# Dragonfly Cobalt is definitely not worth it's Price Tag



## AudiophileKing (Aug 27, 2019)

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

Finally, the truth has been revealed about the Cobalt.I returned mine after a week of testing, waiting for the magical change in sound quality after : 200 hours of burn-in. The sound quality improved yet I and my friends found it to be definitely not worth the price. Today I just came across this article and finally I understand that the "Audio Industry" is fueled by paid advertisements and likely internet forum manipulation.

Firstly, the Cobalt units are cheaply built - there is wiggling of the internals and the usb moves in and out of the case.

Sound quality is better than the dragonfly red yet not worth the price in any way.

I am taking my time to help people not to follow the reviewers and make an impulsive purchase. Listen thoroughly to it yourself, take your time to think if it's worth *your* money and then decide if you want buy them/keep them or return them.

Here are some personal opinions I would like to share:

1) Try the Apple Type-C to 3.5 mm  Dongle for $10, I recommend it over the Dragonfly Cobalt anytime.

2) Avoid Fiio products, they have the worst support, you can't find them when trying to solve problems with their products. They ask you to ship to China and their battery replacement information/support is non-existent. They are releasing their Q5s yet I strongly believe to avoid them as many have reported their poor build quality.

3) If they say Cobalt sounds better than Chord Mojo - it's absolutely bull. Many do say it.


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## GDuss

Determining worth, especially in hi-end audio, is of course always difficult.  Many people have said the Mojo sounds fantastic, but is definitely not worth its price (similar comments can be made about much of what is discussed on this forum).  I agree that Mojo sounds better than Cobalt, but it's actually not by as much as I would have thought.  I am enjoying the Cobalt quite a bit, and have taken it out with me numerous times lately and not regretted leaving Mojo at home.

My Cobalt only very slightly wiggles, and I do mean very slightly, and only at the headphone plug side, not at the USB side.  I bought a Dragonfly Red a few years ago that wiggled and rattled way more than my DFC does.  I returned that DFR, partly due to the rattle and partly due to that fact that I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.

The price-performance ratio of the Apple dongle is quite high.  If someone is only willing to spend $10, or even $50, it's a great DAC/AMP.


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## Hifiearspeakers

AudiophileKing said:


> http://archimago.blogspot.com/2019/08/measurements-dragonflies-audioquest.html
> 
> Finally, the truth has been revealed about the Cobalt.I returned mine after a week of testing, waiting for the magical change in sound quality after : 200 hours of burn-in. The sound quality improved yet I and my friends found it to be definitely not worth the price. Today I just came across this article and finally I understand that the "Audio Industry" is fueled by paid advertisements and likely internet forum manipulation.
> 
> ...



There’s a big difference between the dongle and the Cobalt. The dongle doesn’t amplify. So unless you have very easy to drive headphones or iem’s, the dongle will not be adequate. For headphones with higher impedance and/or lower sensitivity, your comparison of a dongle to the Cobalt is apples and oranges. 

Also, just because you don’t think the Cobalt sounds better than the Mojo, doesn’t mean others feel the same way. I don’t. I prefer the Cobalt to the Mojo, because I prefer a wider soundstage. The Mojo sounds good, but it doesn’t project a very wide stage and that is a well-known characteristic of it.


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## CANiSLAYu

I don’t have any interest in the Cobalt whatsoever as it doesn’t fill a need for me, but I find takes like this interesting. That’s the beauty of capitalism; the market will determine if it provides sufficient value for its asking price and that is where opinions will vary. Price is objective, but how much an individual values it subjective.

You don’t think it’s worth the price and that is perfectly reasonable and fine to share that opinion, but to state it as fact is inherently flawed. In fact it’s pretty ironic, because how is it any different behavior than the reviewers you accuse of being shills?


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## Spareribs

I agree that it  seems like a rip off but I would still buy it if I needed one. 

Currently, my portable DAC/amp unit is the Topping NX4 and I think it’s  good and it satisfies my portable need. So no need for me to shop for something else. I’m now on team Topping.


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## tansand

The 'beauty' of capitalism is that it allows any number of scams to exploit others.


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## TooPoorForHiFi (Aug 26, 2019)

Shillers... Gotta learn to spot them and move on.


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## McCol

Oh my word, product cheap to make but priced high.....shock and horror, who would have thought.  I bet Apple, Samsung, Sony and hundreds no make that thousands of companies don't do the same.

What's happened here is that this chap is throwing his toys out of the pram because he didn't like it, bless the wee baby.


