Audio Video News

AudioQuest, maker of the Top Pick winning DragonFly USB DAC, has announced that counterfeit versions of its DragonFly v1.2 design are showing up in multiple brands of USB DACs coming out of China.

The company issued the following press release:

It has recently come to light that a counterfeit version of the guts of DragonFly v1.2 is inside multiple brands of Made In China small USB DACs.

It is important to note the authentic versions of all DragonFlys, as with all of the new AudioQuest “Digital Critters,” are manufactured in Ohio, USA.

In this unfortunate situation, the DACs have been revealed (by Reddit, for example), to mimic almost precisely the inside of a real AudioQuest DragonFly v1.2, including copying of the proprietary technical features.

In order to protect its customers, distributors, and its own reputation for extremely high quality audio components, AudioQuest is giving public notice that multiple companies are promoting and selling unauthorized copies of Streamlength® enabled “DragonFly” version 1.2. (Streamlength is a registered trademark of Wavelength Audio, Ltd.)

Not only are the internals of these other DACs illegal copies, they are not exact copies, which for multiple reasons perform far below the level of the since discontinued DragonFly v1.2.

The counterfeits use inferior sounding, lower-quality components, and a sub-standard (possibly unintended) inferior re-layout of AudioQuest’s original, proprietary circuit design. Images of DragonFly 1.2’s circuit can be seen here and the illegal, unauthorized versions can be seen here.

While AudioQuest anticipated that there would be worthy competition from worthy competitors, we never expected that some entity would flagrantly try to steal the intellectual property and underlying assets that made DragonFly so successful. Unfortunately, this is precisely what has occurred.

AudioQuest and its affiliates will protect our highly valuable intellectual property, and the trust our customers have put in us and our products, to the fullest legal means available. In the meantime, please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding these issues, and please continue to enjoy authentic, high quality, AudioQuest products.

For more information, visit audioquest.com.