What Portable DAC/Amp Is Better For You? | iFi Go Link vs Astell & Kern XB10
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- Опубликовано: 5 авг 2024
- These two DAC/Amps have been my goto units for a while now and as much as I like both of them, there is a stark difference between them, not just in price, but in the way they sound. Both are great at what they do but one does trump the other in different situations.
If you'd like to buy the equipment I've mentioned :
iFi Go Link - Headphone Zone Link - www.headphonezone.in/products...
Astell & Kern XB10 - Headphone Zone Link - www.headphonezone.in/products...
My Reviews :
iFi Go Link - • Level Up Your Audio Ex...
Astell & Kern XB10 - • Astell & Kern XB10 Blu...
Truthear Hola - • Truthear Hola In-depth...
Simgot EM6L - • Simgot EM6L IEM Review...
Simgot EA1000 - • Simgot EA1000 Fermat R...
Equipment I use :
Camera - Sony ZV1 - amzn.to/43YoQEY
Memory Card - Sony 64 GB - amzn.to/45W2VA5
Lights - Ulanzi Handheld Light Wand - amzn.to/3NqToZt
Monitor - LG 27" monitor - amzn.to/3N7RNat
Keyboard - Keychron K2 V2 - amzn.to/3Cq5DjN
Mouse - Logitech MX Master 3 - amzn.to/48JKDUa
Microphone - Rode VideoMic - amzn.to/46tTExW
Microphone - Sony Stereo Lavalier Microphone - amzn.to/46BHGCQ
Chapters provided :
00:00 - Intro
00:16 - Build
03:29 - Sound
10:02 - Pricing 
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![iFi Go Link: A $60 pocket DAC/Amp that’s actually GOOD?! Yes, BUT… [REVIEW]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/puJ7kOdI9es/mqdefault.jpg)
![iFi Go Link: A $60 pocket DAC/Amp that’s actually GOOD?! Yes, BUT… [REVIEW]](/img/tr.png)
Xb10 price 1999 1799 is unboxed unit😅
Yes! 🤣 You're right. When I checked the prices, it didn't occur to me that the link I opened was the unboxed unit. Thanks for calling it out.
Hello
@@editingbaba2.027 yes, kya hua
Beautiful as always ❤
Thanks!! For the detailed review of xb10, I saw your video review. I bought it recently and i am very happy with it. Its my first DAC/AMP, I used it with my CCA IEM and huge difference i notice with base.
I am surprised with the mic quality, its realy good and I had an intuition that it would be good when I saw you testing it while driving 😂, i am planing to do some more test and replace my home office mic, I know totally different use case.
Thanks!! For the detailed review..
It is super value for money! Enjoy your new XB10 ☺️
Good to see a genuinely knowledgeable person reviewing audio gear. Do make a video showcasing all the headphones you own.
I've got videos on the Beyerdynamic DT990 and Sennheiser HD700 so far that were uploaded fairly recently. Feel free to give them a watch.
@@PaulsPOV sure! And keep up the good work!
What do you think about Samsung type c to 3.5mm dac,
Is it worth it ? Because they offer some big specifications. 😅
I haven't tested it yet, so I wouldn't want to give you any wrong information.
Sir saundbar me use karsakte bluetooth rply
Recently bought Sennheiser ie600 but using it with mobile's internal dac. Need some assistance on which of the portable DAC i can go with for its max potential.
You'll need something considerably higher end than these for the IE600. They guys at HeadphoneZone should be able to point you in the right direction. I have yet to get my hands on more premium pirtable hardware, so I wouldn't want to give you any wrong information.
How do I turn the XB10 off?
Hi, what about shanling ua1 plus dac it's 80mw 32ohm and ifi go 70mw 32ohm mqa authentication not big matter in India which one is best.
I haven't tested the UA1 Plus, I did, however, test the older UA1 Pro and found it to be terrific. These will certainly perform better than the XB10. Spec wise, it'll push 10mw more out to your IEMs, but I'm not certain how well it'll detail since I haven't tested it yet. I'll try getting my hands on it for a review.
Please help me to choose 1. JBL tune 770nc OR sony wh-ch720n OR soundcore Q45
I haven't tested any of these headphones yet, so I wouldn't want to give you any wrong information.
which dac/amp would you recommend for the PR1 PRO's?
The iFi Go Link or the ddHiFi Hi-Res DAC. I've got a comparison between them. Feel free to give e it a look. They do have slightly different coloring.
If we use xb10 with iphone (aac) and android (aptx), how much of a noticeable difference in audio quality would be there? Cause i have iPhone and don’t want the actual audio quality distorted for convenience. If you could tell how much of a honest difference does the codecs could make in real life.
AAC will give you up to 250kbps, and Aptx will give you up to 576kbps. If you're listening to MP3s or any general compressed audio from RUclips or Spotify, there's no point in broadcasting in Aptx because it'll still only broadcast compressed audio. If you have transparent sounding IEMs, you'll be able to tell the difference with compression since AAC is half the bit rate. This will be noticeable if you're listening to Hi-Res audio and not compressed audio obviously.
Using blon blo3
I want to buy fiio x jade ka11 dac
But the problem is my mobile have 3.5mm jack it doesn't support type c audio all portable dacs come with type c
Any solution?
Perhaps some sort of adapter will work, but it will need a proper power source. A 3.5mm won't give it that.
