AudioQuest Dragonfly Red 24/96 USB DAC

 

“DragonFly Red and Black are the finest examples of everyman hi-fi to ever grace these pages. Their value quotients explode the dial.”

— JOHN DARKO, DIGITALAUDIOREVIEW.NET

DragonFly Red: Stupendous Sound, a Better DAC, and a More Powerful Headphone Amp
For just a little bit more money than its very good sibling, Red gives you a lot more naturalism, dynamics, grip, and power. Featuring a high-end 32-bit ESS 9016 Sabre DAC and a 2.1-volt output, Red can drive almost any headphone – including hard-to-drive, low-efficiency models – and comes with more muscle and torque than its standout sibling, Black. Red also includes a cutting-edge ESS headphone amplifier. The upshot: Red produces cleaner and clearer sonics along with wider soundstages, superior instrumental separation, greater depth, lower-level information retrieval, and stellar balance. Operating without compromising the original signal, a bit-perfect digital volume control ensures optimal fidelity and signal-to-noise ratio. Like Black, Red is upgradeable and ready for future developments via complimentary desktop applications.

“The Red has more in reserve, and is thus able to sound both cleaner and more exciting, especially when playing complex recordings. That’s as true as when driving headphones as it is when connected to a main system.”
–Hi-Fi News, Outstanding Product review

Apple and Android Compatibility: Simple Adapters Required for Use
DragonFly Red and Black require simple adapters to work with Apple and Android devices. For use with Apple iOS, you’ll need Apple’s Lightning-to-USB camera adapter. For Android, a Made for Android (OTG) adapter, such as the AudioQuest DragonTail USB Adapter, is required.

“If, like me, you only very occasionally want to hook up your computer, smartphone, or tablet to some high-quality headphones or a hi-fi system, the Black is probably going to be more than adequate for your needs and offers exceptional value.”
-Andrew Everard, Hi-Fi News, Outstanding Product review

“Both of AudioQuest’s new DragonFlys offer high value and high sound quality—and I’m more than a little excited at the prospect of the upgradability of their software. Very strongly recommended.”
—Art Dudley, Stereophile

 

• Now decodes MQA after firmware update!
• USB Stick-Sized Digital-to-Analog Converter
• Plays all music files: MP3 to high-res
• Compatible with Apple and Windows PCs, as well as iOS and Android mobile devices (requires Apple Camera Adapter or Made for Android/OTG adaptor)
• Drives headphones directly
• Fixed output feeds preamp or AV receiver
• Asynchronous transfer ensures digital timing integrity
• High output (2.1 volts) drives almost all headphones, including power-hungry models
• 32-bit ESS 9016 DAC with minimum-phase filter
• Bit-perfect digital volume control