#donglemadness
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- Опубликовано: 12 июл 2024
- Another amazing Dongle from iFi!. Full review and comparisons with similar sounding dongles.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:24 Configuration and Build
03:02 Physical comparisons with other dongles
04:10 Usage & Features
10:11 Sound Analysis
15:29 Total Score and Rating
17:06 Comparisons
20:31 Conclusions
Get iFi GO Link from E1 Personal Audio:
my.e1personalaudio.com/pages/...
Shot On:
- Canon EOS R6 Mark2
- Canon EF 50mm F1.2 L USM (Primary)
- Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L USM (Secondary)
- ATOMOS Ninja V (Canon CLOG3 ProRes 4.2.2 4K50P)
* Post processed using PowerDirector 365
My Tidal Playlist:
tidal.com/browse/playlist/ba3...
![iFi Go Link: A $60 pocket DAC/Amp that’s actually GOOD?! Yes, BUT… [REVIEW]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/puJ7kOdI9es/mqdefault.jpg)
first time i’ve seen this reviewer and i’ll say he’s really good. most of reviewers only saying good about a product but this guy is so honest saying good and bad 👏
i have watched so many reviews, but you are to the point with clear explanation and i feel your feedback is honest and unbiased. Overall a great review, keep up the good work !!!
I appreciate that! Be Thank you!
Great review, transparent rating and comparison. Just perfect!
Thanks as always 🙏
Detail review. Nice. Helped in my decision making of DACs.
Thanks!
Excellent as always Andy👑✨👍
Thanks Stephen!
nice! love the new analog - hifi bar rating in the review, it is easier to make an idea of how it sounds.
It is there to stay!
Nice review. Loving the IFi Go Link with my Sundaras and with TangZu Wan Er's.... With UAPP, streaming with Qobuz it sounds great 👌
Thanks for sharing your experience Dunkku
Great review!💖
Thank you! 🤗
Really love go link so far 😁
❤️
In the Tidal settings that you brought up simply tick the 'Force volume' box to keep tidal at 100 and control your sound via the system. Further I think you would also want the 3rd option in settings which is Passthrough MQA, as you want your DAC to decode the file, not software.
Thanks!
Great review!! Still hesitant between this one and the dragonfly cobalt...
Thanks, if I can offer a bit more of insights, I personally think GO Link is cleaner sounding and technically on par to Cobalt, and it don't even cost as much as Cobalt, which is already dated by now
You are the most respectable sound reviewer to me. You always look into the great picture when talking about sound, not only in relation to the price of the product. I newly bought the ifi go link, but it doesnt satisfy me. What do you think of the audioquest dragonfly series? Especially the cobalt? Greetings :)
Thank you. I am honored. If you find GO Link not enough, then goin Dragonfly is a backward step if you ask me. You can get far better options from the likes of iBasso DC03Pro or even Fosi Audio DS1, at cheaper price too
Thank you for the great content!
I'm waiting for an opinion on Quloos MC01 and the new FiiO KA5 .Perhaps, there will be an opportunity to evaluate them. FiiO is on the way to me, but your opinion is also interesting.
Thank you! I hope I can get KA5 soon too especially 😁
Just got Go Link, sounds great with my Sennheiser HD 800, Questyle M12 lacked bass in comparison to my old Denon AVR-1912 receiver, while Go link sounds identical to Denon output to me. I consider Denon headphone output as a reference for all other dacs, since it sounds so great to me and I see no way or need for any greater sound than that for my HD 800 headphones. So GO link is a Go for me!
Thanks for sharing your feedback :D
Andy I bought iFi GO link. You gave me advice that It suits to Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pri X. Fantastic sound. Thanks.
My pleasure. Enjoy!
Great job, as always! Where would you place the iBasso DC04Pro on your Analogue-HiFi meter?
It is a strong 9 for DC04Pro 😁
Thanks for throughout review of the product. I am planning to get one soon after the weekend. You covered intersting stuffs already. Liked and subbed to the channel. By the way, would you mind to share the name of your pc case? It is quite compact and looks great.
Thanks, glad that my review helps. The case is a Cooler Master MasterBox NR200P ITX. Totally loving it, solid like a tank!
@@donglemadness I actually ordered ifi Go Link right after watching your review. I may order the case as well. Haha. Thanks a lot for your kind reply and keep it up the good work!
will you review the ifi uno ? for only $20 extra it has a potetiometer, 3 eq profiles, 3x more power and line out if you also want to use speakers (same ess dac but strangly no external frequency oscillator when the go link has it)
Yes I do hope so, as soon as I can get one!
Отличный обзор. Мне очень понравился ваш канал. Ваш подход к обзору самый правильный среди всех блогеров.
