DFA 2.1 · Planar magnetic monitors
Mini Dragons
State-of-the-art planar magnetic nearfield monitors: a complete system of speakers, digital preamp, amplifier & DSP, subwoofer, and cables.
The system
The DFA 2.1 system.
System components are also available à la carte by request. Finishes: silver, black, or gold.
Mini Dragons
State-of-the-art planar magnetic nearfield monitors.
$4,998
SHD Studio
All-digital preamp with Dirac Live room correction, network streamer, DSP, and headphone amplifier.
$998
MD-4
High resolution 4-channel power amplifier with integrated DSP for speakers and room correction.
$3,498
SB-8P
Compact actively powered long excursion 8″ woofer and 8″ passive radiator for seamless low frequency extension.
$498Learn
Acceleration = Force / Mass
Strongest rare earth flux density
High temperature rare earth N48H-grade neodymium magnets are sintered, assembled, and arrayed into a patented push-pull dual-pole magnetic circuit with peak 1.8 Tesla induction.
Light as air cryogenic diaphragm
Aerospace-grade polyimide film only 1.8 microns thick is cryogenically treated in liquid nitrogen at −196 °C (−321 °F), laser-traced and dynamically tensioned into a uniform driving surface.
State-of-the-art sound
With 1500% faster acceleration and 50× more driver area than a 14 × 1.5 cm ribbon mid-tweeter, the Mini Dragons deliver direct sound with precise imaging and accurate frequency, phase, and impulse response.
Planar magnetic coherency
Compared to conventional point sources that radiate, ripple, and reflect, planar waveforms propagate coherently along the originating plane like the light of a laser beam.
Beyond the box
A dipole polar pattern inverse-phase cancels with its own backwave to reduce room reflections, eliminate diffractions, and transcend traditional box artifacts.
Fatigue free at every SPL
Unlike speakers with variable impedance curves that must be energized past a threshold to produce their band-limited response, the Mini Dragons play the same response throughout their SPL range.
SHD Studio digital preamplifier
Measured, then corrected.
Digital preamplifier and processor with Dirac Live digital room correction, DSP toolbox, Volumio network streamer, and headphone amplifier.
Custom built for Dragonfire by our friends miniDSP, the SHD Studio (“Streaming High Definition”) digital audio processor integrates a digital interface (AES-EBU / SPDIF / TOSLINK / USB), network streamer, and headphone amplifier with an Analog Devices 450 MHz SHARC DSP processor to optimize the embedded Dirac Live room correction algorithm.
Using the included UMIK-1 USB measurement microphone, SHD Studio, and Dirac Live calibration software, the frequency, phase, and impulse response of the Mini Dragon system may be measured and corrected to optimize the sound for any space.
MD-4 power amplifier
Four channels, 140 filters.
4-channel amplifier with programmable DSP and AKM Velvet A/D/A converters.
Housed in a matching anodized aluminum enclosure, the MD-4 is a hand-built globally adaptable 2-input / 4-output ADC/DAC + DSP + high capacitance Class-D amplifier (250 W RMS/channel) with balanced analog XLR and PCM SPDIF, AES/EBU, and USB streamer inputs.
An advanced visual programmable DSP engine offers a total of 140 parametric filters with 60 dB better signal to noise performance for equalization, crossover design, delay, compression, and custom calibration.
- 4× 250 W RMS amplifier1 kW burst, 70 V rail voltage, full power to 20 kHz without high frequency dampening network
- Dual high-capacitance dynamic power reservesImproves imaging while fulfilling the instantaneous current draw demands of the most challenging music
- Power factor correctionGlobally adaptable, fully regulated AC mains PSU, anywhere in the world
- AKM Velvet Sound+15 dB better A/D and D/A performance compared to integrated converters
- Industry-leading 93% Class D efficiencyEnsures minimal cooling requirements and maximum long-term reliability
- 140 filters with +60 dB SNRMATLAB-based visual programmable DSP via Audioweaver for custom speaker calibration using high precision parametric filters
SB-8P subwoofer
Seamless low frequency extension.
