Nuprime Hi-mDAC Ultra-Compact, Low Power Consumption, Versatile and Portable USB DAC (PCM 384kHz & DSD256 decoding) & Headphone Amp

Of course, 'better' is strictly subjective. From what I've read, Cobalt has some better specs. Cobalt sounds to me like it has more treble detail, maybe a little more spacious and airy.I have been using Cobalt daily while driving straight out of a Pixel 2 (through an iFi OTG adapter) and into Campfire Andromedas. I tried it with my LCD i4's, and it does great, more than enough power, but I'm not taking my i4's on the road every day. One problem with Cobalt setup for me is that with the Andromedas, there are really only 4 usable volume levels before it gets way too loud. So part of the issue is just synergy, I'm sure the Cobalt is probably excellent for some other IEMs, (or maybe some eq which I'm not about to mess with while driving) but the overall sound is too bright.The impressive thing about the NuPrime is how absolutely everything sounds good through it. I'm listening to a lot of things I wasn't really enjoying before. The bass is full and very satisfying, excellent dynamics. Everything in the NuPrime is sonically balanced, smooth, and well-placed. And even if it is not actually 'better' than Cobalt, it is easily as good, no question, at a much lower price point.Also, after a year of use, the USB A in from the Cobalt is a tad loose in the chassis. The NuPrime is an aluminum brick.Another reviewer had mentioned that the NuPrime has so many available volume clicks that it is a little awkward. You can just hold the button down, and that raises or lowers things very fast, and being able to finely adjust is nice. Also, to use it with a phone: Android OTG adapter (get the iFi) or Apple equivalent whatever that's called, then into the included USB C cable.I initially bought it because it sounded like it might be a nice alternative to Cobalt at times and with some music. For me, it is so much better that the Cobalt is sitting on a shelf at home.Awesome little device, and outstanding for the price.

This DAC is small and the sound is crystal clear. I have a couple high end portable DAC's that I've accumulated over the years, Sony PHA3, Fiio Q5, iFi Micro iDSD, Dragonfly Red etc. These range from $200 to $600. I have good quality headphones also, Etymotic Er4 Studio, Shure SE535 and Fiio FH5. I do not invest in high quality tracks anymore. You would be hard pressed to discern a difference sometimes. From my experience, a good quality headphones and DAC is the most important piece of audio gear to have, even YouTube sounds amazing! I've always wanted something more portable and after being disappointed with the Dragonfly Red I called it quits.After reading about this company's products I decided to give it a try. I was expecting high quality but nothing to the likes of this. This is just on a whole other level. None of my DAC's can compare to this, miles ahead of the Dragonfly. Do your ears a favor and give this a try, you will not be disappointed. I have just bought another and I will definitely buy again. Many thanks to the audio engineers and everyone else who created this product :)

I have the Dragonfly Red, and bought this when my Red jack went loose after two weeks. This sounds EXCELLENT, and is a better value than the Red.It's main problem is it is finicky to use. You can't use a USB C to USB C cable from a computer or phone, even though it has a USB C port! You need a USB C to OTB USB A adapter, and then USB A OTB Back to USB C! It's crazy! The volume buttons are nice except they have very small increments so lots of volume presses are required every time you start it up.Regardless of its issues, the performance/price ratio is fantastic. If you can get past the usability issues (I can), it is a better value than either the Dragonfly Red or Cobalt. Check the Headphonia review.

Below is my original review - all true until it died 18 months after purchase. ☹️I have been using this amp to play music on my iPhone through Sennheiser HD 599 headphones. I find it works very well to boost the volume and clarity of music on Spotify but not so well with my iTunes Library. It is very compact and easy to use but note that to use with an iPhone, you will need to purchase an Apple Lightning to USB camera cable. It would have been helpful to have one included with the amps.

Deep bass, transparent midrange and sparkly treble. True to the source. I hook it up to an iphone via a CCK cable. Clearer than Apple's $8 dongle. A smidge leaner than my Fiio Q5s yet not fatiquing in the least. Nice soundstage width and height. For use on iems the hi-mdac is a winner. Five stars. Battery sapping is minimal but still drains the iphone about %1 every ten to fifteen minutes.

I bought this Nuprime to replace the very inexpensive Apple IPad Pro lightning to 3.5 headphone cable with RCA’s at the other end to run to a Marantz A/V with an Arcam 90W amp, driving 40 yo Klipsch LaScala’s. The improvement in sound was significant............ much greater clarity top to bottom. Best, relatively inexpensive, audio buy I have made in quite some time. Excellent product

This little DAC has changed the way I listen to my music. Its low power draw hardley touches the battery in my samsung tablet, and pared with some nice cans is wonderful. audiiophile listening on the go.

Despite the other reviews, I think this is a terrible device and terrible companies. I purchased the signature version of this DAC from Drop. The sound is clean, sure, but it doesn't work over USB-C to USB-C connection. They claim many times that it does, and maybe I got a busted unit. But they don't reply to emails, comments on Drop, or anywhere really. The only thing they say is to mislead other users that it works over USB-C connection. I think it's immoral to mislead users and I am a hundo bucks out of pocket on a device that's useless to me.Note: some users reported success with using Android tablet with it over a USB-C connection. And I myself can connect it with an addition of a USB-A to USB-C OTG cable. But why make a device so tiny to require it to be used with two bulky special wires? It boggles my mind. Couldn't return it because Drop sucks and NuPrime doesn't reply to my comments or communications.

Convertisseur tout à fait étonnant. Bien meilleur que prévu. Enveloppes complètes des intervenants. Très bonne focalisation. Les voix sont crédibles, vraies et ne "crient" pas. La scène sonore, sans être géante, peut être d'un beauté rare. Souplesse des cordes, volupté générale... Pour l'art ou toute joie musicale. Transmission optique fidèle aussi dans le cas de son utilisation. Un seul défaut à mes yeux : l'impossible déconnexion de la part amplificatrice, qu'il faut de surcroit régler "de zéro" à chaque allumage. Pour tout le reste : bravo !

Compacto, sencillo, cómodo y con un sonido que sorprende para sus características físicas visibles.Mejora el sonido en escena y definición de tonalidades, así como un volumen que si a usas puede lastimar.

Rendu audio très correct. Je confirme ce qui a été écrit : je n'ai pas réussi à faire fonctionner le DAC avec un cable usb c / usb c. Il faut passer par un adaptateur + un bon cable OTG ce qui n'est pas très pratique

Ce Dac est génial ! Sa taille et son efficacité m’impressionne. Bravo à l’entreprise qui l’a créé.