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## pilgrimbilly

AudiophileKing said:


> http://archimago.blogspot.com/2019/08/measurements-dragonflies-audioquest.html
> 
> Finally, the truth has been revealed about the Cobalt.I returned mine after a week of testing, waiting for the magical change in sound quality after : 200 hours of burn-in. The sound quality improved yet I and my friends found it to be definitely not worth the price. Today I just came across this article and finally I understand that the "Audio Industry" is fueled by paid advertisements and likely internet forum manipulation.
> 
> ...



The article you refer to has been out for a while and has been discussed thoroughly here.


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## tansand (Aug 26, 2019)

Well, I won't be buying one. So thanks for the heads up.


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## GDuss

OP made an important statement:

"Listen yourself, think it's worth *your* money and then decide if you sound buy them."

I completely agree.


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## AudiophileKing

GDuss said:


> Determining worth, especially in hi-end audio, is of course always difficult.  Many people have said the Mojo sounds fantastic, but is definitely not worth its price (similar comments can be made about much of what is discussed on this forum).  I agree that Mojo sounds better than Cobalt, but it's actually not by as much as I would have thought.  I am enjoying the Cobalt quite a bit, and have taken it out with me numerous times lately and not regretted leaving Mojo at home.
> 
> My Cobalt only very slightly wiggles, and I do mean very slightly, and only at the headphone plug side, not at the USB side.  I bought a Dragonfly Red a few years ago that wiggled and rattled way more than my DFC does.  I returned that DFR, partly due to the rattle and partly due to that fact that I didn't like it as much as I thought I would.
> 
> The price-performance ratio of the Apple dongle is quite high.  If someone is only willing to spend $10, or even $50, it's a great DAC/AMP.



Yes, it's true - Determining worth, especially in hi-end audio, is of course always difficult. Mojo is quite expensive, it's the truth. But recently I think they are selling for 432 $ + taxes (new) ? You are right, the worth of something depends on the individuals. Proper information that we share might help so many people out there. I had the Cobalt, it's not bad. But it felt as if it's lacking in fidelity - only later to be found that's it's fidelity has degraded (check out the article linked in original post). Cobalt should have been a replacement for both Black and Red and priced around 150 $. The headphone amp section is lacking in my opinion.


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## AudiophileKing

Hifiearspeakers said:


> There’s a big difference between the dongle and the Cobalt. The dongle doesn’t amplify. So unless you have very easy to drive headphones or iem’s, the dongle will not be adequate. For headphones with higher impedance and/or lower sensitivity, your comparison of a dongle to the Cobalt is apples and oranges.
> 
> Also, just because you don’t think the Cobalt sounds better than the Mojo, doesn’t mean others feel the same way. I don’t. I prefer the Cobalt to the Mojo, because I prefer a wider soundstage. The Mojo sounds good, but it doesn’t project a very wide stage and that is a well-known characteristic of it.



The dongle has about 1 V output. Yes, the Cobalt sounds much better than the dongle, it's natural given it's worth 46 times the price in Canada. It' headphone amp section is lacking and it's measurements show that it's sound fidelity has regressed back two generations (worse than red). I couldn't justify the sound quality and to be surprise the demo unit I tried at the store sounded better than the one I had returned. Build quality issues persist. Well, at least the demo unit was solidly built. Most of us rely on proper reviews before narrowing down on our choices. It would be very sad to misguide people into buying Cobalt. Everyone should just listen to it and decide themselves if it's what they want.


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## AudiophileKing

CANiSLAYu said:


> I don’t have any interest in the Cobalt whatsoever as it doesn’t fill a need for me, but I find takes like this interesting. That’s the beauty of capitalism; the market will determine if it provides sufficient value for its asking price and that is where opinions will vary. Price is objective, but how much an individual values it subjective.
> 
> You don’t think it’s worth the price and that is perfectly reasonable and fine to share that opinion, but to state it as fact is inherently flawed. In fact it’s pretty ironic, because how is it any different behavior than the reviewers you accuse of being shills?



Do read the whole article and see the measurements, you will find them more interesting. I was wondering something was lacking in my listening sessions with the Cobalt, it turned out to be have lower sound fidelity than the Red. 

One Fact : 

The Cobalt sounds better than without the Type-C Dragontail adapter. Don't know how special the adapter is but it degrades the audio quality for sure. 

I did not state anything as a fact. See my post, it's :    

"Here are some personal opinions I would like to share:"


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## AudiophileKing

Spareribs said:


> I agree that it  seems like a rip off but I would still buy it if I needed one.
> 
> Currently, my portable DAC/amp unit is the Topping NX4 and I think it’s  good and it satisfies my portable need. So no need for me to shop for something else. I’m now on team Topping.



