Outboard DACs

The Cobalt is the smallest DragonFly to date, shaving 5mm off the length of the Black and Red models. Both the core processor and DAC chip have been updated, turning this into a very superior DAC/headphone amp that just happens to be 'slip in your pocket' portable. It comes complete with a leatherette travel pouch, but the Cobalt might just as well find a home in your static 'main' system.

Running the show is a Microchip PIC32MX274 MCU, replacing the 'MX270 used in both the Red and the Black: it supports the same 32-bit architecture, and is also firmware upgradable using a 'Desktop Device Manager' app. However, as well as increasing processing speed by a third, the new device reduces current draw, even though the less expensive models will hardly hog the battery of your computer or mobile device. Also new is the mobile version of the ESS Sabre ES9038 DAC, replacing the ES9016 of the Red, itself a step up from the Black's ES9010, and claiming a more natural sound thanks to its minimum-phase slow roll-off filter.