[skeeb23]

Alright! 2nd time is a charm. I made my correction in this video about the Velour pads and just reposted the video.

 

[skeeb23]

Ok, now that I have some free time I wanted to jot down my written impressions of the Dekoni x Hifiman Cobalt for all interested. I'll relink my video down below as I won't be attaching photos (plenty of b-roll shots in the vid).

Build & Comfort
This is a story of Jeckyl and Hyde for me. I think the overall chassis of this headphone being mostly plastic is a bit too cheap feeling for the asking price. The cups are almost a hollow type feel of plastic and you get the suspicion that they may be fragile at that. However, I do like the headband on the Cobalt. Funny enough I think the headband is from Hifiman (I say funny because hifiman in general can have some QA issues). It's a nice thick headband and has enough cushion to it that I felt like it was comfortable for extended periods of time.
The pads here, being Dekoni, are extremely comfortable to me and nicely made. The attachment system for the pads being plastic teeth was a little unsettling to me at first. The first few times I went to replace the pads I honestly felt like I was going to snap one of the teeth off. I didn't, and over time, they became easier to swap in and out with practice. I've since changed my mind and find it perfectly fine for the build of the bad swapping plastic used.
Overall comfort is also very good for me. I do have a bigger head and I probably extended these out 3 or so notches to get a good fit. So really small heads, I'm honestly not sure. They did fit my wife and she has a smaller head if that helps! I like that there is slight vertical swivel so that you can ensure you get a proper seal and coupling to the head. I believe these are 380g of weight and honestly don't even feel like that much.

Sensitivity
At 16ohm and 101db/mw these are going to be easily driven. I remember thinking that this is in the IEM territory of easy to drive devices. That isn't to say you should just play them on your phone with a simple dongle. You can do that, sure, but I think you will lose out on technicalities of the Cobalt. Since it is just 16ohms though, you will have to be a little more picky on what you use to power them. Heavy hitting amps will not be necessary here otherwards, but, there are scenarios where it can work.

Sound - Sheepskin
Alright - here is the short version before I explain - Basslight, Midgood, Treblebright. All words that the dictionary doesn't like by the way!
Starting with the Sheepskin Pads included with the Cobalt - this is the lightest amount of bass you will get. This is also the most spacious and brightest you will get in the sound. These are very detailed and have a good representation of instruments. There is also good separation. I honestly felt like I was listening to a planar at times. These are not going to fulfill certain genres of music though. Any kind of music with heavy bass or fast beats will fall flat on the Sheepskin pads. Live recording Jazz/Classical can really shine through here. I also don't feel like you need to listen very loud with these since they are closed back and bright in this scenario. Louder listening will not boost the low frequencies, so there is that too. Vocalists will shine through here as well. I could go on and on naming vocalists that sounded lovely but basically any kind of vocal track without a ton of low end emphasis sounded great. So, no, Billie Eilish did not so much. Dianna Krall - yes. Due to the also somewhat weak dynamics (punchiness) I didn't find Rock tracks with heavy vocals to be the best listen.

Pad Swap
Switching things out to the Velour pads definitely changed things up for me. You get warmth! It still doesn't add a ton of quantity of bass, but it gives just enough to make more things pleasing. I still stand by my statement that certain genres just won't pair very well here. I even referenced in my video that some hiphop will be alright if you really want to listen for the lyrics. Don't use this headphone with those hard hitting tracks though. It just won't be engaging. Though vocalists aren't going to be as pronounced with the Velour pads, they still sound excellent and you get that added warmth here. I enjoyed Jazz even more so with these pads for that reason too. It does slightly make the stage more intimate, but I didn't feel like it was a huge change.

Imaging is something that is excellent here no matter what. There is sibilance going on and you'll get a hiss to some instruments with either pads. Again, it's more heard on the Sheepskin, but it's also just a part of how the driver is tuned that the pads won't completely get rid of it (at least not yet, this is Dekoni after all).

One last thing I just have to mention here, is gaming. I am an avid PC Gamer and love when a headphone plays well with it. The Cobalt does! I wouldn't say so much for those looking for an immersive experience. This would be more for those looking for a competitive edge. There is no over powering bass to drown out footsteps or directional imaging and will help to assist in precise sounds of the environment! Try it out and you'll see!

