A portable headphone amp might seem anachronistic in this age of Bluetooth headphones. Why be tethered to wires when wireless is the future? While many BT headphones offer impressive sound quality, they’re inherently limited in their design. Built-in batteries and electronics take up space and add to the overall cost. Many manufacturers of wired headphones and earbuds offer models that, in theory, offer similar prices as BT models but with better or more drivers. Others have models that have drivers that are too power-hungry to be driven well by built-in batteries.
7.5
AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt
Like
Tiny
Powerful for its size
Don’t like
A bit expensive
No adjustments or app
You could power these wired headphones from any headphone jack, but built-in ports like that rarely have much power. Instead, a portable headphone amp can give audiophile headphones the juice they need without tying you to a chair or desk.Â
Which brings us to the DragonFly Cobalt from AudioQuest. It has been out for a few years, but is now 30% cheaper and going forward will be the only model in the DragonFly line. Roughly the size of a small thumb, it connects to any phone or computer via USB. Inside is an amp and a DAC, or digital-to-analog converter, that claim to elevate the listening experience. We shall see. Or hear. We shall hear.Â
Specs and such
- DAC Chip: ESS ES9038Q2M
- Max sampling rate/frequency: 24-bit/96kHz
- Amp chip: ESS Sabre 9601
- Power: “2.1 volts”
The Cobalt looks like a USB thumb drive, if anyone remembers those. Included is a short dongle that converts the USB-A on the Cobalt to USB-C for use with phones and many laptops. To connect to Apple products you unsurprisingly need a special adapter, which is available separately. You also get a small pleather case, which is a nice…
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