Not really practical for use on the go – unless people don’t mind their mobile having a constant “tail”… 
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The Cyrus is rougher, treble a tad brighter and yes for a longer session fatiguing, the AQ Cobalt is better but at the moment not enough to justify the £270 price tag, that said it is a step up vs the Hugo.
I listened some more this morning via my mobile and then also my laptop this time with my Shure IEMs same outcome.
I must admit I was disappointed for the price tag with a very basic packaging and USB rattles, reading up suggests it is design intent 
I will try and speed up the break in period and try again.
I do love the style and size of the AQ Cobalt, better than the block type Cyrus Soundkey, although I do prefer the latter can be turned and stuck on a mobile or laptop to give a less prone to being knocked out.
Naim_The_Dragon,…There is not much that is practical,if you want to achieve the best soundquality 
.
But it is good if you think about this I wrote earlier,.when you shall compare the performance between two hifi-products.
It’s just one here on the forum that thinks his hifi-products sounds 100% optimal after 5 minutes,.we others have other experiences.
•You can have your Audioquest plugged into any other USB-socket.
And move it over to your phone when listening to music.
/Peder🙂
I was thinking about buying an AQ Cobalt to use on the go and also to feed my Violectric headphone amp with 3.5mm/ 2 rca cable for listening late at night in a bedroom system. Has anyone tried the latter ? I am curious to know if the AQ Cobalt has enough drive to feed an amplifier.
It’s supposed to as it has a high output up to 2.1v for line out as did the Red before. Not tried it as I don’t need to as I use its own headphone amp don’t have a separate amp to drive.
Ok after a 3hr run in, nothing has changed, yes it is maybe 5 to 10% better than the Cyrus Soundkey and for sure allot easier on the ear, but for me not worth £270.
Also after the 3hrs little to no screen on, was in my pocket for 30mins the rest sat on the table, but each time I hit the home button the AQ would disconnect, the Dragon tail seems to be the issue.
In addition it ate 50% of my battery, the Cyrus and also BT Sony WI-1000X tool 40% on my recent flights, but allot of screen on time.
So the AQ Cobalt is going back, I do love the timing and detail, but as a step up it’s small, maybe a more premium set of IEM could squeeze more.
Oh all that said I am gravitating heavily to Tidal MQA, I also have a Qobuz Studio subscription and the USB Audio really highlights for me Qobuz is a waste and cannot compete with Tidal MQA, in terms of HiRes SQ and catalogue
Not seen my draw much battery, I have had a few disconnects though. It’s early firmware so it will improve.
Yes pretty bad drain.
I am giving the AQ Cobalt a last chance, letting it run for about 8hrs and also looking at some new earphones, either the Focal Sphere S or Sony XBA-N1AP.
you may find this review interesting. The Pioneer xdp 300 r has Wifi and is considered as one of the best DAP for streaming Tidal.
removable bumper. They’ve upgraded to a gold-plated and sturdier headphone jack, and they’ve added balanced output options.
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The words “Twin DAC” are neatly engraved on the side of the device as a cute little reminder of the prowess it boasts under the hood.
The volume knob is a digital controller for the system volume (not an analogue knob for the inbuilt amplifier). It has smooth physical turning steps.
Buttons are well placed and are intuitive. There are track skip buttons, a play/pause button, and a healthy-sized power button. These are mechanical buttons – meaning they give a nice satisfying “click” when pressed.
The display appears to be the same 4.7 inch, 1280 x 720 resolution LCD screen as the 100R. It’s not a poor display by any means, but it’s still a far cry from the AMOLED displays we are blessed with in some smartphones these days.
Still, with its contrast ratio, viewing angle and visibility in direct sunlight, the display is leagues ahead of a lot of other DAPs.
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ON THE INSIDE
The XDP-300R sports two Sabre ES9018K2M DAC chips, two Sabre 9601K op amps, a choice of either balanced (via 2.5mm 4-pole jack) or unbalanced (via regular 3.5mm jack) output options – all being driven by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor.
