Article: AudioQuest DragonFly Red & DragonFly Black Review

[MiataMeToo]

Using the Dragonfly Red as an audio input?

What could possibly go wrong if:

I stuck the 1/4 inch male plug of a Y cable into the headphone jack of the Dragonfly then

stuck the 2 male RCA plugs (at the other end of the Y cable) into one of the Aux inputs in the back of my integrated amp?

Bonus question: what if I stuck the 2 male RCA plugs into the phono input?

[CVJ]

As long as you turn the volume all the way down while you plug the 2 male RCA plugs into the AUX input of your integrated amp, nothing should go wrong and you might be pleasantly surprised by the quality of the sound. Leave the phono output alone.

 

i am using the same kind of cable from the headphone out of my mini iPad 3 to my preamp and was blown away by the quality of the audio when I played this YouTube video:

[Wilderness]

I realize that my car performs analog to digital conversion for DSP upon receiving the analog signal, but I have to get the analog signal out of my iPhone anyway and I prefer to do that the best way possible.

 

 

Chris would you (or anyone else here) please explain this to me. Does this mean that even though you sent an analog audio signal to the head unit in your car the head unit STILL PERFORMS some sort of D/A function? If true i assume that the same would be true for home AVR units also? In other words IF you use an external DAC PRIOR TO an AVR (feeding the AVR an analog signal via traditional RCA type cables from the DAC - the internal DAC of the AVR will still ultimately perform the the DAC function? You mention DSP - why would that come into play IF the input signal is already an analog signal? I did try to read the "beginner's guide" to DSP but it did not help me with my understanding of why an analog signal cannot be passed through the amp circuitry out to the speakers without having to be "processed" by a DSP.

 

The best way to make the connection from the Red or Black DAC is through your car's 3.5 mm analog jack. That way you are using the Red or Black as the DAC, not the car's audio processing. I have done this, and the sound is better this way compared to connecting straight out of the 3.5 mm analog jack of an iPhone or iPad without the Red or Black DAC.

 

If you somehow connect to the USB port on your car, you would then be using the car's audio processing which usually sounds inferior to the Red or Black DAC.

 

It is important to turn down the volume on your iPhone or iPad to maybe halfway. Then you can use the car's volume control.

 

The first time I tried my Red DAC with my iPad Pro 9.7 and my car audio system, it sounded awful. A week or so later, I tried it again and it sounded good. I am not sure what I did wrong the first time.

[Art_Russell]

Well, Chris, your words have (not for the first time) influenced my spending.

 

And I'm real happy about it.

 

Got the red DragonFly, added the Apple adapter, and along with the iPhone 6 and Oppo PM-3 headphones already here, I now have the best portable music setup I've ever owned...going back to the first iPods Apple shipped out to early adopters like me in October 2001.

 

I don't need it much, mainly just when I take the train into the City, but it's super elegant.

 

Dave, who is looking forward to the next or subsequent iteration of the iPhone that should have 256GB storage

 

 

Like Cycleman, I picked up a Dragonfly Red and Apple Lightning Camera Adapter to use with my iPhone 6 and iPad 2 Air, in my case as a portable system.

 

 

Bottom Line Up Front: I was very impressed with the performance of the DragonFly Red. It opened up the music I was playing and provided more detail. Unexpectedly, the bass response on both my Sennheiser 280HD Pros and Etymotic ER4RTs was significantly improved. Interestingly, I had demoed a friend's Schitt Modi last year and hadn't noticed any improvement in playback. Not so the DragonFly Red. The improvement was immediate and significant.

 

 

I can only how much improvement I'd garner were I to invest in a higher-end DAC.

 

 

By way of background, I've been using Apple players (iPod 120, iPhone 3G, iPhone 4S, iPhone6, iPad 2, iPad 2 Air) for effectively 20 years. During that time I've used both Sennheiser 280HD Pros (2 pair), and Etymotic ER4P (and their replacement, the more recent ER4RT). During that time, I've worn headphones almost constantly every day, first as a student and academic, and for the past 10 years as a professional in the courseware development business.

 

Art

[The Computer Audiophile]

The best way to make the connection from the Red or Black DAC is through your car's 3.5 mm analog jack. That way you are using the Red or Black as the DAC, not the car's audio processing. I have done this, and the sound is better this way compared to connecting straight out of the 3.5 mm analog jack of an iPhone or iPad without the Red or Black DAC.

 

If you somehow connect to the USB port on your car, you would then be using the car's audio processing which usually sounds inferior to the Red or Black DAC.

