GO Bar Kensei Portable DAC/Amplifier - Full MQA Decoder, K2HD Coding, XSpace, XBass, 4 Digital PCM Filters, High-Resolution Audio Enhancement for Smartphones and Computers

I’ve had iFi’s GO Bar for a few months now and it has been nothing but outstanding. This device goes everywhere with me and obviously due to the size it takes up no room. Having said that, don’t be fooled by its size as it has a lot of power to drive your headphones. I have it connected to my iPhone 13 and what I am impressed with is that it doesn’t draw too much battery from my phone. The higher the impedance of headphones, the more battery will be drawn obviously, but it hasn’t been enough for me to be worried. When it comes to the audio, the GO Bar has a clear and crisp sound. It does have iFi’s signature warmth to it, but not as much as my iONE at home has, and that’s ok as that’s what makes it so unique to me. I personally love the bass boost button, it’s subtle but efficient, it’s not too in your face and adds to my music perfectly. The ability to have the best music on the go is a game changer, I don’t know how I’ve gone through life without it!

I am a fan of portable audio and own many good quality portable DAC/amps including the Go Blu, Hip DAC, THX Onyx etc. I knew the Go Bar was well received but it sounds much better than I expected, very lively and highly engaging, this is a bit of a cliche but I really do hear sounds in my music that somehow hadn't caught my attention before. It feels very robust, is lighter than I expected from reviews. The IE Match feature is very useful, I have used the standalone IE Match device with my sensitive IEMs, I find that it somehow improves the sound as well as reducing hiss. It is very easy to use. I'm very pleased with the Go Bar and would buy again if lost or damaged.

Excellent DAC/Amp. Arrived within a day or ordering.

Plugged it into my new Sennheiser ie600’s (which are the dog’s doo dahs) and I was instantly impressed with the sound. Only to discover that it kept cutting out. Unplugged the lightning cable, pressed play and we're back in business. It kept happening though and no explanation (wasn’t moving, switching apps or anything). Googled ifi Go Bar issues and sure enough lots of other owners with same issue on iPhone. I thought sack this it’s going back, but I’ll try firmware update before I do (upgraded to 2.4, no idea what it shipped with) Tried it for a few hours and enjoyed nothing but buttery smooth, amazing audio. Since then, the gremlins have returned. This time on two separate occasions it has gone deafeningly loud and distorted without me touching anything or moving. It can be resolved by unplugging and plugging back in, but I am not willing to risk my hearing or expensive earphones on it happening again. Sadly returned it, which is such a shame because when it works it does sound awesome.

Really good. Takes a bit of getting hang of. Remember to updgrade flash memory and then all ok.

When I first listened through this, I was impressed. Power, sound, everything was there in spades. It was only after listening to a few albums that I thought something sounded 'off'... everything sounded 'the same'. It's hard to explain, but it feels like this DAC/AMP is programmed with a target in mind. Usually, a DAC/AMP will add its own character to music as a source by how it's being processed, however, the Kensei seems to set a target so that all music should sound a certain way. I guess it's great if you love that specific sound, but after everything you're listening to sounds the same, it's like you're listening to the same music over and over again - even if it's completely different. It's like AI stepping in saying this AC/DC recording should sound the same (tonally) as Eva Cassidy because that's the target we're aiming for. No they shouldn't! They're two entirely different artists. It's a novel direction - assuming you choose a generic and pleasing target - but you remove all originality from the music.

I will keep this review short & answer the main questions for iOS user Will my I phone recognise this dac ? - Yes What is the power drain on the phone battery using Qubuz - 100% Down to 90% after 45 minutes use Down to 70% after 2 hours use. Will it drive high impedance / high quality headphones - yes worked with HD 580 & sounded fantastic with friends Focal Clear MG. If you are worried about battery drain & want Bluetooth and MagSafe go for Khadas Tea which is about £200

Audio quality was excellent, however, seeing which bit rate you where getting via the indicator was so difficult to see, so I sent it back. I will buy the Kensei which looks easier to see. I have a number of Ifi products and they are excellent audio quality.

Penso sia difficile fare di meglio per un dongle. L’ho comprato dopo aver posseduto un Cayin Ru7,non ero soddisfatto della qualità costruttiva (costa come il go bar),bene,con l’ifi go bar ho tutto: qualità costruttiva,qualità audio e anche accessori,doppio cavetto e custodia in pelle ottima per riporlo. Stra consigliato!

Da diversi anni ascolto musica liquida usando lo smartphone e software come Tidal o Apple Music. Per quanto la comodità delle cuffie wireless sia inarrivabile e la qualità abbia raggiunto ottimi livelli, l’appetito vien mangiando, come si dice, e così ho deciso di provare ad alzare l’asticella e usare un dac usb e delle cuffie cablate di buon livello. La scelta, qualche anno fa ormai, è ricaduta sul Dragonfly Red di Audioquest. Subito ho notato un miglioramento della qualità e sul momento la cosa era soddisfacente. Col passare del tempo, però, sono usciti nuovi dac, e viste le recensioni entusiastiche, alla fine ho ceduto, e ho aggiornato il mio Dragonfly Red col più recente IFI go bar Kensei. Esteticamente forse il dragonfly era più accattivante, ma le dimensioni sono confrontabili ed entrambi funzionano senza bisogno di batteria interna. La qualità audio però è tutta un’altra storia. Il dac ifi produce un suono con strumenti più definiti e separati, ha dei bassi più intensi e un volume confrontabile. Purtroppo al massimo volume, con alcune canzoni, si nota un po’ di distorsione, quindi è necessario ridurre leggermente il volume (cosa mai successa col dragonfly). Il volume, almeno con le mie cuffie, non è da discoteca, ma è comunque abbastanza elevato. Il volume audio si comanda con i tasti del dac e non con i tasti del telefono, e sono presenti altre funzioni per enfatizzare i bassi, aumentare la spazialità del suono e applicare filtri al suono (questi ultimi devo studiarli meglio prima di potermi esprimere). Sono presenti una porta usb-c da un lato del dac, e dall’altro due uscite cuffie di dimensione differente. Sul retro, una serie di led forniscono informazioni su volume, qualità della musica in riproduzione e stato di attivazione delle funzioni aggiuntive come i filtri, enfatizzazione dei bassi o la musica spaziale. Ci vuole qualche minuto per capire come gestire le varie funzioni, ma provando si capisce velocemente come muoversi tra le diverse funzionalità. Nella confezione (in legno e molto scenografica), troviamo solo il dac, una custodia (un po’ tozza a dire il vero), due cavi (uno usb-c usb-c e uno usb-c Lightning) e un adattatore usb-c usb-a. Lo consiglio? Se ascoltate musica di buona qualità assolutamente si. A patto ovviamente di avere cuffie cablate di qualità, o rischierete di aver buttato via soldi.

This device is not as iOS compatible as advertised. After purchase, digging deep at the bottom of a thread on Head-Fi, an iFi rep states that the currency draw prevents handshakes with some iPhones and they are having to get them back from dealers.

まだオーディオ沼歴が浅いのですが、今まで使ったスティックDACの中で最高の製品です。 中華製のスティックDACは低域が強調されてしまうものが多いと感じていたのですが、これは音のバランスを崩さず解像度と迫力を増してくれます。低域は強調されるのではなく、より深いところまで鳴らしてくれる印象です。中高域も解像度が上がり、各楽器によりフォーカスしやすくなります。勇気がいる価格でしたが、買って大正解でした！

Sometimes a dropout. Then you have to reconnect the ifi to your iPhone. Not a big deal.