A 1630mAH battery should give you around 14-16 hours of usage, and the usual suspects are here for connectivity: 802.11b/g/n/AC, Bluetooth AD2P, SBC/apt-X.
Like many DAPs today, it also runs a custom skinned version of Android 5.1, which takes up a portion of the meagre 32GB inbuilt storage.
The chips and specs might seem a little familiar to some readers; the 300R shares a lot of components with the highly acclaimed Onkyo DP-X1 which back in 2015, was the result of a collaborative effort between Pioneer and Onkyo.
Many viewed the Onkyo as the “bigger brother” to the Pioneer XDP-100R due to its higher price point, expanded functionality and dual DAC setup.
Interestingly the Onkyo DP-X1 was never released in Australia. This was fairly devastating to our local Head-Fi community who yearned to join the hordes of happy users in both Japan and the US who were singing praises for the Onkyo player at the time.
The Pioneer XDP-300R looks set to finally please the Australian audience.
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THE INTERFACE
Whilst devout Android fans (like myself) would consider Android 5.1 to be ancient, it’s forgivable in this case, as the skin that Pioneer have designed is clean, sleek, and simple.
The native music player app is neat, contains excellent EQ options (11 band), and is very intuitive to pick up and start using. Even those who do not use an Android device as a smartphone will have no trouble learning to use this player; the learning curve should only take a few minutes.
There are plenty of audio options to choose from – ranging from simple bass-boost options, to full on digital filter choices, up-sampling, as well as native support for the emerging MQA format, and full DSD support.
Playlists can be created and stored on-the-fly, and your existing M3U/ PLS/ WPL playlists are all happily supported.
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Interestingly, Pioneer have also included full support for USB – both OTG (for using portable USB drives) and audio (for using an external DAC).
Of course, if you’re more into streaming, the Google Play Store comes pre-installed. In no time, I had streaming platforms Spotify and Tidal installed with no hassle at all.
Despite only having 2GB of RAM, I rarely found the unit to stutter or lag. Most of the animations were smooth, and the device never locked up or froze. I guess without the need to install or use too many third-party applications, the RAM requirements are far lower than the average Android device.
VS THE HUMBLE SMARTPHONE
As a headphone amplifier and portable DAC, the Mojo from U. K’s Chord Electronics needs no introduction to Head-Fi enthusiasts. It’s still top-of-the-class for portable source gear not only because of its great looks and build quality, but also because of its flexibility with a huge number of headphones.
Tonally, the two are quite similar, but with a few key differences. The Mojo has the slight edge when it comes to speed and detail, and the XDP-300R has a slightly stronger response in the lower frequencies. I wouldn’t quite say one of these is better than the other; just slightly different.
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The argument for using a smartphone with the Mojo as opposed to the dedicated XDP-300R might also be made depending on your use. Many smartphones don’t have a Micro SD slot, let alone two! Not to mention that using a dedicated DAP is also a little more relaxing with no need to worry about incoming calls or notifications popping up.
In terms of power output, they’re both capable of powering a similar range of headphones, but the Pioneer’s selectable gain might be a bit more comforting if you’re the type to be constantly changing headphones.
Whilst XDP-300R does have Wi-Fi, the Mojo will often be connected to a device with 4G capability which ultimately makes it arguably a better streaming partner.
If you’re having a tough time deciding between these two devices, I think it’s worth having a good think about your usual usage scenario before taking the plunge.
Considering its extensive I/O possibilities, the DAC would be just at home in a high-end HiFi systems as it is in a dedicated Head-Fi rig.
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THE SOUND
A compelling feature of the XDP-300R is the ability to scale and transform the audio signature. This is thanks to a combination of deep EQ settings, digital filter options, and having four gain stages to select.
In terms of volume, the older XDP-100R struggled to pull its weight with the Beyerdynamic DT880 600 ohm headphones. I’m happy to report that the 300R cuts through them like butter. Even on “low-gain” mode, there is more than enough volume headroom to play with.
Perhaps not surprisingly then, it’s a similar story when playing with the Sennheiser HD800S. After locking the device into “high-gain” mode and using the necessary adapters, it’s easy to hear how easily the 300R could drive the fussy German flagship headphones.
