ifi GO bar review: Desktop-class audio in a tiny package
High-end audio has always been a pricey hobby, with people willing to spend ludicrous amounts of money for the best listening experience possible. Unfortunately, thebest Android phones todaydon’t have DACs powerful enough to satisfy audiophiles, let alone a headphone jack to take advantage of.
In direct response to this, the ever-growing number of mobile DACs makes it much easier for the audiophile hobby to branch away from a dedicated listening space into your everyday life.
At $330, the ifi GO bar isn’t cheap by normal smartphone accessory standards, but it’s in the “impulse purchase” range for many diehard audiophiles. On top of that, the GO bar packs hardware comparable to entry-level desktop setups, all while being the size of a pack of gum and easily driving headphones in the neighborhood of 600ohm.
It’s plain to see why ifi calls this the most powerful pocket DAC on the market. That raw power is mated up to a 32-bit Cirrus Logic DAC chip for crystal clear hi-res audio and pumped through either a 3.5mm conventional or 4.4mm balanced jack. With all these features, the GO bar combines a laundry list of nice-to-haves into one must-have device for listening on the go.
ifi GO bar
The ifi GO bar may be pricey compared to other USB DACs, but it beats the output power of more expensive pocket music devices without compromising sound quality. The Go bar also sports quality of life features and an easy-to-understand interface not found on competing devices. Despite its minuscule size, the GO Bar can even power high impedance headphones that usually require a desktop DAC/amp setup, making it the most capable pocket DAC you’ll likely see for a while.
Design, hardware, what’s in the box
The ifi GO bar is one of the most compact DACs on the market, almost exactly the same size as a pack of gum. That tiny size doesn’t come with very many compromises, however. The GO bar is just as capable of driving demanding high-impedance headphones as a dedicated desktop amp and DAC setup, and every bit as able to play hefty high-res audio files.
All controls are on the right side: three buttons and a three-way slider. Top-to-bottom, the buttons are the XBass+/XSpace toggle, volume up, and volume down. The three-way slider is for the IEMatch modes, which are intended for more sensitive in-ear monitors. The IEMatch mode allows for less noise and a lower overall volume, and can be set for the 4.4mm or 3.5mm jack, or off. Given just how sensitive IEMs can be, and how much power the GO bar can pump out, your eardrums will thank you for using this setting.
While some other pocket DACs (like theFiiO BTR5) have a display showing bitrate information, the current volume, and if you’re decoding MQA files, the GO bar opts for a more simple method. On the front of the GO bar are 9 LEDs next to printed labels to let you know things like the current bitrate, if you’re decoding MQA files, and if you have the XBass or XSpace turned on. Plus, when you turn the volume up or down, the lights temporarily light up as a rough volume bar.
Like other USB DACs, the GO bar can’t run through most standard USB-C cables, but at least it comes with all the necessary OTG cables you need, whether you intend to use it with an Android, iPhone, or computer.
The GO bar also includes a leather carrying case with a belt loop on the back and enough room inside to comfortably hold the DAC and one of the OTG cables. you could’t use it while it’sinthe carrying case, so if you want to listen while on the go, be prepared to have the GO bar flopping around just outside your pocket.
Software, performance, battery life
There’s an elephant in the room any time external DACs come up in the Android space, and that’s the fact that not all manufacturers have full plug-n-play support for them. Samsung is one of the better OEMs for support since it sells USB-C headphones with integrated DAC chips. And Google hasrecently fixed its own external DAC issuesthat plagued the Pixel 6 lineup. But, if you want full resolution, the workaround is to use a media app like USB Audio Player Pro (UAPP) or any other player that can force the system to switch over to a USB DAC for audio processing.
If you’re in the market for a $330 pocket DAC, the extra $8 for UAPP isn’t a huge deal. Still, if you’re married to streaming your music instead of downloading it, UAPP doesn’t support that many services because the majority of services are averse to third-party players. So if you get your lossless tracks from Qobuz or you go to Tidal for MQAs you’ll be fine, but if you get your hi-res tracks from Deezer or Amazon Music HD, you might be out of luck.
While that issue isn’t inherent to the GO bar, the way it eats through your phone’s battery is. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it can really blast through your battery life, especially if you put the high impedance headphone support to the test. If you’re listening through something much easier to drive like IEMs, the extra drain will be far less severe. But if you already struggle to make an entire day on one charge, the GO bar certainly won’t help that situation.
Sound quality
The ifi GO bar isn’t just impressive for the insanely high output it can handle, but also for the bitrates it supports. With support for the same demanding high bitrates and massive DSD files usually reserved for dedicated audio players like theFiiO M11, the GO bar is closer to an entry-level desktop amp/DAC combo shrunk down to the size of a thumb drive. While a similar quality desktop setup would cost a little less than the GO bar, you’re able to’t take that on the go in your pocket. The extra cost for the sake of portability is a fair tradeoff.