- 8″ wooferHigh-speed, long-excursion, low distortion custom woofer
- 180 W RMSActive amplification
- 8″ passive radiatorCustom long-excursion passive radiator tuned to 30 Hz resonance
- 30 to 500 HzFrequency response
Dragonfire stock cables
Cables included.
- Digital interconnectsUSB · SPDIF · Toslink / optical
- Speakon to 2× mini XLR
- Speakon to 4× line level
Specifications
The numbers.
Mini Dragons
Planar magnetic near field monitor
Mini Dragons
- System
- Planar magnetic near field monitor
- Transducer type
- New generation dipole planar
- Magnetic structure
- Proprietary double-sided magnet array for the highest induction in the industry of 1.8 Tesla
- Magnet type
- High temperature N48H Neodymium
- Diaphragm type
- Precision tensioned, ultra-thin with force equalization, the lightest in the industry
- Transducer size
- 5″ × 10″ (125 × 250 mm)
- Housing
- Machined from solid aluminum
- Satellite size
- 6″ × 12″ (160 × 300 mm)
- Sound radiation control
- Adjustable footers
- Sensitivity
- 100 dB / 1 W system upper midrange
- Power handling
- 80 W RMS · 200 W music
- Maximum SPL
- >120 dB 1 m upper midrange
- Frequency response
- 30 Hz to 50 kHz system200 Hz to 50 kHz satellites
- THD
- <1% @ 100 dB system<0.5% @ 100 dB satellites
- Impedance
- 20 Ohms purely resistive (other values possible on special order, 2 Ohms to 50 Ohms or higher)
- Color
- Titanium anodized, other colors available on custom order
- Weight
- 7 lb (3.2 kg)
SHD Studio
Digital preamplifier & processor
SHD Studio
- DSP
- 32-bit floating point Analog Devices SHARC ADSP21489 / 450 MHz
- Sample rate
- 96 kHz
- Control
- Driverless USB 2.0 control interface for Windows OS
- Network audio streamer
- Quad Core ARM Processor, Gb Ethernet, USB 2.0 for External Hard Drive, Volumio Audiophile Player
- Bidirectional USB audio
- XMOS asynchronous USB audio up to 192 kHz, USB Audio Class 2 compliantASIO drivers for WindowsDriverless for Mac OS XBidirectional audio / 2ch playback (PC to SHD), 4ch recording post processing (SHD to PC)
- Digital audio inputs
- Digital audio source selectable from IR remote or front panel, up to 216 kHz sample rate1× AES/EBU on Neutrik XLR, isolated with digital audio transformer1× SPDIF on RCA connector, isolated with digital audio transformer1× TOSLINK on optical connector
- Digital audio outputs
- 2× SPDIF on RCA connector, isolated with digital audio transformer2× AES-EBU on XLR
- Headphone amplifier output
- CS43130 headphone amplifier
- miniDSP DSP processing
- Volume, parametric equalizer banks, crossovers, matrix mixer, compressor/limiter, mute
- Dirac Live
- Correction Suite for miniDSP: Plug&Play control and configuration from Dirac Live Correction Suite
- Filter storage
- Up to 4 filter configurations stored on unit
- USB port
- USB type B for audio streaming, real time control and firmware upgrade
- Power supply
- 12 V DC external supply, EU/US/AU/UK plug adaptors provided
- Dimensions (H × W × D)
- 41.5 × 214.5 × 206 mm · 1RU half size · optional full rack mount adaptor available
UMIK-1
USB measurement microphone
UMIK-1
- Capsule type & polar pattern
- 6 mm electret, omnidirectional
- Frequency response
- 20 Hz to 20 kHz
- USB audio class
- USB Audio Class 1.0, driverless interface for Windows, Mac & Linux
- Connector
- miniUSB
- Calibration file
- Unique microphone calibration .txt file referenced to the serial number, on-axis frequency amplitude / sensitivity drift
- Resolution & sample rate
- 24-bit ADC @ 48 kHz
- Max SPL for 1% THD @ 1 kHz
- 133 dB SPL @ 0 dB gain setting
