[McCol]

Straight away, one interesting thing about the LG, take a look at the DAC bit rate...



Seems the ESS9028 does what the ESS9016 cannot, high bit rate and low power consumption...

This is going to be an interesting fight!

(edit to correct DAC part number)

Interested to read your thoughts on these two. I've got B+O Play but tempted to try Dragonfly

 

[ncristia]

How do connect the dragonfly to a DAP ? Would you use a female to female usb through the mini usb? 
Thank you.

 

[Duncan]

Depends on the DAP (if possible at all) - which one are you looking at?

 

[ncristia]

It's the Shanling M5. It has Coax/Opt and mini usb if that helps.
Thank you

 

[SpiderNhan]

It's the Shanling M5. It has Coax/Opt and mini usb if that helps.
Thank you

Does the M5 run a modified version of Android OS or Linux? AFAIK, Dragonfly supports Windows, Android, iOS, MacOS, and Linux.

 

[ncristia]

I don't think it runs on  a particular system , rather it has an operating system that you put a mini sd card  in,it reads it and thats it. But I could be  very wrong.

 

[YtseJamer]

The Red is a very good match with the Meze 99 Classics.
 

 

[Duncan]

Interested to read your thoughts on these two. I've got B+O Play but tempted to try Dragonfly

Early impressions...

The midrange is the most obvious difference between the two devices, the DFR sounds thin, cold, almost hollow in comparison to the LG, it doesn't end there though. the LG is just out and out more musical - that is what I've been missing (to be fair, I didn't know it until I started using the LG!)... Not good so far for the DFR, add into that that the LG can play back sample rates all the way up to DSD128 natively...



...and, should you wish, upscale...



...and the volume obtainable (not withstanding the problem below) is more usable than that of the DFR, means it looks like the AQ device is in dire trouble.

BUT - the LG implementation of the DAC is useless, that you need to plug in an extension cable (if you have low impedance headphones) to activate the DAC before plugging your 'phones into said cable, to activate the high impedance mode (which is infinitely better than standard mode!) - add into that the volume control, which is iffy at best (UAPP warns you of this):



...and, add in that this is a USB 3.1 device (although there is a USB2 Micro B to USB 3.1 OTG cable included in the box), then it isn't all quite so rosy..

Overall though, my early impressions are that this little DAC and its benefits far outweigh its problems...

 

[canali]

thanks...such a drag that Canada is not (for now) getting the b/o hi fi module...and i thought the US was left out, too.
however this was a few months back (april?) when i stopped following the lg g5 thread... perhaps things are different now.
 
Quote:
 

Early impressions...

The midrange is the most obvious difference between the two devices, the DFR sounds thin, cold, almost hollow in comparison to the LG, it doesn't end there though. the LG is just out and out more musical - that is what I've been missing (to be fair, I didn't know it until I started using the LG!)... Not good so far for the DFR, add into that that the LG can play back sample rates all the way up to DSD128 natively...



...and, should you wish, upscale...



...and the volume obtainable (not withstanding the problem below) is more usable than that of the DFR, means it looks like the AQ device is in dire trouble.

BUT - the LG implementation of the DAC is useless, that you need to plug in an extension cable (if you have low impedance headphones) to activate the DAC before plugging your 'phones into said cable, to activate the high impedance mode (which is infinitely better than standard mode!) - add into that the volume control, which is iffy at best (UAPP warns you of this):



...and, add in that this is a USB 3.1 device (although there is a USB2 Micro B to USB 3.1 OTG cable included in the box), then it isn't all quite so rosy..

Overall though, my early impressions are that this little DAC and its benefits far outweigh its problems...

 

[McCol]

Early impressions...

The midrange is the most obvious difference between the two devices, the DFR sounds thin, cold, almost hollow in comparison to the LG, it doesn't end there though. the LG is just out and out more musical - that is what I've been missing (to be fair, I didn't know it until I started using the LG!)... Not good so far for the DFR, add into that that the LG can play back sample rates all the way up to DSD128 natively...



...and, should you wish, upscale...



...and the volume obtainable (not withstanding the problem below) is more usable than that of the DFR, means it looks like the AQ device is in dire trouble.

BUT - the LG implementation of the DAC is useless, that you need to plug in an extension cable (if you have low impedance headphones) to activate the DAC before plugging your 'phones into said cable, to activate the high impedance mode (which is infinitely better than standard mode!) - add into that the volume control, which is iffy at best (UAPP warns you of this):



...and, add in that this is a USB 3.1 device (although there is a USB2 Micro B to USB 3.1 OTG cable included in the box), then it isn't all quite so rosy..

Overall though, my early impressions are that this little DAC and its benefits far outweigh its problems...

Thanks for the early impressions. Looks like I'll stick with the G5/B+O play combo.

I had the volume issue but after a software update through the LG friends app this has disappeared.

 

[canali]

unless anything has changed, the LG G5 bang/olufsen hi fi module wasn't coming  to north america.
which blows...makes no sense given that hi fi dac/amp module dac/amp was one of the only reasons to buy that phone
and distinguish it from the competition.
 
...so hello HTC 10, then, as the default audiophile phone out there also with a separate dac/amp
hey that would make for another good comparison: htc 10 vs the df black and red.
but of course your comparison is different given the htc 10's dac/amp can't be used externally like the df and bang / olufsen
 
wonder where in canada/usa you could buy the b/o dac/amp separately....

 

[Duncan]

unless anything has changed, the LG G5 bang/olufsen hi fi module wasn't coming  to north america.
which blows...makes no sense given that nodule dac/amp is/was one of the only reasons to buy that phone
(hello HTC 10, then as the default audiophile phone out there also with a separate dac/amp
hey that would make for another good comparison: htc 10 vs the df black and red)....

Don't want to derail this away from being a discussion about Dragonflies, however - and this is a funny one, the module specifically doesn't work in the US, and - of all places (considering where LG are based) Korea, with the G5 - how does that make sense?

Thankfully if you don't have a G5, that doesn't really matter, so long as you can get your hands on one!

 

[canali]

Don't want to derail this away from being a discussion about Dragonflies, however - and this is a funny one, the module specifically doesn't work in the US, and - of all places (considering where LG are based) Korea, with the G5 - how does that make sense?

Thankfully if you don't have a G5, that doesn't really matter, so long as you can get your hands on one!

 
i hear you...sorry didn't mean to derail...but couldn't resist
 
so back to your comparison...what of the black DF with the bang/olufsen...any diff, if you can find one?

 

[Duncan]

i hear you...sorry didn't mean to derail...but couldn't resist

so back to your comparison...what of the black DF with the bang/olufsen...any diff, if you can find one?

Sorry, I only have the DFR, not the DFB

 

[estreeter]

I'm a broken record on this, but I urge anyone who is unhappy with their initial DF experience (whatever model you have) to try it from a USB hub, preferably powered but even taking the power straight from the USB port on your laptop I'm confident that you'll be surprised by the difference a hub makes. This isnt exactly a discovery - hubs have been touted as an improvement with countless USB DACs prior to the DFB/DFR - but it kills two birds with one stone for very little outlay and that spells 'win' for mine. Not sure about the Red, but the Black definitely improves less-than-perfect music from sources like YouTube out of all proportion to the purchase price.