[Todd]

Hi All,

The two Dragonfly Cobalt's are out there and moving around so look for lots of reviews soon!

The Cobalt is in stock should anyone want one!

Todd

 

[jcslone]

Alrighty, here we go!

Let me first say that this is a $300 DAC, and when you’re in that mid-fi price range, there are certain expectations, especially when the product comes from a company such as Audioquest which has made a name for itself in the cable market with their “unique” products. Does the Cobalt’s performance match the price? We shall see…

Out of the box I was unamused and frankly disappointed. No, I was mad. The Cobalt comes in a flimsy cardboard box, like what you would get a really bad Chi-Fi IEM in. Strike 1. Inside, you find an equally crappy plastic tray with the user manual, the “Dragontail” USB-C to USB-A cable, the Cobalt itself which is reminiscent of a thumb drive, and an absurd little leather sleeve to keep the Cobalt in when you’re not using it. Strike 2.

This is 2019. The ratio of Android to iPhone users is roughly 50/50 and to not include an appropriate Lightning-to-USB cable is simply an oversight that has no excuse. One of the reasons I bought my Fiio Q1Mk2 (my currently wired mobile solution) was because it came with the Lightning-micro USB cable; something frankly few OEMs are offering. These cables are dirt cheap these days. I’ve gotten some off of Amazon for $10 that function perfectly and are dead quiet in terms of sound interference or coloration (if your cable colors the sound, you have a bad cable more than likely). Additionally, you don’t store a $300 DAC that’s incredibly easy to misplace in a sleeve that makes it harder to find (it’s black) and frankly looks horrible. The Cobalt should have come with a full leather or high-quality nylon case that could hold not only the DAC, but the cable(s) as well. 1/5 for accessories, packaging, and unboxing experience. I would easily knock $100 off the price just because of this.

Because I am an iPhone user, I did not use the Cobalt in a mobile fashion but only at my desk, plugged into my 1st generation Microsoft SurfaceBook via the SurfaceHub. I’m pleased to report zero USB noise issues, which tells me that either my docking hub is pretty decent quality, that AQ took special care to address USB noise, or some combination of the two. Either way, it’s as clean sounding as my Modi 3 with respect to USB noise.

All my music is presently through Spotify Premium and downloaded so there’s no issue with streaming quality or network interruptions. I have hearing damage so before anyone tells me I should be using ultra high bit rate lossless DSD, FLAC, or that MQA snake oil, chill out. I can barely tell a difference between 16/44 FLAC rips I have and Spotify’s Ogg Vorbis codec. Even when I can, it’s marginal, especially with the gear I presently have.

During operation the Cobalt’s LED indicator lights up in different colors to let you know the bitrate/format the DAC is processing. Red indicates Standby Mode and Blue, which is what it lit up for me feeding it from the Spotify app, indicates 48khz sample rate. The Cobalt stays cool to the touch and is relatively unobtrusive. I think its size and form factor would make it great for a business traveler who places a premium on light and svelte accessories.

Power output is substantial. On my PC, I ran the Spotify app’s volume at max, with my Windows volume dialed down to as low as 8/100 depending on the track and transducer I was using. To say that the Cobalt has power is an understatement. Your ears will bleed if you want them too. I don’t have anything particularly power hungry so I can’t give any comments on efficiency and scaling.

Now for some comparisons. I’ve been listening almost exclusively to my BGVP DMG’s on my Astell & Kern XB10 Bluetooth DAC over the past couple months, which I might add is utterly stellar given its age and short battery life. I will be reviewing the XB10 in detail in the near future.

The XB10 is decidedly neutral, well detailed, and quite clean and crisp in its sound signature. I only run it single ended and since the Cobalt is only SE as well, that’s perfectly fine for this review. I will note that in the past weeks and months I’ve used the XB10 I’ve had literally zero interference, even in a crowded commercial gym or at the grocery store, so I’d venture to say that there’s really no degradation in sound quality from the Cobalt at my desk to the XB10 fed via my iPhone X over with the AAC Bluetooth codec.

The Cobalt is not neutral. It has some warmth to it, but it doesn’t seem overly colored with respect to the lower end of the frequency response. I would describe it overall as “smooth,” “refined,” “polite,” “detailed,” “slightly soft” (highs are rolled off), and it has reasonable soundstage and good imaging. Notably, the sub bass is a touch more extended and detailed on the Cobalt compared to the XB10.