Bass still retained its signature tight rumble, whilst midrange was effortlessly and accurately reproduced.
It seems that doubling down on the specs has turned the Pioneer portable into a capable powerhouse. This is a welcome change, as this was an issue with previous releases from Pioneer.
This all may be great for big thirsty headphones – but how does the XDP-300R cope with something a little more delicate?
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Being a relatively low impedance headphone (32ohms), the Grado SR80i headphones can be a little fussy with amplification. Selecting the “Low 1” setting on the 300R transformed the player into a more sensible, delicate output and a great match for the Grados.
Tonally, the output was quite similar to the 100R; a neutral, flat, uncoloured, and analytical signature. Some may find this to be a little boring or dry, so thankfully there are the bass boost and EQ settings to compensate for this if you prefer.
IEM users will be pleased to note that output impedance seems very low, and there is no detectable background hiss.
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CONCLUSION
Pioneer’s XDP-300R Digital Audio Player is a clear step up from the older XDP-100R. It is a more refined and fleshed-out offering for portable audio enthusiasts.
With a wide variety of audio options, shedloads of power, one of the best EQ applications I have ever seen in a DAP, combined with stunning good looks, the XDP-300R does a great job of being a jack-of-all-trades.
Highly Recommended.
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Thanks very interesting but odd it says MQA support but performs no unfolding from what I can see.
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So I left the AQ Dragonfly Cobalt running all night, a short comparison, headphones no DAC, Cyrus Soundkey and then AQ Cobalt.
The AQ Cobalt has opened up a bit more, in terms of detail and smoothness, but the Cyrus Soundkey is so close I will be stick with that.
@obsydian,…You have 150-200 hours of burn-in on Audioquest Red and Black,.most likely the same on AQ Cobalt.
You cannot draw any inferences before then.
/Peder🙂
Hi @Peder I cannot see it changing, plus I just boxed it all up to return.
Interesting though I had a old Ghent Belden USB Micro to USB A (added my Samsung OTG adapter) and a small but discernable difference, note with the Cyrus I also use the Fillo USB C to Micro B a very small and neat connector.
Reason for mentioning this is, I suspect the AQ Dragon tail is the weak link here, I am tempted to order and ifi OTG to test.
Ifi OTG arrives tomorrow for one last try, I also decided to email Audioquest my thoughts and have asked Cyrus to consider MQA support full unfold.
As the more I think about it the Cyrus is very close to the AQ Cobalt with 16/24 bit, whereas the Cobalt is achieving the full 88khz MQA unfold.
I use a cheap UGreen one and it’s works very well no difference in SQ but it seems to be more stable. I found the Ifi one that came with my Nano was too loose a fitting and came out. Ugreen ones nice and tight and it’s a thick but bendable cable.
Ok final sign off, the AQ Cobalt is definitely going back, my last ditch attempt was to rule out the AQ Dragon Tail, so ordered an IFI USB OTG, arrived, setup and same.
So a number of observations:
- My Samsung Note 8 is crap;
- The Note 8 is really good, as the Cyrus Soundkey, Chord Hugo and AQ Cobalt are minor improvements;
- The three head and earphone (£150 to 350) used where not expensive enough to discern;
- Mobile DACs are a load of snake oil.
My opinion is point 4.
I don’t have massively expensive headphones or IEMs, and noticed a difference between My DFB, DFC, Ifi Nano iDSD and the Mojo. I prefer the DFC to all of them, I do believe the Mojo is overpriced for what it is, but for me the difference between the cobalt and the black and Ifi I have is big enough for me to warrant the price difference the cobalt wa as it improved in all areas for me. But we all hear differently
It would be a sad world if we all liked the same things, well apart from Naim.
I did spend about 2hrs looking at DAP and IEM, then the IFi OTG arrived, something cool that caught my eye but not what I need was the fiio m5, it’s a total Apple Watch knock off but some serious sample specs.
That led me to the Fiio F9 or was it P9 IEMs and the the Bassi IT01 Graphene, which are now on order.
Note I have cotton bud my ears twice this week 