Dragonfly COBALT vs.............Discussions
Jul 12, 2019 at 4:08 PM Post #16 of 1,192
Audioquest posted some comments on using the Cobalt with Jitterbug in their Instagram feed - they state use the Jitterbug in a different port and not to run the two serially (piggyback). The Cobalt has some filtering built-in but it doesn’t have an actual Jitterbug inside.
 
Jul 12, 2019 at 7:02 PM Post #17 of 1,192
Just received the Cobalt. I'm not sure I'm an "audiophile," but I can say the output is clear, and the separation is very good. To me, it's not $100 better than the Red, but that's just me. Not radically better sounding in my view though, again, I might be missing something. The biggest drawback with it is the fact that the copper colored connector on the unit I received is not solidly placed, but wiggles up and down some, which to me can portend a potential issue down the road. For this reason I will be returning this Cobalt as defective. All in all, so far I'm not jumping up and down over this one. Perhaps I'll give the sound a little bit more of a test before returning it should I want to replace it.
 
Last edited:
Jul 12, 2019 at 7:26 PM Post #18 of 1,192
IMG_0293_hf.jpg
I cam across an interesting comment from John Darko on his YouTube review. People were asking whether adding an AQ Jitterbug would further improve the performance of the Dragonfly Cobalt. JD said that he had been told directly by AQ that a Jitterbug should not be used with DF Cobalt, despite what it says on the packaging (which I haven't seen; presumably there's some mention of it). Make of that what you will. At least one UK retailer is actively promoting Jitterbug as an add-on.

I used both iSilencer and the iPurifier3 and noticed a fairly significant improvement with my COBALT when I used it as a desktop system out of my computer. I noticed more relaxed sound with better spatial and soundstaging cues.
 
Last edited:
Jul 12, 2019 at 7:35 PM Post #19 of 1,192
That could probably work for the Red as well I'd imagine. Just tried it with both. Works fine with the Red. I'm not seeing great improvement with the Cobalt vs.the Red so far. What am I missing?

This is with the iPurifier 3.
 
Last edited:
Jul 12, 2019 at 7:56 PM Post #20 of 1,192
That could probably work for the Red as well I'd imagine. Just tried it with both. Works fine with the Red. I'm not seeing great improvement with the Cobalt vs.the Red so far. What am I missing?

This is with the iPurifier 3.

Yes, I used BOTH devices with both DFR and DFC. And from memory, the DFR did not respond as well or scale as well as the COBALT did with iSilencer/iPurifer3 combo. What you're looking for is sound staging not clarity. The clarity is already excellent. It takes a good ear to hear the difference. I'm very sensitive. It just opens the sound up and makes it a little less congested or hard. It just takes another teeny-tiny edge off and relaxes matters more.
 
Last edited:
Jul 12, 2019 at 11:01 PM Post #24 of 1,192
Does your Cobalt's copper connector wiggle or move within the housing? Mine does and it's concerning to me.

That doesn't sound good. Personally I am pretty lazy so superglue is a winner here :)
 
Jul 12, 2019 at 11:27 PM Post #26 of 1,192
@Tenashus1, how much is it wiggling? My DFR had a very small amount of play that I was never quite enough to cause alarm... Of course, my headphone plug eventually failed. (<< after two cocktails, somehow these two things are possibly connected. Maybe if you've had a drink on a Friday night you can make that connection, too)

@Condocondor, have you tried it with your HD 6XX yet? Or has anybody tried the DFC with higher impedance Sennheisers or Beyerdynamics? Especially the HD 650 or DT 1990? I always found the DFR to be loud enough, but not quite resolving enough, or something.
 
Last edited:
Jul 12, 2019 at 11:38 PM Post #27 of 1,192
@Tenashus1, how much is it wiggling? My DFR had a very small amount of play that I was never quite enough to cause alarm... Of course, my headphone plug eventually failed. (<< after two cocktails, somehow these two things are possibly connected. Maybe if you've had a drink on a Friday night you can make that connection, too)

@Condocondor,have you tried it with your HD 6XX yet? Or has anybody tried the DFC with higher impedance Sennheisers or Beyerdynamics? Especially the HD 650 or DT 1990? I always found the DFR to be loud enough, but not quite resolving enough, or something.

Well, if I shake it, it will rattle some. With my fingers, it moves up and down, and side to side. Not cool or acceptable for me. My Red and Black are both solid. By the way, I've tried the DFC with the DT 770 Pro, 250 ohm, and the DT 990 Pro, 250 ohm and they both sound very good. I read somewhere that the 250 ohm Beyers actually require more power than the HD6XX.
 
Jul 12, 2019 at 11:43 PM Post #28 of 1,192
Oh, yeah. If it rattles send it back. That doesn't sound good. Mine had a very small amount of play, like at most a millimeter.

Good to know that it sounds good with your Beyers! This is moving up on my list.
 
Jul 12, 2019 at 11:53 PM Post #30 of 1,192
Yes, if I can get hold of one that's solid, I may just keep it. It's sounding sweeter; especially with the iPurifier 3 attached. We shall see. :)

Sorry that I don't know but what is an iPurifier?
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top