Connect something like a portable DAC/headphone amplifier through its power connection port and you end up looking for a wall outlet to recharge even faster. Where it becomes an endgame solution is how it deals with battery draw, noise (created by the device it is connected to) and works with every platform that consumers might use.īattery life is a major selling point for any smart device, and if you use your smart phone as a streaming platform for both audio and video, it’s frustrating how quickly your phone can run out of juice. Rankin has worked tirelessly on the DragonFly platform for almost nine years every generation of the product has attempted to address a number of critical areas where the product could be improved sonically, but also how it interacts with smart devices and powers headphones. It would take another two versions before the DragonFly Red and Black would turn smart phones into high-end music servers for below $200 users connect the DragonFly to their iOS, Android, or Windows-based devices via lightning-USB, or made-for-Android OTG USB-A Female to USB-C adapters.ĪudioQuest has built a stable of streaming products and accessories around the DragonFly concept designed by Gordon Rankin, one of most respected high-end audio designers of his generation and leading innovators of USB DAC technology through his own brand, Wavelength Audio. When AudioQuest introduced the first-generation DragonFly DAC/headphone amplifier in 2012, it became an instant best-seller because it elevated the sound quality of USB devices like laptops at an entry-level price. I travel with an iPhone and MacBook Pro almost everywhere and listen to music when I run or work. Portable DAC/headphone amplifiers have gained a lot of traction in recent years with music listeners who use a smart phone as their primary source but care deeply about sound quality. I’m just readjusting how I use it and focusing on more affordable hardware to enjoy the 0000s of albums I’ve already saved.Īudioquest Dragonfly Cobalt portable USB DAC connected to iPhone If this all sounds like I’m souring on streaming, you would be incorrect. I find the sonic differences between the various high-resolution digital audio codecs far less obvious. I’ve been listening to more and more albums that are available in the various bit/sampling rates and through DACs that can highlight the differences if they exist – I’m not sure that it sounds better most of the time.Īs someone who has calibrated his fair share of HDTVs and projectors, I can see with my own eyes the differences between 1080p, 4K, 8K, HDR, Dolby Vision, and the improvements they deliver. My brain is also starting to question the sonic advantages of 24-bit/192kHz vs 24-bit/96kHz. Just saying.ĭSD doesn’t move the needle for me at all. Unlike CDs and records that you own for life.Īnd nobody knows what you’re listening to. And if you don’t continue to pay for it each month, your entire library vanishes. One criticism that I’m hearing from more and more people is that we don’t own the music we pay for. We have a lot of work to do in that department. I think it’s a stretch that the vast majority of consumers truly care or have heard the benefits of high-resolution audio formats so far. I’m definitely ambivalent when it comes to devices that support MQA. I know it’s expensive, but I can’t recommend it strongly enough. Roon has proven to be super important to organize it all. ![]() It’s cheaper than drugs and something that I use on my phone, in my car, and throughout our home. I spend almost $60/month for Tidal, Qobuz, and Spotify and am happy to do so. ![]() The AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt DAC faces a lot more completion in 2021 from a seemingly endless list of new Dongle DACs but it still makes a compelling case for its supremacy.Īccess to tens of millions of songs is a very attractive proposition. Not that it needed any help from the COVID-19 pandemic to achieve that remarkable level of adoption, but consumers have been stuck at home for almost 14 months in some parts of the world and it’s clear to all that streaming services (both music and VOD) have benefitted from this. Digital music streaming hit 85% market penetration in 2020.
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