 

It is important to turn down the volume on your iPhone or iPad to maybe halfway. Then you can use the car's volume control.

 

The first time I tried my Red DAC with my iPad Pro 9.7 and my car audio system, it sounded awful. A week or so later, I tried it again and it sounded good. I am not sure what I did wrong the first time.

My car turns all analog signals into digital for processing. It has time correction so the driver's seat sounds like it's right in the sweet spot.

[hornytoad]

My car turns all analog signals into digital for processing. It has time correction so the driver's seat sounds like it's right in the sweet spot.

 

Yeah , but doesn't the road , car , external noise filter in ?

[Art_Russell]

Great Article. Enough so that I purchased one from Amazon along with a camera adapter for my iPhone 6. Demoed with my MacBook Pro, the DragonFly Red provided clarity and bass presence through my Sennheiser 280HD Pros that I'd been missing previously. In a word: Impressive.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Great Article. Enough so that I purchased one from Amazon along with a camera adapter for my iPhone 6. Demoed with my MacBook Pro, the DragonFly Red provided clarity and bass presence through my Sennheiser 280HD Pros that I'd been missing previously. In a word: Impressive.

Great to read Art.

[Art_Russell]

Unfortunately, You Guys have me hooked. I guess I'm a "fellow Traveler." Now to figure what to upgrade first as I attended to (1) the central stereo system for my wife, (2) my travel system (iPhone 6, DragonFly Red, Etymotic ER4PTs, and (3) my home office system. Happy times ahead! Thanks for hosting the community!

[mindnoise]

Hi All,

I too am traveling soon and just purchased a DragonFly Black to play with.

 

Any suggestions for an iPhone app that can play hi-res audio? I've already tried the Onkyo player, it's good but the UI not great.

 

Thanks again,

Jay

[Jim Sylva]

Any suggestions for an iPhone app that can play hi-res audio? I've already tried the Onkyo player, it's good but the UI not great.

 

Thanks again,

Jay

Another playback option is iAudioGate.

 

I have used the Onkyo HF Player (free) + (the in app HD purchase). I prefer iAudioGate.

[qdwieertteyrujpo]

Another playback option is iAudioGate.

 

I have used the Onkyo HF Player (free) + (the in app HD purchase). I prefer iAudioGate.

 

I do like Onkyo HF Player, but recently I find myself listening to "KaiserTone"; sorry, the page is in Japanese, but you can find the app easily: KaiserTone -ハイレゾ音楽プレイヤー for iPhone カイザートーン

[lestercallanta]

Good review, Chris. I must say that after months of using The AudioQuest Dragonfly Red, it has brought me back to listening high res audio with headphones on a mobile device. Traditionally, I've been listening to Tidal HiFi via AirPlay on an Apple TV connected to a Marantz 7.1 receiver, and through my Mac on Mackie desktop speakers. Now, I plug it with my Apple Lightning to USB camera adapter on an iPhone 6 and am good to go. I also use it with the Onkyo HF Player app to play some of my flac music from HD Tracks. Paired with my old Grado SR 80 on a beach recently was just pure bliss. At home I use it in desktop mode connected to an iPhone Lightning Dock, a V-Moda Crossfade LP2 and an O2 headphone amp.

 

I don't know if there's a better value in DACs today that's small enough to go anywhere that I can conveniently use with my iPhone (or an Android) than the Dragonfly.

[austinpop]

Chris, thanks for the excellent review.

 

Did you have a chance to compare the performance of the Black and/or Red when fed by an iPhone via the Lightning adapter with the the same dragonfly connected directly to a computer?

 

In his recent review on Stereophile, Art Dudley felt the SQ in the iPhone setup, while still better than the iPhone's own DAC, was inferior to the computer setup.

 

That was disappointing to hear.

 

I wonder if you found the same?

[fritzg]

What software do you use on the iPhone to listen to (and transfer) hi-res files?

[austinpop]

What software do you use on the iPhone to listen to (and transfer) hi-res files?

 

I'm not sure who this question was for, but I personally use Onkyo HF Player, which I really like. To transfer hi-res files, you use the iTunes (yes I know - counter intuitive) file sharing feature. Oppo has a nice writeup here: https://www.oppodigital.com/KnowledgeBase.aspx?KBID=107&ProdID=HA-2

 

Chris, thanks for the excellent review.

 

Did you have a chance to compare the performance of the Black and/or Red when fed by an iPhone via the Lightning adapter with the the same dragonfly connected directly to a computer?

 

In his recent review on Stereophile, Art Dudley felt the SQ in the iPhone setup, while still better than the iPhone's own DAC, was inferior to the computer setup.

