Audioquest DragonFly DAC 1.2

With the Dragonfly, Audioquest offers what is likely the smallest D/A converter with a preamp, in the form of a USB stick.

The risk is high: the small D/A converter Dragonfly from Audioquest could easily be mistaken for a USB stick. It looks the same, feels the same, and has the same connection. However, the Dragonfly stick does something entirely different. It converts and amplifies sound files: it takes input via USB and outputs through a 3.5mm mini jack on the opposite side.

There’s also a bit of show involved. Depending on the resolution at which the Dragonfly processes the audio files, the color of the dragonfly logo on the surface changes. Common 44.1-kilohertz sampling rates shine green, while blue (48 kHz) and yellow (88.2) lead up to the sky at 96 kHz with a bright magenta display. It’s a good show, effective yet smart.

Additionally, the stick feels pleasantly heavy in the hand, no plastic, just a solid metal casing. Inside the casing lies a space-filling circuit board, where everything converges onto a chip in the center.

When asked, Audioquest reveals only the essentials of its trade secret. It features a 24-bit ESS Sabre chip. Blu-ray player manufacturers often turn to ESS Technology Company, which, like Audioquest, is based in California.

The converter operates using an asynchronous USB audio protocol. This means: not only do the ones and zeros stream into the stick, but control over the clocking is also taken away from the computer. The chip is state-of-the-art in performance, and it’s no surprise; however, in its compactness and pure stereo capability, it stands out as a singular product.