This month’s featured pair of headphones comes from Dekoni, an organization finest identified for making among the finest headphone earpads available on the market. Earpads can affect how a pair of headphones can sound. Dekoni has joined forces with HiFiMAN to create a particular model of the Cobalt wired headphones that options two units of earpads for 2 utterly completely different sounds.
The design temporary for the Cobalt headphones was to provide a product that was exceptionally light-weight and fantastically comfy. To do that, the earcups and body of those giant headphones had been made as gentle as attainable by utilizing plastic and a small quantity of steel for the yoke.
The result’s a pair of headphones that really feel just like the lightest I’ve ever worn regardless of weighing 318g. The draw back of the light-weight building is the Cobalt headphones don’t really feel as luxurious as headphones with extra heft, such because the Focal Elegia. Nevertheless, there’s nothing gentle concerning the sound of those headphones.
The general construct of the Cobalt headphones is nice, with the absolutely padded headband relieving among the weight of the headphones and the consolation stage of the Cobalt headphones is exemplary. These headphones really feel so gentle that you just hardly know you might be carrying a pair {of professional} closed-back headphones.
Every of the Cobalt’s earcups has a 3.5mm mono jack for the detachable headphone cable to be plugged in. The opposite finish of the cable terminates with a stereo 3.5mm jack plug and Dekoni additionally offers a full-sized 6.35mm adapter within the field to be used with a bigger audio system.
The yoke that connects each earcups is fabricated from steel, and every can swivel barely to allow them to suit snuggly on the listener’s head with out an excessive amount of clamping stress. The default earpads that ship with the Cobalt are filled with sheepskin and lined with leather-based. These are fenestrated earpads, which suggests their masking is perforated with a daily sample of respiration holes, which assist to aerate the earpads and hold the ears good and funky.
Dekoni says the primary 1000 pairs of its Cobalt headphones will ship with a second pair of earpads lined in velour, delivering a unique sound with much less bass and midrange. Due to the design of the sheepskin Dekoni earpads, these headphones provide a sound that’s extra akin to a pair of open headphones. The earpads can lower out an inexpensive quantity of exterior noise, so that they have among the traits of closed-back headphones.
To my thoughts, the Cobalts provide the most effective qualities of each open and closed-backed headphone designs. They’re open sufficient you could nonetheless hear some sounds they usually do leak a certain quantity of music, however not as a lot as a traditional pair of open-backed headphones. I’d say that these are an awesome pair of headphones for personal listening at dwelling, however at a pinch, you may use them out and about with a transportable DAC and never hear too many undesirable sounds.
The nano-carbon coated dynamic drivers used within the Dekoni Cobalt headphones produce a very good stage of bass, but it surely by no means will get out of hand or swamps the higher registers the place the treble frequencies convey focus to the soundstage. When you’re on the lookout for headphones with a flat response, chances are you’ll not just like the Cobalts, however there’s no denying that these headphones convey rhythm and musicality to music and could have your toes tapping very quickly.
The Cobalt’s are musically infectious and sound very good with jazz and people music, separating particular person devices with accuracy and elegance. The bass might be a bit full of life for onerous rock, however your mileage might fluctuate. The Cobalt’s shine within the midrange with a variety of vocals. The Dekoni HiFiMAN Cobalt can ship shivers up your backbone, significantly when listening to feminine vocals.
The dynamic drivers used within the Cobalts have an impedance of 160Ω, that means they want an honest and muscular supply to get the most effective from them. I auditioned them with the wonderful new FiiO K11 headphone amp, which may drive them simply. The Cobalts sound far costlier than they value, even when they don’t really feel fairly as luxurious as some headphones.
After my preliminary listening checks, I switched to the second pair of velour earpads. The outcome was a barely muddier sound with an attenuated bass that didn’t provide the readability and focus of the usual Dekoni sheepskin earpads. The consolation ranges had been glorious with the velour materials, however I feel I most popular the sound of the sheepskin model. It’s good to have a alternative; the velour earpads might go well with different genres of music higher.
Verdict: The brand new HiFiMAN Cobalt headphones from Dekoni are fantastically comfy and may be worn for hours with out feeling any fatigue. The usual sheepskin earpads sound glorious and as much as Dekoni’s legendary high quality. With an impedance of 160Ω, the Cobalts require a good-quality supply to drive them and may sound a bit quiet on less-muscular sound methods that don’t have a high-quality headphone amplifier. The sound produced by the Cobalt’s dynamic drivers is simply elegant. Whereas not probably the most impartial sound, the Cobalt headphones ship a splendidly articulated bass, good midrange and a treble that focuses the soundstage precisely. If you’d like headphones for luxurious dwelling listening with out breaking the financial institution, the Dekoni HiFiMAN Cobalt headphones are the actual deal.
Pricing & Availability: The Dekoni HiFiMAN Cobalt headphones often promote for $399, however Dekoni will probably be decreasing the worth of the headphones on their US web site to $299 and providing an additional 15% off refurbished inventory.
Extra information: www.dekoni.com
Tech Specs:
- Driver: 45mm nano-carbon coated dynamic driver
- Impedance: 16ohm
- Sensitivity: 101dB
- Weight: 318 grams
- Earpads: Elite Velour & Fenestrated Sheepskin Leather-based
- Cable Connection: Twin 3.5mm
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