[alterndog]

So I have about 100 dollars in Best Buy Giftcards. I saw the that the Dragonfly has dropped to $100 on Bestbuy.com and have been looking for a DAC for my laptop, Lenovo X230 for a while. I was wondering if it is worth it to get the dragonfly. I use RE-262, BA200 and HE300 cans and listen to 320 quality MP3s, Apple Lossless Files, and stream spotify. Would I notice a difference with the dragonfly over the internal laptop DAC with the music I listen to?

 

[Cotnijoe]

Yes you will. Please do urself the favor and get it.

 

[goldendarko]

  So I have about 100 dollars in Best Buy Giftcards. I saw the that the Dragonfly has dropped to $100 on Bestbuy.com and have been looking for a DAC for my laptop, Lenovo X230 for a while. I was wondering if it is worth it to get the dragonfly. I use RE-262, BA200 and HE300 cans and listen to 320 quality MP3s, Apple Lossless Files, and stream spotify. Would I notice a difference with the dragonfly over the internal laptop DAC with the music I listen to?

With this setup I would say you are the ideal user for something like the Dragonfly. From what I heard of it you will be quite impressed, I don't think you will find any way to improve the sound quality of your music for any less money, that is for sure!

 

[daerron]

  So I have about 100 dollars in Best Buy Giftcards. I saw the that the Dragonfly has dropped to $100 on Bestbuy.com and have been looking for a DAC for my laptop, Lenovo X230 for a while. I was wondering if it is worth it to get the dragonfly. I use RE-262, BA200 and HE300 cans and listen to 320 quality MP3s, Apple Lossless Files, and stream spotify. Would I notice a difference with the dragonfly over the internal laptop DAC with the music I listen to?

 
It will be a very nice upgrade. This DAC is tailor made for what you intend to use it for.

 

[headified]

Thought i might jump in and tell how the "Dragonfly 1.2" performs compared to my previous sound-experiences.
Iam not that much into audio although most of my Music-Collection is lossless.
 
The Combination i've used before was a Pair of Sennheiser HD595 and onboard-Soundchips.
First a Realtek xy(2008) Onboard and then the much better "Intel Series 7 onboard Soundchip" (2013)
The new onboard-soundchip believe it or not was a big up compared to the old one in soundclarity and details.
Now after purchasing the AudioQuest DragonFly 1.2 its another up on clarity and everything is nice and crisp.
Although there is something i DON'T like about DragonFly... It in my oppinion kinda goes more into the highs and not so much into the base (300hz-area), not sure if its the headphones though, but its in my oppinion too much, it pulls the vocals too much into the front, other than that its fine.
 
 
A few things i noticed while using it, that are kinda interesting!
There is some kinda fading in when it is first connect to your computer, before it is at full-volume, guess that "amping" is normal though, as it just happens when you first connect it.
 
Furthermore whenever you switch between song-titles that have a different Samplerate (like 44khz , 48 or 96khz) there is a short break meaning that the first few seconds while switching it kinda are lost, this just happens while switching though, if you stay withing the same samplerate nothing alike happens.
This btw didnt happen on OSX and Linux.
Apropos Linux, it works right out of the box with Ubuntu / Mint/ Arch-Linux that had a Kernelversion of 3.8 or higher without any difference in soundquality as far as i can tell.
 
 
I guess i have to get used to it, and get another pair of Headphones or play a bit around with the EQ-Settings
It works with  your hifi-system as long as it has a buildin amp as mentioned.
I tested them also with a pair of AKG K140 which got an impendance of 600ohm and it still manages to power them, although nowwhere near as loud as the Sennheiser HD595.
 
 
 
Hope i might help out the one or another.
 
 
Cheers.

 

[tninety]

  Thought i might jump in and tell how the "Dragonfly 1.2" performs compared to my previous sound-experiences.
Iam not that much into audio although most of my Music-Collection is lossless.
 
The Combination i've used before was a Pair of Sennheiser HD595 and onboard-Soundchips.
First a Realtek xy(2008) Onboard and then the much better "Intel Series 7 onboard Soundchip" (2013)
The new onboard-soundchip believe it or not was a big up compared to the old one in soundclarity and details.
Now after purchasing the AudioQuest DragonFly 1.2 its another up on clarity and everything is nice and crisp.
Although there is something i DON'T like about DragonFly... It in my oppinion kinda goes more into the highs and not so much into the base (300hz-area), not sure if its the headphones though, but its in my oppinion too much, it pulls the vocals too much into the front, other than that its fine.
 
 
A few things i noticed while using it, that are kinda interesting!
There is some kinda fading in when it is first connect to your computer, before it is at full-volume, guess that "amping" is normal though, as it just happens when you first connect it.
 
Furthermore whenever you switch between song-titles that have a different Samplerate (like 44khz , 48 or 96khz) there is a short break meaning that the first few seconds while switching it kinda are lost, this just happens while switching though, if you stay withing the same samplerate nothing alike happens.
This btw didnt happen on OSX and Linux.
Apropos Linux, it works right out of the box with Ubuntu / Mint/ Arch-Linux that had a Kernelversion of 3.8 or higher without any difference in soundquality as far as i can tell.
 