Going back to Power now...I loved this headphone on my Cayin RU7. It was the perfect power match for me to drive the Cobalt. I tried 4.4 and enjoyed that listen even more. The RU7 tightens up my music but also just adds to the warmth that the Velour pads bring. Very enjoyable. I even tried the Cobalt on something like my IHA-6. On SE that was a no go. It outputs too much impedance and just sounded a bit off with the Cobalt. However, going XLR was fantastic! The XLR out does less than .5 impedance which matched up very well. It also emphasized the already excellent midrange of the Cobalt. I do think a warmer signature source will pair very well with the Cobalt. For example - my ADI2DAC's AMP was not a great listen. It's a very transparent source, which can be great on certain headphones. I just felt like it emphasized the brightness and lack of low end too much for me.

Alright, in summary - I do like the Cobalt. I am looking forward to more modifications that Dekoni is working on to help alter the tuning even more. I am hearing they are doing a mod to insert foam into the pads in order to add even more low end. I do believe it's said that will reduce staging a bit more, but it's a trade off I think I'd be ok making for my bass happy ears.

The biggest reason I purchased these was my initial listen at CanJam with my wife. She loves singer/songwriter music and had an instant love for the Cobalt. I got the same feeling listening to her music and at the time they were just $299! I couldn't pass it up. So do these hold value at $499? That's tough to answer. It will all come down to what you value highly. Once more mods release, we could be looking at a big contender. Now I know you can find these for $399 and I think that is an easier pill to swallow at their current state. Regardless, I don't want to take away from the technical chops these possess.

Thank you for reading my thoughts and/or watching my video impression!

 

[JackLeville]

For a month now, I have Cobalts.

I am by no means an audiophile, and I cannot compare to much else(*), so below is just my impression as "an ordinary lover of quality sound".

(*) Recently had the chance to try an Aeon 2 Noire and a Celestee, though.

Here goes:

• the headphones are comfy and light, with not much clamping force.
• sound insulation is low
• these seem to sound (much?) better with a balanced cable
• the sound is detailed and the sound stage is wide.
• trebble is never as harsh/fatiguing as the MSR7b sometimes can be, but in comparison the Cobalt lacks a bit of vibrance/energy. It seems to improve during break-in. The Celestee is probably still a tad better, but that headphone's sound is not as wide and clean as the Cobalt (a.o. hissing).
• bass is bit missing, as pointed out by reviewers, and there certainly is no bass/kick-drum "thump" like the Noire's can provide. On the other side of the spectrum, high-hats and cymbals seem to come through more than expected.
• lows are present, but at the very low end, bass can occasionally become a bit distorted
• the leather pads are definitely my favorites, as they provide a leaner sound. But I can see why many people will prefer the velour pads, as they provide a more relaxing, smooth experience ("warm bath").
• be careful when removing the pads. I've broken the plastic of one pad and in the process I have ripped the sheepskin. And until now Dekoni has not responded to my mails requesting to buy a replacement.

The wide sound stage and the detailed sound has kinda hooked me, but the lack of bass and the lack of response from Dekoni are downsides.
If I can fix the issues, I will probably keep them.

If I can't get the issues fixed, I may try the (much more expensive) LCD-2 Closed.
EDIT: why not the Noire, you may ask. Well, while it produces very clean and detailed sound, it does not sound spacious. And it does not have real vibrance. Perhaps the trebble is topped off or recessed too much to my liking, I dunno.

 

[ostewart]

The earpad removal is a pain, the clips are indeed brittle.

I found the Velour to just sound wonky, and to my ears they're actually thinner with velour than with sheepskin, I think this is due to the decrease in mid-bass. Vocals take a step back with velour and the overall sound is very bland with velour.

Sheepskin is definitely the way these should be listened to, and how Dekoni tuned them I believe.

They're not a good all-rounder, but they are very comfortable with a spacious sound, they're mid-forward and work well with acoustic, jazz, laid back electronic music and softer rock.

Overall I enjoyed the Cobalt for certain genres, but with others they come across a little sharp and they lack punch and energy for faster paced music or anything that requires a bit more scale.

 

[JackLeville]

and to my ears they're actually thinner with velour than with sheepskin

If the above is a reaction to

the leather pads are definitely my favorites, as they provide a leaner sound.

