A day in the life - using the DragonFly DAC...

[70'sMusic]

Hi Everyone,

Well, been waiting a long time to share a few thoughts with you about using the DragonFly DAC. I waited a few months to give ample time to get accustomed to listening to music with it and without it. It was purchased to use with my iPod and car stereo system. For the record - my car system features a 3-way JBL system and separate amp, a Kenwood stereo/radio/CD front end and I connect my iPod to my system using a braided AUX cable. The primary iPod I use in my car is the last model made which has a decent internal DAC. I also use an iPod Classic, version 6.0, in my car. Until the DragonFly both units were connected via the earphone jack to my system. I have connected the iPod Classic using USB but my Kenwood front end does not read my playlists and list all of the songs in alphabetical order. There is a SQ improvement using the USB jack but it takes way too much time and attention away from the wheel trying to find a song using that method.

Originally, I wanted to use my iPod with an Apogee "One" as an external DAC (e.g. https://www.apogeedigital.com/blog/...phile-quality-music-car-apogee-one-ios-device). I purchased a refurbished unit but something was wrong with it and I had to return it. When using it the SQ was less than the SQ using my earphone jack, which was surprising given the stellar performance of my Apogee Duet DAC's performance as my main DAW interface.

Now, with at least a month of use under my belt here are my results - does this little DAC make a difference in SQ in this setup? Yes. Is it worth the $100 dollars I paid for it? Unfortunately, No. I have to admit that I do find myself reaching for it and prefer to use it when using my iPod with my car stereo system. But, the changes in SQ are minor. At first listen they were minuscule and I almost returned it. But after four weeks of everyday use I can now hear the difference in "sparkle" using this DAC vs. the earphone jack. Right away the Bass was "tighter" than it was using the earphone jack, but not by much. Four weeks later the Bass sounds the same to my ears in my system. What has slightly changed is the "sparkle", for lack of words, to the sound. It is still clean, crisp and clear using this DAC and I like it. Are these slight changes worth $100 in my system? No. Am I returning this DAC? No. I like the "new" sound and even though it is a pain in the arse to connect it and a separate power cord every time I want to use it, to my ears it sounds "better" with it. Again, the changes are minor but I like them.

So, who else uses one of these DACs in this application and how do you like it? Let's talk about it...

 

[House de Kris]

Just out of curiosity, since you don't think it is worth $100, what amount of money do you value this DAC at?

 

[70'sMusic]

Just out of curiosity, since you don't think it is worth $100, what amount of money do you value this DAC at?

Great question. In my car system it doesn't produce a major improvement. But, given it's build quality and the fact that I still like it, I think it is a good buy at $100. There is a model above it that cost more, haven't tried that one out in my system so I don't know if the difference in SQ would be more noticeable.

 

[70'sMusic]

I also haven't tried it as a headphone DAC yet. That is the next test...

 

[imral3]

Me thinks the improvement in sound will be much more noticeable in a headphone setup where more attentive listening can be done.

 

[EngineerNate]

Apple devices have always had very passable DACs. The difference between the dragonfly and some of the built in DACs I've had in Android phones on the other hand has not been subtle.

The usb-c headphone dongle that came with my pixel 3 xl is especially bad. It's audibly worse than even the built in headphone out on my previous pixel 1 xl, even when just using it in the car with wind nose etc cutting into the SnR.

 

[SA7I]

I’m using a DragonFly “Red” in my system and it sounds unbelievable.

Fun fact:

“You can also use DragonFly as a traditional fixed-output source component (such as a CD player, DVD player, or Blu-ray player), connected to a standard input on a receiver or preamplifier. When used in this manner, DragonFly functions in fixed output mode, which allows the overall volume level to be adjusted with the audio/video system’s master volume control. For this application, both the music player’s volume control and the computer’s main (operating system) volume level should be set to maximum.”

https://www.audioquest.com/page/aq-dragonfly-series-faq.html

 

[70'sMusic]

I’m using a DragonFly “Red” in my system and it sounds unbelievable.

Fun fact:

“You can also use DragonFly as a traditional fixed-output source component (such as a CD player, DVD player, or Blu-ray player), connected to a standard input on a receiver or preamplifier. When used in this manner, DragonFly functions in fixed output mode, which allows the overall volume level to be adjusted with the audio/video system’s master volume control. For this application, both the music player’s volume control and the computer’s main (operating system) volume level should be set to maximum.”

https://www.audioquest.com/page/aq-dragonfly-series-faq.html

Thanks for sharing! I do find that when using my DragonFly Black with my iPod Touch and car stereo that there is a little distortion introduced when the volume on my iPod is turned all the way up. For my car system I set the iPod volume at approx. 2/3rds all the way up and then use the car stereo front end's volume control from there.

 

[SA7I]

Thanks for sharing! I do find that when using my DragonFly Black with my iPod Touch and car stereo that there is a little distortion introduced when the volume on my iPod is turned all the way up. For my car system I set the iPod volume at approx. 2/3rds all the way up and then use the car stereo front end's volume control from there.

I just use stock radio in my car and save the sparkle for when I’m at home.

 

[whyaskit]

I have had the original dragonfly and the newer v. 1.5 black. I have enjoyed both versions quite a bit and think they do offer a little better sound quality when compared to an internal DAC. I like the newer black and upgraded because it is useable with portable devices.

Recently, I was able to get a dragonfly red to compare the two. At first, I felt the Black had a little more detail in the highs that appeared to make it more exciting sounding with bass that was similar. As I spent more time (I should say this is all using my Klipsch X11i and B&W P7 headphones and my iPhone XR, iPad and MacBook as sources) listening, it became apparent that the “detail” I was hearing was a little bit of hash or distortion surrounding things like cymbals and the like. The Red, on the other hand, was simply crystal clear and had all of the same sounds but without the little bit of hash. I was misinterpreting that hash or distortion as having greater detail and sounding exciting.

The red is smooth. Like an glass of woodford reserve. Lots of detail that is very natural sounding and not hyper. The black has the same sounds but that little bit of harshness surrounding it that creates a hyper reality.

The differences are pretty subtle. They are there and when using the most revealing headphones I have, easy to pick out.

I think that both are worthwhile upgrades over the three sources internal DACs that I listened to. The red having better clarity in the highs and being very smooth sounding. The bass in both was very similar. I buy used and feel that they are both good value. My iPhone, dragonfly red and P7 is a combination I can listen to for hours.