iFi GO bar - Ultraportable DAC/preamp/headphone amp

Product Information

the more DACS I demo (65+ at this point), the more I’m starting to really believe that there are almost no differences between them (at least not any that you can actually hear). Much like it happens on many other iFi’s models, GO Bar carries built-in IEMatch circuitry. The implementation does not exactly follow the same specs as the standalone IEMatch devices though. After inquiring with iFi’s tech support I got no fix for the Windows problems, and I got confirmed that Linux is indeed not supported “by design”. This is bad, as this de facto prevents GO Bar to be used in pretty much any Linux Client-Server configuration e.g. in a Roon, or LMS, or similar infrastructure, unless by slamming its volume to 100% via its HW buttons, and then actionate on host’s Digital Volume which is of course far from ideal in terms of output quality.

when a PCM stream is being received: cyan for BP filter, white for GTO, red for STD, yellow for MIN and off in case of DSD stream. (Read more down below about filters). I also threw in the Gryphon, hip-dac 1, and hip-dac 2 for good measure, and again, not much in the way of differences. Groove swings 5V into 600Ω impedance cans which is a lot. It is indeed way short of GO Bar’s huge 7,2V although it’s worth noting that per se there’s little need for those extra 2V when driving high impedance dynamic divers. This is not at the expense of the unity of the recording, you understand – the iFi isn’t prissy or analytical, it simply extracts and retains more of the minutiae of a performance than an unassisted laptop or smartphone has a prayer of doing. Such “guess” is also corroborated looking at the Single Ended output figures: there, the lower output impedance option does not feature a much higher attenuation as it usually is the case on IEMatch devices, but rather a slightly lower one, with a phase flip involved.

Packaging and Accessories

I only used the Moondrop Kato DD IEM for impressions from an iPhone 13. I didn't use any other IEM or any other sources. 3.5mm output only. XBass+” behaves like what an EQ expert would call a low shelf positive filter. By ear I would say it pushes lows up by 2dB-ish from 100Hz down. While you can drive pretty much any headphone with the standard gain, the “Turbo” mode is suitable for additional headroom on the most power-hungry headphones. I only had one headphone that needed it, and that was the Dan Clark Aeon Flow Closed.

Simply put, if you ask me GO Bar’s Single Ended output is to be disregarded, in favour of its Balanced Ended sibling. As for voicing GO Bar definitely marks a diversion from that warm and midbass-accented iFi’s “house sound” typical of many other models e.g. Hip Dac, Nano iDSD BL, etc. Using the same measurement system, the idle current is the same as the old SMSL iDEA dongle (higher than the AQ Dragonflies), and about double the current at maximum output into a low-impedance load. The difference of course is that the iFi can do >2Vrms into 20Ω without clipping (I think the distortion is <0.1% right at 2Vrms).

The DACS we’re comparing today are all small, portable, and share similar weights, sizes, and dimensions. Firstly, next to the IEMatch switch on GO Bar we don’t find the usual “Ultra” / “High” engravings, but rather “3.5” and “4.4”. The GO Bar manual quite smokily says that “iEMatch reduces the output level, so that even the most sensitive In-Ear-Monitors (IEMs) can be matched to the GO bar”. Which is only a part of what a full-blown IEMatch does. And does not offer precise figures in terms of attenuations nor output impedances to help the user anticipate what he will get by plugging IEMs of specific impedance or sensitivity. Also included is iFi’s “IEMatch” technology for use with sensitive IEM’s. This is a very handy option if you are experiencing a bit hiss with your easy to drive IEMs. I ended up not needing it personally (my IEMs are not sensitive at all,) but it is there should you have a sensitive pair. Frankly, the only missing things are a replaceable cable and a Lightning-to-USB adapter for iOS devices. Of course, if you aren’t an Apple user, this will not impact you. Sound quality wise 9038SG3 out of the box is definitely cleaner and comes across as more analythical and more energetic compared to GO Bar, which sounds more musical and more relaxing. Actionating upon its multiple tweaks 9038SG3 can be made “sweeter/smoother” though.

Second: GO Bar does drain the smartphone’s battery quite fast, even when not “pumped to the max” power by the way.

What To Think About

And yeah, I actually prefer ESS but it’s obvious a lot of companies are jumping on that bandwagon and it can be kind of irritating. Even so, I love what Hidizs has done with their S9 Pro. Basically made it 1/3 of the price of the stupid Cobalt while implementing the exact same 9038 chip. You love to see it. I can’t stand AudioQuest, to be honest. I recommended their DF Red for many years because I truly thought it was great, but it’s now just another overpriced dac in a long line of many. all are DACS, Amps, and preamps, meaning you can connect any of them to some active speakers like the Presonus Eris e3.5 via RCA to 3.5mm. If all this sounds like I'm gushing, I am. I'm sure I could have found some flaws. But I was simply having too much fun, and at some point, I think it's reasonable to say that a setup sounds good enough for me. As far as sound, coming from the iFi devices makes this one kind of sound neutral or even mid-centric, which I know is slightly warm. I also now hear a bit of harshness or grain in the mids, even in NOS mode. I still prefer NOS mode for sure. But the grain is still kind of there, which I think is a testament to how smooth and clean the iFi devices are. There is sound science behind the concept of balanced wiring and such, meaning it does reduce noise via reverse polarity which could account for why I perceive balanced to be ever so slightly more clean and crisp.