Overall, I like the sound signature of the Cobalt with certain IEMs. It pairs well with the BGVP DMGs, which is the IEM I did the overwhelming majority of listening on since it’s currently my preferred sound signature and the most comfortable IEM I have presently.

When I used my Sennheiser HD 58X though, I wasn’t happy. The Jubilee’s became softer with less clarity and given that the 58X isn’t overly bright to begin with, the Cobalt colored the sound signature enough to where the highs were essentially rolled off. They were certainly present, with good imaging and separation, but the usually lively 58X became more or less a soft, “background noise” headphone. Combine with this with the Jubilee’s already small soundstage, and it’s a bad pairing.

Sibilance is still slightly present on the 58X with the Cobalt on certain tracks. My Magni 3, slightly harsh amp that it is, is a far more suitable pairing than the Cobalt is in this case.

A comment about soundstage in general for the Cobalt…it is NOT wide. The stage feels quite centered on and in the head, but with fairly equal width, depth, and height. What it lacks in the overall size of stage it makes up for (somewhat) with how evenly it distributes and images everything, and the Cobalt does seem to lend a slight touch of air which helps alleviate the claustrophobic soundstage.

The only other DAC I have that I can really use for decent comparison is my Fiio Q1Mk2. I’ve had it for over a year now and I’ll be blunt, it’s a better DAC and amp than the Cobalt. Overall, the Fiio has a wider soundstage, better clarity and detail in the highs, and it doesn’t color the sound of any of my gear in the way the Cobalt does. While this may sound like a “duh” for seasoned audiophiles, the Cobalt definitely has a “house sound” to it, and it may not be to everyone’s liking. But first, some detailed comparison between the AQ Cobalt, A&K, XB10, and the Fiio Q1Mk2. All the following comparisons are done with the BGVP DMGs unless otherwise noted.



Vocals on Drama Free by Deadmaus and Lights are easier to understand through the Cobalt than on XB10. Cadaverous by Kai Wachi has a MUCH deeper soundstage than XB10, especially on opening woodwind synth loop, but the synth loop is sharper on the XB10. Bass extension seems to be better than XB10 with more control and detail in the super low end (Hakkerskaldyr by Heilung), and the overall soundstage, imaging, and air is better on Cobalt than XB10. I honestly expected this given one is $50 and the other $300, that and the Cobalt is a much more powerful amp. Lamb of God’s Reclamation has a very satisfying “crunch” to the rhythm guitars with midbass is very well controlled (can get boomy with some dynamic driver IEMs).

High hats on right side on Reclamation are imaged well but can get slightly blurry or soft when repeatedly struck over and over again, but this only happens when the track super busy…XB10 has crisper high hats with a more neutral sound signature overall and doesn’t have the congestion issues the Cobalt does.

Bass slam on M.O.B. Klick (We Are The Flesh) is very satisfying, good air, no sibilance; vocals on Westworld are more clear (usually slightly sibilant and “sshhh” sounding), depth and width is good, rhythm guitars blend ever so slightly with the supporting midbass at times, drum line is well defined. On the HD58X though, the Cobalt was unimpressive save for midrange detail.

Westworld (We Are The Flesh) on Q1Mk2 is brighter and has a very slight touch of peakiness in the vocal treble and the bass has greater slam than on the Cobalt. Drum slam is more centered and felt “in the head” than with the Cobalt…this was uncomfortable at times and at one point actually triggered a migraine, though I’m prone to those so don’t take my experience as the standard.

Westworld on the Cobalt + HD 58X was soft and unimpressive. Oddly, the low end was worse on this song with the Cobalt than the Q1Mk2 *shrugs with confusion* Sibilance was eliminated but vocal clarity was worse with the Cobalt than the Fiio.

Machi Bhasad by Bloodywood is usually a very congested track, especially during the chorus. The Cobalt smooths a little of the congestion out and tames most of the sibilance, but the lyrics can still be hard to follow (Hindi is a hard language to begin with). Soundstage and imaging gets a big improvement over the XB10 on this track. The Q1Mk2 has the vocals slightly recessed in comparison to the Cobalt and has more vocal sibilance than the Cobalt. Congestion is about the same between the Cobalt and Q1Mk2 on this track, but the Cobalt has better imaging and a larger overall soundstage measured 3-dimensionally.

