DragonFly Cobalt, the latest and most sophisticated member of the award-winning DragonFly franchise, is a USB DAC (digital-to-analog converter), preamplifier, and headphone amplifier. It bypasses the audio circuitry in laptops, computers, and smartphones to deliver cleaner, clearer, more naturally beautiful music to headphones, powered speakers, or complete audio systems. AudioQuest Dragonfly FAQs What kind of audio content can I play through DragonFly? From MP3 to MQA and Hi-Res, DragonFly adds life, meaning, and color to all of your music.
I just got the Audioquest Dragonfly (older version) and it installed nicely. I set it to 24 bit, 96k but I thought that using it with Foobar2000 should allow the files to be processed differently for 16 bit vs. 24 bit material.
Yet, no matter what files I play, the Dragonfly always is a magenta color. Audioquest DragonFly v1.2 = Second Generation. Distinguished by a Gray 3.5mm plug.
Audioquest DragonFly Black v1.5 = Third Generation. Gray colored 3.5mm plug. Audioquest DragonFly Red = Third Generation.
Black 3.5mm plug. Audioquest DragonFly Cobalt = Fourth Generation. I have not gotten a chance to demo this one, but will update the article.
MEASUREMENTS: AudioQuest Dragonflies Reviewed! Dragonfly Cobalt, Red, and v1.2. Audiophiles following the news cycle know by now that the new AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt is out. About 3 weeks back, I noticed out of the blue (no pun intended), almost all mainstream audiophile websites had a post or promotional "give away" for one of these!
The dragonfly indicator on the DragonFly lights up in different colors with different sampling rates: Red for Standby, green for 44.1kHz, blue for 48kHz, yellow for 88.2kHz, light blue for 96kHz. The Audioquest Dragonfly Red has been a staple in the audiophile community as one of the most portable DAC/amps out there. However, with the newest release of the Dragonfly Cobalt, we were curious if it was worth the upgrade from the Red.
With $100 difference in their price, does the sound really improve that much? Let's take a closer look with this Audioquest Dragonfly Comparison: Cobalt vs. I wish Audioquest would print a small legend on the Dragonfly to show each color and the corresponding resolution. AudioQuest has now retired the DragonFly in favor of two new models, the $99 DragonFly Black and $199 DragonFly Red, both reviewed here.
In addition to offering better sound than the original, the Black and Red can be used with Apple and Android smartphones and tablets. AudioQuest's DragonFly Red is a clean, neutral, highly portable, convenient Amp/DAC combo that's still useful but could be overpriced in today's market. Part of me is still torn on this as it's still pretty versatile despite the lack of Bluetooth connection and balanced headphone output.