AudioQuest Dragonfly or something similarily priced to go between MacBook and amp?

[Ymer]

Hey there!
 
I have a MacBook Pro and am getting a CI Audio VHP2 and Sennheiser HD650 for my office setup.
 
Would a Dragonfly be a good choice of DAC or should I get something else in the same price range?
 
Thanks in advance!

 

[PurpleAngel]

As you already have a headphone amplifier, just get a DAC with a line-out (no head amp).
 
Schiit Modi, $99
 
HifiMediy Sabre U2 USB DAC, $55
http://hifimediy.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=123

 

[JeWorms]

Dragonfly serve as a DAC and headphone amp together, so if you are getting Dragonfly, then you probably don't need a CI Audio VHP2, vice versa.
If you want portability, another DAC/Headphone Amp choice will be Meridian Explorer at $299. Slightly more expensive but with 192kHz native sample rate and 24bit. 2 outputs. One is headphone out, and the other will serve as level line out or optical S/PDIF out(like macbook pro).

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

M2tech Hiface DAC 32/384 has my vote.
 
Here compared with Audiofly: http://www.audiostream.com/content/m2tech-hiface-dac-page-2

 

[Ymer]

New question: would the M2Tech Hiface or Dragonfly be able to drive?
 
How do the Meridian and Schiit compare to those?
 
Thanks again!

 

[JeWorms]

Since HD650s are not difficult to drive, all of above mentioned will be able to drive them.
I dont know about Schiit, but Meridian is a honoured British high end audio company. They're best known with their high end cd players. They advertise that they use their high end flagship model tech into those DACs.
My set up is meridian with HD650. They sound fantastic IMO.

 

[ticos442]

I have owned and compared the following products and would rank them (from worse to best):
Dragonfly
Meridian Explorer
Meridian Director
 
The Meridian Director is the best of all these, especially because of their apodizing filter and upsampling of 44.1 material, which makes standard CDs sound fantastic, even similar to high rez 24 bit files.   However, its price range is definitely above the Dragonfly and Explorer.
 
The Explorer (recent models that fixed the impedance issue) with the most recent firmware update is superior in my opinion to the Dragonfly, but both DACs are very good.