AUDIOQUEST Dragonfly Red
Digital sources
The original USB DAC of Audioquest happened to be a small revolution back in 2012. Four years later there are already more newborn dragonflies – v1.2, Black and Red. This review is focusing on the latest Red version that has introduced some major improvements to the DragonFly's sound.
Function and form
The Red incorporates improved 32-bit ESS Sabre DAC chips—the 9010 in Black and the 9016 in Red—both of which employ minimum-phase filtering. The DragonFly Red includes the latest ESS headphone amp and a bit-perfect digital volume control that resides on the 9016 DAC chip itself.
The DAC supports the high-resolution music up to 24-bit/96kHz and no DSD. According to Audioquest faster processing may induce more noise. And let’s be honest, the Dragonfly still a low-end device. The LED-animal will inform you about the sampling rate and status – red is Stand By, green for 44.1 kHz, blue for 48.0 kHz, amber for 88.2 kHz and magenta for 96.0 kHz.
To make connection to an amplifier you need to go through 3.5mm jacks to RCA connectors (adaptor needed), to make connection to mobile phones Apple's Lightning-to-USB camera adaptor or Android adaptor (Audioquest makes their own DragonTail USB adaptor) are needed.
The peak output of the Red is 2.1vac - into 600ohms it is ca 7mW, so there is enough power to successfully drive most preamplifiers and a wide range of today’s efficient headphones. The USB code is compatible with Apple OS X and iOS, Microsoft XP, 7, 8.1 and 10, Linux Ubuntu and Android 4.1 and newer. That’s it.
Bass management
If you ever tried to plug in any headphones into your portable device then both the Black and the Red are major leap forward in terms of the sound quality. The Red adds to the Black a kind of extra weight and fullness, the bass notes have very nice round tone and punch at the same time. I feel that the Black was more focused on getting the mass whereas the Red keep that mass and strives to get it right. It results into more believable proportions and more realistic presentation.
Clarity & delicacy
I have auditioned the DragonFly Red vs Black through headphones as it seems to be the intended use: the portability. Any serious audiophile with speakers (even the “computer” one) is recommended to look elsewhere for ultimate sound.
Yet the Red delivers very mature presentation which is full of details and provides analog smoothness with no etch or low-end digital harshness. Comparing to the Black the Red sounded more open, dynamic and revealing, but not leaner, just clearer. I would say that where the Black is closer to a tape, the Red is closer to a modern digital console with better delineation of virtually everything - it was very much appreciated on vocals or softly stroked guitar strings.
Tonal accuracy
As said, the Red does not sound leaner – actually it is a lot richer, more full-bodied. For its price category the result is quite magic as it provides the much needed naturalness, especially in the instrumental colors. This is supported by very fine dynamic resolution that makes contrasts nicely standing out be it a kick drum thud or dynamic variations in a harp concerto.
Initially I had the impression that the Black is warmer in color but throughout the listening sessions it started to appear that it is a kind of smear that makes the Black sounding a bit colored and the Red more focused.
Spatial resolution
The clarity, openness and delineation favours the Red with better three-dimensionality. Its soundstage is more breathing comparing the Black which sounds a tad more constrained. The soundstage of the Red is not necessarily wider or deeper but it has more layers to it and better palpability.
To conclude, the DragonFly is an ideal DAC for travelling or casual listening, wherever you cannot take your main audio system with you. Sure, there will be voices implying that it is a high-end solution at a fraction of price – it is not but the value (performance) of the DragoFly Red is definitely exceptional.
Recommended resellers
AQ s.r.o., Červenka, tel. +420 585 342 232
Manufacturer's website: http://www.audioquest.com
Associated components
- Sources: Samsung S7 Edge, LG G5
- SW: UAPP (USB Audio Player Pro)
- Headphones: Sennheiser HD598 Special Edition, AKG 701
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