[RockStar2005]

Do you mind if I ask the source of this information?

Yeah I'd like to know too. So if anyone asks me how to improve their sound I can make sure I have the latest model info.

 

[CactusPete23]

I think it is about to be released new versions of DFs. I hope they would be based on the newest DAC like 9038 with with well engineered-design. Maybe we will see 2.5mm balanced output )

Think we'd have battery life suffer badly with an ES9038PRO in a Dragonfly... They use 3X to 5X the power of the 9016 9018 type that are designed for "mobile" use.

Think that power usage is another reason the dragonfly's don't go above 24/96... Big goal for the current generation was low power usage. If we want higher bit rates, and "pro" DAC's then the devices will need to be battery powered. (Or we'll need to add battery packs and cables that can be usb powered to go portable.)

 

[RockStar2005]

Think we'd have battery life suffer badly with an ES9038PRO in a Dragonfly... They use 3X to 5X the power of the 9016 9018 type that are designed for "mobile" use.

Think that power usage is another reason the dragonfly's don't go above 24/96... Big goal for the current generation was low power usage. If we want higher bit rates, and "pro" DAC's then the devices will need to be battery powered. (Or we'll need to add battery packs and cables that can be usb powered to go portable.)

True. Although with the newer Android phones that have the Snapdragon 845 chip, the increased efficiency has led to big jumps in battery life. Plus it seems like the average newer phone is getting a bigger battery too. Yeah screen sizes are increasing too, but I think the other 2 factors outweigh that.

 

[Researcher]

Think we'd have battery life suffer badly with an ES9038PRO in a Dragonfly... They use 3X to 5X the power of the 9016 9018 type that are designed for "mobile" use.

Think that power usage is another reason the dragonfly's don't go above 24/96... Big goal for the current generation was low power usage. If we want higher bit rates, and "pro" DAC's then the devices will need to be battery powered. (Or we'll need to add battery packs and cables that can be usb powered to go portable.)

AFAIK, engineers of DF would not consider to place `PRO` series ,which consume a lot more than desired to use by a phone, on the board. Q2M or K2M is quite ok to go, instead. I think Next DFs will have such efficient DACs. BTW, i am really expecting 2.5mm balanced headphone jack, which is technically possible and truly distinctive. Let s be honest, DFs, albeit so nice, are currently outdated and deserved to be updated.

 

[good sound]

AFAIK, engineers of DF would not consider to place `PRO` series ,which consume a lot more than desired to use by a phone, on the board. Q2M or K2M is quite ok to go, instead. I think Next DFs will have such efficient DACs. BTW, i am really expecting 2.5mm balanced headphone jack, which is technically possible and truly distinctive. Let s be honest, DFs, albeit so nice, are currently outdated and deserved to be updated.

I have to be honest, I don't understand this outdated comment. Are there other thumb drive based DAC/amps that have more features and better decoding for around the same money? Remember we need to compare apples to apples.

 

[good sound]

Somewhat unrelated but I have noticed several online retailers are blowing out the Audioquest Nighthawk and Night owl Carbon headphones for between 40 to 50% off retail. Wonder what's up with that? Revamped headphone lineup coming from Audioquest soon?

Tried the non Carbon Nighthawks once and have to admit I was less than impressed by what I heard. Sounded very thick and slow and dark to me. The Nightowl Carbon at almost 50% off might be a good candidate to replace my beloved Oppo PM-3's. Would like to be able to listen to them first, but at the current sale price I should be able to recoup my entire investment or very close to it if I end up not liking them.

 

[Researcher]

I have to be honest, I don't understand this outdated comment. Are there other thumb drive based DAC/amps that have more features and better decoding for around the same money? Remember we need to compare apples to apples.

Simply we wanna see better DFs then now. Although DFs are quite nice devices, they have some common problems. FE, If you use any iem with low ohm like below 16, you can feel an undesirable floor noise. See here;

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/5ur00b/am_i_expecting_too_much_hissingnoise_from/

I am now enjoying Sabaj DA2 (69 USD), and would like to say the noise floor is better, and sounds really well. improving an existing product does not mean the product is bad. Overall, DFs are quite nice products. However, we should not forget DFR and DFB were released more than two years ago. Unlike us, Tech has so far been getting better and better.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

Simply we wanna see better DFs then now. Although DFs are quite nice devices, they have some common problems. FE, If you use any iem with low ohm like below 16, you can feel an undesirable floor noise. See here;

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/5ur00b/am_i_expecting_too_much_hissingnoise_from/

I am now enjoying Sabaj DA2 (69 USD), and would like to say the noise floor is better, and sounds really well. improving an existing product does not mean the product is bad. Overall, DFs are quite nice products. However, we should not forget DFR and DFB were released more than two years ago. Unlike us, Tech has so far been getting better and better.

