It was my phone. Settings for changed. Messed up my whole perception. So now I gotta say I am loving it. More controlled treble, better soundstage than red, and plenty of warm syrupy bass. Again warmer than red but super clear even at high volumes. I think I love this cobalt. It’s funny cause it’s trying for a more mojo type sound. Doing a good job! Recommended!
Thanks for the update. It does sound somewhat intriguing from a sound perspective.
...Although...
...I'm trying to hold off here... and maybe this is my I need more coffee and so I can't stop from complaining right now, but the sound is really the last thing I ever thought the DFR needed improved. I am glad that they improved the battery draw, but it seems like there are other problems that they should have also looked at solving with a new device.
The ergonomics stink. Yeah, it's tiny and it's pocketable and it's way more portable than almost any other portable DAC, but having the headphone jack opposite the USB plug kinda takes away its pocket-ability. You still either have to hold it and your phone in your hand, or else risk damaging the headphone socket by stuffing it in your pocket, which is what happened to mine. As far as I know, the FiiO Q5 and Q5S are the only ones that have solved this issue.
And a USB-A plug? Really? Why not have a USB-C jack (not a plug!) instead of necessitating the goofy USB-A-to-USB-C/micro-USB/Lightning adapters? A USB-C-to USB-C (or micro or Lightning) cable would be a lot more compact and the jack could potentially be put right next to the 3.5mm jack, too.
Also, something I didn't realize until somewhat recently is that USB-C has a USB-audio protocol in which an analog signal is transmitted; I believe this is the way most dongles work, not with a DAC chip in the dongle, and how you can take voice calls on a dongle without an ADC chip. All this being said, if AQ could have somehow integrated this alongside the DAC— heck, even with a physical switch to toggle between modes— so that you can take calls without having to unplug, take out your IEMs, etc. would have (in my opinion) put this completely out of reach of every other portable DAC.
Finally, the light. Yeah, it's pretty. Yeah, it's useful to know that you're getting the bit perfect. 95% of the time, though, does it really serve any purpose? Isn't it just draining the battery, even if it's just a little bit? And maybe it's just me, but if I'm listening in bed, I find the light to be annoyingly bright. I've always wished there was a way to turn it off, either with a switch or button or some crappy app that just turns off the light and potentially saves my phone's battery.
Okay. I've got that out of my system. I love the DFR, even for its foibles, but it seems like they could've had a grand slam here and won the game, instead they settled for a base hit and one RBI.
Why not have a USB-C jack (not a plug!) instead of necessitating the goofy USB-A-to-USB-C/micro-USB/Lightning adapters? A USB-C-to USB-C (or micro or Lightning) cable would be a lot more compact and the jack could potentially be put right next to the 3.5mm jack, too..
Point taken about the iPhone. I don't know much about them. Would a Lightning-to-USB-C adapter not work? Other DACs use Lightning-micro-USB adapters, so I figure USB-C would also work.
And I disagree about USB-C being a point of failure. On my adapters, it's the USB-A end that's failed before the USB-C end.
Point taken about the iPhone. I don't know much about them. Would a Lightning-to-USB-C adapter not work? Other DACs use Lightning-micro-USB adapters, so I figure USB-C would also work.
And I disagree about USB-C being a point of failure. On my adapters, it's the USB-A end that's failed before the USB-C end.
This is the Lightning adapter that comes with the FiiO Q5s. Why wouldn't USB-C work just as well? I don't know if the Q5 has software that's doing a special handshake with iOS.
And, yes, that's what I mean. My USB-C plugs have all stayed snug, while the USB-A end has become loose. Not to say that mine wasn't a special case, more that if A and C are equally prone to failure, why not use the newer, more compact standard?
There is absolutely no need to try and listen to DFR through one of the highly regarded DAPs. If you had a Shanling M0 or M1 or Fiio M5, then maybe ... I dont think DFR will provide an improvement in sound over WM1A ( my opinion ). But it is a great device for smartphone and other electronics capable of supplying USB digital audio. I tried it with Hiby R3, it worked , but i didnt test to see which sounds better.
There is absolutely no need to try and listen to DFR through one of the highly regarded DAPs. If you had a Shanling M0 or M1 or Fiio M5, then maybe ... I dont think DFR will provide an improvement in sound over WM1A ( my opinion ). But it is a great device for smartphone and other electronics capable of supplying USB digital audio. I tried it with Hiby R3, it worked , but i didnt test to see which sounds better.
Yes the dac chip is different. Whether you could hear the difference I don’t know. Plus the red will be a big improvement over the black if you decide to go portable and leave the desktop behind. I would get the red.
Yes the dac chip is different. Whether you could hear the difference I don’t know. Plus the red will be a big improvement over the black if you decide to go portable and leave the desktop behind. I would get the red.
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