- Output noise level at max IGPA
- −74 dBFS
- Weight
- 120 g microphone · 600 g complete kit with accessories
- Power
- USB powered (5 V), blue LED indicates unit under power
- Win/Mac compatible
- Yes
MD-4 Amplifier
4-channel power amplifier
MD-4 Amplifier
- Size
- 2 × ½ RU
- Number of channels
- 4
- Enclosure material
- Anodized aircraft-grade aluminum
- Efficiency
- 93%
- Full bandwidth power delivery
- 1 to 20,000 Hz
- Frequency response
- 1 to 100,000 Hz, −3 dB20 to 20,000 Hz, −0.1 dB
- Inputs
- 1× USB streamer via USB Type-B1× SPDIF1× AES/EBU (optional)2× stereo balanced XLR analog1× USB Type-B for firmware update and Snowbird Audioweaver DSP programming
- Outputs
- 2× 2-channel 4-pole Speakon1× SPDIF (optional)
- Power rating per channel
(RMS @ 1% THD @ 230 VAC) - 16 ohm: 125 W8 ohm: 245 W4 ohm: 250 WPeak: 1000 W @ 4 ohm
- Output circuitry
- UMAC Class D, full bandwidth PWM modulator with ultra low distortion
- Output voltage
- 70 Vp / 140 Vpp (unloaded)
- Channel crosstalk
- 75 dB
- Amplifier gain
- 26 dB
- Signal-to-noise ratio
- >119 dB (A-weighted, 20 to 20,000 Hz, 8 ohm load)
- THD+N (typical)
- <0.05% (20 to 20,000 Hz, 8 ohm load, 3 dB below weighted power)
- Intermodulation distortion
- 0.003%, 10 W
- Damping factor
- >350, channel 1 / >225, channel 2 (9 ohm load, 1 kHz and below)
- Protection circuits
- Short circuit, DC, under voltage, temperature and overload protection
- Readouts & controls
- Protect/disable (mute), temperature, clip, voltage, auto-standby wake up
- Power supply
- UREC universal mains switch mode power supply with Power Factor Correction (PFC) and integral standby converter
- Operation voltage
- Universal globally adaptable mains, 85 to 265 V
- Standby
- <0.25 W (Green Energy Star & ErP 1275/2008/EC compliant)
- Dimensions
- 256 × 90 × 257 mm
- Weight
- 4 kg
MD-4 DSP
Programmable DSP
MD-4 DSP
- Programming interface
- Drag and drop visual programming interface via DSP Concepts Audio Weaver (1 license included per MD-4 amplifier)
- DSP chip
- 4th generation Analog Devices 32/40-bit IEEE floating point SHARC processor
- A/D converter
- Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM) VERITA Velvet Sound
- D/A converter
- AKM VERITA Velvet Sound
- Filter signal-to-noise performance
- +60 dB over normal filter
- Sampling rate
- Up/down conversion up to 192 kHz PCM
- Bit depth
- 24-bit
- Available parametric filters
- 140
- Pre-filtering
- Internal anti-aliasing and anti-imaging filters with short delay, slow roll off filters
- Selection switch
- Toggle up: USBToggle middle: SPDIFToggle down: analog balanced XLR
- Clock speed
- 450 MHz
- Computation
- 277,700 MFLOPS
- Architecture
- “Super” Harvard
SB-8P
Compact high-output active subwoofer
SB-8P
- System
- Compact high-output active subwoofer
- Transducer type
- 8″ custom high-speed high-excursion low-distortion woofer8″ high-excursion passive radiator tuned for 30 Hz bass extension
- Power
- 180 W RMS Class AB
- Frequency response
- 30 to 500 Hz
- Input signal
- Subwoofer line level or speaker output from MD-4 amplifier
- Controls
- Volume, phase, auto on/off power, Sub/LFE
- Finish
- Piano black gloss
- AC power
- Universal 110–240 VAC, 50–60 Hz
- Dimensions
- 10.5 × 11.4 × 10.4″ (267 × 290 × 264 mm)
- Weight
- 15.9 lb (7.2 kg)
“Dragonfire constantly innovates the underlying planar technology, improving, evolving, and engaging the listening experience.”
Listen
Order your Mini Dragons.
To optimize your Mini Dragons, tell us about your application and your room, and select your finish: silver, black, or gold.