Veritas (feat. Johnny Craig) by Kyle Lucas has a softer sound overall on the Cobalt compared to XB10. Micro detail is about the same. XB10 is crisper overall without as much warmth as the Cobalt (which is still only a minor difference).

Fiio Q1Mk2 is more neutral, but slightly brighter than the Cobalt. Soundstage and imaging are roughly equivalent. Q1Mk2 is more refined sounding than the XB10, but again we’re comparing a wired DAC with a Bluetooth DAC.

Reclamation has greater bass presence on the Q1Mk2 than Cobalt with the DMGs. Soundstage is slightly narrower and intimate. Vocals are incredibly clear on Q1Mk2, the Q1Mk2 seems to have an upper mid and very, very slight low-end focus, but not at the expense of the rest of the FR. Right side high hats are balanced between softness and clarity on the Q1Mk2, far better than the Cobalt. When listening to the same song on the HD58X you can immediately hear how the Q1Mk2 has far superior clarity and tonal accuracy. The Cobalt sounds veiled and soft by comparison and with a warmer low end, though it’s low end extension and detail is good.

When I compared Halsey’s Gasoline on the 58X between the Cobalt and Fiio, there was a readily apparent lack of high-end sparkle on the Cobalt, which is sad because Halsey’s track is very airy and has some wonderful high notes in it. The low end was expectedly warmer on the Cobalt but the Q1Mk2 delivered a performance that was closer to the HE-1 Orpheus than the Cobalt could hope to achieve (and yes, I’ve listened to the exact same song on the Orpheus, at CanJam this year actually).

I did take a little time to run my Focal Spirit One S with TaoTronics pad mod on the Cobalt. With the pad mod, the Focal’s move from being muddy and mostly garbage to a low-end neutral and high-mid/treble focused can with incredible detail, but an overall loss of tonal balance compared to my Magni, XB 10, and Q1Mk2. If anyone is interested in this particular mod, reach out to me and I’ll be glad to tell you about it!

So…what’s my verdict? 2.5/5 sound quality with respect to price. 1/5 with respect to packaging and accessories. 2/5 build quality. 2.5 overall rating.

Audioquest has never been known for intelligent, price-to-performance pricing. This latest installment of their Dragonfly USB DACs is an example of this. Plastic end cap. Loose 3.5mm and USB interfaces. An accessory suite that even the cheapest Chi-Fi companies would be ashamed to include with their products, and a decidedly “house” sound that pretty much trashes one of the best headphones on the market (HD58X).

The thing is, I do like the sound of the Cobalt at times. Would I spend $300 on it? Hold my beer while I die laughing. It’s worth absolutely no more than $120, especially given the abysmal accessory options. I wouldn’t spend more than perhaps $90 on it, given how massively limited a device it is, with no balanced out, no universal device capability, and for those who are MQA fans, your software player has to do the unfolding; the Cobalt can only render MQA tracks.

I am most thankful to Todd at TTVJ for including me on the tour and I’m happy I got to try out one of the more polarizing mid-fi DACs presently available.

Happy listening!

Josh

 

[SoundDouble]

Hello Todd is this still going on? I would like to join in if available.

 

[Todd]

Hi All,

There should be many more reviews here! The Cobalt has been circulating around to those who signed up. Please fulfill your obligation in participating in this program and write your impressions of the unit in this thread.

If anyone else would like to sign up, I am willing to add you to the list. We are getting close to the end of the people who originally signed up so the wait will not be very long.

Todd

 

[wellers73]

Here is my review of the Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt, after spending a week with it. I’m already a happy owner of a Dragonfly Red, using it with my iPhone and iPad along with Westone W60s or ES60s. I was excited to try the Colbalt after all of the positive reviews on the audiophile press, emphasizing how much of an obvious upgrade it is over the Dragonfly Red.


Unfortunately, this was a situation where I ended up questioning my “audiophile” ears. Try as I might, I just couldn’t hear much if any difference between the Cobalt and the Red. I tried in both noisy (NYC Subway) and very quiet (my apartment) environments. I was listening for things like a difference in high or low frequency extension, mid range quality, separation of instruments, and soundstage. It’s possible that the Cobalt had a slightly better sense of separation on very dense music, like orchestral classical. But I couldn’t replicate that sensation consistently.


