Mobile Streaming

I ordered the AQ Cobalt was looking at the Focal Sphere S IEMs.

But most admit I found the wired Sony WI-1000X through a DAC sound pretty good.

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Just go for the new fiio m11 for a good value and ldac codec for your sonyā€¦

It is a very nice dap

Already hit the button on the AQ Cobalt, the filio does sound good spec wise.

Iā€™d be curious to hear what folks find with the AQ Cobalt.
I currently use a Chord (Electronics) Mojo + Poly and that is controlled from an iPhone. It can be used as a standalone USB DAC which I do setup occasionally via laptop when travelling as well as SD local music in the Poly, it can also support Roon which I use at home and overall that is the better user experience, out and about it supports Bluetooth, Airplay and DLNA sources. Connectivity is over Wi-Fi and it has a relaxed sound which lends well to longer sessions on flights. I use the Sony WH-1000XM3 as well as some custom fit in-ear monitors from ACS which in many respects I prefer not least the fact you can put them in a pocket.

I know @CrystalGipsy tried the Mojo wasnt impressed and settled for the Cobalt.

I too tried the Hugo and was not impressed at all vs a Cyrus Soundkey.

I didnā€™t get on with the Mojo at all, just found it too polite and lifeless for the music I listen to and it lost its fun to listen to. I already had a Dragonfly Black which I liked and somebody who had lent me the Mojo to try out had bought a Cobalt and was really happy with it. So I took the plunge and was impressed. It might not be as refined as the Mojo but itā€™s lot more fun and a big step up from the Black. Never heard the Red so cant compare it to that, but itā€™s a lot smaller than anything else and packs a punch and sounds very good.

I do get your point on the Mojo being laid back, in my mind when I got it to replace an iFi iDSD (which I found to be very capable, if a little bulky, especially when wired to an iPhone) I saw it as a middle ground between a gum stick DAC like the Dragonflies or a full blown DAP. I dabbled with an Astell & Kern DAP briefly but found it limiting given it was mainly about playing back files from internal storage as opposed to being a more integrated experience that supported the streaming services I subscribe to. Adding in the Poly on the basis of the specs promised to add a world of possibilities. It was a right faff in the early versions of firmware and the version 2 that came out not so long back is what it really should have had from the off, especially with the Roon endpoint support. If there was a Roon-To-Go it would be just fine however when youā€™re in DLNA/Other mode when away from home it still requires a deep breath and a little patience, thatā€™s before you even get to a point where you have headphones on and are making any serious assessment of itā€™s output capabilities. Itā€™s easiest to use with Airplay, I never used a Bluetooth connection to the phone and the DLNA server option requires juggling between various 3rd party apps, of which same have sporadic support and updates. In principle the concept is sound, although Iā€™m not sure why Chord didnā€™t just make a dedicated player app, along the lines of the Naim app for streamers.
I have been curious to give the Cobalt a fair trial and see how it lines up against the various portable DACā€™s I already have. Appreciate any insight from others as they take similar journeys of discovery.

in my Eyes or ears the cobalt does a very good job and for something so small its no mean feat, they knocked off quite a biti compared to the Red and Black. Ovreall I have found it to insightful, musical, detailed and hell of a lot more enjoyable to listen to than the Mojo, DF Black and my other DAC Ifi iDSD Nano BL (which I now use at work as the Cobalt supplanted it at home) . It works without any phaff with it being only USB Audio 1 compliant. I dont need higher res than that as I cant tell the difference between 192 and 96 and I get full MQA anyway which the DAC can unfold up to 384 as its only the USB input thats limited not the DAC itself. It does seem to run warmer than the Black but not found that to be a disadvantage, being so small as well it now fits better in to the pocket with a phone if thats your thing. Its nice it comes with a onthe go cable to.

No, definitely not just you.

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Thatā€™s interesting. I have used Sony and Bose at the football when accessing audio descriptive commentary and Iā€™ve found neither to have any issues with voices or other random noises. Certainly an issue for older models but I think theyā€™ve long since moved past that as an issue about 3-4 years ago.

You are probably right that noise cancelling technology has improved, as my Bose headphones are a few years old now. Still, Iā€™m not tempted to replace them, as I find the isolation from my Shure IEMs sufficient, and they are so much more compact for travelling. Plus they sound great! If I spent more time on long haul flights, perhaps I would see things differently.

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I was looking at the ifi also, glad I read your post.

Ifi good but did not work as well with MQA as AudioQuest nd their support was no help. Cobalt is way better though in sq and compatibility.

Heading back from holiday tomorrow and wish Iā€™d gone with something like the Cobalt before, my failed attempt was the Hugo.

Sadly for some, it all reinforces MQA full unfold devices, even those like the Cobalt lacking on paper.

Cobalt arrives tomorrow will feedback.

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Hope you had a good holiday despite the Hugo.

Ä° have a small ak sr15 with a 500gb Card, offline tidal and good sound, ideal for beach as well travel with 7-8h battery life

So why bother with phones and cables etc unless you are going to use as desktop

Also check fiio q5s similar to cobalt solution

Because itā€™s lot smaller to carry around than another device, cheaper and more flexible overall. I might get a DAP eventually but atm this works for me well.

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So a frustrating flight back I ended up using the Sony WI-1000X wired through the Cyrus Soundkey but ended up using more locally ripped content, as neither Tidal or Qobuz play through USB Audio Player Pro UAPP and the native apps barely go beyond 44.1 with downloaded content.

Anyhow my AQ Dragonfly Cobalt was ready waiting, so after an hours listening Iā€™m not feeling the love for it.

I have gone back and forth with a few tracks, wired IEM no DAC, and then the Cyrus Soundkey and then the AQ Dragonfly Cobalt.

At first the AQ Dragonfly Cobalt was a clear winner, but swapping back to the Cyrus Soundkey the difference was slightly better is all aspects.

I did find I was searching and using more MQA content for the Purple AQ light basically 96khz upwards. Interesting as Qobuz even 24bit was not as engaging.

Bit tired now but plan another session tomorrow.

Interesting even AQ suggest using UAPP.

We all have different ears and tastes, which is a good thing. Sounds like the Cyrus is a bargain and more to your liking. I did consider it before I got my AQ Black but didnā€™t in the end. Funny after listening to my Cobalt for portable on holiday itā€™s now back in the dedicated headphone rig and I have gone back to the AQ Black for on the go. I miss the Cobalt already in this as itā€™s so much better in my ears.

Hope you find something that suits you or stick with the Cyrus and enjoy it. It maybe try out Ifi but they are really too big for on the go and more for desktop IMO.

:small_blue_diamond:@obsydian,ā€¦Audioquest Black and Red,.must be connected at least 24 hours to perform at the top level.
I do not know how it is with Audioquest Cobalt,.but check it before you compare.

/PederšŸ™‚