortunately, I found Aegis to be at its best when driving demanding headphones, while efficient headphones or sensitive IEMs or just average IEMs were not a good pair up because of too much power.  I was very impressed how well I was able to drive my planar magnetic headphones and other high impedance headphones and earbuds.  Also, I absolutely love the build, the shape, and the portability which makes it perfect for a mobile use.  But on the other hand, its high power works against it when paired up with a smartphone, causing accelerated battery drain.  My feeling about Aegis is really on a fence, constantly flip-flopping.   Cozoy developed an excellent product, and to be able to stuff it inside of such small package is phenomenal.  But this product is not very practical for a mobile use, its main intention, because of an excessive battery drain.  This would have been an easier pill to swallow if priced on a level of Astrapi, but at $300 it's rather high in comparison to competition.  For someone who is a diehard audio enthusiast and appreciates and collects fine and rare audio gadgets, this little gem would be a rare find.  But I wouldn’t recommend it for a beginner or an average consumer since you can find other cheaper solutions, though not at the same performance level in such a tiny package. 
 
In my post-conclusion, I want to mention to Cozoy/Shozy that you proved to us with Alien and Aegis that you know a great deal about sound quality and design details, now it’s time to show how you can apply this knowledge to make a killer DAP!
jnorris
jnorris
Nice review.  Tell me how you get these manufacturers to lend you this equipment for review?  I would love to be able to audition things before dropping coin for the product, shipping and possibly reverse shipping.
RedJohn456
RedJohn456
Great review Alex, thanks for the honest review :)  I am looking forward to the DAP that they will be eventually putting out 
glassmonkey
glassmonkey
I'd be interested to try this out and compare it to the Geek Out V2. I just got the Geek Out V2, which has switchable output (100mW and 1000mW), and takes basically all comers when it comes to formats. It it freakin' rockin my HD600s right now. The Geek Out V2 is also $299 and I think it works with Android 5 and up (I still need to upgrade from 4.2.3 to 4.4).
 
Thanks for putting this out there. You got my favourite portable planars in there and my best bang for buck planars, EL-8C and PM-3, respectively. Nice review!

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