Audioquest Dragonfly

If your system is computer based, the Dragonfly is outstanding. I use it on my desktop and laptop system and the sound on my hi res files and mp3's is much more defined and satisfying through the Audioengine A2 speakers. I am also using either Audrivana or Channel D to run files through. For the money, I think it's a real value. Lot's of bang for the buck and really well made. I agree with Peter_s about how the Dragonfly can strain the USB slot, especially on a laptop computer. I also agree that for 100-200 more you can get a better sounding DAC that will deliver better sound all around. The new Micromedia MyDac is one to watch that could do double duty for a computer or home system. But at 250, the Dragonfly is darn good.

I sometimes used a USB extension cord, both for strain relief and as an inexpensive way to reach the cabling to my stereo. I couldn't hear any difference between having the USB extension in and out of the signal chain. But I could hear differences between the internal DAC and the Dragonfly, and differences using Audirvana to buffer the music files and change the upsampling from 24/96 to 24/88.2 on redbook-based lossless iTunes files.

Like I said, the Dragonfly is a cool little item and extremely well made. It's particularly great at driving bigger headphones with improved dynamics and clarity. For my purposes the money was better spent at this time on Audirvana s/w feeding a real tube linestage.

If I did a lot of traveling with my laptop, I would get the Dragonfly to drive the Sennheiser 580s, or the Grado SR60s for that matter. Since my system is mostly home-based, if I try an asynchronous USB DAC again it will probably be the Musical Fidelity V-DAC MkII with Pangea power supply. My personal opinion is that voltage abundance and stability is the achilles heel of in-line USB DACs. After all, if the Pangea PS improves the sound of the V-DAC, how could an inline USB DAC compete with the miniscule voltage in USB?

Speaking of which, I think half the reason my new tube linestage sounds so smooth and organic is that the transformer is *enormous*. Too tall, in fact, to fit on my equipment rack.

The Dragonfly represents the evolution of portable audio, affordable and amazing performance.
Centrance products arent bad either.