![]() ![]() For some DACs, that could be playing it safe, but the Hugo 2 still manages to keep things interesting, creating a holistic sound: it arranges the pieces into a convincing whole where the bass is balanced against treble in the most unforced and crystal-clear manner. The Hugo 2 is a smooth, neutral listen – it doesn’t overstate, yet it doesn’t underplay. To say it's a decent-sounding one would too. So to say it's a versatile piece of kit would be an understatement. Both 3.5mm and 6.3mm headphone outputs also feature, plus a pair of stereo RCAs to connect an amplifier. Music can also be fed to a pair of wireless headphones via aptX Bluetooth. The superb Hugo 2 features all the inputs and outputs you could realistically require from a product of this type, including digital optical, coaxial and mini-USB. ![]() Read our full AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt review The best desktop DAC It's a great feature for at-a-glance checking. Once attached to your device and selected as a means of audio output, the DAC’s LED will shine one of six colours to indicate the sampling rate: red for standby, green for 44.1kHz, blue for 48kHz, yellow for 88.2 kHz, light blue for 96kHz or purple when decoding MQA. The Cobalt does wonders in cleaning up our laptop’s performance, no matter what kind of file we feed it or whether it’s streaming from YouTube, Spotify, Tidal or playing from our own hi-res library. Yes, it costs around a little more, but it does take performance to another level. It boasts a more advanced DAC chip than the model-down Red, plus a new microprocessor that draws less current and bumps up the DAC's processing speed. The USB DAC resembles a UBS stick/key and plugs straight into a laptop or PC's USB-A socket, or a phone via a dongle adapter. While also the most expensive of AudioQuest's DragonFlys (the most affordable option is the DragonFly Black, the middle model is the DragonFly Red), we think it's the best value and therefore most highly recommendable. Looking for a compact sound-booster that is just at home on your desktop as it is in your pocket? Then you should try the latest instalment in AudioQuest's line of portable DACs – the DragonFly Cobalt. Read our full Chord Mojo 2 review The best USB DAC And what about existing Mojo owners? Honestly, Chord has left us no choice but to recommend the upgrade. iFi also offers a cheaper option with its GO Blu, which has the added bonus of a Bluetooth connection between it and the source.īut for those who are after a primarily portable or desktop DAC solution in this price region (and cannot triple their budget to Chord Hugo 2 territory), we believe the decision to Mojo 2 or not to Mojo 2 is far easier. While from a performance point of view the Award-winning Mojo 2 can just as confidently raise a hi-fi system’s game too, some of those looking for a system boost might reasonably prefer a dedicated system alternative with more suitable connections, such as the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M. And while those familiar with Chord’s most affordable product will see from the accompanying image that the aesthetic hasn’t exactly been overhauled for the sequel, significant progress has been made elsewhere to protect its position as the pinnacle of portable DACs. The fittingly named Mojo 2 is the long-anticipated, re-engineered replacement to the 2015-released original Mojo, which burst onto the scene as a real benchmark-setting game-changer in the then-fledgling world of portable DACs/headphone amps. Read our full iFi Zen DAC V2 review The best portable DAC The Zen Air DAC is even more affordable, but we're yet to put that one through its paces. Offering a significant upgrade over computer sound quality in an era where people need it most, the Zen DAC V2 is another feather in the cap for iFi’s budget Zen series. At the other end is another Pentaconn balanced output, which sits alongside the more conventional 6.3mm socket. This budget DAC, which can be USB or mains powered (though a mains adapter doesn’t come in the box), is excellent in both the features and performance department for the money.Īt one end is a USB Type B input, plus RCA line-level and 4.4mm Pentaconn balanced outputs. The output of the Zen DAC can be switched between fixed and variable, meaning the iFi can operate as a digital preamp if you so wish. ![]() They pay off, as the DAC's current What Hi-Fi? Award-winning status demonstrates. ![]() It’s what iFi has done with its budget home DAC and headphone amp offering, with the original Zen DAC now making way for a ‘V2’ model that offers improvements in terms of processing, MQA decoding and circuitry. But at the same time we realise that in a competitive industry such as hi-fi, making the best even better off your own back isn’t necessarily a bad idea. The ‘if it ain’t broke…’ saying isn’t lost on us. ![]()
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