Большое спасибо! Для меня большая честь!
Please do a review for Moondrop Dawn. Please compare the two variants of Dawn.
Moondrop DAWN review is due up next for #donglemadness. Likely on Monday or Tuesday
Hi Andy, i m new to DAC and wish to get my first one.
1.Will the iBasso dc3 pro be a better choice compared to iFi Go Link?
2. Does iBasso dc33 pro have MQA because i listen to streaming music from Tidal and Apple?
3. Since DAC is traditionally for wired headphones, can i used it for my Sony WH1000XM5 wireless headphones with their included 3.5mm jack?
1. Yes. DC03Pro is superior than iFi GO Link
2. No, DC03Pro does not have native MQA support
3. Yes they only work for wired headphones/IEMs, no BT connection. But if you can use a 3.5mm connection plugged into the dongle, then it will work
Would it be good replacement for my broken draonfly cobalt? I guess I am asking would it be of similar/better sound quality?
Yes of course, GO Link and Cobalt has similar sound signature and presentation
Every dongle i have doesnt come with any dedicated driver for windows sadly.
Well, the ones with dsd capable i have, are from jcally tho.
Those only run on window's stock drivers.
So, does this driver of IFI GO allow the dongle to play dsd natively on pc?
(Not sure of which player you were gonna use to test that tho)
What Windows version you use? All of the over 130 USB dongles I tried so far, only 2 does not work Plug and Play with Windows 10 or 11. So practically any USB C especially when plugged at minimum into USB 2.0 with native Windows drivers, they will always work. The only time you want a dedicated USB drivers is when you want to do more with features using ASIO etc
@@donglemadness Win10. But yeah, thats what i mean. ASIO. None of my jcally dongle gives ASIO connection.
Does this donge give asio connecting with its dedicated drivers?
@@tarno_bejo_ I haven't tried ASIO for GO Link yet. Just iFi USB Drivers and I think for ASIO you need to get a separate modules on top of it
I'm going to buy dongle dac first time which would you recommend between ifi go link and ve Abigail pro. And will these enhance my audio experience in Netflix DDP5.1 audio?
If you like warmer sound but with more soundstage, iFi GO Link it is. If you prefer more resolution, Abigail Pro has it
@@donglemadness I will hear diffrence in Netflix Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 Atmos audio
too? Thanks for the reply 🙏
Was planning to get a dongle but right now my phone has an existing 3.5mm jack. The question is, do people able to distinguish the output between dongle dac and build in 3.5mm jack?
It also depends on what are you driving? Is your earphone already efficient? Does it scale with power? Some IEMs are more responsive to source variants, some not at all
@@donglemadness Currently I'm using Truthear Hexa, I'm not sure how to know if it's efficient (120db sensitivity, 20.5Ω impedance), run through my redmagic 7 (redmagic 8 pro soon which also has a 3.5mm jack)
@@miraixu6817 HEXA is already very efficient with very high sensitivity and low impedance. It will sound great even with low power. But it can also scale really well with more analytical DACs
@@donglemadness If that's the case I'll give it a go when I'm ready, been thinking between Truthear SHIO and Tanchjim Space as one of my friend says that SHIO is actually warmer than the Space. Thanks again for opinion Andy.
Hi, do you think it is better than dragonfly black? Could you give me your opinion ? Tks
Absolutely, GO Link is even better than Dragonfly Cobalt
Have you reviewed Ikko Zerda itm02? If not can you please do so?
Love the new vid btw forgot to say that😁
Thanks! ITM02 not yet, but that can be done soon I hope 😁
@@donglemadness I’m getting mine today I’ll let you know if it’s good. Do a video on how it’s on sale for 44$ instead of 59
Can you use it without headphones but to enhance the sound quality of your internal phone speakers?
Thankx
No you can't. Once you attached an external DAC, all audio processing is redirected to the external DAC. So it will not impact phone speakers
Can Go Link drive my Sennheiser HD600 and maybe my AKG K701 properly please? Moreover can Go Link be connected to an external amplifier so as to drive more hungry headphones? Thanks you
Driving for listening level yes, GO Link can do it, but don't expect 100%. GO Link will appear lacking in resolution especially for those power hungry cans
Andy. iFi GO link sometimes when I plug headphones into the phone as far as it can It plays only in left side of the headphones I must pull wire slightly out and then plays stereo. Can it be wrong dongle or only coincidence?
Does this happen with all of your headphones? if you have another 3.5mm terminated earphones or headphones, try them and see if the issue still persists. Sometimes very slight variance in plug reach and body can cause this sort of issues. And if it is persistent then perhaps you need to consider claiming warranty to the seller
Yes this happens on two headphones. Thanks for the answer.
