AudioQuest DragonFly Asynchronous USB DAC

i've had this dac for a while and it was a major upgrade from the internal dac on my laptop.
 
the imaging is much better, the bass is much more well defined, the trebles don't tear, and the mids don't cloud out the entire rest of the dynamic range.
 
while there is hiss on my sr-535 iems, it isn't intolerable - it is mostly only audible when the source volume dips particularly low.
 
at the lowest volume setting (zero) the audio is barely a whisper in the 535's, but kick it up one step and it is much, much louder. there isn't really any in-between and sometimes, for background listening, i would really like an in-between. beyond about 5 it's just painful.
 
the other major problem with the module is the design. it sticks straight out of the usb port and having a headphone cable attached at the end of a stick causes a lot of flex that could potentially damage the port. so i had to buy a usb right-angle adapter for the device and make a metal support bracket to keep it from torquing apart my usb port in it's new orientation parallel to my laptop's chassis.
 
it's nice to have the usb-otg support for android. i've used it on my phone and it sounds great but the form factor makes it a little ridiculous. it always elicits comments, "why do you need ANOTHER headphone jack on your phone?" the response to which is, of course, just because it looks the same doesn't mean it SOUNDS the same. but that doesn't make it look any less hilarious to have a giant usb stick protruding from the bottom of a phone.
 
it would be nice if the device could handle 16 bit audio natively. seems like a bit of an oversight to handle several different sampling rates but decide not to implement something as simple as bit depth scaling in hardware. i'm seriously not intending to make so many puns in this review.
 
even with all these gripes, i'm not dissatisfied with my purchase. it's tiny, portable, compatible with most of my devices, and it sounds great, especially for the price point.

The DragonFly v1.2 sounds clearly superior to my laptop's built-in Realtek HD chip. There is no driver installation needed and I had no problems to use it on Windows, Linux, and MacOS X. The analog volume control works with the OS' volume control. With Debian Linux I experienced once that changing from the built-in sound to the DragonFly put the later on max. volume, which is ear-damaging loud... so beware.
 
To my ears, the DragonFly sounds better than the X3 in USB DAC mode and far better than my laptop's built-in sound card. If you're looking for a small USB DAC that can be used with any OS, I heartly recommend you check out the DragonFly v1.2.
 
PS: The 'Review Details' don't show as expected. I would rate 'Audio Quality' 10/10, 'Quality' 10/10 and 'Value' 9/10.

The only other piece I have owned that is similar is a Head Room Total Bithead. Being that the DF is MUCH smaller and does 24/96 I'd say there isn't much comparison at all as far as a computer interface goes. On the other hand the Total Bithead ran on batteries and could be used with my iPod on the go. I liked the Head Room image processing very much, why don't other manufacturers make similar systems? Is it considered a gimmick or a sham of some sort? Anyway... I am very much in the honeymoon phase with the DF and listen to 24/96 material almost exclusively through a brand new pair of Sennheiser Momentums Black which aren't even broken in yet.  So far so good!

I'll update this once I get my UM Miracles back to really put it through its paces, but the Dragonfly sounds incredible driving my BeoLab 3 (active) speakers.
 
Super easy setup - literally plug and play. I'm using it with ASIO4ALL and it blows away any other USB-powered DACs I've heard. Connected to my BeoLab 3s it's easily on par with my Audio0gd NFB-5.2 in terms of soundstage and transparency.
 
More to come when I can drive some IEMs and headphones with it

Amazing device!!!! I very happy use AQ DF!

But why are there no forefinger drives?  Why, why, in the name of Western Digit-Skull?
 
 

When I was looking recently at upgrading the sound in my main listening room I researched DACs and found some useful info at head-fi so I thought I'd contribute by writing a review on what I decided to go with. I don't have a lot of history in high end audiophile investments but I know good sound when I hear it

For reference I was using an Apogee Duet FireWire audio interface with an Arcam AVR 250 and some Orpheus Nexus 1.5 loudspeakers. The source is a Mac Mini. The Duet has now been replaced by the Dragonfly and I'm surprised how immediate the improvement was. I'm not versed in the audiophile terminology so I'll just tell it how I hear it. The first thing that jumped out at me was the better definition in the bass which I was really not expecting. I thought the slightly wooly bass was due to porting and speaker positioning which I couldn't do much about. The Dragonfly has really improved this situation making bass much more dynamic and tuneful.

