[16610]

Friends,

After reading a lot positive things about this unit -and after reading many, many negatives about smartphone dacs (and even the internal dac of high-end laptops like the MacBook Pro are considered rubbish)- I decided to buy the Dragonfly Black 1.5 to pair with my Shure SE535.

I'm young and my ears are still good. But please tell me what I need to do in order to hear any of the significant improvement of sound quality from the Dragonfly? I just can't hear it and when I finally think I heard the difference, it's probably only between my ears

Even with the crappy lightning to jacklug cable from my iPhone 7 -which I thought sucks big time- it still sounds the same on my Shures as with the Dragonfly.

My source is Tidal and everything is set to Hi-Fi.

Unfortunately I don't have any high impedance headphones to test it with. Just my Shures.

Thanks.

 

[16610]

Anyone?

 

[Shoewreck]

There already is a discussion on Dragonflies, but I personally think that you should look somewhere else.
Do you feel that your MacBook or Apple headphone adapter lacks something? Why did you want to upgrade your source?
If you're OK with your current gear you'd better stop right here. Being young actually sucks, since you're too prone to upgradeitis. I've had some nice cans laying in a closet for a few years before I could really appreciate them.
What music do you listen to? IME there are lots of recordings that just don't sound right with any gear you may use. For example, I got an instant sonic upgrade switching from modern prog rock to 50x jazz. 70x rock sounds great as well, and IMO is much more progressive than modern prog can ever get.

 

[16610]

You are always satisfied before you didn't experience something better. So in that case I went with the Dragonfly. Also because of this review:
https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/3/15913270/shure-se535-headphones-review

"I also consider it borderline criminal to plug the 535s directly into a Google Pixel or any other smartphone"

-"that would be like buying a McLaren for the school run. To get the most out of these $449 headphones, you’ll want music files and playback equipment to match. If you grab the $99 DragonFly Black USB converter / amp and a Tidal subscription for lossless streaming, you should be good to go."

So my curiosity made me buying this unit. But I will most likely return it.

 

[TWerk]

The macbook outputs sound fantastic. You aren't hearing an improvement because there isn't one to be heard.

Be glad that you are an honest audiophile. Don't trust ears other than your own.

 

[16610]

The macbook outputs sound fantastic. You aren't hearing an improvement because there isn't one to be heard.

Be glad that you are an honest audiophile. Don't trust ears other than your own.

Thanks bud

 

[BlinkST]

I’ve had one of these for a few months now, and I came in here to say the same thing. Actually, I think that the Dragonfly Black 1.5 sounds slightly worse than my iPhone’s lightning to 3.5mm connector. There’s something about the sound that sounds “off” to me. The Dragonfly Black 1.5 sounds louder, but loses the spacing and depth. Voices sound closer, and instruments don’t stand out as much. I thought it was just me.‍

 

[spark plugs.]

i actually did my own test yesterday with my dragonfly black and red and my touch ID MBP...couldn't find a single issue with the macbook pro's internal DAC. i'm sure these DACs make lesser quality equipment sound good,but i think this is just a testament to the quality hardware in apple products

 

[KaiFi]

^Can agree there. I didn't notice much difference between the DFR and my 2017 MBP's headphone jack (the DFR was louder, but that was about it). Now I'm sure that the DAC in the DFR is better (and it's the amp that suffers), and that using the DFR as line out to a better amp would sound better than the MBP's headphone jack. But that sorta defeats the purpose of the DFR for me. I do, however, detect an increase in sound quality when using my Schiit Modi 2/Magni 3 stack (that I didn't notice with the DFR). So some DAC/amps will make a difference with the MBP but others won't.

 

[Stenso]

If you don't notice a difference thats ok and returning the Dragon Fly is a good idea. However, sometimes there is a difference, but you might not be perceiving it; by this I am clumsily trying to say that as sound quality increases you might need to change how you listen to music to be able to appreciate it. When I was young I listened to music via transistor radio's and at the time it sounded great, when I first heard a favourite through a proper hifi system it didn't sound right and I thought there was something wrong with it.

As I aged I also listened differently, in that I sat down, put on my headphones, put my feet up and lost myself in the music as a way of relaxing and isolating myself from the world; whereas when I was younger I listened to music while I did other things, it was a genuine soundtrack to my life.

But what is most important, is go with what you think, dont be swayed be reviews, just trust your ears...........your wallet will thank you!

 

[RAQemUP]

Everyones ears are different. Only use what people say online as a guide not as a bible.

I find it so dumb whenever I'm browsing these posts and see some people giving or receiving flack for not hearing what others do like it is some universal truth.