While there is definitely a bass presence to the Cobalt, it isn’t put into much focus. It paints a sonic environment that goes beyond traditional stereo patterns, and envelopes you in one of the best closed-back soundstages I’ve heard in quite some time. Ambient tracks showcase this particularly well, establishing the airy qualities of the Cobalt in an immersive way. There is a ton of space that the Cobalt has to show, positioning sounds around you almost like in a dome. You feel it leak out past the ear cups, and wrap around you in a larger headspace. It is extremely wide for a closed-back headphone and communicates a ton of separation in between all its elements. It engulfs a ton of headspace, and spatial imaging has a ton of depth. I’ve heard a few people say that the Cobalt is a very open-sounding closed-back headphone, and I think that characterized the soundstage well. It is recommended that you use some kind of dongle or outboard DAC with these headphones but it isn’t necessary to achieve ample loudness. Housed within the Cobalt is a 45mm dynamic driver with carbon-coated diaphragms. I prefer the standard sheepskin pads over the velour both for feel and sound. Of course, Dekoni is able to supply the Cobalt with proper ear pads, and two sets are offered here. This doesn’t effect the comfort of the headphones though, as the ear cups are quite big and have these large ear pads. I’m not the biggest fan of these parts, as I find them a bit too flimsy. The headband and yokes have been seen on other HiFiMAN headphones like the Edition XS and HE-R9. Gold Plated 3.5mm Female to 6.35mm Male AdapterĮverything about the frame of the Cobalt makes it recognizable as a HiFiMAN headphone.Dekoni Elite Velour (Analytical) Earpads.Dekoni Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin (Balanced) Earpads.The Cobalt is what we have, and it was officially released back in March for $499. A partnership between Dekoni and HiFiMAN is an interesting prospect, and I’m excited to see what the results are. Since then, I’ve been waiting to get my hands on it and spend some more significant time with it. At this year’s CanJam in NYC, the new closed-back headphone from Dekoni and HiFiMAN was on the show floor.
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