Especially a problem with insensitive headphones.
Read this.
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I read it, but it didnāt satisfy my question. It used the Black as an example, where the Red and Cobalt would have been much better.
It suggests that the DFās (Red and Cobalt? Donāt know) have amplification behind the headphone (faux line out) port that a true line out doesnāt have, and further suggests that that amping adds much distortion, noise, etc. Yet as best I remember, the measurements donāt show those severe (or even bad) distortion and noise values in faux line out mode in testing.
The principles donāt change at all between Black vs. Red/Cobalt. And youāre still either driving them flat out to reach 2v (or youāre using their digital volume control).
Itās not a suggestion, itās a definitive statement. Both Red and Cobalt use the same ESS amplifier IC.
Again, itās not a suggestion. Amplifiers are noisier than buffers. ALL amplifiers add noise and distortion. Itās not possible to build one that doesnāt. āMuchā is relative, but in the context of the original questions being answered, itās not āoptimalā.
You have no way to know, because youāve never seen measurements of what these units would do if there was a line-out that came straight off either the DAC IC or a buffer vs. the published measurements that come through the headphone amplifier.
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So the answer is, we can use the faux line out with an external amp, but weāll have to either be satisfied with the sound that way, or try to hear whether thereās unacceptable distortion in the sound that way. Maybe some audiophiles or test people have already made estimates of how good or bad it is, but I donāt remember reading about it.
Iām wondering what all the above has to do with the GS/PS2000E.
I remember being okay with the sound of a Dragonfly Black some years ago, but this was well before I got āseriousā about audio so Iām dismissive of my own impressions back then. In my (admittedly limited) personal experience with good gear since thenā yeah, unless you have a proper line out function youāre introducing the kind of distortion even self-professed tube fans such as yours truly find unpleasant. Think hard clipping and fuzz; itāll always be bad, though whether itās tolerable or not depends on other components in the system, listening skill, persnicketiness, and quality of music being listened to.
Speaking as someone who listens to an unhealthy amount of mid-2000s pop rock/punk/pop besides all the more āsensibleā selections, the degradation is pretty noticeable even then when youāre double-amping that way. All the Dragonflys (pluralisation of a product name thatās actually a common noun always gives me headaches) seem to be good value products, just not designed for pairing with another amplifier.
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āUnhealthyā. 
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Friend if I shared my usual playlists here then I have to be prepared to field questions about whether or not I actually need a high-resolution system to begin with 
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Iām sure we all have songs on a playlist that we donāt share! 
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You might want to check out the details, especially with regard to drive levels, power output, and the fairly ugly behavior of the Cobalt as it approaches the limit, in this, just-posted, technical tear-down/review of the Cobalt.
Though follow-up discussion of it belongs here.
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Iāll be frank I didnāt quite like the PS2000E with a lot of entry or even āmid fiā gear.
That said I wouldnāt encourage buying a PS2ke to pair with any of the DF units until youāve had a chance to demo it in person. I believe I had the NFB10ES2 in my system as the time which I felt was a bad match. Now while my NFB10ES2 is gone I kept my HM901, I always like the HM901 as with the āvintageā filter I felt it was almost identical to the NFB10ES2 presentation, just with less top end āglareā and that said of the DF unitās Iāve heard non have been audibly better than just using my HM901
So again based on what Iāve heard from my own system I donāt think the DF units would do the PS2KE justice, the GS2KE how ever might do quite nicely with them!
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I ended up using the PS2ke with the Mojo exclusively. But, after more than a month of use and feeling ho-hum about it, I switched back to the White WH1. Despite the smoother sound of the PS2ke as well as its obvious technical superiority, I like the WH1 better. The scary thing is the EQ curve I needed to make the WH1 satisfactory. Iāve done EQās on the SR325e, the GH1 and GH3, but none of those sounded anywhere near as good in the end as the WH1. I still think thereās some magic in the bowl pads and how they surround the ears.
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I appreciate your feedback regarding the Mojo!
Honestly I like the performance of the Chord stuff and I think the Mojo would likely be āho humā indeed with PS2KE,
Sadly the only WH1 I heard had some issues with build and was very uneven. Never got around to a proper review of it but I kinda feel like given the price I would rather save up an snag a GS2KE second hand on head fi for like $150ish more
Really loved the GS2KE and honestly owning an SDR Modded HD 800 I donāt think the PS2KE would be worth it, though I should hear it again with my RME ADI 2 Dac
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Iāll also add I just finished listening to Cobalt
I canāt say Iād recommend it under any circumstancesā¦
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