Ah darn yup! If there's one thing I'd expect from these is to not be noisy! FWIW I'm using a CambridgeAudio DAC and, well, CambridgeAudio is supposed to be a good brand when it comes to audio stuff (amp is CambridgeAudio too).
I have had the black and am currently on the Red, I noticed the difference so I think it's worth it. Have not tried the cobalt.
[0] - https://www.audioquest.com/dacs/dragonfly/dragonfly-cobalt
It looks like these start at $250? I'd expect them to work well. I'm more wary of this pricepoint:
> Apple sells $10 USB-C-to-3.5mmjack DAC
I've gotten a lot less EM noise with builtin soundcards than cheap USB DACs, but YMMV.
These numbers are several years old now, but Apple USB-C DACs do perform very well overall regardless of price point: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/r....
Price inflated, like the price of nearly everything. I paid mine 150 EUR back in the days (still not cheap but not either the 4 digits high-end audiophile stuff).
The thing is: you want thing to work fine from Linux's side and in my experience USB Audio on Linux just works.
I'm sure there are other brands/models at reasonable price points.
Overall tip for anyone using Linux and having issues with audio... USB Audio is magical and works wonder. I never bother with the computer's in-board sound: it's USB Audio immediately through a DAC. Works fine. Apple sells $10 USB-C-to-3.5mmjack DAC which are basically a tiny cable (for anyone lamenting it's "too bulky" to have a full-on DAC next to their laptop).
For desktops: problem doesn't even register. Just bypass the audio components on your motherboard and use a proper DAC.
As an added bonus computers are particularly electrically noisy and a DAC is a great way to do away with all that the noise.
So my advice: just use a DAC with Linux. Plug it in. Marvel at "dmesg" showing "USB Audio" and enjoy quality sound.