I keep comparing the ifi GO bar to entry-level desktop equipment, and for good reason. Plenty of dedicated players like the FiiO M11 struggle to deliver enough power for even starter audiophile cans like the DT770 Pros or Sennheiser HD 600s. And they totally fall short for more demanding headphones like the Beyerdynamic T1s or DT990s. To get enough power for those, you’ll need to turn on turbo mode, which is easy enough to do by holding down the volume up and down buttons at the same time for a few seconds.
In addition to turbo mode, it’s possible to also turn on XBass+ for a healthy bump to the bass, and turn on XSpace to make tracks feel much more open with more separation between the different instruments and vocals. I found myself leaving both of these settings on because even with this extra meddling with the soundscape, the GO bar delivers crystal clear audio with a fairly neutral coloration.
When audio has this much clarity, you don’t just hear every subtlety of the music; you can also sense the size of the room it was recorded in. This feeling of almost being in the room while the song is being recorded is one of my favorite parts of critical listening, and it’s easily done with either jack on the GO bar.
While the 4.4mm jack on the GO bar is the only balanced output to be found, ifi wired the internals of the single-ended 3.5mm jack in a similar fashion referred to as ‘S-Balanced.’ Like with a traditional balanced output, the goal is to make sure you have as little interference and crosstalk as possible. While it’s not exactly possible to A/B compare this to an identical DAC missing this feature, I can say that the 3.5mm jack has a very clean sound.
Another similarity between the 3.5mm and 4.4mm outputs is the full access to all the GO bar power. Many other DACs with balanced outputs are set up with two pairs of DAC and amp chips and only utilize both sets for the balanced output. The GO bar opts for a single set of these chips, so your output isn’t hampered just because you don’t have cans with Sony’s fancy 5 pole connection.
Honestly, even though the GO bar can drive my “serious” headphones (the 250ohm Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros), I care more about pocketable headphones. The IEMatch switch is a great consideration for a DAC that you’ll be using in-ear monitors with the majority of the time. Being able to have a lower and more granular volume control at the flick of a switch when you’re using super sensitive IEMs is a must-have, especially on a DAC as powerful as this.
Another added benefit of IEMatch is an overall cleaner sound. Not to say that the GO bar is noisy or staticky otherwise — it’s just a subtle difference that’s easier tofeelthan it is to quantify.
Should you buy it?
Yes,if you want to seriously improve your mobile listening experience without buying a separate standalone player, the ifi GO bar has all the same features for less than half the cost. No matter your choice of computer or phone, this could be your DAC when you’re out and about or at your computer. It works with Windows, Mac, Android, and IOS.
If you’re strictly looking for a mobile DAC, the GO bar is far from the cheapest option. However, that cost brings unrivaled support for high impedance headphones, top-tier file type support, and crystal clear audio quality. And it’s all packed into one of the smallest form factors on the market.
While plenty of people might prefer the extra flexibility of the FiiO BTR line, with its LDAC Bluetooth support and built-in battery, the ifi GO bar is clearly the DAC to buy for sound quality. But, if you’re not quite ready to jump back into the wired headphone lifestyle, you may choose from severalamazing Bluetooth headphonesinstead.
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Q: How does the ifi GO Bar compare to the FiiO BTR5
The ifi GO Bar blows the FiiO BTR5 out of the water in terms of support for high bitrate audio, ability to handle much higher impedance headphones, and comes in at about half the size. The BTR5 makes up for a lot of these tradeoffs by adding features that necessitate an internal battery, though. That battery is largely responsible for the size difference, makes the BTR5 much more flexible as a DAC, and even allows it to function as a Bluetooth receiver.
Neither is better than the other in all scenarios, but they both are better depending on your use case. The BTR5 comes in $200 cheaper than the GO Bar, and if you want to add the same bitrate and file support the GO Bar has to the BTR5, FiiO’s BTR7 does just that for still less than the GO Bar, though the BTR5 still sits in the “probably good enough” space for anyone wanting to get their first pocket DAC.
Q: How does the ifi GO Bar compare to the iBasso DC-06
iBasso’s DC06 is similar in size and weight to the ifi GO Bar, opting to go a little thicker and over a cm shorter, and even supports all the same high bitrate files the GO Bar does as well. Instead of the panel of labeled LEDs letting you know your current bitrate, file type, and mode, the DC06 has a single color-changing LED indicator on the same side as the headphone outputs.
Rather than a single DAC and amp chipset like the GO Bar, the iBasso DC06 has a pair of 32-bit DAC chips, each with their own amp chip, and only uses both with its 4.4mm balanced output. Because of this, it can’t hit its maximum output on the 3.5mm jack, though it still can’t match the output power of the GO Bar on its 4.4mm balanced jack either.
At $120, the DC06 is a steal for anyone looking to get a beginner pocket DAC, but it’s missing all the quality of life features and extra modes that make the GO Bar worth nearly triple the price.
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