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Any other AQ Dragonfly Early Adopters out there?

I'd been seeing the AudioQuest Dragonfly USB DAC ads for a month or so and was intrigued. Then it was the cover story for the Oct. issue of Stereophile. Once I read that it:

o Is the size of a thumb drive
o Decodes anything up to 24/96
o Has asynchronous USB decoding
o Was designed by Gordon Rankin himself
o Has no measurable jitter
o Presents a nice balance of tonal body plus detail and treble extension
o Is priced under $250

... I ran out and bought one at my local Magnolia AV. Man, this thing is *cool*! I have been listening almost exclusively to vinyl, and although I've ripped about 250 CDs to my laptop in Apple Lossless format, I still didn't use it for playback much, convenient as it was, because the music ranged from uninvolving to actively irritating.

With the Dragonfly in the signal chain, this is no longer the case. This is a simple and inexpensive way to turn your computer into an excellent-sounding enjoyable source of music. When I play it for background music, it is very relaxing; when I put on more engaging music and turn it up, it is fully enjoyable and involving.

One thing I discovered along the way, however: Since a USB-powered device has to run on a tiny amount of voltage coming through the USB port, there is not a lot of latitude for getting the best performance. My laptop only has two USB ports and one is used for the portable disk drive that holds all my music files. I had been using the other USB port for an external keyboard and plugged the Dragonfly into one of the keyboard's extension USB ports. Using it this way, however, the music coming through the Dragonfly sounded like typical computer-based digital music--there was an irritating glare that made my shoulders go up and forehead tighten. But when I unplugged the keyboard and plugged the Dragonfly directly into the computer's USB port, everything turned into sweetness and light. This is a sweet-sounding rig.

And I've yet to hear it at its best. The Dragonfly can decode up to 24/96. As soon as I install some playback software by Songbird or Decibel, I'm going to download a 24/96 album or two from HDTracks and see how far I can take this. I've heard computer-based 24/96 and 24/88.2 files in demos, and they are significantly smoother and more natural than redbook files.

If you have $250 and would like to elevate the listenability of your computer-based music files, the Dragonfly will get you there. Just a few years ago someone posted on this forum how his laptop and a Wavelength Cosecant was his new digital playback standard. OK, so the Dragonfly is no Cosecant, but it's not $3500-6000 either, and it's still a Gordon Rankin design that provides completely jitter-free playback.
johnnyb53
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Nice writeup on a highly intriguing product, Johnny. Thanks!

This has probably already occurred to you, but if you want to continue to use the external keyboard there are several possible approaches:

1)Plug the external HDD into the external keyboard's USB port. My instinct would be to avoid that approach, though, if the HDD is bus powered, as opposed to having its own power supply.

2)Purchase a powered USB hub, and plug the keyboard and HDD into two of its downstream ports, while connecting its upstream port to the computer. If you do that, it might also be worth seeing what kind of results you get with the Dragonfly also plugged into the hub.

3)If the laptop is one that still provides a PS/2 port, SOME keyboards are suitable for use with USB-to-PS/2 adapters, which would allow you to connect the keyboard via that port instead of USB. That will only work with keyboards that support the PS/2 protocol, though, despite the fact that the adapter would allow the connectors and their pins to be mated. The keyboard manufacturer could probably tell you if that protocol is supported.

If you want to pursue the USB hub approach, I'd suggest reviewing the user comments posted at NewEgg.com about the various models that are available, before finalizing the selection. Be sure to choose one that has its own power supply, as opposed to being bus powered.

Best regards,
-- Al
chayro
2,984 posts
 
I was looking at that - figured I'd wait a few months for the version 2 to come out. I just don't trust a first-generation digital product.
johnnyb53 OP
3,510 posts
 

09-19-12: Almarg
Nice writeup on a highly intriguing product, Johnny. Thanks!

This has probably already occurred to you, but if you want to continue to use the external keyboard there are several possible approaches:

Actually, I took Option 4 and bought a new MacBook Pro today. My stepson takes over the 2008 Macbook with external keyboard tomorrow. I'm also looking forward to having USB 3.0 with the new MacBook along with an increase of RAM from 2 to 8 GB and disk space from 160 to 500 GB.
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