Is the Topping reliable ? I heard they break down and have firmware problems. Can you tell me more about your Topping Unit, it's build quality, software/firmware issues if you are having any.


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## AudiophileKing

tansand said:


> The 'beauty' of capitalism is that it allows any number of scams to exploit others.



It would have been nice if they removed Red and Black and brought out the Cobalt @ 150 USD.


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## AudiophileKing

TooPoorForHiFi said:


> Shillers... Gotta learn to spot them and move on.



True, got to learn to detect them. People getting free products will no longer get them if they constantly criticize the products they receive during reviews.


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## AudiophileKing

GDuss said:


> OP made an important statement:
> 
> "Listen yourself, think it's worth *your* money and then decide if you sound buy them."
> 
> I completely agree.



omg, thanks. I corrected the sentence with proper English.


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## Spareribs

AudiophileKing said:


> Is the Topping reliable ? I heard they break down and have firmware problems. Can you tell me more about your Topping Unit, it's build quality, software/firmware issues if you are having any.



I’ve had it for a couple weeks and so far so good. I just plug it into my iPhone or iPad mini and it works fine. I use an Apple USB adapter cable which was around $30.

In my opinion, the build quality is good. No complaints so far and hopefully it won’t have any problems


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## FourT6and2

I've been using the Cobalt for a bit with a few different headphones and honestly... I can't even hear one bit of difference between it and the regular headphone jack in my Macbook Pro. So is it overpriced to me? Yeah, because it doesn't seem to really do anything except provide a cool glow for me to stare at while I listen to some jams.


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## AudiophileKing

FourT6and2 said:


> I've been using the Cobalt for a bit with a few different headphones and honestly... I can't even hear one bit of difference between it and the regular headphone jack in my Macbook Pro. So is it overpriced to me? Yeah, because it doesn't seem to really do anything except provide a cool glow for me to stare at while I listen to some jams.



Yes, you are right. Macbook Pro sounds good. To be honest, it's not worth it if you have to listen to the dac for hours and weeks and then have to decide if the sound quality is worth it or not. If you actually loved the sound quality of the DAC, you would have liked it right away. The truth is, no one is going to write negative reviews in general as it puts the reviewers in a bad situation with the companies who send them free samples and give them money and other gifts.


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## AudiophileKing

Spareribs said:


> I’ve had it for a couple weeks and so far so good. I just plug it into my iPhone or iPad mini and it works fine. I use an Apple USB adapter cable which was around $30.
> 
> In my opinion, the build quality is good. No complaints so far and hopefully it won’t have any problems



I hope your unit is wonderful and reliable over the time so that I might buy it one day. I am tired of randomly buying things and have junk pile now that no one will ever buy second hand.


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## FourT6and2

To be fair, mine also wiggles. But it's not the usb plug or headphone jack. Those pieces are actually all one solid internal part. It's just that they snap together into the external case. It's the external case that is slightly loose giving the illusion that the USB plug or jack are wiggling. They aren't though.


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## .Sup

When I first heard that AQ released the Cobalt as the successor for the Red, I got interested but when I saw the price I lost all interest. A device with one input and one output should not cost that much.


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## wenbinbin2010

I also didn't think the Cobalt sounded that much better than straight out of my Samsung Galaxy S10. Ended up getting the Fiio Q5s instead and it has substantially better sound quality in all regards.


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## AudiophileKing

wenbinbin2010 said:


> I also didn't think the Cobalt sounded that much better than straight out of my Samsung Galaxy S10. Ended up getting the Fiio Q5s instead and it has substantially better sound quality in all regards.



That's some useful information. I was very curious about the Q5s. I heard about Fiio's questionable build quality in Q5s - are the screws and detachment modules of good build quality ? For one, I know Fiio has quite the serious reputation about their poor customer service - asking many users to ship their products back to China for defects, batteries dying down. What's worse is the sellers falsely deny of the reported problems with Fiio Product Quality. What's your feedback on Q5s, assuming you are not a Fiio promotion agent on head fi.


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## AudiophileKing

.Sup said:


> When I first heard that AQ released the Cobalt as the successor for the Red, I got interested but when I saw the price I lost all interest. A device with one input and one output should not cost that much.



