AudioQuest Dragonfly Red Portable Headphone Amplifier/DAC
Description
USB DAC + Preamp + Headphone Amp
From MP3 to MQA and High-Res: Naturally Beautiful Sound at Your Fingertips—
Whenever and Wherever You Want It
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.
ENCLOSURE AND ACCESSORIES
Red automotive finish with gold lettering | Protective endcap | Leatherette travel pouch
NATIVE RESOLUTION
Up to 24-bit / 96kHz
OUTPUT
2.1 volts - Direct-coupled, high output: Enough power to easily drive the widest range of headphones. When used as a line-level device (volume set to 100%), DF Red’s 2.1 volts provide enough power to drive all preamplifier, integrated amplifier, or receiver inputs.
HEADPHONE AMP - ESS Sabre 9601
MICROCONTROLLER
Microchip PIC32MX270
Extremely low power consumption with 32-bit architecture and the option for software upgradability (via AudioQuest’s free Desktop Device Manager).
DAC CHIP - ESS ES9016 with minimum-phase fast roll-off filter
VOLUME CONTROL - 64-Bit Bit-Perfect Digital Volume Control
DESKTOP/PC COMPATIBILITY – Apple OS 10.6.8 and later | Microsoft Windows 7 and later | Linux (no technical support provided)
MOBILE COMPATIBILITY – Apple iOS 5 and later (requires Apple Camera Adapter; Lightning to USB 3 recommended) | Android 5.0 and later (requires micro-USB DragonTail, USB-C DragonTail, or other USB adaptor for Android devices)
MQA RENDERING
UPGRADABLE FIRMWARE
MONOCLOCK TECHNOLOGY - In Gordon Rankin’s monoClock® technology, a single ultra-low-jitter clock generated from the ESS DAC chip runs the headphone amplifier, as well as all microcontroller functionalities, enabling DragonFly to produce greater resolution and clarity than DACs that employ multiple clocks.
DIMENSIONS - 12mm (h) x 19mm (w) x 62mm (l)