Any love for the Audioquest Dragonfly Red???

Onebean

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I am considering buying a DAC that will unfold MQA flies so I can try out the master quality recordings on Tidal. I’m trying to resist spending $500 or more on a MQA compatible DAC. Is the $200 Dragonfly Red up to the task, or is it simply a gateway drug? My system consists of ADS L-880 speakers, a Manley 75 watt tube amp, and a Mitsubishi DA-10P, with my sources being a Pioneer RT-707 R2R, Technics Sl-1200 with a Dynavector 20x2 and step up transformers, and a Marantz SA-8004. Is the Dragonfly on par with the rest of my system? I’d feed it with a MacBook Pro. Will the Dragonfly red and MQA tracks hang with my analog gear as far as sound quality?

Onebean
 
Also consider the Meridian Explorer2.

What will it sound like compared to analog? Only you can tell if you like it or not.
I have no problems with MQA sound quality.

Try it, you might like it a lot.

To some, MQA is the antichrist. So you will get a lot of different viewpoints.

Eric
 
I have the Dragonfly Red and I still fall back on it sometimes. It's a great little DAC. From what I've heard from others, it's the amp in the DFR that's a little weak, but the DAC itself is great, and since you'll be using it as a DAC, I think you'd like it. I unfortunately have never played MQA files, so I don't know how it handles them.
 
What DAC are you using?

Me?

I use a Topping D30 so only 24/96 MQA for me.
I was going to get the Explorer2 but I'm still waiting for a little bit to see if any other MQA enabled DACs show up in the near future.

Both the Dragonfly Red and the Explorer2 seem well received in general.

Eric
 
Me?

I use a Topping D30 so only 24/96 MQA for me.
I was going to get the Explorer2 but I'm still waiting for a little bit to see if any other MQA enabled DACs show up in the near future.

Both the Dragonfly Red and the Explorer2 seem well received in general.

Eric
I didn’t think the Topping D30 could do MQA decoding?
 
I’ve owned the original dragonfly, the dragonfly black and the red. There is a difference in quality, not a huge difference but one that is easily heard. I really like the red quite a bit and am glad I own it.

I should also say that I have a Meridian Explorer as well, not the 2, and it is a really nice sounding DAC. I like it better than the black. But the black can be used with portable devices and the Explorer can not. I haven’t heard the Explorer against the red as the red is fairly new to me and I have only spent time comparing the black and red. Maybe I’ll write up my impressions in a separate post.
 
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