Of course, the form factor of the Cobalt is much smaller and more easily pocketable, which I really enjoyed. But sound-wise, I just couldn’t hear any significant upgrade from my Dragonfly Red. I’d recommend the Cobalt strongly if you don’t already have the Red - it’s a wonderful sounding DAC and very user friendly. However, if you already have the Red, it’s probably not worth the upgrade, unless you really want a somewhat smaller form factor.


Thanks to Todd for facilitating the loaner program!

 

[Makiah S]

Received this unit a few days back and to frame up my thoughts I don't really feel this device is that competitive given the iFi xDSD is on the market and even at the xDSD's full $399 asking price I feel it's overall just a better product given all factors.

So that said here's what I like about Cobalt

• Size
• Aesthetics
• Included Accessories

An what I wasn't a fan of was it's performance. Starting with my all stock HE 4XX I experience'd the following technical drawbacks

• Slow to start - literally took about 10 seconds before my V20 and G8 recognized the device and were listening ready
• Volume often reset to MAX - Neutron was the worse but uDAPP had it happen to. After a pause and resume the volume would sometimes be at MAX output

Music wise I listened to all of the 1995 Chesky Demonstration Disc before moving into my usual track set consisting of

System of a Down - Mind Vinyl RIP from the 2018 Reissue
The Eagles - Hotel California Hell Freeze's Over Simply Vinyl 180g RIP
Precious Fathers - Brad Quin, Medicine Man

I'll also add I don't necessarily like bright sounding systems and headphones but have a higher tolerance for it or I'm less offended/distracted or fatigued by them. Bright it usually not as offensive to my ears as others, so for me when something is TO bright or leaves me fatigued it's indicative of what I'd considered not really "worthwhile" performance

And yes I volume match with pink noise and these days my average listening is right around about 79 dbs, peaks of 87 an dips as low as 71.

Overall sound wise I felt the unit was

• A bit exaggerated sounding and often congested
• Kinda bright with evident top end emphasis
• Presentation and envelope were a touch aggressive
• Emphasized macro detail or "noise" so breathing, fret work, foot steps the occasional air conditioner and any other incidental noise captured during the recording process

Dare I say noisy? Drum kits often had obvious overlap to my ears and with a lot of instruments it presentation makes it not as easy to really discern a clear position and sense of space between everything. Really a lot of top end spectra was just overly aggressive and it was hard to discern as much as I would have liked. I didn't have a desire to do a deeper more detailed listen

I can't say I liked it and as a heads up I had some technical issues with it namely my subjective impression may have been a result of poor amplification among other things, I also had issues with my V20 maxing out it's volume into the Cobalt and again when I switched between Neutron, Tidal and Amazon HD Music and the steps were not as precise as I would have liked. I did volume match as close as possible but it could be that the device simply did not behave as it should have with my V20. It could be possible those sudden jumps to max volume left my ears more sensitive and my brain with a stronger impression of how cacophonous it sounds at MAX Output.

Where as the xDSD was both more natural on it's "listening" filter and presented less overall congestion. And for what it's worth I also feel that xDSD can be a touch bright

Starting with the envelope I felt the xDSD presented

• a more vivid release or reverb trail
• Tactile without excess emphasis on the attack

Dynamics were also more vivid as well so the difference between quite and soft sounds were more discernible an there was more evidant micro detail with xDSD as well, an to be clear I also feel the xDSD is kinda bright an sometimes aggressive but it's not so overdone!!!!

What I did not do was compare Cobalt to my Geek Out V2+ as I felt that would be pretty pointless. At $299 you can also pick up a Chord Mojo second hand which I've enjoyed when I've heard it, an to my Ears Mojo is a smidgen more resolving than xDSD though not as technically adept ( Bluetooth an Streaming with xdsd is excellent, where as Mojo and Polly are very cumbersome in that regard) and powerful. That and xDSD and Mojo do have what I feel are different enough presentations to co-exist

I will say it Cobalt was more detailed than my Shanling M2S and both had issues with congestion though the M2S presents more of an overlap of "reverb" or the body of different instruments. So it sounds kinda smoothed over, VS Cobalt which presents congestion more so as an overlap between the initial attack of sounds.

