SSI 2012

What's 2" long, comes out in May, and responds to external stimulus by changing color? The AudioQuest Dragonfly ($250), a USB D/A converter designed for the company by Wavelength Audio's Gordon Rankin (and whose proprietary software allows it to function as a true asynchronous DAC). The Dragonfly, which is powered by the USB bus, performs at 44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96kHz; the dragonfly icon on its plastic case (not shown here) indicates the sampling rate in use by glowing green, blue, amber, or white, respectively. Features include separate clock oscillators for 44.1/88.2 and 48/96; a 64-position analog volume control that overrides the digital volume control in iTunes/etc.; and proprietary USB input and 3.5mm output connectors.

Driven by an iTunes-equipped MacBook Air—with Steve Silberman, AudioQuest's VP of Development, shown above at the controls—and feeding a humble NAD integrated amp and a pair of PSB speakers, the Dragonfly DAC sounded downright amazing. AudioQuest expects to ship their first run in about two months.