The Popular AudioQuest DragonFly line of Digital to Analog converters are compact, powerful and sound great. It was time for Audioish to do a Dragonfly Red Review.
Because I already own a DragonFly Black, I knew what to expect from a size/layout perspective but the finish on the Red is impressive. The exterior of the Red is finished in a glossy red enamel and immediately feels more hi-end than the black. Best of all, the Dragonfly Red has more power, an upgraded DAC chip and bit perfect digital volume control on the DAC chip itself.
How Does it Sound?
Let me start by saying that I had a difficult time starting this review but not because I had writers block. Definitely not, I had plenty to write about the DragonFly Red DAC. My problem was that I decided to sit down in my favorite listening chair, with my iPad streaming Tidal through the DragonFly Red into my Philips X2HR cans while writing this review. Tidal had suggested the Eagles master recording of Hotel California from their 1994 MTV session AKA “Hell Freezes Over.” I hit play an six minutes and fifty four seconds later I opened my eyes and realized that I needed to take off my headphones and concentrate to write this review. The ambiance that the Red brought to that recording was amazing and noticeably more real than the DragonFly Black.
How could I do an AudioQuest Dragonly Red review without Bach: Pastorale in C Minor by Jacques Loussier Trio which shows the amazing detail this little DAC brings to the table. Ambiance again stands out on this recording as well and you feel like your in the studio with the engineer watching these masters at work. The bass solo will bring home the Lush bottom end of a much more expensive DAC and makes you wonder how AudioQuest managed to get all this performance in such a small, portable package. Talk about balance, the highs are crisp but not the least bit harsh. I listened to the entire album without the hint of fatigue. The cymbals on this album will wear me down with a lesser DAC or a bright pair of headphones.
Moving on to something a little more contemporary, my next reference track was the master version of Finally // Beautiful Stranger by Halsey. This is one of those emotional female vocal tracks that I know extremely well and frequently use to test a components ability to resolve the warmth and breath in her vocals. While listening to the DF Red, the imaging on this track became very noticeable and seemed to stand out. I grabbed my DragonFly Black and played the track back to find the imaging to be less precise.
Like blues? What audiophile review would be complete without Tin Pan Alley by Stevie Ray Vaughan. This recording is a masterpiece. It’s not perfect and is not available in a master file but it’s a classic. This is by far my favorite Stevie Ray Vaughan recording. You’ll be transported to a dark, smokey blues club in Chicago and start craving a cigar and a glass of bourbon. The timbre in his guitar can only be truly conveyed with good components. The DragonFly Red does a fantastic job reproducing Stevies guitar and its soulful Stratocaster timbre. Vocals are airy and full, just like they should be on this track. Now I’m thinking about how I’m going to to sell my DF Black.
Last but certainly not least, I listened to Gold Dust Woman (2001 remaster) by Fleetwood Mac master file. In the right setup, the sound-stage in this recording is huge and full of ambiance, especially on my X2HR’s. The AudioQuest DragonFly Red keeps this track open and airy but allows the fantastic imaging in this recording to stay sharp and focused. The beautiful harmonies in this song are layered perfectly and the DragonFly Red allows you to discern each voice separately.
Overall Impression of the DragonFly Red
At the end of the day, the AudioQuest DragonFly Red is a great piece of portable audiophile gear. It’s a noticeable upgrade from the Black and my recommendation would be to skip the Black and buy the Red if you can afford it. It’s easily worth the additional $100 if you have the cans or system that will resolve the difference between these two DACS. Even if you don’t have an audiophile setup, you will hear the difference in the Red right out of the box.
One more note if you’re going to use the DragonFly with a smartphone or tablet you’ll need an OTG cable. The one shown here in my setup is a USB-A adaptor for IOS.
Thanks for reading our DragonFly Red Review and remember you can always follow our beginner audiophile journey on the Audioish Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts or here on BuzzSprout
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Listen to the Audioish Podcast online here or wherever you get your podcasts. Our Episode about the DragonFly Red Review is coming soon.
Interested in a new pair of headphones? We reviewed the Philips Fidelio X2HR’s here.
Thanks for reading our AudioQuest DragonFly Red Review.