 
I guess i have to get used to it, and get another pair of Headphones or play a bit around with the EQ-Settings
It works with  your hifi-system as long as it has a buildin amp as mentioned.
I tested them also with a pair of AKG K140 which got an impendance of 600ohm and it still manages to power them, although nowwhere near as loud as the Sennheiser HD595.
 
 
 
Hope i might help out the one or another.
 
 
Cheers.

What does it say under OS X's system report about the version? 

 

[headified]

Iam not at home right-now so i dont have excess to my Mac but "lsusb -v" reports bccdDevice 1.20, so yea, it atleast has the 1.20 branding on the chip
And if i remember correctly previous versions didnt have the FCC/CE Code printed on the Backsite of the stick
 
 
If there is anything else you might want to know that i can help you with, ask.

 

[tninety]

  Iam not at home right-now so i dont have excess to my Mac but "lsusb -v" reports bccdDevice 1.20, so yea, it atleast has the 1.20 branding on the chip
And if i remember correctly previous versions didnt have the FCC/CE Code printed on the Backsite of the stick
 
 
If there is anything else you might want to know that i can help you with, ask.

Thanks, lsusb -v would work too... bought one off Ebay. The one I currently have reports 1.1c and does also have the logos on the bottom. Have you had any issues with audio crackling in any OS or hardware configuration? The DragonFly has in my experience historically had some issues with playback.

 

[emusic13]

  So I have about 100 dollars in Best Buy Giftcards. I saw the that the Dragonfly has dropped to $100 on Bestbuy.com and have been looking for a DAC for my laptop, Lenovo X230 for a while. I was wondering if it is worth it to get the dragonfly. I use RE-262, BA200 and HE300 cans and listen to 320 quality MP3s, Apple Lossless Files, and stream spotify. Would I notice a difference with the dragonfly over the internal laptop DAC with the music I listen to?

Im wondering this too whether the dragonfly would be a significant upgrade. I have an X220 and although for most people, the sound card on their laptops may not be good, I find that the one in the X220 is dead silent. 

 

[headified]

As i sayed before, didnt have any issues with the Dragonfly so far.
 
The only thing i noticed, is when you first connect it to the usb-port it kinda "warms-up/amps up" until it reaches its full volume, this happens on all operating systems i've testet it so far OSX,Win7,Linux.
 
Other than that, there is a little bit of a cut-off when you switch between titles with different sample-rates (for exmaple 44khz to 48khz) but only on Win7 so far.
Other than that there is nothing, its absolutelly clear, no crackling at all.
And i've been listening to it for like 5 hours now, with audio-content starting at 320kbps-mp3s up to even 96khz flac-music
 
Haven't noticed any crackling at all, as long as you dont "over-amp" with for example "VLC Media Player", then it gets distorted, but thats normal.

 

[browncow]

yea that's a good obervation. I noticed the sound dramatically improves after a few minutes. At first I was skeptical being that it doesn't have you know... tubes! but I am digging this thing more and more. Also as an FYI I have the 1.2 which is the latest version. I haven't heard the old one so I can't compare the two but I do like it

 

[alpha421]

  Im wondering this too whether the dragonfly would be a significant upgrade. I have an X220 and although for most people, the sound card on their laptops may not be good, I find that the one in the X220 is dead silent. 

 
I have the same laptop, and yes, I think that the headphone out is better implemented than in most other laptops I've owned.  And yes, the Dragonfly, regardless of the version is a significant upgrade.  I've had the Dragonfly connected to my X220 via the HDE 3.0 adapter for 1.5 years and the only reason I sold it for the icon HDP is for the extra power and dynamics when using with my small active desktop speakers.  I also like the convenience of using both the HP and speakers without having to swap line in/out cables.  
 
I can't believe the huge drop in price whether it's the old or new version.  For the current prices, it'll be one of the best buys for your computer audio setup.

 

[alterndog]

   
I have the same laptop, and yes, I think that the headphone out is better implemented than in most other laptops I've owned.  And yes, the Dragonfly, regardless of the version is a significant upgrade.  I've had the Dragonfly connected to my X220 via the HDE 3.0 adapter for 1.5 years and the only reason I sold it for the icon HDP is for the extra power and dynamics when using with my small active desktop speakers.  I also like the convenience of using both the HP and speakers without having to swap line in/out cables.  
 
I can't believe the huge drop in price whether it's the old or new version.  For the current prices, it'll be one of the best buys for your computer audio setup.

you sold me on it. I'll go to Best Buy this weekend and pick up one.

 

[martin vegas]

Ended up buying a dacmagic xs with sennheiser hd25 2's..on first listen it's got a nice sound..i can hear the different instruments..can't work out how I use it with 24/192 yet!

 

[alterndog]

I got the Dragonfly today, I am trying to decipher if I can hear a difference with my he300. I definitely feel the sound is different especially on rock songs, can't pinpoint exactly what it is. I am going to do some A/Bing with the reg computer headphone jack and the dragonfly next weekend so I can make sure I want to keep the dragonfly. The build quality is pretty amazing, but wished there was a bigger case that has a zip for the usb cover, I can see myself loosing it quickly.