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Recommended Component 2024 – Stereophile
Best DAC of 2021 Award – What Hi-Fi? Magazine
"Another Winner" – Flagship Compact DAC + Preamp + Headphone Amp
DragonFly Cobalt, AudioQuest's new flagship DAC, takes what music lovers around the world have come to expect from the multi-award-winning DragonFly family: naturally beautiful, seductive sound. But that's just the beginning. Cobalt then strips away the fuzz and fog that weren’t even noticeable until Cobalt removed them.
How is this possible? Like the critically acclaimed DragonFly Red, Cobalt has the robust 2.1-volt output that will drive almost any headphone. Similarly, it uses a bit-perfect digital volume control for outstanding signal-to-noise ratio, enables seamless compatibility with Apple and Android devices, and is an exceptionally competent and affordable MQA Renderer.
"Recommended Component" Honors
Stereophile honored the DragonFly Cobalt by awarding it the magazine's coveted Recommend Component status for 2024.
According to Stereophile,"The new (2019) DragonFly Cobalt boasts a faster microcontroller and a newer processor chip (the ESS ES9038Q2M), plus improved power-supply filtering. When used in his home system, the Cobalt impressed JA with better bass extension and control than the Red, which also sounded "slightly 'harder' in the highs'–although he also noted that the distinctions between the two tiny DACs were 'relatively small.'"
"The new (2019) DragonFly Cobalt boasts a JA the Measurer, who in 2016 noted that neither the Red nor the Black were at the head of the class in terms of jitter rejection, observed 'excellent rejection of word-clock jitter' from the Cobalt, which he praised for '[performing] well on the test bench.' JA adds some remarkable praise for a $300 DAC: except for its limited ability to drive low impedances, the Cobalt would be Class A."
"Best DAC" Award
In a February 2021 online article, "Best DACs of 2021," What Hi-Fi? magazine terms the DragonFly Cobalt "another brilliant portable DAC from AudioQuest with a clever design." According to What Hi-Fi?, "The new model boasts a more advanced DAC chip, and a new microprocessor draws less current and bumps up the DAC's processing speed. Yes it costs around a little more, but it does take performance to another level. We'd willingly pay the extra."
"The Track Just Feels More Pure"
"The most noticeable difference was the reduction in noise. In fact, you don’t realize how much mud is in your song until you upgrade to a DAC like this. And in general, the track just feels more pure," reports Gabby Bloch at majorhifi.com, July 19, 2019. "In fact, even if the Cobalt did nothing else but improve the signal to noise ratio, it would still be worth buying, as it affects everything from transparency to separation and soundstage."
"I’ve been going back and forth between the RED and Cobalt using the transfer zone function in ROON, and after a lot of listening and switching, I have to say I really do prefer the Cobalt over the RED. In this case for me it’s clear already: the Cobalt really is an improvement of the RED," notes Lieven in a July 9, 2019 review for headfonia.com. "It’s safe to say that AudioQuest with the Cobalt has another winner in their hands. One which audiophiles like us will enjoy for years."
Significant Performance Upgrades
Cobalt’s precedent-setting performance is made possible by multiple significant upgrades, starting with a new, more advanced ESS ES9038Q2M DAC chip with a minimum-phase slow roll-off filter for more natural sound. It also uses Microchip’s superb PIC32MX274 microprocessor, which draws less current and increases processing speed by a whopping 33 percent.
That's not all that's new. Improved power-supply filtering specifically increases immunity to WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular noise. And Cobalt comes with a form-fitting DragonTail female USB-A to male USB-C Adaptor for easy hook-up to your desktop computer, laptop, and other compatible devices. All DragonTails use AQ’s Carbon-level USB cable for best performance.
StreamLength® Asynchronous-Transfer USB Code
Of course, Cobalt uses Gordon Rankin’s precedent-setting StreamLength asynchronous-transfer USB code. Additionally, in Gordon’s monoClock® technology, a single ultra-low-jitter clock generated from the ESS ES9038Q2M DAC chip runs the ESS chip functions as well as all microcontroller functions. This superior clock enables DragonFly Cobalt to provide greater resolution and clarity than DACs with multiple clocks.
All this goodness is packed into a sleek new case that measures just 2.26” x 0.73” x 0.47”, making the latest DragonFly 10% smaller and even a bit more pocket-friendly.