 

That was disappointing to hear.

 

I wonder if you found the same?

 

Well, nothing like answering my own question myself! I borrowed my daughter's Dragonfly Black and did some quick A/B comparisons.

 

First comparison:

 

• iPhone 6, Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter, Tidal app vs.
  
• Macbook Pro running Tidal in Chrome
  
• Music: Sibelius Sym 2, 1st movement, Osmo Vanska, Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, 16/44.1
  
• Outcome: The Macbook configuration was quite markedly superior. Larger image, instruments much easier to resolve.
  

 

 

Second comparison:

 

• iPhone 6, Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter, Onkyo HF Player app vs.
  
• Windows 10 laptop (Dell M3800) running foobar2000
  
• Music: Arnesen's Magnificat, 1st movement, 2L records, 24/192
  
• Downconversion: both the HF Player and foobar2000 downconverted the music to 24/96 to match the Black.
  
• Outcome:Wow! Here the difference was even more pronounced. The Win10/foobar2000 was way more expansive, relaxed, and resolving. This wasn't even close.
  

 

I'm a bit shocked by these outcomes, as I was quite pleased with the Black with my iPhone for travel. I didn't realize how much the iPhone was holding it back. If anyone has any iPhone tweaks that might improve things and reduce this gap, I am all ears.

 

One final note: I wondered if I would hear a difference or if the SQ would improve if the Apple adapter was powered through the Lightning input. Short answer - not really. Bummer.

[bobbmd]

Chris- what happens to your setup with iPhone 7 and no headphone jack? How does Apple expect one to listen 'wirelessly' in a car or on a plane?

My contract for the iphone 6 is up in oct-I think i will opt for the small iPhone 2015 which will still have a headphone jack and costs 100's $ less

Also will a Schiit FULLA work the same way as the DF RED?

bobbmd

[The Computer Audiophile]

Chris- what happens to your setup with iPhone 7 and no headphone jack? How does Apple expect one to listen 'wirelessly' in a car or on a plane?

My contract for the iphone 6 is up in oct-I think i will opt for the small iPhone 2015 which will still have a headphone jack and costs 100's $ less

Also will a Schiit FULLA work the same way as the DF RED?

bobbmd

Hi Bob - Nothing changes with respect to the DragonFlys. They use the Lightning adapter. In fact, the DF is now a requirement for good sound!

[Art_Russell]

Austinpop - Regarding your review of DragonFly and Mac/iPhone. My results over the past two weeks mirror your own. Best response is found on the Mac, in my case running a demo version of JRiver Media Center, and Onkyo on my iPhone.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Computer Audiophile

[austinpop]

Austinpop - Regarding your review of DragonFly and Mac/iPhone. My results over the past two weeks mirror your own. Best response is found on the Mac, in my case running a demo version of JRiver Media Center, and Onkyo on my iPhone.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Computer Audiophile

 

Art, glad you confirmed my observations, although I wish it weren't so. I guess there is no free lunch.

 

I would suspect the limited power on tap with an iPhone battery, especially for the instantaneous current demands of the headphone amp.

 

It would be good to get Audioquest's perspective on why this is the case.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

[doug2761]

Thanks for turning me on to the Dragonfly. This sounds great. Only unusual thing that I've run into is when using this on my MacBook Air with JRiver. Bit rate changes work great but the volume seems to be limited. I've got JRiver set to maximum output volume by adjusting the volume to 100 or by disabling the volume totally. I get enough volume at 100 and perhaps this is a good thing since it takes all volume controls out of play but the max volume is about half the max when I don't use JRiver. This community have any ideas what I might have set up incorrectly?

 

This is truly a great product. I travel a lot and this in combination with Tidal has made long flights much more bearable. Sound quality is very good to my Etymotic in-ear headphones.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi @doug2761 - Happy to hear you like it as much as I do :~)

 

Which DragonFly did you purchase, Red or Black?

 

The volume level thing is strange. I'll plug a DF into my MacBook Pro when I get home to see if I can duplicate it.

 

I love Etymotics. Had two pairs of er4-p over the years.

[The Computer Audiophile]

OK @doug2761 - I think I figured out your issue. Switch to System Volume rather than Internal Volume. Here's a screenshot:

 

[rio96]

Hi, thanks for this detailed review.

Do you think the DF black has enough power to drive a 54 ohm sennheiser hd380 ?

Thanks in advance

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi, thanks for this detailed review.

Do you think the DF black has enough power to drive a 54 ohm sennheiser hd380 ?

Thanks in advance

The Black should be just fine with those headphones.