High-end audio has always been an expensive hobby, with people willing to spend ridiculous amounts of money to get the best listening experience possible. Unfortunately, today’s best Android phones don’t have DACs powerful enough to satisfy audiophiles, let alone a headphone jack to take advantage of them.
In direct response to this, the ever-increasing number of portable DACs is making it much easier for the audiophile hobby to branch out beyond your dedicated listening space and into your everyday life.
At $330, the ifi GO bar isn’t cheap by regular smartphone accessory standards, but it falls into the “impulse buy” range for many die-hard audiophiles. Furthermore, the GO Bar has similar hardware to entry-level desktop setups, all in the size of a pack of gum and easily drives the headphones at around 600ohm.
It’s easy to see why ifi calls this the most powerful pocket DAC on the market. This raw power is mated to a 32-bit Cirrus Logic DAC chip for crystal-clear high-resolution audio and is pumped through either a traditional 3.5mm jack or a 4.4mm balanced jack. With all these features, the GO Bar packs a laundry list of goodies into one must-have device for on-the-go listening.
ifi GO bar
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The iFi GO Strip may be pricey compared to other USB DACs, but it outperforms the output power of more expensive pocket music devices without compromising on sound quality. The Go Bar also has quality of life features and an easy-to-understand interface not found in competing devices. Despite its small size, the GO Bar can also drive high-impedance headphones that would normally require a desktop DAC/amp setup, making it the most capable pocket DAC you’ll likely see for a while.
- Supported formats: FLAC and other PCM formats up to 32-bit and 384kHz, DSD up to 12.3MHz, full MQA decoding
- Mosul: USB-C, 3.5mm, 4.4mm balanced
- weight: 28.5 grams
- battery: no one
- Maximum resistance: 600 ohms
- Dimensions: 65 x 22 x 13.2 mm
- DAC chip: 32 bit Cirrus logic
- Support high impedance headphones
- Play files up to 384kHz 32-bit and DSD256, with full MQA decoding
- It is very compact
- Power draw is an additional tax on the battery
- Android has spotty DAC support
- $330 is a lot of money to drop on a glorified dongle
Design, hardware and what’s in the box
The ifi GO bar is one of the most compact DACs on the market, and is roughly the same size as a pack of gum. However, this small size does come with a lot of compromises. The GO Bar is as capable of driving high-impedance headphones as a dedicated desktop amplifier and DAC setup, and is also capable of playing high-resolution audio files.
All controls are located on the right side: three buttons and a three-way slider. From top to bottom, the buttons are XBass+/XSpace, Volume Up, and Volume Down. The three-way slider is for IEMatch modes, intended for more sensitive ear monitors. IEMatch mode allows for less noise and a lower overall sound level, and can be set to 4.4mm or 3.5mm jack on or off. Given how sensitive IEMs are, and how much power the GO Bar can pump out, your eardrums will thank you for using this setup.
While some other pocket DACs (such as the FiiO BTR5) have a screen that displays bitrate information, current volume, and if you’re decoding MQA files, the GO Bar opts for a simpler approach. On the front of the GO Bar are 9 LEDs next to printed labels to let you know things like the current bit rate, if you’re decoding MQA files, and if you have XBass or XSpace running. In addition, when the volume is turned up or down, the lights turn on temporarily as an approximate volume bar.
Like other USB DACs, the GO Bar can’t be powered via most standard USB-C cables, but it at least comes with all the necessary OTG cables you’ll need, whether you intend to use it with Android, iPhone, or a computer.
The GO Bar also includes a leather carrying case with a belt loop on the back and enough space inside to comfortably carry a DAC and one of the OTG cables. You cannot use it while it is there in Carrying case, so if you like to listen on the go, be prepared to have the GO Bar flip right out of your pocket.
Software, performance and battery life
There’s a big problem in the room anytime third-party DACs appear in the Android space, and that’s the fact that not all manufacturers have full plug-and-play support for them. Samsung is one of the best OEMs for support because it sells USB-C headphones with built-in DAC chips. Google has recently fixed the issues with its external DAC that plagued the Pixel 6 lineup. However, if you want full fidelity, a workaround is to use a media app like USB Audio Player Pro (UAPP) or another player that can force the system to switch to USB DAC for audio processing.
If you’re in the market for a $330 pocket DAC, the extra $8 for UAPP isn’t that big of a deal. However, if you want to stream your music instead of downloading it, UAPP does not support many services because the majority of services hate third-party players. So, if you get your lossless tracks from Qobuz or 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.
Although this issue is not inherent to the GO Bar, the way it consumes your phone’s battery is. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it can really blow through your battery life, especially if you put high-impedance headphone support to the test. If you’re listening to something much easier to drive like IEMs, the extra drain will be much less severe. But if you’re already having trouble getting through a full day on a single charge, the GO Bar certainly won’t help the situation.
