# AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt: specs and price

**Price (US):** $300 (US MSRP. The Home Studio Basics review (dated 2025-01-15) states the DragonFly Cobalt's original US retail was "around $300" and refers to "its original asking price of $300". The exact launch MSRP of $299.95 does not appear verbatim on any page I fetched, so I report the sourced figure $300. That review's spec table lists a current street price of $179.97. The official AudioQuest page is EUR-only (EUR199.95) and lists no USD price.), as of 2026-07-11. Among the 10 dac amps we track it is #8 cheapest of 10; category median $239.
**Brand:** AudioQuest
**Deskmark:** Bronze Deskmark — pay-blind category standing 0/100, #9 of 9 in class (independent, computed from sourced data, never for sale).

## Specifications

| Spec | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Price (US) | $300 |
| Brand | AudioQuest |
| Form factor | dongle |
| Dac chip | ES9038Q2M |
| Max pcm (kHz) | 96 |
| Max dsd | — |
| Max power mw | — |
| Snr (dB) | — |
| Thdn percent | — |
| Balanced output | No |
| Headphone jacks | 3.5mm |
| Digital inputs | USB-A |
| Weight grams | — |

## Where it stands

At $300, the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt is #8 cheapest of the 10 dac amps we track, where the median is $239. On the spec sheet, its max pcm of 96 kHz is the lowest of the 9.

## What reviewers say

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. (Based on 2 reviews, 2022-05-09–2024-11-15.)

Praised: Clean, precise, highly detailed sound with improved clarity over built-in DACs; Compact, pocket-sized, plug-and-play with no external power needed; Greatly improved timing and dynamics.
Flagged: Premium price for a USB-stick-sized DAC; Included DragonTail adaptor fits loosely and pulls out of phones; Status light shows green for sub-44.1kHz files, so it doesn't distinguish MP3 from CD quality.
Disagreement: No strong cross-source disagreement; both recommend it and consider it worth the money. Single-source nuance: What Hi-Fi notes the Cobalt's added precision comes with a slight loss of the fluidity that made the cheaper DragonFly Red sound more human, so some may prefer the Red.
Sources: What Hi-Fi (2024-11-15, whathifi.com), TechHive (2022-05-09, techhive.com)

## Frequently asked questions

**What do reviewers say about the 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. Praised: Clean, precise, highly detailed sound with improved clarity over built-in DACs; Compact, pocket-sized, plug-and-play with no external power needed; Greatly improved timing and dynamics. Flagged: Premium price for a USB-stick-sized DAC; Included DragonTail adaptor fits loosely and pulls out of phones; Status light shows green for sub-44.1kHz files, so it doesn't distinguish MP3 from CD quality. (From 2 tester reviews.)

**How much does the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt cost?**

The AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt has a US price of $300 (US MSRP. The Home Studio Basics review (dated 2025-01-15) states the DragonFly Cobalt's original US retail was "around $300" and refers to "its original asking price of $300". The exact launch MSRP of $299.95 does not appear verbatim on any page I fetched, so I report the sourced figure $300. That review's spec table lists a current street price of $179.97. The official AudioQuest page is EUR-only (EUR199.95) and lists no USD price.), as of 2026-07-11.

**How does the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt compare on price?**

At $300, the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt is #8 cheapest of the 10 dac amps we track, where the median is $239.

**What are the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt's key specs?**

AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt (AudioQuest): formFactor dongle, dacChip ES9038Q2M, maxPcmKhz 96, balancedOutput No, headphoneJacks 3.5mm. Full sourced spec sheet verified 2026-07-11.

Source: https://www.audioquest.com/products/dragonfly-cobalt (audioquest.com, accessed 2026-07-11)
Corroboration: https://homestudiobasics.com/audioquest-dragonfly-cobalt-review/ (accessed 2026-07-11)
Canonical: https://frontdeskreview.com/product/dac-amps/audioquest-dragonfly-cobalt/
Cite: Per The Front Desk Review, the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt price of record was $300 as of 2026-07-11 — https://frontdeskreview.com/product/dac-amps/audioquest-dragonfly-cobalt/
License: CC BY 4.0. Price history: https://frontdeskreview.com/data/price-history.jsonl