With 'lean' I mean more natural, no frills, not woolly. But perhaps 'lean' is not the correct term to describe that.

 

[skeeb23]

If the above is a reaction to



With 'lean' I mean more natural, no frills, not woolly. But perhaps 'lean' is not the correct term to describe that.

I hear them as "lean" as you say with the sheepskin. It's not a bad way to describe it, I just think its accurate. It's all about preferences after all. I prefer the fuller/smoother sound of the suede, but also appreciate what the leather do. I really want to see what the modification can do for this headphone that Dekoni is working on. A foam insert into the pads could make a big difference.

 

[ostewart]

https://www.hifipig.com/hifiman-dekoni-cobalt-headphones-review/

The Velour are smoother, but they lack the dynamics that the Fenestrated pads offer - making them sound dull and ultimately just off in my opinion.

 

[JackLeville]

A small update:

I've discovered that I like slightly bright and voice forward headphones more than these. (Awaiting the delivery of a severely discounted Elegia just out of curiosity.)
But where these do wonderful in my ears is with sound staging, detail and clarity.

In order to make them less fatiguing I've now detracted a bit between 4K and 6K, so that hi-hats are slightly less omnipresent.
And just by enabling Windows Audio Enhancements + Equilizer APO, the distortion that sometimes occured has gone away.

Now, where these do very good is things like: (Ok, it's with YT video's)







Where they lack a bit I.M.O is like with
Here, the Cobalts miss some vibrance/energy in my view. The guitars should be screaming more.

I'm awaiting some "inserts" of Mayflower Electronics hoping to add a little more bass "thump".

Ah, and still not convinced of Dekoni as a service company. They seem to be focussed on producing and selling pads, not things that may require service. (Maybe they don't even see themselves as a headphones company, as you can't even find pads for their own headphones in their store.)

 

[JackLeville]

So the Mayflower Electronics "inserts" were in customs for more than 3 weeks. (Yes, I was crazy enough to import these to try things out.)
But now they are here, and I have immediately inserted them in the fenestrated pads.
So I didn't do a direct comparison in/out.
But with the inserts in, there is

• definitely less ear tingling from sub bass (a bit of a shame)
• definitely more bass

The sound is far more balanced and full now. And god, these headphones can be enjoyable. With everything I listen to, now. Perhaps especially with acoustic songs, jazz, live recordings... Live recordings are almost as if you are there. You get a sense of space and emotion.

The Cobalts could sound a bit more vivid/energetic to my taste, but they are absolutely not as dull/sterile as Aeon 2 Noire's.
(And for the right amount of vividness, I have the smoother sounding Elegia's, which put a subtle post-production feel over everything. Which I find great for relaxing and movies, etc.)

Now, if only Dekoni would provide better customer service and would offer their default pads aftermarket...

EDIT: I can see Dekoni now scrambling for more premium looking cups. And then selling the same headphones with the inserts integrated under another name. For about double the price of the Cobalt.

 

[JackLeville]

Dekoni has released its own inserts ("audio foam baffle") some time ago. I also wanted to try these. Don't know whether it was because of the way they shipped these to me, but they were not withheld by customs. So no additional costs and VAT to pay. Hooray!

With these the Cobalts are definitely a good tad lighter on the bass than with the Mayflower Electronics inserts. The Dekoni inserts stay closer to the original setup of the Cobalt. But the bass increase over stock is still enough. (Sub-bass was never an issue with the Cobalt, in my view. Even more, the Dekoni inserts increase the ear tinglings again.) Furthermore, compared to the ME inserts, the emphasis shifts a bit more to the higher end of the frequency curve: strings (and electric guitars), high-hats, cymbals, voices... without being sharp. As a result, I also got a bit more sense of clarity and energy. And less warmth than with the ME inserts, where the sound on some occasions becomes too warm to my liking. With the ME, and less pronounced vocals, the Cobalt can reproduce a bit more a concert in a stadion, though.

In short, unless you adore the Cobalt the way it is out of the box: get inserts. (And perhaps a balanced cable.) Fans of a fatter low-end and warmth I would recommend to try the Mayflower Electronics inserts. Those who like non-bassy instruments and voices to be more present, seem better off with the Dekoni inserts.
Either way, imho, you end up with a fabulous headphone. As the price has dropped since the introduction, you will probably need to spend almost 3x as much or more to find anything better.