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| AV Distribution Hub: | 1 |
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1-year warranty & 30-day money-back guarantee included
If you decide your order isn't suitable for any reason you can return it - just let us know within 30 days of receiving it. Please keep hold of all the original packaging until you're sure you want to keep the order.
Eligibility for Money Back Guarantee
Important: For hygiene and software licensing reasons, some items are only eligible for our Money Back Guarantee if they are returned to us unused and sealed in the original packaging with all software still "unregistered." Details of exclusions are shown within the product descriptions. Products include:
- Monitors and Headphones
- Earplugs and Ear Protection
- Reeds and mouthpieces for woodwind and brass instruments
- Mouth and Lip-Care Products
- CDs, DVDs and Software
We can collect your return for a small fee, or you can send it back to us yourself. The collection fee can be found in the returns information on each product's page on AV.com.
In the unlikely event that any item in this order is faulty, damaged or incorrect on receipt, notify us within 14 days and we'll arrange a free collection.
When returning an order please ensure products are appropriately packaged and protected, to prevent them from getting damaged.
This table provides an overview of your statutory consumer rights, compared with our standard returns policy and optional extended money back guarantee and warranty.
| UK & Europe | EU Standard | AV.com Standard | AV.com Optional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return Period | 14 days | 30 days | up to 180 days |
| Standard delivery charges refunded? | Yes | Yes | Yes, up to 30 days |
| Upgraded delivery charges refunded? | Standard costs only | Standard costs only | Standard costs only |
| Free collection on cancellation | No | No | Yes, up to 30 days |
| Free collection if defective, delivered damaged or incorrect item | Yes, within 14 days | Yes, within 14 days | Yes, within 30 days |
We are unable to accept returns of any custom made items designed to work together as a unique package and some items are only eligible for money back guarantee if they are returned to us unused and sealed in the original packaging. For full information on our returns policy, please refer to our returns and refunds information guide.
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Key Features
The AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt is a versatile USB DAC that delivers high-quality sound from your smartphone, computer, or tablet. Equipped with an ESS ES9038Q2M DAC chip, it offers 24-bit/96kHz audio with precise dynamic range and low distortion, ensuring you get the most out of your favourite songs. The monoClock technology reduces jitter, improves audio clarity, and provides accurate imaging for an immersive listening experience. There is even support for MQA playback, allowing you to enjoy a studio-like sound, exactly as the artist intended.
Backed by a PIC32MX274 microprocessor, this USB DAC offers rapid processing speed while ensuring low power consumption, so you can enjoy long listening sessions. Compatible with Apple, Windows, iOS, and Android, the DragonFly Cobalt is a versatile plug-and-play solution that is sure to take your music to the next level.
Ex-Demo: This product may be ex-display, have light signs of use, have slight cosmetic marks or may have non-essential parts or software missing. The original box, packaging or manual may not be included. Each item is checked by our team of repair technicians to ensure it meets our high standards. This is a great opportunity to buy a fully functioning product at a discounted price.
Product Ref: 325981
Award
"Small, compact and great sounding the DragonFly Cobalt remains excellent"
"Clean and precise presentation, spot on timing, dynamics and wide file support."
"The Cobalt model not only converts a huge range of audio formats from your computer, it also features a high-quality headphone amplifier, as well as being able to deliver great sound to a hi-fi system – and all in a package no bigger than a USB thumb-drive."
DragonFly Cobalt is a portable, plug-and-play USB DAC (digital-to-analog converter), preamp, and headphone amp that delivers far cleaner, clearer, more naturally beautiful sound to headphones, powered speakers, or complete audio systems. With an attractive enclosure whose overall size and shape match that of a USB thumb drive, DragonFly easily connects to laptops, tablets, and smartphones, either directly or with an appropriate USB cable, such as AudioQuest’s high-performance USB-C DragonTail (included). Plays all file formats/soundtracks: MP3, MQA, high-res, etc. 2.1-volt output easily drives most headphones. Compatible with Mac and Window computers, Android and iOS devices.
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.
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.
In Cobalt, AudioQuest have taken what they've learned from their 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.
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.
DragonFlys Black, Red, and Cobalt are firmware upgradeable via AudioQuest's 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. AudioQuest's 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.
| Native Resolution | Up to 24-bit / 96kHz |
|---|---|
| Output | 2.1 volts |
| Headphone Amp | ESS Sabre 9601 |
| Microcontroller | Microchip PIC32MX274 |
| DAC Chip | ESS ES9038Q2M |
| Volume Control | 64-Bit Bit-Perfect Digital Volume Control |
| Desktop / PC Compatibility | Yes |
| Mobile Compatibility | Yes |
| MQA Rendering | Yes |
| Upgradeable Firmware | Yes |
| Monoclock Technology | Yes |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 12 x 19 x 57 mm |
| Product Code | DRAGONFLYCOBG |
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