Frankly I'd rather experience congestion as a smoothing over rather than a cacophony of noise. An despite being technically more detailed I again wasn't a fan of Cobalt at all. I also didn't really feel compelled to listen to Cobalt with any of my other headphones as I'd have to pair it with something like my E-MU Purpleheart to get a nice "pairing" though again you can enjoy the Purpleheart more with an xDSD so I didn't really want to continue to beat the dead horse as it was

Big thanks of course to Todd for sending the unit my way!

 

[Olumm]

Hello All,

First of all I would like to thank Todd for allowing me to participate in this loaner program, as I have long been a fan of the Audioquest USB form-factor. To this day I still own the original DFB, v1.5 DFB and the DFR. It was great to be able to compare the Cobalt with these legacy models, but I will get in to the comparisons later on.

First Impressions

Well, you can certainly tell that this is an Audioquest product. The packaging is substantial, more than it needs to be, but I am very thankful that the newly designed dragontail is USB-C and is included with the Cobalt. I understand how making the new Cobalt would have been an issue as a USB-C connection, so including the newly designed dragontail is a good move for Audioquest. The Cobalt, or at least the model that I received, does suffer from an issue that all Audioquest Dragonfly models seem to have, and that's rattling of the USB connector to the interior of the device. I am not 100% sure what causes this issue, but I suspect it has something to do with how the PCB is mounted in the housing. This is no way impacts the sound quality, but at a premium price, which the Cobalt is certainly asking for a premium, this leaves you feeling less than confident with your decision.

Sound Impressions

Knowing that I was part of this program allowed me time to use my DFR and v1.5 DFB for a few weeks before the Cobalt arrived, and because of those weeks I was able to immediately notice a massive difference in signal output. The Cobalt absolutely smokes the DFR and v1.5 DFB in ability to drive full size headphones that may require more juice. I tested the Cobalt against the DFR on a pair of 600ohm DT-880 pro, and while the DFR was able to drive them to acceptable listening volume, the Cobalt was able to provide more voltage to the 880, which made for a more enjoyable listening experience. The DFR sounded thin and lacked any low end response, while the Cobalt was able to push a little harder to open up the drivers a bit more to include a bit more low end response. I, for fun, connected my Abyss 1266 OG to the Cobalt... just to see if it could push the 1266 at all, and while to was able to power them to a low volume it would not be my choice for amplification.

Where the Cobalt felt a little overpowered for me was with iems. That was a little shocking to me, as the DFR and v1.5 DFB were my go-to methods for iem amplification. The only iems that I have these days are a pair of ex800st, KXXS and my trusty Stax 002 system. With botth the ex800st and KXXS I was barley able to use the Cobalt, as even at the very lowest setting it was much louder than I would like. This forced me to lower my output of Tidal to gain more control over the volume, not ideal.

As a dedicated source the Cobalt is great. I used the Cobalt as a dedicated DAC running directly to the energizer of the 002 system and this result was fantastic. Thankfully I was able to quickly switch between the Cobalt and the DFR as a source for the 002 through Tidal and a MacBook Pro and can confidently tell you that there is a major difference between the DFR and Cobalt when used as a source. The DFR sounded thin and compressed while the Cobalt was much more spacious and dynamic. It truly is a night and day difference between the two when using them as a source.

Conclusion

At $300 for the Cobalt it's an expensive portable device, but under the right circumstances I can totally see myself using this to replace both my DFR and v1.5 DFB. If you are more of a transportable type of listener... meaning that you take a pair of over-ear headphones from your home to another location, then I would highly recommend taking a look at the Cobalt. It would be very difficult to find something that produces this level of sound quality for harder to drive over-ears, in this form factor, than the Cobalt. If your intention is to use the Cobalt as a portable source for another form of amplification, then the Cobalt should also be considered. Where I think the Cobalt fails is at being a source for sensitive iems. There is absolutely no background noise, but the range in which the power delivered is not ideal for high sensitivity iems. I wish they would include a switch on these products to limit the output of the device. It would great to be able to keep the same sound quality, but limit the output by 15-20db for iem listening without having to limit the output of the source format.

 

[mk351e]

My turn! First, off, HUGE thanks to Todd for doing this program! This man is the nicest, coolest dude in the industry!

I'm going to skip unboxing and photos because it's been covered, and I'm a lousy photographer

A little about me: I listen to mostly live rock music, my favorite cans are Sennheiser HD820, I love multibit DAC's, though I do seem to like Sabre based DACs as well. My favorite IEM's are what I used for this review: Sennheiser IE500PRO. IMO, their tonal balance is superior to my (now sold) IE800. I also love the Audeze iSine series. I only used this with my iPhone XS and laptop (Dell XPS 9560), powering my IEM's.