If we ignore the connectivity issues of fiio ka11, is fiio ka11 better than ifi go link in terms of soundstage and sound quality?
KA11 yes is superior than GO Link with resolution and staging, but GO Link is truthfully natural and neutral with much smoother transients than KA11
Thank you 🙏
Please review fiio ka5
Soon I hope. Thanks!
Hi Andy. Could you tell me how you would compare this to the moondrop dawn 3.5 or the thruthear shio 3.5. I am running Beyerdynamic dt900 pro x’s. Thanks!!
Different tuning. Dawn is focused on modern Hi-Fi sound which is crisp and lacking analogue timbre to it. Pretty much the same with SHIO, which is a bit more organic neutral compared to DAWN. But I would say that the super smooth and analogue nature of GO Link will suit DT990 Pro well
Awesome! Thank you so much. I think this is going to be the one I get. I love your detailed reviews. Some of the best I’ve seen. Appreciate you very much
Oh, by the way, I have the 900 pro x not the 990 pro. They are lower impedance as to be used with modern devices (phones, pc’s ect.) My iPhone drives them no problem. I’m just hoping to get more sound stage and dynamics as I am running them through the apple 3.5 dongle.
@@jtroopin5926 Then it is even easier then for your DT990 Pro X!
Perfect! Thanks again
Sir, I am an keen audio enthusiast and love listening music. But, this lil dongle DAC(Ifi Go Link) didn't make any difference to my music quality listening from my phone(Asus Rog 5s + Apple Music + Truthear Hola). The inbuilt DAC in the phone I think it is of the same grade / class if not better. I was expecting greatly from it after hearing praises from prominent reviewers about it. What could be the issue here?
First or all, no need for sir, just Andy will do. The issue I see here is Hola being natively less capable with resolution and imaging, it is also not so good with transparency, you may keep upgrading dongles but you will not hear much difference at all even if you pair Hola with L&P W4. On top of that, GO Link is tuned more on being musical rather than analytical, so that combo of Hola + GO Link definitely will not give you the resolution you need. Try a well burned-in Tanchjim ZERO with GO Link and you will understand what I mean
Will you review the new astell hc3 ?
I have every intention to get it, yes.
@@donglemadness please compare with fc6 I will get either one thanks so much for these sir ❤️
Hi Andy, From where you are downloading hi-res music?
Can you suggest me the website?
All of my FLAC files are either ripped from my CD collections or now I prefer to buy them directly from Bandcamp
Thanks Andy I will buy from bandcamp
Which one is better if compared to 7Hz 71 in terms of power output?
GO Link has more usable power at 2 Vrms, 71 is 1 Vrms. But both will have no issues with driving most things that is under 300 Ohms
@@donglemadness Thank you 😃
I basso dc03 or ifi go link Please suggest me which one is better DAC
Overall better is definitely DC03Pro. Tuning wise they are different sounding. DC03Pro is modern energetic sound and GO Link is warm, smooth analog timbre. Your own taste and preferences will determine which one you will like more
@@donglemadness thank you sir
Anyone tried this with the KZ ZS10 Pro?
Does it support mic on the Link or Bar dongle?
Unfortunately no
Mic support would be a detriment to the sound, stay away from dacs supporting mics.
@@ambientblue-eyedmonkey8849 How much of the sound quality is effected? For my use case, I need it for work and sometimes use for music listening during breaks from phone call.
@@kennethz4466 Such devices with mics are created for casual listening, so for listening at work it should be fine, bass might be lacking, because devices with mic support prioritize efficiency over quality, so they try to use less power, less power, less bass, nobody rides for free, though I've heard Fiio BTR7 has great sound quality and has options for sound prioritization, also IFI Go Blu is loved by many.
what is the battery drain like ?
Please check 16:12 I already mentioned there, 15 hours of runtime on my phone. Thanks
@@donglemadnessThanks.
Your camera quality is good, but audio is still so bad. Regardless great video
My 9th MIC is apparently not good enough still. I may need to keep on looking
@@donglemadness damn sorry for that. Just was being honest. 😅
I mean its just that your reviews are so good, but the mic system is kinda iffy for some reason.
@@mokisan No worries. Eventually I will get the right MIC for me, lol. Cheers
@@donglemadness 😄
Ironic since it’s an audio focused channel but dude makes great content!
its a shit technically, it has a poor built, it has a poor interchanel, it has huge distortion at very low volume
I would want to enjoy finest quality of music. What would you recommend, iFi GoLink OR Ovidius B1? Why?
Between those two, Ovidius B1 is the superior one