New Dragonfly Black and Red Discussion

[Sound Eq]

interested

 

[SeeSax]

Some great thoughts going on in this thread and I agree with the general consensus that the DFR is great. I don't have too much to add on that front, but, pictures are cool too right? 
 
-Collin-
 

 

[estreeter]

  I bought 2 pf the cables in the first link, but I'm either doing something wrong, or they are both DOA or not OTG.
 
I'm using an xperia Z5 compact with the DF black straightinto the cable. I can't get Onkyo HF player or USB pro player to recognise the DF black. 
 
Is there a process to follow or other system settings to check or change? Should the DF light up when plugged in, or just when playing (or not at all)?

 
You will get a light from either a laptop or an android device if the battery is capable of driving the DFB and your USB OTG cable is working.
 
Obviously, you dont need an OTG cable for a laptop, but having spent several weeks of frustration with two cheap phones and 3 cables, I believe I know what I'm  talking about here. DF was red until I fired up Onkyo HF Player and told it to use the USB device for playback - only annoyance is the nag screen asking you to pay for the full app if you want to access hi-res music at its native resolution (see the HF Player doco for more info on that). FWIW, my Lenovo tablet has a 3450 mAH battery - more than double the ZTE phones that refused to light up the DFB - and I hope to run some tests re battery drain for the folk in the main Android DAC thread this weekend. Gotta love those guys - that thread has become a de facto bible for anyone looking to try USB audio from an Android device.

 

[rynogee]

   
You will get a light from either a laptop or an android device if the battery is capable of driving the DFB and your USB OTG cable is working.
 
Obviously, you dont need an OTG cable for a laptop, but having spent several weeks of frustration with two cheap phones and 3 cables, I believe I know what I'm  talking about here. DF was red until I fired up Onkyo HF Player and told it to use the USB device for playback - only annoyance is the nag screen asking you to pay for the full app if you want to access hi-res music at its native resolution (see the HF Player doco for more info on that). FWIW, my Lenovo tablet has a 3450 mAH battery - more than double the ZTE phones that refused to light up the DFB - and I hope to run some tests re battery drain for the folk in the main Android DAC thread this weekend. Gotta love those guys - that thread has become a de facto bible for anyone looking to try USB audio from an Android device.

is there any way to tell if my phone's battery is capable of driving the DFB or if the problem is with the cables?

 

[estreeter]

  is there any way to tell if my phone's battery is capable of driving the DFB or if the problem is with the cables?

 
Therein lies the hideous frustration of audio over USB on Android - been there, got the t-shirt. Unlike iOS which at least throws up a message indicating that the power draw is too great (and a USB hub usually fixes that), Android does nothing, at least IME. You can try hooking up a mouse or somesuch to see if the cable works, but again if your device doesnt have sufficient power this may not conclusively prove that its the cable. Standard answer seems to be 'keep buying cheap OTG cables till you find one that works', but I just went out and bought a tablet that was recommended earlier in this thread and didnt cost me a thousand dollars. Trust me, I feel your pain - it really shouldnt be this effing hard.

 

[Tadamn]

 

 
Therein lies the hideous frustration of audio over USB on Android - been there, got the t-shirt. Unlike iOS which at least throws up a message indicating that the power draw is too great (and a USB hub usually fixes that), Android does nothing, at least IME. You can try hooking up a mouse or somesuch to see if the cable works, but again if your device doesnt have sufficient power this may not conclusively prove that its the cable. Standard answer seems to be 'keep buying cheap OTG cables till you find one that works', but I just went out and bought a tablet that was recommended earlier in this thread and didnt cost me a thousand dollars. Trust me, I feel your pain - it really shouldnt be this effing hard.

There are better solutions available.

 

[musiclife]

 I just received the Zurdac and was also thinking to get the DFR just to compare! Can you hear some differences?
What I dont like in the Zurdac is the high output impedance, and I find the sound a bit too harsh for a Sabre chip...

