[squ1gs]

Just thought I would share my method of "Stacking" my Dragonfly Red with my iPhone SE. This method should work for all portable devices.
 

 
I purchased a small adhesive wallet from here (There are many makes, I just used this one as it advertised its spandex material and was fairly cheap).
 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B019RT281S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
You can apply this to the back of your phone although I opted to use a thin case instead (any case will work):
 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01DP77ZYS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 

 
And when its all together you get the following!
 
 
 

 

 

[joeq70]

Just thought I would share my method of "Stacking" my Dragonfly Red with my iPhone SE. This method should work for all portable devices.

[COLOR=FF4400]
[/COLOR]

I purchased a small adhesive wallet from here (There are many makes, I just used this one as it advertised its spandex material and was fairly cheap).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B019RT281S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can apply this to the back of your phone although I opted to use a thin case instead (any case will work):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01DP77ZYS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[COLOR=FF4400]
[/COLOR]

And when its all together you get the following!

Nice job. Looks good.

 

[Mr Makarov]

Wondering if I´m doing something wrong. Connecting DFB to my laptop the volume difference is not just big, is extreme (which I do not like). What I mean is that if normally just out of headphone jack of the laptop I would be pretty happy at 20-25% volume using SE846 (and no hiss at all), with the DFB I can hear music even at 0% (not joking, very low volume but still can hear it), at 5% it is very loud, 10% is unbearable. So the normal comfortable listening level I use is 2-3% (12-13% for Sony XBA-4). And there is audible hiss. SQ improvement is pretty good with IEMs but that problem with volume is a little bit annoying.

 

[CluelessAudio]

W

Wondering if I´m doing something wrong. Connecting DFB to my laptop the volume difference is not just big, is extreme (which I do not like). What I mean is that if normally just out of headphone jack of the laptop I would be pretty happy at 20-25% volume using SE846 (and no hiss at all), with the DFB I can hear music even at 0% (not joking, very low volume but still can hear it), at 5% it is very loud, 10% is unbearable. So the normal comfortable listening level I use is 2-3% (12-13% for Sony XBA-4). And there is audible hiss. SQ improvement is pretty good with IEMs but that problem with volume is a little bit annoying.

what laptop have you got?

 

[Mr Makarov]

W
what laptop have you got?

 Its an old Asus G74sx. Never had this problem with DF 1.2
Will test it (DFB) later with other devices

 

[stuck limo]

  Just thought I would share my method of "Stacking" my Dragonfly Red with my iPhone SE. This method should work for all portable devices.
 

 
I purchased a small adhesive wallet from here (There are many makes, I just used this one as it advertised its spandex material and was fairly cheap).
 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B019RT281S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
You can apply this to the back of your phone although I opted to use a thin case instead (any case will work):
 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01DP77ZYS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 

 
And when its all together you get the following!
 
 
 

 

 
Wait, I'm sorry, I'm so confused on what's happening here. You have the adhesive wallet on the back, I get that. The cable comes from the phone into the Dragonfly....is the Dragonfly IN the wallet?

 

[GoldenTooth]

There is really something wrong to ky hearing lol. I am i the only one who find that my cheap $40 gigabyte motherboard realtek audio sounds better than dragonfly?

When i listen to dragonfly black (even after 24 hours burn) i feel audio is too bright,small sound stage, analatical with tones of details but too fatuiging and boring(no emotions or feelings)
Also less bass and mid bass than my default realteck audio even though it have more power for harder headphones.


When i listen to my built in realtek audio i feel like i am listening to a large sound system, with wider sound stage.
Also more mid bass and more realistic drums and vocals(gives joy with more emotions). But ofc less power than the dragonfly.

I made sure that no EQ or any effects are active on my pc. Just flat audio.

This is wierd really. Anyone with similar experience?

 

[Herman]

I recognize this and don't its an issue. Both On my macbook and iphone I have to set volume lower than10%. It also depens on the IEM. Volume with Final Heaven VI being lower than Shure SE215 in my case. DFR is an amp after all. I wouldn't worry too much about it if I were you.

 

[squ1gs]

Wait, I'm sorry, I'm so confused on what's happening here. You have the adhesive wallet on the back, I get that. The cable comes from the phone into the Dragonfly....is the Dragonfly IN the wallet?

