Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt USB Dac, usb-c dac, high end portable dac / headphone amp / preamp. Use Cobalt to upgrade the sound quality from a computer or phone. Cobalt is the finest small dac available and uses a new high end dac, improved power supply and usb interface in addition to Audioquest's other patented Dragonfly tech, to provide great sound quality from a tiny dac.
A matching usb-c dongle is included,to plug into laptops, android phones and new ipads. For iphones you will need a lightning to usb adaptor, not included.
Darko.audio "I think its absolutely bloody fantastic!"
Whathifi.com: 5 STARS; backs up its cost with the clearest, tidiest and most dynamic presentation we’ve heard from a unit this small... does wonders in cleaning up our laptop’s performance, no matter what kind of file we feed it or whether it’s streaming from YouTube, Spotify, Tidal or playing from our own hi-res library....looking to make the next step up without compromising on size or form, the Cobalt represents something of a no-brainer.
Headfonia.com: Recommended List ... you notice is how clean and clear the new Cobalt is delivering the sound. And not only that, it does it without any effort making it sound wide, natural and musical. The sound stage is really good in both width and depth and the layering is really nice, especially in bass and mids. For the price tag, the sound simply is remarkable.
Tech info:
Easy-to-use, compact, impressive boost in sound & great clarity - a must have!
Tested using Samsung S21 phone and various headphones/IEMs (Sennheiser, AKG, Fiio). Was using the USB Audio Pro app in BitPerfect mode. Found for the Sennheiser sets particularly the HD569, great sound with no distortion or other drive issues. (HD569s and the like tend to call for lots of power on loud passages). A lot lower power levels needed for Fiio IEMs, they tend to sound a lot better and less harsh when run about 20%-25% volume level. Great product for portable use, good price on sale, and as always great service from Headphone Bar!
Purchased this when it was on sale. The cobalt was probably overkill for my needs. However the price was too good to pass up and it fixed my problem of Audile hiss using the output from my computer to my powered desktop speakers. Additionally the soundstage improved, and everything seemed to come into tighter focus.
Lives up to the reviews and acclaim. Solidly built and a significant upgrade in sound quality. I’m using B&W P7’s with an iPhone playing lossless. Sound is amazing. Only downside is having to search out a dongle to connect fun to dac. Service from Headphone Bar was exceptional. They answered questions via email same day and product shipped in several days. I highly recommend Headphone bar and this dac.
Overall very nice some glitches when using qq music app