Audioquest Cobalt Review

[Ron Texas]

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/objective-audioquest-dragonfly-cobalt-review-r832/

ASR member @mansr has published a very thorough set of measurements of the portable Cobalt DAC/Headamp.

He writes "The one thing, above all, we can learn from these tests is that the DAC chip itself provides little indication regarding the performance of a finished product. " He demonstrates it with measurements.

 

[AudioSceptic]

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/objective-audioquest-dragonfly-cobalt-review-r832/

ASR member @mansr has published a very thorough set of measurements of the portable Cobalt DAC/Headamp.

He writes "The one thing, above all, we can learn from these tests is that the DAC chip itself provides little indication regarding the performance of a finished product. " He demonstrates it with measurements.

Archimago has also tested the Cobalt. <http://archimago.blogspot.com/2019/08/measurements-dragonflies-audioquest.html>

Did you mean to put "Audioengine" in the thread title?

 

[FrantzM]

Again: Better buy an Apple dongle and be done

 

[maxxevv]

His results echo Archimago's earlier one.

Not a good purchase by a long stretch, technically nor price value wise.

 

[BDWoody]

Again: Better buy an Apple dongle and be done

You just like saying dongle...don't you...

 

[BabetakCZE]

Again: Better buy an Apple dongle and be done

Apple dongle sounds like shit. Bright, thin sound. There is no comparison between my old Sony Xperia Z1 and Apple dongle in sound quality. Old Sony phone is much better.

 

[bunkbail]

Apple dongle sounds like shit. Bright, thin sound. There is no comparison between my old Sony Xperia Z1 and Apple dongle in sound quality. Old Sony phone is much better.

Agree, it sounds bright and thin with most of my IEMs and headphones.

 

[FrantzM]

You just like saying dongle...don't you...

 

[AudioSceptic]

Again: Better buy an Apple dongle and be done

You could buy 33 Apple adapters for the same price!

 

[Ron Texas]

Archimago has also tested the Cobalt. <http://archimago.blogspot.com/2019/08/measurements-dragonflies-audioquest.html>

Did you mean to put "Audioengine" in the thread title?

whoops! changed to audiquest...

 

[BDWoody]

whoops! changed to audiquest...

They are nice cars...

 

[Ron Texas]

There are various ways to listen to music. I don't use a mobile phone for that purpose.

 

[mshenay]

Just finished my subjective listening only review and good grief... this thing sounds terrible

Like I was wondering if it could really sound as bad as it measured... and my gawd it does. Just plain noisy

 

[Veri]

Agree, it sounds bright and thin with most of my IEMs and headphones.

Hmm sounds fine for me, in bad commute environment at least. Not really using it at home lol.

The Apple dongle that is.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Just finished my subjective listening only review and good grief... this thing sounds terrible

Like I was wondering if it could really sound as bad as it measured... and my gawd it does. Just plain noisy

Reviews like <http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/audioquest-dragonfly-cobalt-dacheadphone-amp/?page=2> make you wonder, incompetent or dishonest?

 

[bunkbail]

Hmm sounds fine for me, in bad commute environment at least. Not really using it at home lol.

The Apple dongle that is.

Turns out it was a dud and went kaput already, my other unit sounds okay. I'm still waiting for my PowerDAC to arrive.

 

[Veri]

Turns out it was a dud and went kaput already, my other unit sounds okay. I'm still waiting for my PowerDAC to arrive.

Ohhh good the powerDac is a pretty fun thing to play around with for sure. Just... simply ridiculous power if you don't really need as much lol, probably orders of magnitude higher than the apple dongle.

 

[SIY]

Hmm sounds fine for me, in bad commute environment at least. Not really using it at home lol.

The Apple dongle that is.

I'm using it as a DAC for Amazon HD streaming through my iPhone in my home system, connected to the crossover of my main system, or to the analog input of a pair of Vanatoo T1 Encores. Sounds great, or more correctly, it doesn't have a "sound."

 

[AudioSceptic]

Just finished my subjective listening only review and good grief... this thing sounds terrible

Like I was wondering if it could really sound as bad as it measured... and my gawd it does. Just plain noisy

That's odd, because Archimago found that S/N was very good and it was distortion that was poor.

 

[mshenay]

That's odd, because Archimago found that S/N was very good and it was distortion that was poor.

Noise as in the distortion is audible, it's audible distorted which translate into it sounding well cacophonous or noisy not literally noisy as in hiss/static but just yuck, there's a lot of unwanted distortion that's again audible