It's definitely not worth the asking price, especially when the included dragon tail type C adapter lowers the audio quality compared to direct USB Type-A - technical measurements even show lower audio signal quality compared to Red in multiple areas. Audioquest Cobalt is an absolute failure of a successor to Red, from my listening experience. However, I still recommend everyone to listen themselves and compare their own perceived audio quality rather than take some reviewer's rant about how great the Cobalt is compared to Chord Mojo - don't ever forget that these reviewers get sponsorships and get send free products. John H. Darko's review made me buy Cobalt and my own critical judgement made me return it after half a month waiting for the magical improvement in audio quality after 200 hours of burn in - well, the audio quality improved - it's good overall, but isn't good enough to justify it's price to me. You may like it, then you may buy it - won't affect me in any way.


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## AudiophileKing

FourT6and2 said:


> To be fair, mine also wiggles. But it's not the usb plug or headphone jack. Those pieces are actually all one solid internal part. It's just that they snap together into the external case. It's the external case that is slightly loose giving the illusion that the USB plug or jack are wiggling. They aren't though.



Most journalists in the Audiophile Industry are con artists who write about how intense of a fake orgasm they have when they listen to inferior crappy audio products that they receive money to promote.


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## FourT6and2

AudiophileKing said:


> Most journalists in the Audiophile Industry are con artists who write about how intense of a fake orgasm they have when they listen to inferior crappy audio products that they receive money to promote.



Ok? What's that got to do with what I said?


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## AudiophileKing

FourT6and2 said:


> Ok? What's that got to do with what I said?



Wrongly quoted. Apologies. Wanted it to be a general comment.


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## max232

What other option is there for an ultra portable that works seamlessly with USB Audio Player Pro "Bit Perfect" and Tidal / MQA?


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## McCol

Just to balance things a little.  I've been using the Cobalt for a couple of weeks and think it's outstanding for the price.
Using with a Samsung S10+ and it greatly improves the sound quality, it is also in my opinion more than a match for the Fiio Q5.


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## AudiophileKing

McCol said:


> Just to balance things a little.  I've been using the Cobalt for a couple of weeks and think it's outstanding for the price.
> Using with a Samsung S10+ and it greatly improves the sound quality, it is also in my opinion more than a match for the Fiio Q5.



That's all good. As long as you are happy it's okay. However, we all want Audioquest to improve the audio quality and reduce the price. It has fallen behind in overall audio fidelity (due to multiple measurements inferiority) back to pre-Dragonfly Red models.


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## David Pritchard

I have the Audioquest  Cobalt, Audioquest Red, Chord Mojo,and Fiio Q5. I am quite happy streaming Qobuz and Spotify using the Cobalt. A great combination with the iPhone. Minimal extra weight, easy to connect , and thin enough to fit easily in the back pocket. The improved spacious soundstage of the Cobalt makes my IEM's sound wonderful. 
I suggest giving the Cobalt an audition.
David Pritchard


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## AudiophileKing

David Pritchard said:


> I have the Audioquest  Cobalt, Audioquest Red, Chord Mojo,and Fiio Q5. I am quite happy streaming Qobuz and Spotify using the Cobalt. A great combination with the iPhone. Minimal extra weight, easy to connect , and thin enough to fit easily in the back pocket. The improved spacious soundstage of the Cobalt makes my IEM's sound wonderful.
> I suggest giving the Cobalt an audition.
> David Pritchard



Could you please also demo Q5s with THX module and give us some feedback comparison of all your stated DACs ? Isn't the chord mojo superior to the cobalt - being cleaner and better overall sound quality ?


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## McCol

AudiophileKing said:


> That's all good. As long as you are happy it's okay. However, we all want Audioquest to improve the audio quality and reduce the price. It has fallen behind in overall audio fidelity (due to multiple measurements inferiority) back to pre-Dragonfly Red models.



I don't see that it has fallen behind.  They have created a DAC that has a really nice small form factor that to my ears easily competes with the Fiio Q5/s range for slightly less cash, not as many features as the Fiio but the form factor is what I am more interested in.

Measurements make no difference to me and play no part in my decision making process, just my ears and form factor.


