Anyone heard one? Looks very interesting.
Async USB input (supposedly the same as used in Wavelength Audio and Ayre products).
Two clocks for native sampling to 96Khz. Supports up to 192Khz sampling.
ES9023 24bit 192Khz DAC.
Variable or fixed outputs.
Can drive headphones directly.
About the size of a thumbdrive.
Around $250 list.
DragonFly ? USB Digital-Audio Converter
Async USB input (supposedly the same as used in Wavelength Audio and Ayre products).
Two clocks for native sampling to 96Khz. Supports up to 192Khz sampling.
ES9023 24bit 192Khz DAC.
Variable or fixed outputs.
Can drive headphones directly.
About the size of a thumbdrive.
Around $250 list.
DragonFly ? USB Digital-Audio Converter
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I would take this with a big grain of salt. it will drive some headphones directly and certainly some not all that effectively. it will be severely current limited for low impedance and voltage limited for higher impedance. otherwise looks like a neat little device, reports over at headfi seem quite positive.
says it will drive 12ohms headphones hmm i'm finding it hard to believe it will run USB receiver, 2 clocks, a dac , an MCU, blue multiple LEDs and an analogue stage on a USB socket power budget. it will also be limited as to what USB ports will run it. max output 150mW, that wont go far with 150+ ohms headphones and the swing from 5v isnt going to be huge.
its also only capable of 96kHz, it downsamples 192 though it says this only in the fine print
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Gordonfly analog
What amazes me is the next one of Gordon's designs that I can find,halide the Halide costs twice as much, and for computer use does not have the analog volume control. The main advantage seems to be the cryogenically treated cables. No degradation occurs at junctions of adapters and extensions.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
What amazes me is the next one of Gordon's designs that I can find,halide the Halide costs twice as much, and for computer use does not have the analog volume control. The main advantage seems to be the cryogenically treated cables. No degradation occurs at junctions of adapters and extensions.
If it's connected to a USB hub current shouldn't be a big deal(aside from getting a little warm), but it would nice if someone who already has this device can chime in.
huh? its got nothing to do with the supply current, its the output current capability of the headphone amp, particularly into low impedances. its not going to all of a sudden become a different design when used with a hub, which still has to comply to the USB standard anyway and are ALL limited to 5v. 150mw at 5v or less; thats its max stated output, wont make any difference what its powered with.
or you just mean the 150mw isnt a big deal for the laptop to deal with?
or you just mean the 150mw isnt a big deal for the laptop to deal with?
completely different task, myself i'll take a good digital volume control over the type of analogue control that can fit in this (i'm betting its the TPA6120A or similar) but thats personal choice. I dont doubt its worth trhe money as a dac, which is far less demanding; but I find some of the claims for power output into headphones more than unrealistic
How it works
How it works: Amazon.com: -oo0(GoldTrader)0oo-'s review of AudioQuest DragonFly Asynchronous USB Digi...
umm? TPA6120A as I mentioned above, is a digitally controlled (via i2c) buffered analogue volume control chip. I doubt theyve used exactly this one, because its a bit of a power hog, but theyve probably used one of its lower power family, or perhaps the new crystal semiconductor one. what this means is its an opamp and embedded resistor ladder volume control that can be controlled digitally
the post is incorrect, or rather its incomplete. wide bit depth digital volume control does lower DNR, but it only starts to effect the DNR of the output once the amount of attenuation exceeds the spare dynamic range your dac/control has, as compared to the DNR of the file you are playing. so if you have your gain structure set up properly ie you dont have much more gain than you actually need to reach your preferred volume, then you do not lose DNR at all. what you do lower is SNR, because the noise floor of the equipment stays constant wrt to the signal input, which is being reduced in volume. in a decent dac, with sane amount of gain in your amp, by the time this becomes an issue, you should not even really be able to hear the music anymore.
analogue volume control, even the best kinds, start reducing DNR immediately, plus adding their own noise and thus lowering SNR in a static manner, but also attenuating the input noise
the post is incorrect, or rather its incomplete. wide bit depth digital volume control does lower DNR, but it only starts to effect the DNR of the output once the amount of attenuation exceeds the spare dynamic range your dac/control has, as compared to the DNR of the file you are playing. so if you have your gain structure set up properly ie you dont have much more gain than you actually need to reach your preferred volume, then you do not lose DNR at all. what you do lower is SNR, because the noise floor of the equipment stays constant wrt to the signal input, which is being reduced in volume. in a decent dac, with sane amount of gain in your amp, by the time this becomes an issue, you should not even really be able to hear the music anymore.
analogue volume control, even the best kinds, start reducing DNR immediately, plus adding their own noise and thus lowering SNR in a static manner, but also attenuating the input noise
Pretty good, it's hard to quantify but definitely a step up from the typical analogue output from a laptop. I use it with top of the line Sure in ear monitor headphones while I travel and the DAC has solid base and clear highs. Is it as good as my equipment at home - no, but for the money to have good quality audio while travelling it is worth it. Recommended if you travel but I wouldn't be using it as a main DAC (eg. on my home computer audio system I use a NOS TDA1541A triple crown system which definitely sounds better). For travelling it is small and very robust which is a bonus.
Thanks! Similar experience lately for me with 2 dacs
I just got the Sabre and Grant Fidelity.. Grant is far better than Sabre but Just getting started with USB dacs.. Hear some good things about Burson too..
The Red is an excellent DAC, even when used for 2 channel in my main setup. Just as good as anything under $500 I’ve heard (I've heard a lot in that price range including diy). However different dac makers
Have different presentations. So if you don’t care for ESS sound then avoid.
Their chips (Es9023, ES9018, ES9016, etc) have a particular presentation. Known for being more on the detailed/lean/analytical side. The Dragonfly uses the ES9016(?) or similar. Of course this is a big generalization dependent on how well the DAC is designed. I consider to be neutral overall and not analytical at all, but I also have a preference for the ESS sound.
This might be a good option
HiFime UAE23HD USB DAC (ES9018K2M+SA9023)
I used the spdif version with good results. Good enough that I will order the USB version.
I thought about the dragonfly red but I do not yet have the need for MQA decoding so for a lower price I can get a better DAC chip if I go the HiFimediy rout.
I nerver listened to the dragonfly red but I expect the HiFimediy dac to be at least on par with the dragonfly red as long we are not playong MQA files.
HiFime UAE23HD USB DAC (ES9018K2M+SA9023)
I used the spdif version with good results. Good enough that I will order the USB version.
I thought about the dragonfly red but I do not yet have the need for MQA decoding so for a lower price I can get a better DAC chip if I go the HiFimediy rout.
I nerver listened to the dragonfly red but I expect the HiFimediy dac to be at least on par with the dragonfly red as long we are not playong MQA files.
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