#Dragonfly cobalt full size#
#Dragonfly cobalt full#
#Dragonfly cobalt portable#
#Dragonfly cobalt android#
#Dragonfly cobalt series#

Since it does lack controls for high/low gain or different impedences, and relies on your phone or laptop for volume control, volume management can be a small challenge. On the other end of the spectrum, the Noble M3 IEMs which I’ve found to be too bright in the past, were still bright, but rather than feel sharp at the top end they felt more smooth and airy. With the DragonFly, the bass in the 99 Classics cleaned up nicely, and was much more coherent without losing any of its power or depth. In particular, Meze Audio 99 Classics tend to have slightly muddy bass with most sources. I tested it with a variety of headphones and IEMs, and found that it brought out the good aspects of each, and even tempered some of their shortcomings. There is no noticeable “edge” in the signal, or any noise. The output is balanced, and crystal clear. So, why not buy one of them? The key difference with the DragonFly Cobalt is that while its distinguishing feature is its portability, it’s a great DAC in its own right.

#Dragonfly cobalt portable#

Portability is great, but if you’ve spent any time researching portable audiophile gear, you’ve probably seen a few dozen ads for various cheap portable DACs for your phone or laptop that might even be smaller than a DragonFly. If you want to connect it to an iPhone, you’ll need to purchase a USB to Lightning adapter separately.

#Dragonfly cobalt android#

The connection on the DragonFly itself is a standard USB-A, and you can get it packaged with either a USB-C or MicroUSB DragonTail adapter for easier connection to your laptop or Android phone. Speaking of plugging it in, the DragonFly Cobalt is plug and play with most modern OSes and smartphones. Plug it in, and it’ll convert your 1s or 0s to actual music. This is a simple, straightforward, single purpose device. There are absolutely no hardware controls or adjustments – it doesn’t even have its own volume knob. The included DragonTail adapter adds some additional size, but even with the adapter attached it’s significantly smaller than almost any other DAC/Amp out there.Īs far as features, well… there’s not much to be had in that department. The Dragonfly Cobalt is about the size of a standard ¼” cable terminal, and handles both signal and power through the single USB connection. Knowing what a DAC is, and why you need one, I’m looking at AudioQuest’s latest, the DragonFly Cobalt, and asking “Should I buy a DragonFly?” The Build and Design

#Dragonfly cobalt full#

In the intervening years, I’ve discovered what sorts of products were actually worth buying, and, in a sense come full circle. “Obviously nothing could possibly improve the sound of headphones designed by the man himself – Dr. I had first encountered the original DragonFly in my blundering days of Beats headphones and SkullCandy earbuds, I was skeptical.

#Dragonfly cobalt series#

I spent $350 on this setup, and at that point I should have just spent a bit more and gotten a Chord Mojo or something.The AudioQuest DragonFly series has made a bold promise from the beginning: plug this little USB dongle into your computer or smartphone and it will transform the way your music sounds. I'm pretty sure the sdac / o2 combo that I have at work sounds better. The worst part about this is that it doesn't even sound particularly good.

#Dragonfly cobalt full size#

If I were bringing full size cans, I would probably just lug one of my other DACs with me at this point. I suspect if I had a high impedance headphone that could fit in my pocket I would enjoy these enough, but the whole point is that these are for my 'Imma go places' iems. Feels like I have a literal dragonfly buzzing around in there trying to eat it's way out. With the iFi IEMatch I can at least use the damn thing, but every once in a while the DragonFly is like 'I don't remember what volume you requested' and will freakin' blast it to try to blow up my eardrums (if I'm using Roon). Like, why do I need an overpriced inline resistor to use my portable dac portably? I ended up buying an iFi IEMatch, which has made it usable.

With my Focal Clear (55 ohm), I can turn it up to either the first or the second and that's all I feel comfortable with. At the lowest volume on my computer and my phone it is uncomfortably loud for me.

What you're supposed to do is adjust the volume on your computer or your phone or whatever else it is. the DragonFly does not have an external volume knob. The Shure SE535 are at 36 ohms, which while definitely are lower impedance than most cans, are not even close to the highest sensitivity, and are similar to most consumer grade audio equipment. I don't have particularly sensitive IEMs. Rather, my thought was that these were intended for when I'm on the go. Now, being a pocket sized mini DAC/amp, I don't use it for my desk setup. MQA support, and given how highly regarded the Black and Red were, and the improved DAC chip, I was like 'can't go wrong' and dropped the $300 to acquire one of these things.

So, a couple years ago, I bought the DragonFly Cobalt.