Another immediate impression was greater clarity across the whole spectrum. I could hear more details in music like the space of the reverbs used on the vocals and I could follow individual instruments much more easily even with a lot of competition from other sounds elements. There seemed to be a more defined soundstage too. I would say the Dragonfly is a little brighter sounding than the Duet but it's never harsh in the high frequencies. I think the clarity comes from the better conversion (although the Duet is highly regarded in pro audio circles). I should also add that my system probably benefitted from a more accurate expression of high frequencies as the amp speaker combo is a little on the mellow side (which I quite like). I think the Duet has been described as analog sounding by some. Don't get me wrong though, the Dragonfly is not harsh or digital or emphasised in the higher frequencies, just perhaps more accurate than warm in my opinion. Perhaps the controversial issue of burn-in will change things. I'll report back if I can determine such an effect but to be honest I'm not sure about some of the delicate intricacies that some people talk about with high end gear. There are so many factors that can influence your impression of sound at any given time.

The headphone output didn't drive my Beyer DT 990 Pros (250 ohm) as well as the headphone output of the Arcam but I suspect there may be a lot of different outcomes with various headphones. The sound was good but a bit thinner and crisper (which is not desireable if you know the DT 990s). Then again I think the Beyers would probably pair well with a tube amp to reduce their slightly exaggerated high frequency response which always seems to become more apparent with lesser amps. They sounded really bright with the headphone output of the Duet.

Overall I'm very happy with this little package. I'd be interested to hear comparisons to some other DACs below $700 like the Dacmagic +, Yulong D100, Bitfrost, etc . Unfortunately I don't have access to other DACs but it seems there are some enthusiasts here with experience of many DACs that will be curious. I think the Dragonfly might end up setting a new standard at the price.

 
One could be forgiven, I reckon, of feeling that new products are just manufacturers re-inventing the wheel and that there is nothing really new under the sun in audio. Indeed at least one product I want to write about is pretty much just that -- a manufacturer's own take on portable audio and, in many respects, not a particularly unique or interesting one.
 
Audioquest's Dragonfly isn't unique in a couple of aspects: It's not the very first thumb-drive-sized USB sound card and Audioquest aren't the first cable company to start making and selling digital audio gear. What makes it special (other than the funky dragonfly-shaped LED on top that changes colour depending on sample rate) is that it is designed to delivery high-quality sound and do a do a reasonable job with headphones considering it relies on USB power. This is via, among other things, via an ESS Sabre DAC and and an analogue volume control which is controlled via the computer's output volume setting.
 
For something that can slip into my shirt pocket and costs a buck shy of $250 it does the one important thing we all care about: Sound good. Using my Symphones Magnums (which are similar but more resolving than most Grados) it provides a solid upgrade to the headphone out of my MacBook Pro with a very engaging and dynamic sound delivery. The downside is that it sounds a bit flat compared to more serious equipment and the soundstage compresses with complex music such as Shpongle. It was surprisingly satisfying with more relaxed music however, such as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra playing Beethoven's Piano Concertos 3, 4 & 5. It did have a bit of initial harshness in the treble that went away with use.
 
I got out my most sensitive IEMs, the Hifiman RE-ZEROs to test for hiss. With the volume at maximum, there was only the very slightest amount of hiss, certainly not enough to be an issue in the slightest. I expect that, unless there is a detrimental effect from other laptops, that the Dragonfly wont have any issues with other, very sensitive IEMs. I also tried my Sony XBA-3s, which have a very weird impedance spike in the treble and are good for testing for linearity in the amplification. Some amps cannot handle this properly and the result is often exceedingly bright treble. There were no such issues with the Dragonfly.
 
To give it a run as a DAC, I plugged in into my lab-grade Vaunix USB hub and connected it to my Stax rig. This seemed to be a bit of an improvement over the USB port of my MacBook Pro. Since the hub has better quality power this was no surprise. The resulting sound quality I'd say was about that of my Fostex HP-P1 when used in a similar fashion -- quite good and enjoyable to listen to, if not as dynamic as my main rig. Interestingly, the cost of the Fostex is about the same as that of the Dragonfly + hub.
 
One popular question about this DAC is whether it will work with an iPad Camera Connection Kit, as some DACs will. Unfortunately, plugging it results in the "This device uses too much power." warning popping up, so unless one uses a hub, it's not going to work.
 
Back before I joined Head-Fi I was using headphones straight out of the headphone port of whatever Mac I owned at any one time. I do wish the Dragonfly had been available, as it would have suited me perfectly. I reckon with a pair of basically good headphones, such as V-MODA M80s or one of the numerous offerings around the $200-300 mark, this would a be a great Head-Fi starter kit.