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## Haden2866

I really like mine - had it a week now playing out of my work iPhone 5SE with a pure silver Lightning-USB cable. I can't compare it to Red, Black or the original Black but I can say that _I prefer it to_ Mojo - sold mine after a couple of years and don't miss it. Soundstage was narrow and it lacked vibe, for me, or 'mojo' if you like . Too much maths going on, perhaps. I had mine playing into a Neco Soundlab v5 portable amp, which increased the soundstage width somewhat and added much needed (IMO) bass texture. But wires! Batteries! Buttons! Cobalt is neat - I like that.
Measurement, and the idea of objective sound quality, are respectively, irrelevant and nonsensical to me but I don't expect to resolve the classical Apollonian / Dionysian split debating portable DAC / amp preferences so I won't be drawn to argue across a blind spot... today. Maybe some other time; we all do it.
Is Cobalt definitely not worth it's price tag? I could have bought a used iFi Nano B/L for, say £170, saving £100 over the cost of a new Cobalt. I generally enjoy the BB sound so it could have been a good choice, but then I've got to manage a battery again, so we are into assessing the value of form factor. Is not having to manage a battery worth £100 for broadly comparable products? Sure, _for me_, over the life cycle of my use case. I use IEMs and a pair of easy-to-drive biodynamic headphones, so adequate driving power isn't a limiting factor. I like Cobalt in my car too - use it every day and expect to for the next few years.
I like the soundstage width - spot-on for me; I like what Darko referred to as the more relaxed-sounding quality (compared to Mojo). These are things I personally value over out-and-out detail retrieval, all other things being equal. I felt the treble to sound really unnatural at first but that seems to have improved considerably to the point where I don't any more - I don't think it's simply a case of getting used to the presentation either, although I expect to be challenged on that. Will Cobalt's sound improve further through the first 200 hours? Who knows, perhaps but I expect any changes to be subtle.
I'm listening now to a decent 24/96 vinyl rip of Aladdin Sane on my Microsoft Surface Book 2 through Foobar and Cobalt into my Lawton-modded Fostex TH-X00 headphones and it sounds really good - Mike Garson's piano on Lady Grinning Soul is lovely. Better than Mojo? Not as much detail, for sure, so maybe not 'better' in that sense but a really engaging listen; far easier to lose yourself in from what I remember and that, pop fans, is where it counts is it not?


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## Xzephyr23

I just made a post about this concern - I guess it is going to be a hit or a miss for me personally hmm. I will have to hear it before I decide.


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## Dan279

In really simple terms, how different do the DFB, DFR and DFC sound? Streaming my music from Spotify premium on my iPhone 11 Pro using 1more Quad Driver iem’s, will using any of these dragonfly units make a noticeable auditory difference? I’ve never bought or used an external DAC before, always either used a headphone jack or, currently the apple dongle.
Thanks - really struggling with a purchase decision as they are all expensive purchases but need to figure out if they are cost effective ones.


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## psikey (Dec 12, 2019)

Dan279 said:


> In really simple terms, how different do the DFB, DFR and DFC sound? Streaming my music from Spotify premium on my iPhone 11 Pro using 1more Quad Driver iem’s, will using any of these dragonfly units make a noticeable auditory difference? I’ve never bought or used an external DAC before, always either used a headphone jack or, currently the apple dongle.
> Thanks - really struggling with a purchase decision as they are all expensive purchases but need to figure out if they are cost effective ones.



I've had Oppo HA2SE, Mojo, DFR and now DFC used with Android, iPhone & PC. (also Hugo 2 but different use class).

Best bang for the buck for price/sound quality/size/weight of the above is still likely the DFR but if you have no issue with the extra £100 the Cobalt is nicer still. The Mojo is no better than the DFC to my ears plus its larger, heavier, you have to charge it and you get cellular/WIFI interference noise.

I manged to sell my DFR for £120 and bought a 2nd hand DFC for £150 so well worth the upgrade for me.

I use Shure SE846's and at impedence of 8ohm there was a slight background hiss with the DFR but none with the DFC. The DFC also uses less power in addition to better SQ.  Best used with Tidal on iPhone or out of a PC playing Tidal, especially MQA tracks.

Never used your IEM's so don't know if they would limit the benefit of a better DAC/AMP.
I have some old Klipsch X10i and they don't resolve the best of the DFC's benefits.

In answer to the thread headline: Is a 5% improvement worth the extra £100 and therefore too expensive? Some pay over £3,000 for DAP's that are marginally better than £300 ones. Only the end-user can decide if cost is worth paying for the incremental improvements.

I'd say £269 in UK for a new DFC is pushing it and £219 (vs £169 for DFR) would have been more appropriate, but the DFC does has the Pro grade DAC in it.

For real value have a look at the new Fiio BTR5 for about £80. Superb as a BT balanced adapter (over LDAC BT) but also a fully capable DAC with full HD audio support including native DSD (not MQA) and 9hr battery in a package not much larger than a Dragonfly.


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## GDuss

psikey said:


> I use Shure SE846's and at impedence of 8ohm there was a slight background hiss with the DFR but none with the DFC.



Agreed, I get no hiss on the SE846 with the DFC.


