{"id":24815,"date":"2022-02-22T23:57:51","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T22:57:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/?p=24815"},"modified":"2022-03-01T23:45:38","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T22:45:38","slug":"audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"AUDIOQUEST DRAGONFLY RED > Review \u2013 Worth a purchase in 2022?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve come to the right place!!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today we\u2019ll take another look at the DragonFly Red and find out if it\u2019s still worth a purchase in 2022.
\nIt\u2019s been a top recommendation of mine for a few years now, and I wanted to see if it holds up among the current oversaturated DAC market and if not, what should you be targeting instead?
\nBy the end of this article, you should know everything it\u2019s capable of and if it\u2019s right for you.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Summary<\/strong>
\nI knew before even demoing this baby that it was going to sound good. What I didn\u2019t realize is just how good it really is. As far as value and price to performance, I would almost rank it ahead of both the Oppo HA-2 and a Chord Mojo. Why?<\/p>\n

Because it\u2019s about the size of a Tic-Tac.<\/p>\n

Okay maybe not that small, but you get the idea. \ud83d\ude1b You can literally take it anywhere! You can also pair it with your phone, but an OTG cable is needed. More on that later.<\/p>\n

If the sound of your laptop\u2019s internal Soundcard sucks (most do), and you don\u2019t feel like investing in a desktop solution, but still want to experience what an Amp\/DAC combo is all about, I would buy this almost instantly without hesitation.<\/p>\n

What makes it so valuable is the fact that it will improve the resolution and clarity of almost any song via its powerful Digital to Analog Converter. How the heck can something so small be so amazing? We\u2019ll delve into that in a bit. First, learn more about how your PC processes sound: Bit Depth vs. Sample Rate.<\/p>\n

A DAC\u2019s primary function is to convert the 1\u2019s and 0\u2019s (digital data) from your computer, phone, mobile device, etc., into sound that you can understand (analog). If you\u2019re screaming obscene rap lyrics into your mic, your computer understands it in a binary way and doesn\u2019t judge you. \ud83d\ude1b<\/p>\n

But if the DAC is crap, then the sound is no good. My old Lenovo T510\u2019s internal soundcard was trash and also didn\u2019t get loud enough.<\/p>\n

A solution like the Dragonfly Red provides a quick fix by not only amplifying the sound to a listenable level but making the quality of the conversion itself better in the process.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at its features\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dragonfly Red Features<\/strong>
\nAudioQuest DragonFly RedDF Red goes to the beach.
\nWhat\u2019s neat about the Dragonfly is its ability to light up in different colors according to the source file. This is done via a 1mm LED inside the device that illuminates the logo on the outside.<\/p>\n

Green = 44.1 kHz
\nBlue = 48 kHz
\nAmber = 88.2 kHz
\nMagenta = 96 kHz
\nThe other cool thing about the DragonFly is that as soon as you plug it in its volume is controlled by your laptop. You may or may not like this feature, but I personally don\u2019t mind it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Convenience<\/strong>
\nOne of the best aspects of this device is its ability to go anywhere at any time. I personally hate traveling with a lot of excess, and the DragonFly makes it possible to quickly pack up and leave without worrying about wires, power cables, etc.<\/p>\n

The provided leatherette case protects the DragonFly from getting damaged, giving you peace of mind on the commute.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As A DAC<\/strong>
\nPerhaps the DragonFly\u2019s best feature, and one that prevents me from selling it, is that its 3.5mm jack doubles as not only the headphone out but also a line out.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t tell you how many times the Red has come in handy when I quickly need a DAC to pair with a separate amp that has line-in or RCA inputs.<\/p>\n

Because I review so many products, I keep the Fly on my desktop since it\u2019s versatile in that regard and I always have a DAC around. This prevents me from getting caught with my pants down as the DragonFly can pair with almost anything.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As A Preamp<\/strong>
\nGoing further, you can even use the DragonFly with speakers like the Presonus Eris e3.5s that I just snagged from Sweetwater. Just purchase an RCA to mini cable and you\u2019re set.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Pros<\/strong>
\nUltra-convenient and Portable.
\nGreat build even for such a small piece.
\nRemarkable sound quality.
\nExtremely versatile for such a tiny unit.<\/p>\n

Cons<\/strong>
\nNone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Link to product: AudioQuest Drafonfly Red<\/a>
\nLin to review: HomeStudioBasics<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve come to the right place!! Today we\u2019ll take another look at the DragonFly Red…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24816,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[171,175,1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nAUDIOQUEST DRAGONFLY RED > Review \u2013 Worth a purchase in 2022? - INTEK HI-FI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AUDIOQUEST DRAGONFLY RED > Review \u2013 Worth a purchase in 2022? - INTEK HI-FI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You\u2019ve come to the right place!! Today we\u2019ll take another look at the DragonFly Red...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"INTEK HI-FI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-02-22T22:57:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-03-01T22:45:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/aq-dragonfly-red-1280x720-c.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"darko\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/\",\"name\":\"INTEK HI-FI\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/aq-dragonfly-red-1280x720-c.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/aq-dragonfly-red-1280x720-c.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/\",\"name\":\"AUDIOQUEST DRAGONFLY RED > Review \\u2013 Worth a purchase in 2022? - INTEK HI-FI\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-02-22T22:57:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-03-01T22:45:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/#\/schema\/person\/02fa1742be92272c2fe50f2579f320e7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"AUDIOQUEST DRAGONFLY RED > Review \\u2013 Worth a purchase in 2022?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/#\/schema\/person\/02fa1742be92272c2fe50f2579f320e7\",\"name\":\"darko\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3b6149fb1fb06b36083b7009dbff0af?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3b6149fb1fb06b36083b7009dbff0af?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"darko\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/author\/darko\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"AUDIOQUEST DRAGONFLY RED > Review \u2013 Worth a purchase in 2022? - INTEK HI-FI","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"AUDIOQUEST DRAGONFLY RED > Review \u2013 Worth a purchase in 2022? - INTEK HI-FI","og_description":"You\u2019ve come to the right place!! Today we\u2019ll take another look at the DragonFly Red...","og_url":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/","og_site_name":"INTEK HI-FI","article_published_time":"2022-02-22T22:57:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-03-01T22:45:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/aq-dragonfly-red-1280x720-c.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"darko","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/","name":"INTEK HI-FI","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/aq-dragonfly-red-1280x720-c.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/aq-dragonfly-red-1280x720-c.jpg","width":1280,"height":720},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/","name":"AUDIOQUEST DRAGONFLY RED > Review \u2013 Worth a purchase in 2022? - INTEK HI-FI","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2022-02-22T22:57:51+00:00","dateModified":"2022-03-01T22:45:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/#\/schema\/person\/02fa1742be92272c2fe50f2579f320e7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/audioquest-dragonfly-red-review-worth-a-purchase-in-2022\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"AUDIOQUEST DRAGONFLY RED > Review \u2013 Worth a purchase in 2022?"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/#\/schema\/person\/02fa1742be92272c2fe50f2579f320e7","name":"darko","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3b6149fb1fb06b36083b7009dbff0af?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3b6149fb1fb06b36083b7009dbff0af?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"darko"},"url":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/author\/darko\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24815"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24815"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24818,"href":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24815\/revisions\/24818"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intek-hifi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}