 

[SuperFuya]

Guys help me!! 
 
So I just ordered Sennheiser HD600 and AKG K701 from the internet.
Now I am really wondering whether I need to buy an amp or not. 
I mainly listen from my phone and laptop.
My music genre is 90% classical music (violin,piano, including opera) and the rest is like jazz, or Frank Sinatra.
With this kind of music, I am not really sure that I need an amp, what do you guys think?
It would be nice for me to save money....
 
And is the difference between black and red huge? especially for this music genre?
Oh ya last question, does the quality of the adapter matter?
 
Thankss guys!

 

[SeeSax]

Has anyone compared the DFR to the Centrance DACport HD? Seem to be similarly spec'd, but my curiosity is in the hardware volume control that the DFR lacks and therefore causes issues in Android. 
 
-Collin-

 

[chenszhanx]

  Guys help me!! 
 
So I just ordered Sennheiser HD600 and AKG K701 from the internet.
Now I am really wondering whether I need to buy an amp or not. 
I mainly listen from my phone and laptop.
My music genre is 90% classical music (violin,piano, including opera) and the rest is like jazz, or Frank Sinatra.
With this kind of music, I am not really sure that I need an amp, what do you guys think?
It would be nice for me to save money....
 
And is the difference between black and red huge? especially for this music genre?
Oh ya last question, does the quality of the adapter matter?
 
Thankss guys!

I am using DFR+Q701
DFR does a lot better than DF V1.5 with Q701
DFR offers more detail and bigger stage. 
And DFR beats my old device Fiio X3
In both sound and convenience
 
Unless your phone is a Android phone like mine.(suffer volume issue)
I think go  DFR is good choice.

 

[pkcpga]

I am using DFR+Q701
DFR does a lot better than DF V1.5 with Q701
DFR offers more detail and bigger stage. 
And DFR beats my old device Fiio X3
In both sound and convenience

Unless your phone is a Android phone like mine.(suffer volume issue)
I think go  DFR is good choice.

Not sure the power requirement diiference for the hd600 verse my hd800 but the dfr or dfb does not have enough power to properly power the hd800. Sound becomes thin and poor bass response, it will become loud it just doesn't have a enough power to bring it to its full potential. For the hd800 the dfr makes the hd800 sound harsh, extended highs with seriously lacking lows. The dfb is warmer but you lose detail and not enough power to give good bass response.

 

[chenszhanx]

Is there any office response after
http://goo.gl/8UMLW5

This happens to my
Sony z z3 z5
Asus Zenefone 2 ,laser 6

That is all device I have.
This is only happens to Samsung…

 

[chenszhanx]

  FWIW - I had a reply back from AQ support relating to the Red only working (100%) with UAPP on the Galaxy S6. 
 
AQ reply:
 
"These are issues that are not a fault of the DragonFly Red.  Unfortunately there are some limitations inherent with the Android OS and also what the phone manufacturer has enabled on the device.  We are aware currently though of the low volume that seems to be only with Samsung devices.  We are in contact with Samsung concerning this but we have to wait for them to provide an update to their devices to remedy the issue.  Hopefully Samsung will release a software update soon to remedy the low volume.  As for certain streaming services not all can output through the USB Host port.  Tidal as far as we have seen is the only streaming service to allow USB Host output but only through USB Audio Player Pro integration."
 
One unhappy AQ customer - In my humble opinion they did not make these limitations clear enough... I will be unlikely to purchase from them again and could not recommend to any Android users as compatibility appears to be a lottery unless you are happy with UAPP.

Is there any more reply form AQ.
This problem happens to my Sony xperia z,z3,z5 And Asus Zenfone2,Laser6.
In fact these are all living device I have.
 
This is surely not Samsung only

 

[estreeter]

  Second try on battery length on Ipod Touch 6 gave me closer to 9 hours batterlife playing Spotify from Wifi. It's better than initial test but still far from 40 hours. I guess when travelling and playing downloaded files you can turn off Wifi, and probably get 15-20 hours batterylife. I'm much happier with the batterylife now as it will last for as long as I need it too in my travels.
 
