AudioQuest DragonFly Asynchronous USB Digital-Audio Converter (DAC)
Model: DRAGONFLY
DragonFly is an affordable and easy-to-use device that delivers far superior sound by bypassing the poor quality sound card that is built into your computer. DragonFly is a sleek, flash drive sized Digital-Audio Converter that connects to a USB jack on a Mac® or Windows® PC, turning any computer into a true high- fidelity music source. Whether you’re on the go or at home, listening on ear buds or connecting your computer to a stereo system, DragonFly reveals all the emotional expression and nuance that makes your favorite music, or movies, so enjoyable. However you connect it, DragonFly simply and easily makes any computer sound better.
How DragonFly Does It
The heart of DragonFly is the 24-bit ESS Sabre™ conversion chip, a high-performance solution that’s typically found in better CD and Blu-ray Disc™ players. DragonFly can accept audio and music files ranging from MP3s and CD-standard 16-bit/44kHz to native 24-bit/96kHz high-resolution, regardless of music file format. DragonFly uses a very sophisticated "asynchronous*" USB audio data transfer protocol. Rather than sharing crucial audio "data clocking" functions with the computer, DragonFly alone commands the timing of the audio data transfer, dramatically reducing digital timing errors. Even when the iTunes volume slider is used, DragonFly’s high-resolution analog volume control carries out the instructions in the analog domain for the best sound quality. And DragonFly’s analog circuits are direct-coupled from the ESS converter chip’s output, avoiding the need for any extraneous, sonically degrading components in the signal path.
All of these refinements allow DragonFly to make music with a natural solidity and clarity that is dramatically superior to the sound you would hear from your computer on its own.
Beautiful Sound ... From Any Computer
- Plays All Music Files: MP3 to 24-bit/192kHz
- Drives Headphones Directly
- Variable Output Drives Powered Speakers or Power Amp
- Fixed Output Feeds Preamp or Receiver
- Asynchronous Transfer Ensures Digital Timing Integrity
- Two Clocks Enable Native Resolution Up To 24-bit/96kHz