Audioquest DragonFly DAC and headphones amp

Very cool. May have to try one of these.

 

Great setup for using the laptop for high-end quality music at work. Used it yesterday at work.

 

I am listening with Amarra Mini and DF with wonderful results. Amarra Hi-Fi was recently updated to play gapless.

 

I got this to fix my OCD.

 

MIke, where did you get that? I need one of those and I like the thin cable.

 

I got it off eBay. It looks just like an Apple made cable. Can't go wrong with $2. I'm not sure if I can hear any negative effects.

 

Steve Guttenberg's review of the Dragonfly for CNET was posted today.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-5...-digital-to-analog-converter-from-audioquest/

 

Thanks, Mike.

 

Streamlength USB protocol

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The Halide HD does not appear to made for computer use, it has no analog volume control. It has the advantage of cryogenically treated cables so there is no derogation caused by the junctions of extensions and elbows. In the market that was built for I would think 24/192 is expected.

 

The Halide HD can't run headphones so it's out for me. The DF fits my portable needs.

 

Anyone else have a hands on report of the DragonFly? I'm considering a DAC for my Macbook and this looks to meet my needs and is in my price range. Or is there something better for under $250?

 

The volume on foobar2000 goes from 0dB to -100dB so there would be no risk using it to output digital audio into a DAC with fixed or 0 to -XdB output correct?

 

I'm just using the keyboard volume keys on my MacBook Air. Itunes is set to Max volume. Is that wrong or not the best?

 

It would depend on what full volume from your DAC would do. Some output a louder signal than others.

I suppose you could use a line level attenuator between the source and the DAC to lower the level so that max volume can't clip your amp or blow your speakers/headphones. I haven't tried that.

I'm overly cautious now after having blown a headphone due to a digital volume glitch that would never have happened if the amp used a traditional analog dial.

 

I posted my impressions here: http://66.39.28.179/forums/showpost.php?p=7829159&postcount=47

And no, there's nothing better under $250.

 

Mike,
AQ recommends, interestingly enough, to set your Macbook computer volume to max, and then use the music player software to adjust volume. I had been doing what you were doing, but when I followed AQs instructions using Decibel for playback, I found it did sound better using their protocol (that is, using Decibel to adjust volume). I think that is what engages the analog volume control.

 

Would love to hear from anyone who can compare this directly to

- HRT MS II or II+
- Audioengine D1

when used with preamp or receiver (as opposed to 'phones)

 

That's exactly the right way to do it.

 

That wouldn't work correctly with iTunes. When you use the internal iTunes volume control, it uses bit truncation to attenuate the volume. In other words, you lose resolution at every setting other than the max. On the other hand, when you use your system-wide volume control, you engage the analog volume control inside the Dragonfly. Gordon Rankin explained this in a post on Computet Audiophile.

 

Look at Gordon Rankin's post towards the bottom of the page:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f...onous-usb-dac-headphone-amp-12353/index4.html

He says to use the system wide volume control, not the application volume control. He also says that in some direct interfaces, the application volume control might be linked to the system volume control. Presumably, for those applications (iTunes isn't one of them), using the application volume control is OK (because all it is doing is changing the system wide volume).

I'm not sure why AQ would recommend the *opposite* of what the designer said. For 99% of the population, they won't care or notice a difference anyway.

 

From my understanding, iTunes outputs bit perfect when the volume is a 100% any other level will effect it's output. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

 

I'd love to hear how this unit compares to the iBasso D7 Sidewinder which I just picked up. Really nice unit and it handles 24/192. Seems to pair well with my Ultimate Ears Custom In-Ear Reference Monitors. But the tiny size of this unit is VERY appealing...

 

You are correct. Any level on the iTunes slider less than 100% invokes digital volume attenuation, which you do not want.

Other music players might use a volume control that simply mirrors the system wide volume control. The volume controls on those players would be OK to use because using them has the same effect as changing your system-wide volume.

 

Mike,

I suggest you email Gordon Rankin about this and also let him know that the AQ packaging recommends the opposite of what he stated on Computer Audiophile. I have emailed Gordon before and he is very responsive. I am sure he'd be interested to know about this discussion.

 

By the way, Computer Audiophile is a great site. My only gripe is that it is more a blog than a forum (ie, the blog/review component dominates). It should have more traffic in the forum section than it does!