Pros:
Soundstage is bigger than both phone and laptop, but not by too much. It is pretty big.
Treble is sweet and smooth, though a little soft. Would be a great match for hot cans, too dark with dark sounding cans.
Mids are smooth and clear, nothing negative at all here.
Bass is very well defined, seems maybe slightly more powerful than iPhone.
Tonal balance is a little thick.
Power is huge, at least with my IEM's.
Overall definition is increased, especially on complex passages compared to phone and laptop.
Form factor is awesome - crazy small!
Looks cool.

Cons:
The fact that there is internal wiggle is inexcusable, ESPECIALLY at this price. A $5 flash drive doesn't have this problem, a $300 luxury product certainly should not!
Lack of iPhone cable is inexcusable at this price point. If you're like half the population that uses an iPhone, and you want to use this product, you'll have to lay out another $30+ on the cable to use this. UGH.

This is a tough product to review; it's a product that does something very specific, and very well. You have to take it for what it is: it's a TINY DAC/amp, and it does a really good job as a DAC, and a really good job powering IEM's. The sound quality is outstanding, and the form factor is impossibly small. Unfortunately, the price is insane. As an iPhone user, this thing costs $330 + tax with the cable you need to use it. There are A LOT of superior choices in this price range, but then again, NONE in this tiny form factor. If you were to use this with your laptop only, you'd probably be better off with a Schiit stack or something else, but for portable use, I can't imagine anything beating this. If you have the cash, and need the form factor, I can't imagine anything beating this.

 

[SoundDouble]

Sorry for the long delay, Holidays, but finally posted my opinion below. Thanks again.

 

[SoundDouble]

Pros:. Music is more effortless, and low end has good dynamics/control.

Cons: Hard pressed to spend extra money compared to Dragonfly red. Questionable durability (explained below)

TLDR: Basically a good device for people that don’t have headphone jack on their phone and don’t want to carry a dap, OR listen to a good amount of music from a laptop. Many options on the market and minor benefits for price.

Disclamer: I am not associated with AudioQuest or any company for that matter, including any links in the review. This review is my personal unbiased opinion. Enjoy.

Introduction: First I want to thank Todd for letting me join the AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt product tour, and keep in mind that this was a demo unit and I believe I was the last to receive it before sending it back to TTYJ. I also want to thank Head-Fi, for giving the forum to learn and express my audio thoughts.

I think most people have heard or seen Audioquest products and have an idea of who they are. Be it at they’re local retail store like Bestbuy or online. Founded in 1980 they produce multiple products from cables to headphones, and the Dragonfly Cobalt is a new baby of theirs. At $299 it is by far not the most expensive audiophile device, but it does have a niche market. If you don’t know anything about a DAC John Darko on youtube (among others) has a nice intro video, or you can search the head-fi forum and find tons of answers to questions.

Basically explained, you connect the Dragonfly Cobalt to a USB port and tell the device to send audio to it. The Cobalt then decodes and amplifies then spits it out the 3.5mm jack.




Packaging and Accessories:

The packaging is the usual fair for Audioquest. Keeps the Cobalt well protected in the cardboard box with the molded hard plastic for everything to fit in. The packaging also fits with their connection to retail stores so it can hang on the shelves, etc. Since the cobalt is a small device there’s plenty of space in the box in case something was to fall on it. As you can see in the picture, it includes a small leatherette pouch and the USB-C to USB-A DragonTail cable, the dust cap and instructions.

Build and Functionality:

As far as music apps go I used Apple Music, UAPP both on Android, and foobar2000 and Youtube on my computers. Android 8.0, Windows 10 & 7 were used. I know apple music/youtube are not hi-res but I wanted to make sure of compatibility. When I originally had the DFR there were issues with Apple music switching between songs. I don’t know if it was fixed on Apple’s side or Audioquest but there were problems with the Cobalt. Unfortunately, I don’t have the Red anymore and will do my comparisons with what I have on hand.

