I just received my THX Onyx dongle DAC today and did an A/B test with the Dragonfly Cobalt and the THX wins. The THX has superior clarity, especially in the midrange to treble, superior soundstage, and superior build quality to the cobalt. Also its $100 cheaper. So I think it’s worth a look if you are in the market for a dongle DAC. The only thing I liked a bit better about the Cobalt was vocals sometimes sounded closer and more relaxed. The THX is a more analytical DAC and shows you more details in the music, while the Cobalt is a lot more laid back sounding and misses details that the THX shows you. So if you are the type of person who doesn’t really care about the details but just wants an easy listening experience, then the Cobalt would be your best fit. However if you love details and accuracy, then the THX is the one for you.
is it even worth buying the black version if your on a budget to improve the lenovo laptop internal sound or will it be similar. and is it worth the money in your opinion.
so if i get the dragon fly black then connect it to a headphone amp and then get the headphones connected to the headphone amp. is this the setup u mentioned but with the cobalt. It's a bit overwhelming for me as i have never made a setup like this.
The two products are still a bit convoluted and slightly pricey for improving laptop sound " inexpensively", would it not be more appropriate to suggest a eg IFi Zen Dac which is a headphone amp/dac for £123....?
Thanks for comments, I did suggest a ifi zen dac per the graphic, I also foresaw this type of comment by testing the atom alone, which in some spheres is under £123, and adds worthwhile improvement as I too said in film. I don’t think the products are convoluted. You can use the DF for headphones and a desktop set up, the DF is small and inconspicuous too. Regards simon
@@13thnotehifireviews7 I understand, however the Ifi Zen Dac seems to do nearly the same service as your two above suggested products in one component for at least £100 less, so of course it comes to the question of sound quality, which I feel your two suggested products will fare better judging by their price (not always the case!).
One built-in or on-board computer DAC that I can heartily recommend, is any Intel computer with Intel HDA (high definition audio). For example, a motherboard for an Intel Core-I5 processor has an Intel Corporation Smart Sound Technology Audio Codec. It also identifies itself as Intel Cannon Lake PCH cAVS. You will not better that sound-chip with an external DAC, because it is at least as good as a AKM AK4490, which it turn is better than most ESS DACs. A typical budget external DAC would be a downgrade, not an upgrade, so THINK before you spend any money.
Thanks for your comments, I’d agree but not THINK before you buy - extrapolation of tech to real world is not a good idea, but TRY before you buy. TBH it is pretty easy to go into any hifi shop with a laptop and try out a range of demo DACs, then decide. And the beauty of no room effects like hifi. It’s not just about the DAC as well, but the power supply, jitter handling capabilities, and analogue output. I’d never decide on a DAC unit just on the chipset....As I said in my last video.
Sorry, something remains not clear to me , do you recommend to combine Cobalt with Atom? If so how exactly Atom improves the Cobalt’s output, what does it do?
Yes, but depending on headphones. Best way is to try and see if it makes a difference for yours. Cobalt is 53mw at 25ohms and atom is 1 watt at 32 ohms, so clearly the atom has more power which can mean better drive yielding better performance.
I used the DF Red with the JDS Atom, the problem is that the 3.5 mm output is also a headphone amp, so connecting it to another amplifier, you're double amping the Dragonfly's already high distortion. I switched to the Topping E30, it sounds much better and costs half as much. I still love the DF Red, but it's meant to be a portable DAC/AMP.
Thanks for comments of your experiences. If the distortion is so low anyway, as it mostly always is, not sure if technically it is audible? It's designed to be used as a headphone amp and pre amp.
Are you connecting the cables the right way ? You mention a 3.5mm output but not which one. It shouldn't be the one on your computer or the whole system will be limited to the quality of the internal sound card. The computer output socket that you use must be USB and then to the Dragonfly first followed by the Atom and then to the headphones. One difference between the Topping and Dragonfly is that the Topping can accept analog signal in but the Dragonfly cannot.
@@sav7568 I used to have the same setup like he does in the video. Never used the 3.5 mm jack of my computer, I meant the dragonfly's output of course. My point was that it doesn't make sense to buy a DF Cobalt for 300 dollars to use as a desktop Dac. It's a great portable Dac/amp. But for home use you should get something like a topping E30 to use with the JDS Atom. It's half the price and sounds better.
The Dragonfly DACs are great value and perfect for laptops. I agree about these stupid sound test sites. Sometimes I think it's all properganda from rival companies to put people off Spotify. I love Spotify and can't wait for their HiFi service to arrive. Their desktop is still the best and easiest to use with useful features.
I have the dragonfly cobalt for my iMac with my Harmon Kardon sounds-ticks plugged into it , absolutely brilliant improvement, i should also say , when i first got the cobalt it came with a tidal free month trial , i already had Spotify premium. Night and day difference , it really is such a difference , i had the same track played , from one service then the other , kept tidal and went to the free spotify for my podcasts
@@13thnotehifireviews7 i had a software programe running called Bongiovi DPS , which i had for years as like you say the sound surprisingly isnt that great, BUT i bit the bullet after reading loads of reviews and thought sod it i will try the cobalt for the imac, if its not that good as reviews, or when paired to my Imac, i can use it for my iphone. But wow is all i can say, listening to a Tidal HD or a master is just something else...
I just received my THX Onyx dongle DAC today and did an A/B test with the Dragonfly Cobalt and the THX wins. The THX has superior clarity, especially in the midrange to treble, superior soundstage, and superior build quality to the cobalt. Also its $100 cheaper. So I think it’s worth a look if you are in the market for a dongle DAC. The only thing I liked a bit better about the Cobalt was vocals sometimes sounded closer and more relaxed. The THX is a more analytical DAC and shows you more details in the music, while the Cobalt is a lot more laid back sounding and misses details that the THX shows you. So if you are the type of person who doesn’t really care about the details but just wants an easy listening experience, then the Cobalt would be your best fit. However if you love details and accuracy, then the THX is the one for you.
