DragonFly Black and DragonFly Red are the latest Digital Audio Converters from AudioQuest, both with the ability to enhance the audio quality played from any iOS or Android mobile device.
Whether it’s playing back stored mp3s, high-resolution music files or streaming music services such as Spotify, the new DragonFly DACs transform any smartphone, laptop or tablet into a true, hi-fidelity music player.
AudioQuest chief DragonFly designer Gordon Rankin and Microchip Technology developed a new high-performance, full-speed USB microcontroller that creates improved signal-to-noise ratio and consumes significantly less power.
True compatibility with iOS and Android devices is made possible thanks to the inclusion of this new Microchip PI32MX microcontroller, which consumes 77 per cent less current than the previous microcontroller.
Improved 32-bit ESS Sabre DAC chips — 9010 in DragonFly Black and 9016 in the high-end DragonFly Red — use minimum-phase filtering to produce more lifelike and naturally detailed music.
The 1.2 volt DragonFly Black has the ability to drive all preamplifier input circuits as well as a wide range of headphones while the 2.1 volt DragonFly Red makes it compatible with a broader range of headphones, including the power hungry models.
The new DACs have been designed to be used without any software or driver installations, limiting the processing capabilities of both the DragonFly Black and DragonFly Red to 24-bit/96kHz resolution made this possible.
The new DACs will be software upgradable via a complimentary Windows or OS X desktop application. As new developments arise — be it streaming services or music apps — you’ll be able to incorporate those updates into their existing devices.
You can pick up an AudioQuest DragonFly Black DAC for $160, and the DragonFly Red DAC for $320.