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## Condocondor

So, if I could jump in on the this thread's opinion.  I disagree.  It's worth the price.  I actually use it as a quick and easy desktop system with my laptop.  But there is a caveat:  I use 2 other devices with it.  I use the iFi Audio USB iPurifier3 and the iSilencer with a short USB A-to-B adapter.  These two devices together really take the Cobalt to the next level.  I rarily ever use my Micro iDSD BL anymore because the cobalt with these devices is just super.  The headphone pictured are my favorite portable cans: Thinksound ON2 headphones.  It's just a fantastic system to listen to Youtubes with.


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## Tristy

psikey said:


> I've had Oppo HA2SE, Mojo, DFR and now DFC used with Android, iPhone & PC. (also Hugo 2 but different use class).
> 
> Best bang for the buck for price/sound quality/size/weight of the above is still likely the DFR but if you have no issue with the extra £100 the Cobalt is nicer still. The Mojo is no better than the DFC to my ears plus its larger, heavier, you have to charge it and you get cellular/WIFI interference noise.
> 
> ...



The BTR5 really is cracking for the price. I don’t think this level of sound quality can be beat for £90...its Been a while since I’ve heard the dfr but I think it beats it and for over a third off the price. A genuine hifi bargain if you ask me.


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## IEManiac

The King has been unclothed all along.


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## edlecom

max232 said:


> What other option is there for an ultra portable that works seamlessly with USB Audio Player Pro "Bit Perfect" and Tidal / MQA?


Just for information. Regardless what DAC you buy, you can always get Bit Perfect and MQA by using the USB Audio Player Pro App. It clears and open Tidal and others.


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## Redcarmoose

So........your basically saying you can’t believe everything you read.


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## edlecom

Redcarmoose said:


> So........your basically saying you can’t believe everything you read.


In a way... Yes. Most people use Tidal's app direct, the one I mentioned links to Tidal and pulls the Bit signal. Give it a shot it's only 9 dollars and you can get addons for it. Even just plain it improves the sound of any phone


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## max232

edlecom said:


> Just for information. Regardless what DAC you buy, you can always get Bit Perfect and MQA by using the USB Audio Player Pro App. It clears and open Tidal and others.


Not all DACs will unfold MQA.


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## Bostyn

I've heard both the mojo and cobalt and really can't fathom how anyone could prefer the latter to the former, sonically speaking.
Of course the mojo is an unwieldy device that picks up static from your phone ( unless you put it in airplane mode ) and many people regard form factor/portability as of equal importance to sound. And once you like a certain aspect of a product it becomes easy to appreciate its other qualities, sometimes more than their inherent value. If there even is such a thing.

Really don't think there is some grand nefarious scheme going on though, rather the audiophile world is incredibly sensitive to hype, just like society itself. It's preferences are very fickle


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## KaiFi

I think the Cobalt is a bit expensive for what it is. It packs a lot into a small device and that's worth something. But it's twice the price of the Ifi Zen DAC but that doesn't mean it sounds twice as good (I listened to them side by side and the Zen sounded better to me so I sent back the Cobalt).

The Q5s is no good to me because the USB input sucks. The beginning of each song is slightly cut off when I use it with my Mac, so that's a non-starter.

I'm still looking for the perfect completely portable DAC/amp (the Zen DAC is really more of a desktop unit). Unfortunately the Cobalt wasn't it.


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## feverfive

KaiFi said:


> I'm still looking for the perfect completely portable DAC/amp (the Zen DAC is really more of a desktop unit). Unfortunately the Cobalt wasn't it.


I'm in a similar situation as you.  I've been on the hunt lately for something more modern (and all-in-one) to use portable with my Mac via USB.  Pre-pandemic, I had very little use for such a solution for years, but since recently finding an old setup in a box residing in a desk drawer, I have found myself using my Mac in old, familiar ways.  This old'ish 1.5 Gen Meridian Explorer > Headstage Arrow 4G works just fine on macOS Catalina.  I just want a new gadget to play with, hahaha.


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## musicday

AudiophileKing said:


> http://archimago.blogspot.com/2019/08/measurements-dragonflies-audioquest.html
> 
> Finally, the truth has been revealed about the Cobalt.I returned mine after a week of testing, waiting for the magical change in sound quality after : 200 hours of burn-in. The sound quality improved yet I and my friends found it to be definitely not worth the price. Today I just came across this article and finally I understand that the "Audio Industry" is fueled by paid advertisements and likely internet forum manipulation.
> 
> ...