Yeah, it's all tucked into the wallet

 

[Duxbury66]

I’ve spent quite a bit of time over the past few days reading much of this thread as a guest, so thought I’d create an account to share my recent experiences with the DFB and DFR.
Whilst I’ve been listening to music on the go all my life, it’s only in the past year or so that I’ve started to throw a little money at it. To cut a long story short, last spring I had an iPhone 6s with 110+GB of ALAC music and a pair of NAD HP-50 headphones that I was using on my daily train commute. So I started looking into how I could improve the quality of the sound I was listening to and get the most out of both source and headphones. As the DFB/DFR hadn’t been announced at that point I bought an HRT i-dSp (the Android version got a 5* review on What HiFi) and the Apple CCK USB 2 version. However, I soon returned the i-dSp as I kept hearing clicks and pops in the music. It was only after the return that I learnt this was actually because of the iPhone/CCK rather than the i-dSp.
A short while later I was delighted to see the DFB/DFR announced as they would work with my iPhone unlike the DF V1.2, and I got my hands on the DFB last June. IMO the DFB provides a much more fuller and enjoyable sound than the iPhone’s internal DAC and I’ve been a very happy customer for the past 8 months or so. It has still suffered from the clicks and pops, but iOS updates do seem to have made them less frequent and on some commutes I haven’t heard any at all. About a month ago the CCK stopped working completely and the iPhone said it wasn’t compatible. A trip to my local Apple store got me a free replacement and I honestly think the clicks and pops are even less frequent now, although not gone completely.
As is the way in this hobby, I’ve always had the little niggle at the back of my mind that I should have gone for the more expensive DFR instead. Especially after so many reviews said it was noticeably better than the DFB. So a week ago I gave into the devil on my shoulder and borrowed a DFR from my local HiFi store for the weekend. After letting it burn in a little last Saturday, I spent a couple of hours in a quiet room comparing it to my DFB on the Sunday morning. Much to my disappointment, my initial view was that I simply could not hear a difference between the two. As the day went on I decided to give it another go and spent another couple of hours listening again that evening. I think I did hear very subtle differences on the second occasion, but was not convinced it wasn’t just the placebo effect playing tricks. Whatever it was, on Monday I decided to go with my heart rather than my head and buy it (the fact that I got £29 off RRP in the January sale made the decision a little easier).
So after a week using the DFR (and being very happy with it’s sound) I’ve done another comparison test today with the DFB. Here’s what I noted (this is my opinion using my iPhone 6s/standard Music app/NAD HP-50s listening to Pop/Rock, so may not be what you hear);

1. On about half the tracks I listened to I couldn’t hear any differences between the DFB and DFR.
2. On some tracks, the DFR did seem to have ever so slightly more defined and realistic bass notes (bass guitar/kick drums) which I preferred. Neither seemed to produce greater or lesser bass though as has been heard by other users.
3. On some tracks the DFR seemed to place the highs a tiny bit more forward than the DRB, in a good way. Symbols and the like seemed to be more prominent in the mix, where as using the DRB they were sometimes lost a touch behind the louder mids. I think this gave the DFR a sense of slightly more balance and greater detail on certain tracks.
4. Both DFB and DFR were able to power my headphones to far greater than required volume levels. With both at a nice listening volume level for a quiet room, the iPhone volume widget was at about 35% for the DFB and at about 55% for the DFR (needless to say I have to have it set louder when on the train). But when I took the headphones off and pushed the volume up to 100%, the DFR was noticeably louder than the DFB.

So my conclusion is that I prefer the DFR, but it’s a very very close run thing. I’d suggest the DFB gives me 98% of what I get with the DFR for c.50% the price, and is the more logical choice of the two. But this isn’t a logical hobby and I’ve decided to keep the DFR and sell my DFB.
@ squ1gs – I’m loving your idea for the adhesive wallet and ordered one within minutes of reading your post earlier.

Richard

 

[squ1gs]

I’ve spent quite a bit of time over the past few days reading much of this thread as a guest, so thought I’d create an account to share my recent experiences with the DFB and DFR.


Whilst I’ve been listening to music on the go all my life, it’s only in the past year or so that I’ve started to throw a little money at it. To cut a long story short, last spring I had an iPhone 6s with 110+GB of ALAC music and a pair of NAD HP-50 headphones that I was using on my daily train commute. So I started looking into how I could improve the quality of the sound I was listening to and get the most out of both source and headphones. As the DFB/DFR hadn’t been announced at that point I bought an HRT i-dSp (the Android version got a 5* review on What HiFi) and the Apple CCK USB 2 version. However, I soon returned the i-dSp as I kept hearing clicks and pops in the music. It was only after the return that I learnt this was actually because of the iPhone/CCK rather than the i-dSp.


