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SeanMR
9
Mar 25, 2018
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How does this compare in terms of sound quality to the dragonfly red?
Mar 25, 2018
Brosefstalin42
260
Mar 28, 2018
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SeanMRI haven't seriously A/B tested them, but both are good units, I find this to be the better deal since stick DAC/Amps aren't really going to blow each other out of the water unless they use terrible parts (my behringer 222 DAC has a headphone port that sounds hollow and tinny from digital audio, it was meant more from a mic or instrument so there is zero amping of the signal, it's just to connect from and to analog components). Audioquest tends to have more buzzwords than Audioengine, and seems more like they try to create pricier offerings just because of their name and advertising (like most Apple products, they get name and recognition, but others have similar to better performance at a cheaper price).
I'd give the nod to the D3, but with the caveat that it takes more power than the dragonfly red, so if you were to try to connect to a phone it may not function with it as the dragonfly red will. I hooked both up to a PS4, it didn't supply enough power to power headphones without another amp, but with a powered hub the dragonfly red worked perfectly, the D3 tended to give off hum or cut out occassionally so it seems like it needs more power (it does get louder with clarity better than the dragonfly red, so it would power hungrier headphones like the HD6XX slightly (and I mean slightly, as you aren't pumping much more than 2.5 volts into the stick when desktop amps go from 5 to 22 volts or more for the class A high powered amps) better, so if you are sticking to USB from a laptop/netbook/Chromebook, the D3 will likely be better all around, but if you are thinking to use it with a usb-c phone with an adapter, the dragonfly red will edge out the D3.
I can't say as to acoustic preference (like enhancing bass/treble or sounding too dark or bright, or soundstage) without seriously A/B-ing, which I can't do until after this drop ends, so if someone else can, please enlighten me so I can see if my ears pick it up or not.
Mar 28, 2018
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