Now he needs to measure and comment on Lotoo Paw S1


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## Unseen Aura (Feb 20, 2021)

I'm new to the headfi world, but through other hobbies have learned about the same stuff as discussed here regarding the Dragonfly's, and watching folks like John Darko: It's highly subjective and personal. 

I already have the Red and personally love it, but there are countless reasons and factors that make it so for me. And possibly only exclusively applies to me. Irregardless, I'm happy that I discovered this specific thread, it helps to know how heavily and easily a human can be influenced, and how perspective-dependent it all is.


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## justhavingfun

max232 said:


> What other option is there for an ultra portable that works seamlessly with USB Audio Player Pro "Bit Perfect" and Tidal / MQA?


THX Onyx seems to be alternative amp/dac. It has similar form factor and the price is set at reasonably at $199.99 and it does Tidal/MQA. I do not have this amp yet but I am planning to purchase it in near future.


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## Sajid Amit

Hi everyone. My first time on this thread. I have recently reviewed the iFi Hip DAC, if it's of interest to anyone. I have a brief comparison to the DF Cobalt here. 

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ifi-audio-hip-dac.24211/reviews#review-25877

Please do share feedback if any since I am starting out with reviews! 

Reviewing mostly for fun.


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## WillB (Nov 27, 2022)

Hi all,

I can’t add too much by way of substance here, only my own experience. I wanted a good and highly portable DAC/amp for my iPhone and my iPad Pro. I figured that as the DragonFly Red had been out for a while, there would eventually be a successor. When the Cobolt came out, and in a color I liked to boot, I pounced. The fact that the Cobolt touts MQA is for me a “nice to have” feature, a feature I know I will never use as I have no intention of subscribing to Tidal. I have Spotify since 2012 as an early adopter due to a business relationship back when Spotify just started and was available by invite-only.  I also have Apple Music and YouTube Music but who listens to that? I did the Amazon Music HD subscription for a year but ditched it. It was the user interface that made me ditch Amazon Music HD, not the quality.

Back to the Cobolt, I like how the light on the Cobolt changes when listening to the HD and UHD on various streaming platforms. Ohh, preeeetttyyyy. Yea, I know. Anyway. Before I purchased the Cobolt because I needed something for my iPhone since Apple did away with the headphone jack. I purchased a small black DAC/amp on Drop, ADV. or “Advanced” as a bridge to something better like the Cobolt. The ADV. was cheap and damned if I can hear a difference between the ADV. and the Cobolt. The ADV. gets loud, draws very little current from the phone, doesn’t need an extra dongle such as the iPhone camera USB dongle and it allows both simultaneous charging via the lightning port next to the 3.5mm jack. Or you can add current to the ADV. via a micro USB on the side of the unit. The only thing the ADV. requires is their proprietary app on your iPhone or iPad as it is not “driverless”. You don’t need to use the app, just install it and you’re good to go as it allows the iPhone or iPad to recognize the device.

About the Cobolt. I’m not going to give any listener's impression and I’ve already stated that the far cheaper ADV. is a damned good alternative for a fraction of the cost. One issue I did have with the Cobolt is that the 3.5mm headphone jack input on my unit broke loose. It recessed into the device housing and rattled around. Luckily here in Sweden we have by law two-year warranty on product defects. While i was preparing for a fight when returning the device just shy of the expiration of the warranty, the reputable retailer I purchased it from just replaced it. Let this be a lesson in that where you buy your products can sometimes make the difference. I was preparing for them to say it was my fault for using and abusing the device. But here’s the thing: I mostly use the Cobolt when I travel. Since the pandemic I haven’t travelled and barely used the thing. So for the almost two years I owned it the device saw very little use and not many cycles plugging in headphones. So here now after three long paragraphs I’m getting to my main point. If you own a Dragonfly Cobolt, be aware of this issue. Be careful when plugging in headphones. It can break.

AudioQuest products are expensive and as such the Dragonfly Cobolt is the only product from AudioQuest I have ever owned. When I was looking around for high-end cables for my head-if setup, I just couldn’t see paying those prices for cables. In retrospect I see that I spent too much money on a portable DAC/amp by purchasing the Cobolt. I don’t mean to diss on anyone who has purchased AudioQuest products. They look really nice and I’m sure they’re very good but IMHO everything they offer just seems highly overpriced. There is a lot of competition out there and plenty of other manufacturers to purchase from.

