My AQ Dragonfly is on it's way

[audiot servant]

great video thanks... and also the tip on 1/4 step volume with the analog volume control...

Also looking forward to how you both see it stacking up against the HRT in terms of musicality, hope the cable-less design helps give it a bit of a head start in SQ. Love the design of it, very elegant solution all round, if it sounds as good as it looks it's a winner for me... thinking might even consider also running it into an ALO RXMk3 for a really good portable rig with the LCD2 headphones when it lands.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by HiFiGuy528

It's very very good build quality. I'll do some listening this weekend. I love the cableless design.

i just unboxed mine and I agree; build quality is impressive...pics comin' up!

[Puma Cat]

Audioquest Dragonfly USB DAC...nicely boxed.



Product info similar to the packaging for the current Audioquest digital cable products...


Box, manual and packaging. The manual is for computer configuration.


The Dragonfly and it's carrying case


The Dragonfly lights up in different colors for different sampling rates....
1) 44.1 KHz is green...


2) 88.2 is orange...


3) 96 Khz is magenta...

[HiFiGuy528]

Very nice unboxing pictures.

[Puma Cat]

Thanks, Mike. Are you listening to yours yet?

[Puma Cat]

After about an hour of listening to the Dragonfly with my Grado RS60i headphones, and being quite impressed with the naturalness and high level of sound quality of the Dragonfly, I installed it on my Macbook based music server system running PureMusic and iTunes. Bear in mind that I'm presently using an incredibly inexpensive, generic stereo miniplug to RCA cable...probably not even Monoprice quality. And, it's got about 1 hour of burn-in time on it.

Right out of the box, the Dragonfly impresses, it's a natural-sounding DAC with a smooth and musical midrange. Playing "Ella and Louis" in 24/96 from an HD Tracks download, Ella's voice sounds gorgeous, sweet and melodious; Louis Armstrong's voice has that lovely textural throatiness that we all remember him for. The Dragonfly doesn't have the drive-you-out of the room brightness and aggressiveness that the Bifrost had when first unboxed. It's smoother than that, and it will be very interesting to see if it burns in in the way the Bifrost did very beautifully. Presently the highest highs are just a skosh on the bright side, hopefully these will smooth out a bit with some hours on the clock. Overall, the presentation is very musical, but a bit drier and not as liquid and mellifluous as the Bifrost or Wadia 121. The imaging is excellent, but soundstage is more forward (you're at row 6 than row 12) than on the Bifrost or Wadia. The bass, however is truly outstanding.

The Dragonfly, though, really loves rock 'n roll....this DAC has a punchy, dynamic sound that really reminds me of my Rega P5 turntable; a real kickin'-out-the jams quality to it that's gets your feet moving and your blood flowing. Some Creed, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Third Eye Blind might be the order of play.

I'll put up some classical in a bit, but right now, I'm having too much fun rockin' out...stay tuned...

[audiot servant]

great early impressions, thanks PC

[Puma Cat]

Sounds excellent on a nice Redbook rip of Bill Evans' Everybody Digs Bill Evans. The imaging, soundstage, drums and bass are very impressive. Still reminds me a lot of the Rega P5...punchy and dynamic.

['cisco]

Stephen.....thanks for the great pics and review.

Mike......another great vid.

['cisco]

Just keeping my options open....I was thinking of using the Dragonfly's USB DAC in this configuration..... Using a Audioquest 3.5mm stereo mini to RCA adaptor and a pair of RCA cables connected to one of my C50/CJ's input. What do you think? The cable connection between the Dragonfly and the Audioquest adaptor may produce some stress in the connection??