[Deftone]

OMG! I've got a lot to look forward to then. Where did you get that figure?

Made it up just now.

 

[joesuburb]

Made it up just now.

LOL

 

[Tenashus1]

Well, for what it's worth, I finally got a hold of a wiggle-less DFC for $20 off no less. My present DFC was wiggling from both ends. I saw $20 off a new one and could still return this one, so I gave it a shot. Sure enough, victory!

 

[stereonerd]

Anyone using the DFC with RHA CL2s? I’ve read the cobalt is a little shouty in the highs , that would be a bad match for CL2 Tuning which is keep me debating on DFC or Mojo - MQA would be nice though

 

[Deftone]

Anyone using the DFC with RHA CL2s? I’ve read the cobalt is a little shouty in the highs , that would be a bad match for CL2 Tuning which is keep me debating on DFC or Mojo - MQA would be nice though

Cobalt is actually recessed in the upper mid low high so it might work well, also even though its a little bit brighter in the upper highs its not harsh.

 

[stereonerd]

Cobalt is actually recessed in the upper mid low high so it might work well, also even though its a little bit brighter in the upper highs its not harsh.

Recessed 2k-4K? Brighter up top I’m not too concerned about, unless it’s fatiguing - what’s your take?

 

[118900]

I've been AB-ing the Apple Lightning USB Camera (aka CCK2) and the USB 3 version with the charging port (aka CCK3) over the past hour with the Cobalt.
Contrary to Audioquest's claims, I found no discernable difference in sound quality - both adapters work well with my iPhone Xs + Kaisertone app.
Since my iPhone supports wireless charging, it makes sense to use the smaller adapter.

I think this is in reference to an earlier iOS (not sure if 10 or 11) where there was a problem outputting signal to off board DACs (in general, including Chords, Schiit, etc). At the time I remember hearing clicks and dropouts on the CCK2 that did not present themselves on the CCK3. The issue was eventually fixed with an update as the overall problem with off board DACs died off and I stopped hearing the clicks with the CCK2. I still have both CCK2 and CCK3 although I never use the 3 ever since the problem was resolved.

 

[118900]

Anyone want to address the elephant in the room: the poor objective test results from Archimago?

http://archimago.blogspot.com/2019/08/measurements-dragonflies-audioquest.html

The reviewer himself states that another DFC did NOT have this problem. Isn’t it just possible that he had a dud DFC which was not indicative? Just a thought

 

[a-LeXx]

The reviewer himself states that another DFC did NOT have this problem. Isn’t it just possible that he had a dud DFC which was not indicative? Just a thought

What another DFC? He didn't get another DFC, all the problems covered in that review are still there!

 

[118900]

What another DFC? He didn't get another DFC, all the problems covered in that review are still there!

The reviewer himself states that another DFC did NOT have this problem. Isn’t it just possible that he had a dud DFC which was not indicative? Just a thought

He says it himself in the same review near the end. Maybe I misunderstood but that is how it looks to me. Like I said just a thought

 

[118900]

I also like my DFR but at times it would be too bright but that was happening with the Shure 535, so I guess it's the headphones fault. There is some background hiss/noise with the cobalt. I'll listen more tonight and I'll get back to you. With both the cobalt and the red there is a noticeable improvement over just using the 846 through a usbc to 3.5mm alone. Is it worth 300$? I'm not sure and what if a firmware update could improve the cobalt? To be honest, I was pretty happy with the red, especially after getting viper set up the way I like it.

heya ElectricL did you manage to check the background hiss on the DFC 846 combo? Im interested in the same combo for my travel needs.

 

[wwyjoe]

Sorry if this is a noob question, but can I play Tidal with Tidal's own native app installed on the upcoming Samung Note 10+ connected to the Cobalt ? Or do I need to install app such as UAPP to play Tidal?

 

[a-LeXx]

He says it himself in the same review near the end. Maybe I misunderstood but that is how it looks to me. Like I said just a thought

No, that‘s not it. He is just saying that other people apparently did not see this one particular problem. It‘s very unlikely though, because there is no analog gain control there, it‘s all digital, so the manufacturing variations should not affect this. Maybe they changed the FW though, totally possible. Anyway, this kind of issues should be easy to address with a FW update, if AQ decides to do so...

Moreover, it was just one aspect, the clipping. Apart from that, DFC objectively has much worse measurements compared to DFR...

 

[118900]

No, that‘s not it. He is just saying that other people apparently did not see this one particular problem. It‘s very unlikely though, because there is no analog gain control there, it‘s all digital, so the manufacturing variations should not affect this.

Moreover, it was just one aspect, the clipping. Apart from that, DFC objectively has much worse measurements compared to DFR...

Alex, i’m very sorry but the wording speaks for itself and is not really open to interpretation. He clearly states (and I quote): “an earlier serial number cobalt did not have this issue (reported as 2.16 Vrms)”. He makes specific reference to an earlier serial number product which means he is being quite definite, not generically talking about “other people”. Again, I’m sorry but you can’t really take one part of what he says as the truth and then another part as unfounded or inaccurate.

With regards to this particular review all
I suggest is that as he already picked up on one defect maybe the cobalt he tested was faulty and not indicative overall.

In general I often find that just as there are many reviewers who heap praise on a product that is not deserving so as not to stand out from the crowd, there are also some reviewers that love the notoriety of being the ones that go against the grain and poo-poo those products that are generally regarded as merit worthy.

I am NOT saying that this is the case here as measurements appear perfectly valid, however if he did have these doubts I think he was remiss to have not investigated further in order to verify whether this was indeed the case.

Nevertheless the real test is the personal audition, that is my view anyway.

 

[a-LeXx]

It wasn't him, somebody reported that earlier... Might have been an earlier pre-release sample...