Gold Oyaide charger plug can also stabilize the sound a bit.
Thank you for all of this info.
Thanks too.
is it even worth buying the black version if your on a budget to improve the lenovo laptop internal sound or will it be similar. and is it worth the money in your opinion.
so if i get the dragon fly black then connect it to a headphone amp and then get the headphones connected to the headphone amp. is this the setup u mentioned but with the cobalt. It's a bit overwhelming for me as i have never made a setup like this.
The two products are still a bit convoluted and slightly pricey for improving laptop sound " inexpensively", would it not be more appropriate to suggest a eg IFi Zen Dac which is a headphone amp/dac for £123....?
Thanks for comments, I did suggest a ifi zen dac per the graphic, I also foresaw this type of comment by testing the atom alone, which in some spheres is under £123, and adds worthwhile improvement as I too said in film. I don’t think the products are convoluted. You can use the DF for headphones and a desktop set up, the DF is small and inconspicuous too. Regards simon
@@13thnotehifireviews7 I understand, however the Ifi Zen Dac seems to do nearly the same service as your two above suggested products in one component for at least £100 less, so of course it comes to the question of sound quality, which I feel your two suggested products will fare better judging by their price (not always the case!).
Always a question of price v performance I agree. Tbh the zen is a good one to try.
One built-in or on-board computer DAC that I can heartily recommend, is any Intel computer with Intel HDA (high definition audio). For example, a motherboard for an Intel Core-I5 processor has an Intel Corporation Smart Sound Technology Audio Codec. It also identifies itself as Intel Cannon Lake PCH cAVS. You will not better that sound-chip with an external DAC, because it is at least as good as a AKM AK4490, which it turn is better than most ESS DACs. A typical budget external DAC would be a downgrade, not an upgrade, so THINK before you spend any money.
Thanks for your comments, I’d agree but not THINK before you buy - extrapolation of tech to real world is not a good idea, but TRY before you buy. TBH it is pretty easy to go into any hifi shop with a laptop and try out a range of demo DACs, then decide. And the beauty of no room effects like hifi. It’s not just about the DAC as well, but the power supply, jitter handling capabilities, and analogue output. I’d never decide on a DAC unit just on the chipset....As I said in my last video.
Sorry, something remains not clear to me , do you recommend to combine Cobalt with Atom? If so how exactly Atom improves the Cobalt’s output, what does it do?
If I use Cobalt with hi-res headphones do I really need an additional amplifier like Atom?
Yes, but depending on headphones. Best way is to try and see if it makes a difference for yours. Cobalt is 53mw at 25ohms and atom is 1 watt at 32 ohms, so clearly the atom has more power which can mean better drive yielding better performance.
I used the DF Red with the JDS Atom, the problem is that the 3.5 mm output is also a headphone amp, so connecting it to another amplifier, you're double amping the Dragonfly's already high distortion. I switched to the Topping E30, it sounds much better and costs half as much. I still love the DF Red, but it's meant to be a portable DAC/AMP.
Thanks for comments of your experiences. If the distortion is so low anyway, as it mostly always is, not sure if technically it is audible? It's designed to be used as a headphone amp and pre amp.
Are you connecting the cables the right way ? You mention a 3.5mm output but not which one. It shouldn't be the one on your computer or the whole system will be limited to the quality of the internal sound card. The computer output socket that you use must be USB and then to the Dragonfly first followed by the Atom and then to the headphones. One difference between the Topping and Dragonfly is that the Topping can accept analog signal in but the Dragonfly cannot.
@@sav7568 I used to have the same setup like he does in the video. Never used the 3.5 mm jack of my computer, I meant the dragonfly's output of course. My point was that it doesn't make sense to buy a DF Cobalt for 300 dollars to use as a desktop Dac. It's a great portable Dac/amp. But for home use you should get something like a topping E30 to use with the JDS Atom. It's half the price and sounds better.
The Dragonfly DACs are great value and perfect for laptops. I agree about these stupid sound test sites. Sometimes I think it's all properganda from rival companies to put people off Spotify. I love Spotify and can't wait for their HiFi service to arrive. Their desktop is still the best and easiest to use with useful features.
I really like the bluOS experience beyond Roon Steve, but I agree with you most of the streaming apps are pretty decent.
I have the dragonfly cobalt for my iMac with my Harmon Kardon sounds-ticks plugged into it , absolutely brilliant improvement,
i should also say , when i first got the cobalt it came with a tidal free month trial , i already had Spotify premium.
Night and day difference , it really is such a difference , i had the same track played , from one service then the other , kept tidal and went to the free spotify for my podcasts
I was really surprised at the fact apples sound similar to cheapy laptops from the headphone output , all obviated by the cobalt mind.
@@13thnotehifireviews7 i had a software programe running called Bongiovi DPS , which i had for years as like you say the sound surprisingly isnt that great, BUT i bit the bullet after reading loads of reviews and thought sod it i will try the cobalt for the imac, if its not that good as reviews, or when paired to my Imac, i can use it for my iphone. But wow is all i can say, listening to a Tidal HD or a master is just something else...
@@cb6171 if the test is not blind its not valid. You can't eliminate the bias from your brain.
My Lenavo £200 laptop sounds better than my iMac
It’s odd how that can happen and shows how audiophile hifi doesn’t equate to the mass market computer offerings sometimes.
The Topping a50s is an amazing headphone amp for its price