As far as build goes, the blue is a great color IMO. Throughout all use the Cobalt stayed cool to the touch, and has a nice finger feel to it. One downside though, the unit that I received seemed like the internals were loose. If you held the blue housing in one hand, and the usb or 3.5mm connected hp in the other hand they can be wiggled separately. There were no shorts or issues that came from this, but it doesn’t instill confidence for long term use. Especially at $299. I remember this was not a problem with the Dragonfly Red when I had it.

Functionality is dependent on your use. I mainly used it connected to my phone which did increase the sound quality but at the same time drains the battery and makes it more cumbersome. I didnt find the cobalt using any more battery than the DFR or SMSL, and with the right usb cable it can mitigate any feeling of carrying around an extra device. I use removable tape to stick it on the back of my phone. Unfortunately you can’t charge the phone and use the cobalt at the same time without a Y-cable. Which at that point things start to get tangled and cluttered in my opinion. So on the go cellphone use for part of the day is great. I see laptop use or maybe tablet use as a better option. Would definitely use this on a flight with my carry-on devices.

Now the sound:

I used a couple different IEM and headphones for comparison. The most noticeable differences were when the Cobalt was loaded more. For example the VE Monk IE Biggie which is 114dB, and Radius TWF31 108dB didn’t see much benefit. But the Final Audio E100 were a little better at 102dB, and lastly my modded Sennheiser at around 98dB and 24ohm made a bigger difference. Despite being 24ohm they take power to get bass.



The soundstage had a nice size, not as large as a good quality DAP or desktop HP amp, but better than a cellphone. I would say more width than height with decent depth. Both the mids and treble were nicely portrayed with good detail but I feel some of the detail is not obvious. And I think this is due to the softer filter. If you look at my horrible drawing below (this is the best way I can think of to describe it), it’s almost as if the cobalt softens the peaks of some sounds. The details are still there but not as sharp. This might be good or bad depending on the song and the way it was recorded. In addition to that it is not clipping or any distortion of the sort. I admit I don’t know the details of how dac filters work.



Bass on the other hand was definitely more effortless on my lower dB headphones. I listened to the Hifiman Sundara on my Cayin N5ii and from that experience I feel a planar like the sundara would pair well with the Cobalt. The sound from the Cobalt at time seems to fill the soundstage more easily, almost as if I replaced some smaller bookshelf speakers with mid sized towers.

Comparisons:

HTC 10: Firstly, volume. I see a strong reason for people getting an outboard dac/amp is to power some harder load headphones. Compared to the HTC 10 at full volume, the Cobalt was at about 70%. Using it to feed my preamp and home speakers easily gave me more headroom with the cobalt, and still allowed for streaming Apple music. Sound quality is more detailed, better note separation, and better bass control. Lastly better width in the soundstage. Downside is it also draws power from my phone so the battery dies quicker.

SMSL Idea: This was my main comparison, since both are same use case. The smsl is slightly smaller with a physical volume button and a female micro usb port. The Cobalt is male usb-a, and no physical buttons. The Cobalt did take a little longer to load when connecting to devices, but unless you are constantly disco/reco like I was during comparisons it shouldn’t bother at all. The Cobalt was as mentioned cool to the touch, whereas the smsl gets warm and as far as the button goes I prefer not having one. All volume control being on the device feeding the cobalt. The smsl doesn’t remember the volume position when disconnected so you constantly have to set it to where you had last time. It also had slight less volume than the Cobalt. Out of 100 the Cobalt was maybe 3pts higher, possible room for error.



In the sound department, the smsl had possibly a little more height, but less width. This gave the Cobalt better instrument separation. The bass and lower mids were also more full and smooth. The smsl has sharper note, possibly due to the filter or just attack/decay. But the treble stands out more on the smsl because of that. I think the Cobalt was a more natural sound.

Cayin n5ii: For anyone that has or has heard the Cayin n5ii: with N5ii on slow roll off filter I feel it was surprisingly similar tonality and dynamics compared to the DFC. A/B switching between the two showed Cayin had a little more soundstage, and a little more power at its disposal. In comparison, the DFC at full volume was equal to the Cayin on high SE @ 85 volume. This was attached to my HTC 10 with the provided cable. I thought the cobalt was not getting enough current from my phone but when it was connected to my win10 dell laptop the max volume didn’t change.

Conclusions: With quite a few options in the market nowadays, be it Audioquest, smsl, ibasso, I feel the cobalt does have a good fight for sound quality. Unfortunately at $299 it’s a hard fight for me.