My final two cents on this topic is about my company of choice for cables: Jenving Supra Cables. It’s a Swedish company so their products can be found everywhere here in Sweden. Supra makes speaker cables, interconnects, power cables and power strips etc., use high quality OCC copper and all of their components are shielded. I use Supra for all the wiring for my 11.2 Dolby Atmos home theater setup, as replacement power cables for all my devices, power strips providing “clean” electricity and surge protection, and for all of my interconnects like HDMI, RCA, XLR, optical, USB and even ethernet. Supra is in my estimation a true “biggest bang for your buck” product line before you start hitting that point of diminishing returns. The only caveat: You have to accept their signature baby blue color. It’s ubiquitous for their products. If you can get past that, Supra is, as stated, a really great Big Bang for your buck.


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## 1Q84 (Jul 31, 2021)

KaiFi said:


> I think the Cobalt is a bit expensive for what it is. It packs a lot into a small device and that's worth something. But it's twice the price of the Ifi Zen DAC but that doesn't mean it sounds twice as good (I listened to them side by side and the Zen sounded better to me so I sent back the Cobalt).
> 
> The Q5s is no good to me because the USB input sucks. The beginning of each song is slightly cut off when I use it with my Mac, so that's a non-starter.
> 
> I'm still looking for the perfect completely portable DAC/amp (the Zen DAC is really more of a desktop unit). Unfortunately the Cobalt wasn't it.


The Hidizs S9 pro seems to be what you are looking for. Very clean dac with above average power output, ASIO capable, plug and play with most devices - all of this for just $100 (got mine for $80 brand new) seems like a bargain to me. If you need more power for full size headphones then the new Hiby FD3 seems really promising, though not much reviews yet, but the specs are really good.


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## pataburd (Oct 14, 2021)

At this point, I [much] prefer the $100 Dragonfly Black v1.5 [in series with the AQ Jitterbug] to the $300 Cobalt [in parallel with the Jitterbug].
For my ears, the Cobalt sounds comparatively thin with a constrained upper treble.  Soundstage seems to comparatively lack height, as well.
Elements in the mix are more individuated with the Cobalt, yet disparately so: there is a debilitating lack of overall [musical] synergy and fluidity that I find fatiguing: a perception of musical parts playing in a vacuum as opposed to from within a "live/oxygenated" space.  Tammy Wynette, for example, sounds a touch too cold and brittle.  George Jones sounds like a scrawny "Possum" just coming out of hibernation, not one sleek and fattened from spring's surplus.
There is somewhat of an artificial "glaze" to the Cobalt's presentation, lending more to "hi-fi" than to audiophile sensibilities.
(~30-40 hours of break-in and counting.  MY EARS.  YMMV)

Lenovo G50-->DFC/parallel Jitterbug-->DakiOm Fm-273 Feedback Stabilizer-->HeadphoneLounge pure silver UPOCC cable-->Martin Logan Mikros 90


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## pataburd (Oct 27, 2021)

My preference for the DFBlack v1.5 holds with the Sundara as well.

Lenovo G50-->DFC/parallel Jitterbug [or DFB1.5/series Jitterbug]-->DakiOm Fm-273 Feedback Stabilizer-->8-cores 4x silver and 4x copper UPOCC cable-->HifiMAN Sundara [2020]


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## lpd2

I don't even have somewhere to plug this in other than rear io on my desktop. Should I get it vs THX 887? And just run a hella long wire or put my chin on top of my monitor to listen? What is this for?


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## Redcarmoose (Nov 11, 2021)

lpd2 said:


> I don't even have somewhere to plug this in other than rear io on my desktop. Should I get it vs THX 887? And just run a hella long wire or put my chin on top of my monitor to listen? What is this for?


That’s what it is for, to get better sound out of a laptop, or a desktop. Funny your the only the 2nd person I’ve come in contact with (at Head-Fi) that has the Onkyo A9010. I have that too!

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/onkyo-a-9010-integrated-stereo-amplifier.20891/#timages


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## lpd2

Redcarmoose said:


> That’s what it is for, to get better sound out of a laptop, or a desktop. Funny your the only the 2nd person I’ve come in contact with (at Head-Fi) that has the Onkyo A9010. I have that too!
> 
> https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/onkyo-a-9010-integrated-stereo-amplifier.20891/#timages


The Onkyo is great. I might eventually list it in favor of a reciever for 11.2 atmos if I ever get around to that project. Got JBL 230 now love the 3.5mm input for streaming off ipod when neccesary. Sleeping off portland potato vodka during a blizzard all doors windows open zepplin live album on repeat full blast just a nice sounding amplifier no neighbors complained. That potato vodka makes you overheat. Yeah probably not gonna ever sell that thing on second thought.


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