A short while later I was delighted to see the DFB/DFR announced as they would work with my iPhone unlike the DF V1.2, and I got my hands on the DFB last June. IMO the DFB provides a much more fuller and enjoyable sound than the iPhone’s internal DAC and I’ve been a very happy customer for the past 8 months or so. It has still suffered from the clicks and pops, but iOS updates do seem to have made them less frequent and on some commutes I haven’t heard any at all. About a month ago the CCK stopped working completely and the iPhone said it wasn’t compatible. A trip to my local Apple store got me a free replacement and I honestly think the clicks and pops are even less frequent now, although not gone completely.


As is the way in this hobby, I’ve always had the little niggle at the back of my mind that I should have gone for the more expensive DFR instead. Especially after so many reviews said it was noticeably better than the DFB. So a week ago I gave into the devil on my shoulder and borrowed a DFR from my local HiFi store for the weekend. After letting it burn in a little last Saturday, I spent a couple of hours in a quiet room comparing it to my DFB on the Sunday morning. Much to my disappointment, my initial view was that I simply could not hear a difference between the two. As the day went on I decided to give it another go and spent another couple of hours listening again that evening. I think I did hear very subtle differences on the second occasion, but was not convinced it wasn’t just the placebo effect playing tricks. Whatever it was, on Monday I decided to go with my heart rather than my head and buy it (the fact that I got £29 off RRP in the January sale made the decision a little easier).


So after a week using the DFR (and being very happy with it’s sound) I’ve done another comparison test today with the DFB. Here’s what I noted (this is my opinion using my iPhone 6s/standard Music app/NAD HP-50s listening to Pop/Rock, so may not be what you hear);

• On about half the tracks I listened to I couldn’t hear any differences between the DFB and DFR.
  
• On some tracks, the DFR did seem to have ever so slightly more defined and realistic bass notes (bass guitar/kick drums) which I preferred. Neither seemed to produce greater or lesser bass though as has been heard by other users.
  
• On some tracks the DFR seemed to place the highs a tiny bit more forward than the DRB, in a good way. Symbols and the like seemed to be more prominent in the mix, where as using the DRB they were sometimes lost a touch behind the louder mids. I think this gave the DFR a sense of slightly more balance and greater detail on certain tracks.
  
• Both DFB and DFR were able to power my headphones to far greater than required volume levels. With both at a nice listening volume level for a quiet room, the iPhone volume widget was at about 35% for the DFB and at about 55% for the DFR (needless to say I have to have it set louder when on the train). But when I took the headphones off and pushed the volume up to 100%, the DFR was noticeably louder than the DFB.
  

So my conclusion is that I prefer the DFR, but it’s a very very close run thing. I’d suggest the DFB gives me 98% of what I get with the DFR for c.50% the price, and is the more logical choice of the two. But this isn’t a logical hobby and I’ve decided to keep the DFR and sell my DFB.


@ squ1gs – I’m loving your idea for the adhesive wallet and ordered one within minutes of reading your post earlier.


Richard

Glad I could help, it works very well! I'm actually going to refine it further with a small right angled aux extender so that my iem cable isn't so squished. This shouldnt be a problem with right angled jacks.

 

[CluelessAudio]

Just got the DF Red. Can't notice a huge improvement in sound on my 2014 Macbook Pro, sounds ever so slightly clearer (i think, probably just imagining it). It does help the bass a tiny bit. Is it worth £170? Not a chance imo. I guess what I read about macs having decent dacs. Not sure whether to return it or swap for the DF Black.
 
update: the best way i can describe it, is that it changes the sound a bit, not doesn't necessarily improve it.

 

[Duxbury66]

Just got the DF Red. Can't notice a huge improvement in sound on my 2014 MacBook Pro

Give the DFR chance to bed in before you make a decision. I believe mine has got better as the week has gone on (or I've just got more used to its sound).

 

[CluelessAudio]

Give the DFR chance to bed in before you make a decision. I believe mine has got better as the week has gone on (or I've just got more used to its sound).

I'll leave it on overnight this weekend. That's what i've been doing with my P9s. Maybe it doesn't suit rock/metal as much as other genres. But either way it will have to improve fourfold to make me keep it. 

 

[Duxbury66]

I'll leave it on overnight this weekend. That's what i've been doing with my P9s. Maybe it doesn't suit rock/metal as much as other genres. But either way it will have to improve fourfold to make me keep it. 

Are you using lossless or compressed music files when testing?