The AEON line of headphones are very low-impedance, which makes them current hungry - which is often an issue with low-powered dongle-DACs. A lot will depend on what you listen to and how loud you expect them to play while still being clean and controlled.
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I use the iFi IDSD micro black label for my Aeon2C when on the go for better listening experience as the Dragonfly Red doesn’t really do it for my listening with them, I read they are slightly more current hungry than version 1. To Ian’s point though if I am not listening as critically to the music more for background sound, or watching you tube reviews, etc a dragonfly red is just fine with them.
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I’m very curious about comparisons between the Cobalt and the new iFi Hip-Dac.
Is anyone aware of any yet?
I have seen @Resolve initial impressions video, but outside of that nothing of substance that compares the Hip-Dac to the Cobalt.
Thanks!
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I too am curious about the Hip Dac.
I haven’t heard it yet, but my assumption is that it will easily outperform the DFC on power. They are implementing different chips which do have different characteristics, but I think the major difference is power output.
They’re both portable but I think they meet different needs.
I see the Hip Dac as a good partner for something like an iPod touch, with sufficient power for most headphones. Where the DFC is a pocketable solution for something more efficient like many IEM’s (or Porta Pros in my case).
Power output isn’t that much different between them.
The Hip-DAC can supply up to 400mW into 16 ohms, vs. the DFC’s ~135mW into 32 ohms (which would be ~270mW into 16 ohms).
Voltage swing is actually higher for the DFC, but not by a material amount (0.1V, or ~5%).
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32.5 % more power seems fairly substantial to me.
I am personally less interested in power as I almost exclusively use IEMs and find the DFC has more than enough juice to power them…I’m more interested in sound signature differences driven by the different chips used (I believe Burr Brown vs. ESS?).
Either way, eagerly awaiting thoughts from experts! Thanks!
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In raw terms, sure.
In practical terms … well, it’d be a lot more useful if it was accompanied by higher voltage rails.
Otherwise the principal benefit comes with lower-impedance cans.
Also, it’s 8x the size of the Dragonfly … which puts it in closer competition to a totally different class of product.
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I would wait and see if/when @Resolve chimes in, as he’s listened to both units he would be better equipped to answer to the differences in sound quality.
Regarding ESS vs. Burr Brown, I could be of even less help because I’m quite fond of both! In my limited experience, ESS are what I’d consider “analytical”, and Burr-Brown are “smooth”, whatever that may mean to you. 
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Yeah that’s accurate - until you get up to the Pro iDSD, which is a bit different. Keep in mind though, the Cobalt uses the slow-roll filter so it’s not quite the same as typical ESS stuff. Overall I think the Hip DAC provides a lot more versatility, but the Dragonfly provides a more usable form factor for phone usage (with the dragontail cable). I’d base a purchase decision between these two more on form factor and versatility than sound quality. If it were me, I’d probably choose the Hip DAC, but that’s just because as a headphone reviewer I could see myself making use of its versatility (balanced out, xbass, power match).
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Implementation of the chipset is as, if not more important as the chips used.
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Hi gang, I need a bit of help from the community.
I have both a DF Cobalt and Red. Just purchased an EE Valkyrie. Tried to use the Valkyrie with the Cobalt, and the Cobalt reacted strangely from time to time - basically it was as if it was “re-setting” itself. Playback ceased, LED went black, then red, then back to the prior color, but I would have to re-start playback etc etc.
I reached out to AQ and was told that the Cobalt has a minimum impedance of 16 ohms, and with the Valkyrie rated at 3 ohms, the Cobalt will have issues driving it. I also have an LX, Solaris SE, Noble Tux 5 (and had a Fourte Noir), and didn’t have issues with any of them when paired with the Cobalt. Actually the LX is 14 ohms and the SE is 10 ohms, both below the Cobalt floor, but I guess the gap is small enough that it’s not problematic).
So my question is…can someone help me understand conceptually what this means? I understand the concept sort of flipped on its head, i.e., the Sennheiser HD800s is rated at 300 ohms and so need to make sure it’s paired with an appropriately powerful amp to make it hum etc etc. But a minimum impedance?
Please help! Can’t wrap my brain around this…
Thank you
There are two situations where a minimum impedance is important.
First, the lower the impedance of the load (headphone or IEM), the more current required. If you wind up drawing more current than the device can source, you’ll cause unpredictable behavior - including the potential for the device to crash or reset itself.
Second, the op-amps in the output stage can become unstable below a certain resistance or impedance level, which can result in oscillation or other issues*.
All other things being equal, a 3 ohm IEM would draw 3.3x the current of a 10 ohm IEM.
*This is why, in lazyily designed/implemented op-amp based output stages, such as those in some of Topping’s integrated DAC/amp products, you’ll see 10 ohms of output impedance (doubling to 20 for balanced output) … which is just an inline resistor to keep the op-amp at a minimum load level for stable operation.
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Thank you.
So I guess what I’m learning is that I’ve been thinking about impedance incorrectly - meaning I’ve only been looking at it from the perspective of the Sennheiser example in my original post, but I also need to consider minimum impedance.
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To properly understand how an IEM or headphone will pair with an amplifier, on an electrical level, you really need to understand both the impedance and the sensitivity of the transducer, as well as the output capabilities of the amplifier.
Amplifiers (or output stages) have limits on how much voltage they can swing, as well as how much current they can provide and what minimum impedance they are stable into (or won’t trigger over-current protection).
Transducers have a sensitivity rating (how much power they require for a given output level) and an impedance. Which is complicated, often, by the fact that the impedance can vary significantly with frequency - but is usually quoted for 1 kHz.
As an extreme example of what the interplay here can mean, the Empire Ears Valkyrie actually requires more power to drive than the Audeze LCD-4.
The difference is that the much higher impedance of the LCD-4 (200 ohms) needs more voltage and less current than the Valkyrie. For a 100 dB peak level, the LCD-4 needs under 2mW (0.64V @ 3.16mA) vs. the Valkyrie’s 2.5mW (0.09V @ 28.9mA).
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Thanks - super helpful and an eye-opening illustration.
Thank you
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Listening through the Focal Clear confirms my initial impressions and review, the DFC is a very resolving dac that presents everything with a pleasant neutrality. It pairs well with the super efficient Clears.
This pairing has me wondering more so about the Stellia… 
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I’ve just sent a iFi Hip DAC back after 3 weeks of owning.
The additional bass and gain settings never really did it for me but I did enjoy the DAC without those.
It was difficult to use as a portable device tho and after a few weeks was cutting out regularly as the cable lost connection.
Waiting on a ADC to see how that compares.
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Nice. Looking forward to your impressions. 
In the meantime I’ve gone back to my Cyrus Soundkey.
Although the sound quality is inferior this is somewhat balanced out by the portability and simplicity of use.
I actually found the bass and gain settings on the Hip DAC a distraction, as I couldn’t be sure whether I was getting the best sound for the genre and format I was listening to at any one time. My OCD is slightly to blame for that…
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