Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt USB Portable DAC/Headphone Amp | Douglas HiFi
Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt USB Portable DAC/Headphone Amp (2) | Douglas HiFi
Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt USB Portable DAC/Headphone Amp (3) | Douglas HiFi

Audioquest DragonFly COBALT USB DAC Headphone Amp - Award Winning

Regular price $599.00 Sale price $480.00
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Audioquest DragonFly COBALT USB DAC Headphone Amp 

The Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt will make audio and music sound better through nearly any wired headphones or Aux connections from Android  phones or iPhones, Laptop or Desktop computers or also Android Tablets or iPads. 

Ever wanted to hear better sound off your digital devices?

Enter the latest and greatest Audioquest Dragonfly... the Dragonfly Cobalt USB DAC has been released - a USB thumb drive sized portable DAC/Headphone Amp that attaches to phones, tablets and computers giving the ultimate in super compact sound quality when listening to music, movies and playing games.

DragonFly Cobalt

  • USB Stick-Sized Digital-to-Analog Converter
  • Plays all music files: MP3 to high-res 24/96 and MQA
  • Compatible with Apple and Windows PCs, as well as iOS and most Android mobile devices (requires Apple Camera Adapter or Made for Android/OTG adaptor)
  • Drives headphones directly
  • Fixed output feeds preamp or AV receiver
  • Asynchronous transfer ensures digital timing integrity
  • Medium output (2.1 volts) drives a wide range of headphones
  • 32-bit ES9038Q2M DAC  with minimum-phase filter
  • Analog volume control

DragonFly Cobalt, the 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—and strips away 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 to drive almost any headphone, 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.

COBALT'S PRECEDENT-SETTING PERFORMANCE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY MULTIPLE SIGNIFICANT UPGRADES:

  • New, more advanced ESS ES9038Q2M DAC chip with a minimum-phase slow roll-off filter for more natural sound.
  • Microchip's superb PIC32MX274 microprocessor draws less current and increases processing speed by 33%.
  • Improved power-supply filtering that specifically increases immunity to WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular noise.
  • Includes a form-fitting DragonTail female USB-A to male USB-C Adaptor.
    All DragonTails use AQ's Carbon-level USB cable.

AUDIOQUEST, GORDON RANKIN: A BEAUTIFUL PARTNERSHIP

Like all previous DragonFly models, Cobalt uses Gordon Rankin's precedent-setting StreamLength® asynchronous-transfer USB code. Further, 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.

WHY THE "SLOW ROLL...?"

Cobalt employs ESS's new flagship ES9038Q2M DAC chip. While the chips used in DragonFlys Black and Red are unbeatable for the price, the minimum-phase slow roll-off filter in the 9038 results in naturally expressive sound that is always emotionally engaging and never fatiguing—a beautiful combination of warmth and detail that we find equally exciting and soothing.

KILLING THE NOISE

In Cobalt, we've taken what we've learned from our recent research and development in noise dissipation to employ power-supply filtering specifically designed to dramatically reduce the increasingly prevalent noise from WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular signals. Successfully combating this noise is absolutely crucial to the preservation of the lowest-level musical details, particularly when it comes to high-res audio—and especially when applied to a portable-audio device such as DragonFly.

BIT-PERFECT VOLUME CONTROL AND 2.1-VOLT OUTPUT

Cobalt features the same ESS Sabre 9601 headphone amp and bit-perfect volume control that give DragonFly Red its unique combination of power and grip over the music. This solution ensures maximum fidelity, thrilling dynamic contrast, and excellent signal-to-noise ratio. The 2.1-volt output makes Cobalt and Red compatible with a wide range of headphones, including power-hungry, low-efficiency models.

FIRMWARE UPGRADEABLE

DragonFlys Black, Red, and Cobalt are firmware upgradeable via our free Desktop Device Manager. In today's fast-paced digital world, longevity in a hi-fi component is increasingly rare—at any price. AudioQuest believes that today's digital devices should evolve as technology itself evolves, thereby delivering musical pleasure for many years to come. Our Desktop Device Manager will also allow you to identify your DragonFly's serial number and software version to ensure that the device is up to date.

NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL SOUND IS RIGHT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

Whatever music turns you on, wherever you are, an AudioQuest DragonFly USB DAC delivers inspiring, dynamic, and beautiful sound to earbuds, headphones, powered speakers, or complete audio systems.

With a DragonFly, music appreciation and exploration are limitless: Plug into an Apple or Windows® computer or connect to an iOS® or Android mobile device. Play YouTube or Vimeo videos. Go hunting on Bandcamp or SoundCloud. Explore playlists on Spotify or Pandora. Stream high-res audio from Tidal or Qobuz. No matter the choice of musical pleasure, DragonFly delivers beautiful sound, unraveling the emotional expression and nuance that makes music and movies so enjoyable.