Audioquest Dragonfly Red Plug-in USB DAC, Preamp, and Headphone Amplifier

Audioquest Dragonfly Red Plug-in USB DAC, Preamp, and Headphone Amplifier

DRAGONFLYS BLACK AND RED
DragonFly Black, the most affordable model of the award-winning DragonFly family, has been praised by Darko.Audio as “the quintessential everyman hi-fi product,” while its more sophisticated sibling, DragonFly Red, combines significantly improved performance with still exceptional value. The ESS 9010 DAC chip in Black and the higher-performance 9016 chip in Red employ minimum-phase filtering for naturally detailed sound.

While DragonFly Black uses a high-quality headphone amp and analog volume control, DragonFly Red includes a more advanced ESS headphone amp and a bit-perfect digital volume control that resides on the 9016 DAC chip itself—a sophisticated implementation that gives Red a unique combination of power and grip over the music. DragonFly Black outputs 1.2 volts—enough power to successfully drive all preamplifier input circuits and a wide range of today’s efficient headphones. With its higher 2.1-volt output, DragonFly Red is compatible with a wider range of headphones, including power-hungry, low-efficiency models.

•Plays all music files: MP3 to High-Res
and MQA
• Compatible with Apple® and Windows® PCs
• Compatible with iOS devices (requires
Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adaptor)
• Compatible with Android devices (requires
DragonTail or other USB Adaptor for
Android Devices)
• Bit-perfect variable output drives
headphones, powered speakers, or
power amp
• Fixed output feeds preamp or receiver

While the original DragonFly created a new category of portable DAC, its USB power draw made it compatible with computers only. Black and Red answered the call of music lovers everywhere for DragonFlys that could be used with Apple iOS mobile devices and Android smartphones and tablets. These DACs proved for once and for all that convenience and performance need no longer be mutually exclusive.

All current-production DragonFly models incorporate 32-bit ESS Sabre DAC chips.

The DAC chips we’ve selected are remarkably powerful and sophisticated, yet we’ve intentionally limited DragonFly’s processing capabilities to 24-bit/96kHz resolution. This makes using DragonFly as simple as it’s always been: All models are fully compatible with PCs without having to download and install new drivers. Most importantly, DragonFly is designed to honor the music you already own and love. Whether you’re listening to Spotify, YouTube, Tidal, Qobuz, ripped CDs, or state-of-the-art high-resolution files, DragonFly will deliver a more emotionally compelling and enjoyable experience.

STREAM TIDAL MASTERS EVERYWHERE
DragonFlys Black, Red, and Cobalt support Tidal Masters (MQA) playback from iPhones and Android smartphones. MQA's technology folds high-resolution files into smaller files that can be streamed on the go. As MQA Renderers, DragonFlys Black, Red, and Cobalt complete the unfolding process, allowing music lovers to enjoy a wider selection of high-res music. Click here to learn more about how MQA works.

STREAM QOBUZ’S VAST CATALOG OF OUTSTANDING HI-RES MUSIC
DragonFlys Black, Red, and Cobalt support Qobuz high-res playback from iPhones, Android smartphones, and MacOS and Windows computers. Qobuz streams and downloads music in bit-perfect FLAC, the most widely used format for mastering and archiving, at resolutions of up to 24-bit/192kHz. With DragonFlys Black, Red, and Cobalt, listeners can enjoy more than 40 million tracks in lossless 16-bit CD resolution and over 2 million hi-res files. Click here to learn more about how Qobuz works.

NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL SOUND IS RIGHT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Whatever music turns you on, wherever you are, an AudioQuest DragonFly USB DAC delivers inspiring, dynamic, and beautiful sound to earbuds, headphones, powered speakers, or complete audio systems.

With a DragonFly, music appreciation and exploration are limitless: Plug into an Apple or Windows® computer or connect to an iOS® or Android mobile device. Play YouTube or Vimeo videos. Go hunting on Bandcamp or SoundCloud. Explore playlists on Spotify or Pandora. Stream high-res audio from Tidal or Qobuz. No matter the choice of musical pleasure, DragonFly delivers beautiful sound, unraveling the emotional expression and nuance that makes music and movies so enjoyable.

Specs

Compatibility Desktop: Windows 7 / 8.1 / 10; Apple OS X; Linux (no support provided)
Mobile: Apple iOS 5 and newer; Android 4.1 and newer
Use with mobile devices requires adapters (available separately)
Connectors Digital Input: 1 x USB Type-A; male
Analog Output: 1 x 1/8" / 3.5 mm TRS stereo; female
DSP 32-bit ESS 9016
Bit Depth 24-bit playback
Sample Rates 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 kHz
Audio Output 2.1 V
Volume Control 64-bit digital control
Dimensions 0.5 x 0.7 x 2.4" / 12.0 x 19.0 x 62.0 mm
Weight Not specified by Manufacturer

Packaging Info
Package Weight 0.4 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH) 7.85 x 6.55 x 1.75"