Sound quality
The ifi GO bar is not only impressive for the extremely high output it can handle, but also for the bitrates it supports. Supporting the same demanding high bitrates and massive DSD files typically reserved for dedicated audio players like the FiiO M11, the GO Bar is akin to an entry-level desktop amp/DAC combo shrunk down to the size of a thumb drive. While a similar quality desktop setup will cost a little less than the GO Bar, you can’t carry it in your pocket on the go. The extra cost for portability is a fair trade-off.
I keep comparing the iFi Bar GO to entry-level desktops, and for good reason. Many dedicated players like the FiiO M11 struggle to provide enough power for even entry-level audiophiles like the DT770 Pros or Sennheiser HD 600s. And it’s not quite enough for more demanding headphones like the Beyerdynamic T1s or DT990s. To get enough power for these devices, 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, you can also turn on XBass+ for healthy bass, and turn on XSspace to make tracks sound more open with more separation between different instruments and vocals. I found myself leaving both of these settings on because even with this extra interference in the soundscape, the GO Bar delivers crystal-clear sound with fairly neutral tones.
When the sound has this much clarity, you don’t just hear all the subtlety of the music; You can also feel the size of the room it is 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 can easily be done using any jack on the GO Bar.
While the 4.4mm jack on the GO Bar is the only balanced output to be found, ifi has wired the internals of the single-ended 3.5mm jack in a similar manner referred to as “S-Balanced.” As with traditional balanced output, the goal is to make sure you have as little interference and interference as possible. Although it’s not entirely possible to A/B compare this to a similar DAC that’s 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 full access to all the power of the GO Bar. Many other DACs with balanced outputs are set up with a pair of DAC and amp chips and use both sets just to get a balanced output. The GO Bar selects one set of these chips, so your output isn’t hampered just because there aren’t boxes with Sony’s fancy 5-pole connection.
Honestly, although the GO Bar can power my “serious” headphones (250ohm Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros), I’m more interested in headphones that can fit in a pocket. The IEMatch switch is a great consideration for a DAC as you will be using in-ear monitors most of the time. The ability to have lower, more precise volume control with the click of a button when using ultra-sensitive IEMs is a must, especially on a DAC this powerful.
Another plus of IEMatch is overall cleaner sound. It’s not that the GO Bar is noisy or consistent otherwise – it’s just a subtle difference that’s easy to spot feel Than it is to measure.
Should you buy it?
Yes, If you want to seriously improve your mobile listening experience without purchasing a separate standalone player, the ifi GO Bar has the same features for less than half the cost. Regardless of your choice of computer or phone, this can be your go-to DAC when you’re out and about or near your computer. Works with Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.
If you’re strictly looking for a portable DAC, the GO Bar isn’t the cheapest option. However, this cost provides unparalleled support for high impedance headphones, top-notch file type support, and crystal clear sound quality. All packed into one of the smallest form factors available on the market.
While many people may prefer the added flexibility of the FiiO BTR line, with LDAC Bluetooth support and built-in battery, the ifi GO Bar is clearly the DAC to buy for quality sound. But, if you’re not quite ready to return to the wired headphone lifestyle, you can choose from many great Bluetooth headphones instead.
Buy it if…
- You want the best, most portable DAC on the market
- You need a DAC that can drive even the most demanding headphones
Don’t buy it if…
- You’re not very picky about sound quality, and you’ll be happier with something cheaper and more flexible, like the FiiO BTR5.
Instructions
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 supporting higher bitrate audio, being able to handle much higher impedance headphones, and coming in at about half the size. The BTR5 makes up for a lot of these trade-offs by adding features that require an internal battery. This battery is largely responsible for the size difference, making the BTR5 more flexible as a DAC, and even allowing it to function as a Bluetooth receiver.
Neither is better than the other in all scenarios, but both are better depending on your use case. The BTR5 comes in at $200 cheaper than the GO Bar, and if you want to add the same bitrate and file support that the GO Bar offers to the BTR5, FiiO’s BTR7 does it for less than the GO Bar, although the BTR5 is still there. The space is “probably good enough” for anyone wanting their first pocket DAC.
Q: How does the ifi GO tape compare to the iBasso DC-06
iBasso’s DC06 is similar in size and weight to the ifi GO Bar, opting to be slightly thicker and more than a cm shorter, and it supports all the same high-bitrate files that the GO Bar does too. Instead of a distinct LED panel that lets you know the current bit rate, file type and mode, the DC06 has a single color-changing LED on the same side as the headphone outputs.
Instead of a single DAC and amplifier chipset like the GO Bar, the iBasso DC06 has a pair of 32-bit DAC chips, each with its own amp chip, both of which are used solely by its 4.4mm balanced output. For this reason, it can’t reach maximum output on the 3.5mm jack, though it still can’t match the output power of the GO Bar on the balanced 4.4mm jack either.
At $120, the DC06 is a steal for anyone looking to get an entry-level pocket DAC, but it’s missing all the quality-of-life features and extra modes that make the GO Bar worth nearly three times the price.
