# AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt vs SMSL DO100: specs and price compared

A sourced, side-by-side comparison of the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt (AudioQuest) and SMSL DO100 (SMSL) among dac amps. SMSL DO100 is the cheaper of the two at $239.

## Side by side

| Spec | AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt | SMSL DO100 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| US price | $300 | $239 |
| Brand | AudioQuest | SMSL |
| Form factor | dongle | desktop |
| Dac chip | ES9038Q2M | ES9038Q2M |
| Max pcm (kHz) | 96 | 768 |
| Max dsd | — | DSD512 |
| Max power mw | — | — |
| Snr (dB) | — | — |
| Thdn percent | — | 0.00008 |
| Balanced output | No | No |
| Headphone jacks | 3.5mm | none |
| Digital inputs | USB-A | USB-C/optical/coaxial/Bluetooth |
| Weight grams | — | — |

## Key differences

- Form factor: AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt dongle vs SMSL DO100 desktop
- Max pcm (kHz): AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt 96 vs SMSL DO100 768
- Headphone jacks: AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt 3.5mm vs SMSL DO100 none
- Digital inputs: AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt USB-A vs SMSL DO100 USB-C/optical/coaxial/Bluetooth

## What reviewers say

**AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt** — Two whitelisted testers, What Hi-Fi and TechHive, reviewed this exact DAC; both praise its clean, precise, detailed sound in a tiny plug-and-play package and rate it among the best small DACs, while flagging the premium price. Neither ran instrumented measurements, so all findings are subjective listening. No SoundGuys or PCMag review found. (2 sourced reviews.)

## Sources

- AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt: https://www.audioquest.com/products/dragonfly-cobalt (audioquest.com, verified 2026-07-11)
- SMSL DO100: https://www.smsl-audio.com/portal/product/detail/id/789.html (smsl-audio.com, verified 2026-07-11)

Canonical: https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/dac-amps/audioquest-dragonfly-cobalt-vs-smsl-do100/
Cite: Per The Front Desk Review, AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt ($300) vs SMSL DO100 ($239) — sourced spec-by-spec comparison at https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/dac-amps/audioquest-dragonfly-cobalt-vs-smsl-do100/
License: CC BY 4.0.