Dragonfly Black volume levels

[mindnoise]

Hi Folks,

I've been using the Dragonfly Black for over a year now.  While it is a great amplifier I'm having trouble with the volume levels that it outputs.  I use it with my iPhone or PC laptop for travel mostly.  The volume level doesn't go past the first notch of the volume indicator of the iPhone before the level gets way too loud.  No matter what I try there is no way to get comfortable volume levels, it's either too loud or too low.  I use portable folding on-ear or IEM's with the same results for both, too loud.  I find there is a very narrow available range for the volume level.

 

After all this time using the amp; am I using the Dragonfly correctly?  Are there settings I'm not aware of?  Is there any way to better control the volume of the Dragonfly?  I though of one solution which is to try the iFi iEMatch to attenuate the volume with a more usable range, would this be a good solution?  It seems silly to me that I have to purchase another gadget to get the first one to work properly.  
 

Thanks in advance for your help.

Jay

[Cornan]

3 hours ago, mindnoise said:

Hi Folks,

I've been using the Dragonfly Black for over a year now.  While it is a great amplifier I'm having trouble with the volume levels that it outputs.  I use it with my iPhone or PC laptop for travel mostly.  The volume level doesn't go past the first notch of the volume indicator of the iPhone before the level gets way too loud.  No matter what I try there is no way to get comfortable volume levels, it's either too loud or too low.  I use portable folding on-ear or IEM's with the same results for both, too loud.  I find there is a very narrow available range for the volume level.

 

After all this time using the amp; am I using the Dragonfly correctly?  Are there settings I'm not aware of?  Is there any way to better control the volume of the Dragonfly?  I though of one solution which is to try the iFi iEMatch to attenuate the volume with a more usable range, would this be a good solution?  It seems silly to me that I have to purchase another gadget to get the first one to work properly.  
 

Thanks in advance for your help.

Jay

 

I use the Dragonfly Black v1.5 together with Jitterbug. The volume levels is normal and not as you describe them at all. I am really amazed by the SQ of this little nifty combo as well. I never liked the Jitterbug in my main rig, but in this portable rig it really make a big difference for the better.

 

If you are using Tidal as source via the iPhone you should check this out https://inspiringheadphones.com/are-you-getting-the-best-out-of-tidal-hifi 

You press the cogg wheel in the sound settings and tick all the boxes there.

 

I hope that helps! ?

[dalethorn]

6 hours ago, mindnoise said:

Hi Folks,

I've been using the Dragonfly Black for over a year now.  While it is a great amplifier I'm having trouble with the volume levels that it outputs.  I use it with my iPhone or PC laptop for travel mostly.  The volume level doesn't go past the first notch of the volume indicator of the iPhone before the level gets way too loud.  No matter what I try there is no way to get comfortable volume levels, it's either too loud or too low.  I use portable folding on-ear or IEM's with the same results for both, too loud.  I find there is a very narrow available range for the volume level.

 

After all this time using the amp; am I using the Dragonfly correctly?  Are there settings I'm not aware of?  Is there any way to better control the volume of the Dragonfly?  I though of one solution which is to try the iFi iEMatch to attenuate the volume with a more usable range, would this be a good solution?  It seems silly to me that I have to purchase another gadget to get the first one to work properly.  
 

Thanks in advance for your help.

Jay

I've had that problem with the DragonFly Black for sure, with my iPhone.  I don't remember for sure which version of iOS I was using, but it was *prior* to version 11 (v10 or below).  I tried the DF Red just now on my iPad running iOS 11 (same as my iPhone 7-plus), and I was able to get decent volume control.

 

I tried my iPhone 7-plus just now, and the volume range was more sensitive.  The volume buttons are supposed to make a 3.5 db (approx.) increase or decrease, but mine sounded like 6 db differences.  Anyway, the volume slider on the screen enables a finer increment.

 

The DF Black will probably be even harder to control on the iPhone, and you'll probably need to use the screen volume slider, since the DF Black is much louder (more sensitive) than the DF Red.

 

Edit: I really wish Apple would go to 2 db default volume changes with the buttons, since most people find them more convenient than having to hold the phone and turn the screen on and then adjust the volume slider.  That convenience of using the buttons means that where a lot of users want just a little more volume, they could get twice as much as they want with the buttons, which could increase the risk of hearing damage (something I've written about).

[mindnoise]

Thanks Dale,

I currently use the slider as well.  It allows a more fines tuned setting, but still I end up with the volume slider at the very low end with very loud volume.

 

I am tempted to try the iEMatch from iFi to see if it helps with a more usable range of volumes.  I just wish one reviewer, out of all the positive reviews for the Dragonfly, would have mentioned the quirks of the volume controls.  Emails to Audioquest have returned no help.

 

Thanks.

Jay

[mansr]

The DF Black volume control has 64 steps spanning 64 dB. The steps are not constant, however. At the loud end each step is about 0.5 dB, gradually increasing to about 2 dB at the quiet end. If you can't find a comfortable setting, it's a software problem. Good luck getting Apple to admit that.

[mindnoise]

Hi mansr,

My volume issue is not isolated to the iPhone.  It's the same for my Windows10 laptop.  Goes to the 2nd or 3rd notch before it is too loud :-(

 

Jay

 

 

[stuck limo]

Same issue. Driving my Black, I can't go past 5 or 6 (MAX) without it exploding my headphones (Senn 558) on Windows 10. On other headphones, it may be notch 2-3 before my ears or headphones are damaged. No such issue with any other DAC such as the Radsone ES100 or my Geek Outs.