If you’re IEM has below 16 OHM’s impedance, then a Dragonfly or any amp for that matter, is unnecessary.

 

[CactusPete23]

If you’re IEM has below 16 OHM’s impedance, then a Dragonfly or any amp for that matter, is unnecessary.

What? That makes no sense to me.

The Dragonfly is a DAC and a Headphone Amp. Both are needed to supply enough power for any Headphone or IEM. Maybe the DFR is more powerful than needed, but you still need a DAC and an AMP in your device, or external. The Dragonfly(Black or Red) has a better DAC than many devices This is why we use it. To get cleaner and better sound from a better DAC and Better Amp than our "non-audiophile" devices.

I never hear hiss with a wide variety of IEMs and my DFR myself. MAybe I'm not sensitive it it, or maybe my iems don't hiss like some iems do...

 

[RockStar2005]

What? That makes no sense to me.

The Dragonfly is a DAC and a Headphone Amp. Both are needed to supply enough power for any Headphone or IEM. Maybe the DFR is more powerful than needed, but you still need a DAC and an AMP in your device, or external. The Dragonfly(Black or Red) has a better DAC than many devices This is why we use it. To get cleaner and better sound from a better DAC and Better Amp than our "non-audiophile" devices.

I never hear hiss with a wide variety of IEMs and my DFR myself. MAybe I'm not sensitive it it, or maybe my iems don't hiss like some iems do...

Yeah I agree. Low impedance may mean an amp isn't necessary, but a quality DAC is ALWAYS a good idea. Most smartphones have crap quality DACs (and amps), with few exceptions. Those exceptions are growing, but the main players, Apple and Samsung, still are below par as far as I know. ESP Samsung, whose audio (and call) quality isn't even worth wiping my a$$ with. lol They have their AKG-tuned ear phones, but they need to work on improving their phones themselves. But will either? Prob not, b/c that would mean spending money on something they don't appear to believe is important. Well we do. So until they do, I'll never buy either, unless I have to, and then I will DEF buy a DFR to compensate.

 

[Researcher]

If you’re IEM has below 16 OHM’s impedance, then a Dragonfly or any amp for that matter, is unnecessary.

please read CactusPete23`s and RockStar2005`s comments.

I have just tasted it to make all words here in a right place. I used two different dacs and tried without a dac. Apple`s Dac sucks! Wait a sec, sucks more without DAC! but sounding better on DA2! The Dac chip tells not the whole sounding story, but gives us much info about what the whole system might sound like.

 

[Montage]

I had a similar issue, but the update iOS 11.3 seems to have fixed it.

Thanks, I had given up on the DF Red. However, as you say, IOS 11.3, which was released on March 29th, seems to be working without dropouts. I've only used it for about one hour, so I'll see what longer term use reveals.

 

[RockStar2005]

I had a similar issue, but the update iOS 11.3 seems to have fixed it.

It's good to know the new 11.3 update fixed the DFR issue then. When I had my S7 a couple years ago, a bug in the MicroUSB driver caused drop outs/skips like every 5 min whenever I connected my headphones to it via my old Oppo HA-2 amp/DAC. Used to drive me nuts! lol Only found out about bug months after I switched to a diff phone too. So this is great news actually for DFR fans!

 

[meurglys0]

My wife has an iphone 6 and sennheiser urbanites. Her major complaint is low volume levels she gets from this combo. She listens to classical music and they tend to be recorded at lower volumes.
Anyway, I intend to get her a DFR because of its size and good sound quality.
Would iphone 6 and urbanites match up nicely with DFR?
Specifically, would this setup provide better and louder sound than iphone 6 alone?
Thanks in advance for your replies.

 

[ggeinec]

It seems Audioquest recently quietly released firmware 1.07 for the DFR:

DragonFly Black/Red Firmware v1.07
▸ addresses the volume control issue found in Android devices

https://www.audioquest.com/page/aq-digitalupdates.html

I just updated my DFR. With my Motorola X Pure Edition running Nougat 7.0 and listening to music through Napster\Rhapsody (streaming and downloaded files) it definitely fixes the low volume issue. I was hoping it also fixed the infamous pops and clicks with Android devices but my limited testing so far doesn't sound good on that score. I need to test more.

Give this new firmware a try and post back here results from your testing.