Dragonfly cobalt teardown9/3/2023 ![]() ![]() In all ways, the Cobalt will sound a lot better than your standard on-board sound device. But you can use the Cobalt as a USB-DAC or even as a pre-amp. There’s only so much a unit of this size can do. That being said, I would still recommend using a dedicated desktop sized amplifier for all your high-end full sized headphone needs. As an amplifier it is very powerful and it can drive all your IEMs and normal headphones without any issue, just looking at volume levels. The DragonFly units can be used as DAC, pre-amp or as headphone amp. In this article and video we explain and show how to set up your DragonFly for MQA streaming in Tidal. In case you’re not really familiar yet with the DragonFly units, I suggest to read up on the previous models first, and especially the one on the Red.ĪudioQuest likes MQA and they were fast to jump on the MQA wagon and make the DragonFly an MQA renderer. Will the new Cobalt replace the Red? Keep reading! These were launched back in 2016 and the Red version is on our list of Best AMP/DAC combos (Best buys) as well. Taking that into account, it’s no surprise that AudioQuest has already released several versions of the DragonFly, and the versions available up to the launch of the Cobalt were the Black and the Red. it offers extremely good value for money.it does MQA (Cobalt is a MQA-enabled-renderer product, so it ‘reveals’ the full MQA when paired with an MQA core decoder, like the Tidal app).it’s a DAC, headphone amp preamp all in one.it can be used in combination with laptops and phones. ![]() The units were and are extremely popular and loved by audiophiles all over the world. Later on AQ added mobile support and that made them even more successful You can find all our AudioQuest reviews here: ĪudioQuest launched the very first DragonFly back in 2012 and back then it could only be used in combination with a PC because of the power supply. The AudioQuest DragonFly isn’t the first AudioQuest product to be featured on Headfonia, the NightHawk and NightOwl headphones, the DragonFlies and the JitterBug reviews were done a long time ago already. AudioQuest since the 1980’s is mostly known for their cables but they became even more popular among “head-fiers” when they released a very popular mini USB DAC/AMP called the DragonFly. A few years ago the Black and Red came in to play and now in 2019, AudioQuest is back with a new and improved version of the Red: The Cobalt!ĪudioQuest is a US based company and the EU headquarters is located in the Netherlands. If you have read that already you can skip to the part on (pre-)sound.ĪudioQuest launched the very first DragonFly back in 2012 and has been improving it ever since. Part of this article was already featured in our Picture Sunday series which has recently been renamed to First Look Sunday. Disclaimer: The AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt was sent to us free of charge in exchange for a preview article at the launch and this full review. ![]()
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