Author Archives: Alan Taffel

A new year, a new DragonFly color! But first let’s go back to the beginning. AudioQuest’s thumb-drive-sized DragonFly bowed in 2012 to immediate acclaim—and for good reason. Inside this diminutive, plug-and-play package resided both a high-res DAC (up to 96/24) and a surprisingly good headphone amp. The original DragonFly was wildly successful based on these merits alone, even though it was only compatible with Macs and PCs. The real breakthrough came with the introduction in 2016 of the DragonFly Black ($99) and DragonFly Red ($199). With those models, AudioQuest reduced power requirements so substantially that the devices could be driven …

Photography by Dennis Weeks. Last year saw the emergence of a brand-new regional audio show, the Florida Audio Expo (or FLAX, as some have taken to calling it). By all accounts, the show's inaugural outing was an unqualified success, so TAS sent the two of us to cover the 2020 event. The show ran from February 7th to 9th at the Embassy Suites Tampa Airport Westshore. Like last year, admission was free to consumers, although in 2021 the cost will be $10 per day or $25 for the entire show. Both exhibitors and the show's organizers felt that this year’s …