![]() Contoured enclosure measures just 2.26” x 0.73” x 0.47” (57.5mm x 18.6mm x 11.9mm), making the latest DragonFly 10% smaller than its predecessors.Includes AudioQuest’s new DragonTail USB-A (female) to USB-C (male) adaptor to easily accommodate the increasing number of electronic devices that feature USB-C ports.Improved power-supply filtering that specifically increases immunity to WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular noise.Microchip’s superb PIC32MX274 microprocessor draws less current and increases processing speed by 33%.The DAC on my iPad (and my Marantz ) layer things much better. New, more advanced ESS ES 9038Q2M DAC chip with a minimum-phase slow roll-off filter for more natural sound. The cobalt doesn’t have much depth at all.Here’s the low down on What’s New in the Cobalt: The new DragonFly Cobalt ( $299.95) offers improved performance over the DragonFly Black ($99.95) and Red ($199.95), according to the company. But have I mentioned one of my favorite colors is blue? When it comes to listening to music on my desktop and on the road, I’m an AudioQuest DragonFly Red man. Review: Soulution 330 Integrated AmplifierĬanton’s New Reference Series Speakers Now Shipping in USA and Canada Twittering Machines Favorite Albums of 2023 Meet totaldac’s New Amp-1-Sublime Power Amplifier HiFi Bargains: Wattson Emerson ANALOG Streaming DAC In Barn for Review: Viva Solista Integrated Amplifier Twittering Machines Favorite Gear of 2023 In Barn for Review: GoldenEar T66 Tower Speakers In Barn for Review: Vivid Audio GIYA G3 Series 2 Qobuz Sessions at SXSW: Live Music from Yazmin Lacey, Daniel Villarreal, and Shana Cleveland! Do read as many reviews as possible, focusing on the best-respected reviewers of portable audio gear, especially DACs and amps.Album of the Week: New Age Doom | There Is No End Don't put any special trust in my review, since the music you play and many other factors could net out the differences. 3) Those who won't hear the differences immediately, but who trust AudioQuest to put into the DAC what they say they put in. 2) Those with good enough hearing and experience to appreciate the differences. I will try to incorporate listening with the AudioQuest JitterBug in the full review, but in the meantime I'd recommend the Cobalt here and now for certain users:ġ) Perfectionists. When I heard about the DragonFly Cobalt, I thought the $100 USD jump from the Red was a bit much, but the factors of sound quality and the inclusion of the DragonTail USB-C adapter did seal the Cobalt deal for me. ![]() Some users might not hear the differences, but if they are practiced at evaluating DACs, they should pick up on these differences pretty quickly. But this time the Cobalt edged (no pun intended) out the Red with a smoother yet detailed sound. I've always thought of the Red as a very smooth reproducer, particularly compared to the DragonFly Black. I ended up playing the same 70 seconds 3 times with the Red, then repeated 3 with the Cobalt followed by 3 with the Red. That alone didn't seal the Cobalt deal though. Almost immediately my impression of the stereo image was that it's less open and full with the Red. Comparing the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt to the DragonFly Red, and feeding 44 khz WAV tracks from my iPad Pro 11-inch to the DragonFlys, I played the first 70 seconds of Steven Wilson's Luminol (at the 44/24 data rate) playing the Cobalt first (3 times), then the Red second.
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