A recent thread on playing live with BIAB was very helpful to me. Many thanks to Matt Finley, Notes Norton, Jim Fogle, and others for sharing their expertise and insights.

Before COVID hit, I had played about 20 gigs running my Yoga 920 laptop direct to PA using the headphone output. The sound was excellent, but I had one snap, crackle, or pop too many, so I want to switch to USB. My main objective is to reduce any unexpected/unpleasant noise rather than to maximize sound quality.

These will be low-key, low-volume gigs, so I plan to use my new Eon One Compact as a super portable, all-in-one PA. It runs on batteries and has four inputs, including two XLR combo jacks, one mono 1/4” jack, and one 1/8” aux in.

Because the entire rig runs on batteries, I'm not concerned about ground loops. Even if I plug in the Eon One, it has two USB ports to power the laptop and/or another device if need be.

So now I am trying to decide between using the Audioquest Dragonfly or a USB direct box along the lines of this Mackie.

Price is not a consideration. My main concern is keeping the rig ultra-portable and simple, which favors the Dragonfly. On the other hand, if there is a compelling reason to go for something like the Mackie, I will. Both are passive devices.

Would love to have some advice from those more experienced in this area. It's a small purchase, but I've really got to stop my habit of buying music-related gizmos that end up gathering dust…!