As for using my Trinity Audio Sabre IEM's with this combo it's very pleasing that I can go to 50% volume instead of 100% volume straight out of the Touch. I'm curios about the DFR as well, but with my IEM's I would struggle with keeping the volume down. Soundwise compared (DFB)to straight out of the Touch, it's a bit darker sounding, but need more time to compare for other differences. I'm happy though as I can turn up the volume a bit(much more if I want to) more than without it.

 
OK - not sure how valid any comparisons will be given that my tablet has a completely different battery, but for a device rated at 10 hours continuous use (I'm assuming that includes video playback), playing music at near 100% on the volume slider into the DFB w/portable amp took the estimated battery life from 97% to 63% after 5 hours continuous shuffling using HF Player : I'm happy with that, even if experience tells me that things go downhill a lot faster under 50% than they do above that estimate. No-one wants to spend the last ten minutes before going to bed checking that all their battery-powered devices are on a charger, particularly if you travel regularly, but some of the early boutique DAPs and amps had absolutely woeful battery life. We live in a golden age 

 

[estreeter]

 
There are better solutions available.

 
Better ? Sure. Cheaper ? Not from where I'm sitting. I'm assuming that you ean there are better Android solutions available - you havent elaborated, so allow me to expand on my earlier rant.
 
I've used the iPod Touch in my example below, and its price is within strikiing distance of some of the mid-tier Android phones here, assuming that they have the battery/OS requirements for USB audio. I realise that most adults in 2016 have a decent phone and that I'm an aberration in that I see the smartphone as throwaway technology, particularly when my day--to-day communication needs are amply met by a $29 prepaid phone that could disappear tomorrow and I wouldnt miss it.
 
First, another niggle re Android phones and the cabling situation. When I bought the ADL X1 in 2014, it came with an absolutely fantastic cable that was tailormade to allow it to piggyback with the iPod Classic or Touch:
 

 
You plugged it in, checked that the relevant switch on the X1 was activated, pressed play on the iDevice and it just worked. I have yet to see a photo anywhere of an Android-based rig that can touch that stack for simplicity and ease-of-use. Audeze's Cipher DAC-in-a-cable or the CEntrance Glove Audio A1 are where I thought we might be by now, but neither is targeted at the Android market. Such is life, but it would be very nice indeed if either became a reality for Android (even if the A1 was limited to a single flagship phone).
 
It's difficult to nominate anything with less than 160GB of onboard storage on a forum frequented by folk who want to carry as much of their collection - in the highest possible resolution - everywhere they go, but lets go back to John Darko's suggestion that 16GB Touch+DFB puts newcomers to portable audio in a very good position when it comes to enjoying streaming services alongside their own music. Here in Oz, that would look something like this:
 
16GB Touch - 278 AUD
http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/ipod-touch-16gb-blue-apto616be
 
Lightning to USB Camera Adapter - 45 AUD
http://www.apple.com/au/shop/product/MD821AM/A/lightning-to-usb-camera-adapter
 
Dragonfly Black - 149 AUD
http://www.minidisc.com.au/head-amps-dacs/headphone-amps-dacs/portable-amps-dacs/audioquest-dragonfly-usb-dac-black-15-p-1101010.html
 
Shopping around might get you a few bucks off the Touch and the cable, but Apple seem to keep retailers on a tight leash - happy to hear otherwise. I wont bore my fellow Head-Fiers any further with this exercise - suffice to say that the tablet+3 OTG cables+DFB cost less than the Touch by itself, so I'm prepared to live with a few tradeoffs. Throw in the cost of my 32GB SD card, the fact that the Touch feels significantly better in the hand than my 7" tablet (or the iPad Mini, fwiw) and many will undoubtedly opt for the plug-and-play option even if it means spending more money. Darko 1, estreeter 0.5