AudioQuest DragonFly Black USB DAC / Headphone Amplifier

AudioQuest DragonFly Black USB DAC

DragonFly Black is a USB digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) designed to deliver cleaner, clearer, more naturally beautiful sound from any computer, smartphone, or tablet. DragonFly Black’s unique design allows for playback of any file type regardless of resolution. Natively, DragonFly Black is capable of decoding 24-bit/96 kHz data.

DragonFly Black represents the culmination of several new and exciting achievements.

Over the better part of three years, AudioQuest and acclaimed engineer Gordon Rankin have been tirelessly developing sophisticated software solutions that have allowed AudioQuest to implement a new, high-performance class of USB microcontroller. AudioQuest have chosen to work with Microchip®, a leading provider of microcontroller and analogue semiconductors. With exceedingly low power consumption and extremely low-noise power supplies, the Microchip microcontrollers achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency and signal-to-noise ratio, regardless of bit- or sample-rate.

While DragonFly versions 1.0 and 1.2 achieved new standards of performance and portability in the high-fidelity audio world, many AudioQuest customers have longed for a similar product that could be reliably used with their handheld mobile devices. Previously, DragonFly’s power consumption limited its compatibility to Mac and Windows laptops and PCs. Now, with AudioQuest's developments in the field of microcontrollers, they are able to improve DragonFly’s performance while also offering compatibility with handheld Apple Mobile and Android devices. Improved performance and greater versatility!

DragonFly Black employs a unique clock system called a Hybrid-PLL. While not discrete, the Hybrid-PLL performs equal to, or better than, many discrete clock systems, at a fraction of their cost. This has allowed us to devote resources to more sophisticated components elsewhere.

Key Features

• Plays all music files: MP3 to MQA and High-Res
• Compatible with Apple® and Windows® PCs
• Compatible with iOS devices (requires Apple Camera Adapter/Connection Kit)
• Compatible with Android devices (requires DragonTail or other USB Adaptor for Android Devices)
• MQA Rendering
• Analogue volume control
• Drives headphones directly (Texas Instruments TPA6130 headphone amplifier)
• High quality 32-bit ESS 9010 D/A converter
• Fixed output feeds preamp or AV receiver
• Asynchronous transfer ensures digital timing integrity