I bought a really nice tribird IEM (Moondrop Variations) and plugged them into my home amp and was blown away by their sound quality. However, I bought them for my laptop so I can isolate myself when working in noisy environments. When using them on the laptop's headphone jack they were really underwhelming. The sound was decent, but the laptop just couldn't power them properly. This was especially painful since I knew how good they could sound.So, after reading reviews (and way too much marketing hype) I dug myself in even deeper and added the Dragonfly Cobalt to my set up. I half expected that I would be returning it as I couldn't imagine that it would be able to provide more power from the same source, my laptop.But I was really pleasantly surprised. Not only was it able to provide a greater volume of clean sound, but deeper clarity and excellent bass. To be realistic, the Dragonfly can't power the Moondrops as well as my home amp, but damn, it comes close and that is really all I need for a mobile set up.BTW, I also tried the set up on my Android phone via USB-C and it rocked there too. Even when taking a call, it sounds good, and the phone automatically uses the speakerphone mic while listening via the IEMs (at least on my Pixel phone). So, if you are on the fence, my experience convinced me it is worth it. Highly recommended.

I own Dragonfly black for 3 years and have been satisfied with its capabilities. Since cobalt was on discount and I had a option to return after two months bought, that was my intention to use and returnBut honestly this has been toughest decision and I decided to keep it in my arsenal.It just lets you discover another realm of music, soundstage, instrument separation, mids and vocals not to mention bass is phenomenalI use it with powered speakers, headphones and improve the sound of my car audio.Highly Recommend it

First time I heard it, it was an immediate upgrade to my listening experience. I had no clue I was missing out on so much detail even from casual youtube videos & music streaming.

To take full advantage of this DAC /pre amp , the user should have a decent set of reputable wired earbuds /headphones , I think I owned 5 different types of cheap ear buds before I wised up .. Portability , recent price drop and low draw battery on my iPad were my main reasons to purchase the Cobalt DAC , Sound quality is pretty good pushing Sein HD 650's from my iMac using Audirvana /Fabfilter EQ or Shure 425 and 535's earbud models on my iPad/Apple music ,Sound level could be a little higher when I use my tablet with Cobalt but I understand the potential liabilities involvedThe AQ Cobalt is very good sounding PORTABLE DAC , IMO, a 30 hour burn is a must before judging this DAC.

Très bon son avec mon iPad et mon casque d’écoute focal celestee