Should I go for astel and kern xb110
But it not support loseless music
And the difference is 1000₹ only
Its a good option. I used mine on AptX and it's a good performer.
Plz tell me any better iem than Blon bl03 i want to upgrade from it..
Have a look at my review on the Simgot EW200.
Hello. Great information . Thx. I am looking for over year ANC headphone for music & movie purpose . I want natural sound with good base in low volume. I am still confused on Sony x 910n & JBL live 770 nc . Kindly advise which is better for my uses.
I haven't tested the Sony yet, so I can't really comment on it, I have reviewed the 770NC recently and quite liked it. Feel free to watch my review on it if you haven't already.
Thx for the reply & appreciate. I want to know what is the difference in tune & live 770 model
I haven't tested the Tune variant, but from what I understood while talking to the folk at JBL, the Tune variants usually have more colour in their tuning. The Live is tightly structured and isn't bloated in its audio. I also prefer a more natural sound, so quite like the Live 770NC.
Thank you sir
Will this play while it's charging?
Yes
Your video makes me wonder "Where is my iBasso DC02?"
10 minutes later... I found him 🤣🤣
🤣 I have yet to listen to iBasso stuff. I've heard good things about their hardware.
Can i use this with google pixel 4a? Should i be downloading flac files to get better results? also, which earphones should i buy to get best results from this dac within 5k range ?
Yup, the pixel should support these. Consider watching my reviews on the Tangzu Wan'er, Simgot EW200, KZ ZSN Pro X and the few others I've reviewed. It's best to pair these with good IEMs. If you stream Apple Music, you're good to go. FLAC files sound great, provides they're good recordings and not just converted from MP3 files.
Thanks a lot Paul. Could you suggest an earphone- DAC combo that comes within 10K for music listening purpose. With good stage and bass. Also any bluetooth speaker around 10K that can go with the same DAC? @@PaulsPOV
I'm slowly expanding my IEMs reviews towards more premium stuff, but as of now, I've mainly reviewed IEMs in the 2k price range. A set I really liked that I tested recently was the Simgot EM6L paired with the iFi Go Link. Great combo, but it might be a little out of your budget. If not, give my reviews on them a listen.
You won't be able to pair a speaker with the iFi I mentioned unless you plug it in via an auxiliary cable. I don't expect speakers under 10k to carry enough clarity to benefit from listening to Hi-Res music.
Thanks. Can i club MoonDrop Aria 2 with the ifiGO link? Will it provide good sound?@@PaulsPOV
I dont see why not. It's a good piece of hardware.
Ifi go link or ddhifi which can I buy? I use iphone
Have a look at this review -> ruclips.net/video/h7hRzaVTyeY/видео.html
Myself love each and every products from sennheiser like IEM's Audiophile Headphones 🎧
Hello sir can you please make a video on how to tune eq of Realme air 5 pro
Follow these steps, it'll help a lot -> ruclips.net/video/f5Y_ao60k_k/видео.html
I did try the ifi go link with my 7hz Legato and there was no difference other than it being a little louder than directly plugging it to my Poco F5.
Even Abyss Headphones youtube channel has a video comparing different dongle dacs and they said that ifi go link is just a louder apple dongle. But, other dongle dacs that are a few bucks higher in price do improve the sound quality.
From my experience and what the sound engineers at Abyss say, go for a dac that's slightly more expensive. Or else, just use your phone's 3.5mm jack or a normal dongle.
Most IEMs are easy to drive and don't need a dac. There's no point in buying a ₹4k DAC for a truthear hola that costs ₹1.8k. Instead just buy an IEM that costs 5k. You'll get much better quality.
I used Samsung galaxy s 10 plus
And it has 3.5 mm jack
Can I use ifi go link dac in my smartphone
Yes, you can. It'll most likely do a better job with audio than your phones internal hardware.
@@PaulsPOV thanks
Im using 1custom pm 01 which dac should i get ?
I haven't gotten my hands on this set of IEMs for review, but between the two portable DAC/Amp I really like, I'd recommend the iFi Go Link. I've tested it with the Simgot EM6L and Simgot EA1000, and it's a great performer. Feel free to watch my review on it compared with the ddHiFi Hi-Res DAC/Amp. I break down how they sound up against one another. It should help you decide between them if they're on your list.
@@PaulsPOV thanks Paul ur knowledge and passion helps lot of audiophiles
@@PaulsPOV still in general if you got any dac on mind under 10k will help a lot that's a sweet point for begginers you should also make video on that
I find the iFi Go Link to be a very capable one. I've been using it for some time now, and it does make me question if it makes sense to spend more on a portable DAC/Amp, considering how good it is.
I regularly use Samsung buds 2 pro with my iphone 13, So will there be any change if i use a good dac with my truthhear hola’s?
The Truthear Hola didn't seem to ve as transparent as I thought it was, but a good DAC is always a better investment if you plan on expanding to better IEMs in the future.
@@PaulsPOV so which dac would you suggest me if i had a budget under 4,000?
The iFi Go Link
Talk to headphones zone's headphone guru
It's free and they suggest really well
Wait... Xb10 has type c ?????
Micro usb
the only thing about Astell & Kern is the battery life if this gonna be your primary dac the battery is just not it and the build quality tbh not good its so much better to get abigail pro its 1100 rs and much better . if you are willing to sacrifice bluetooth connectivity. if you want to get bluetooth connectivity go for the kz bluetooth adapter its much better then x10
It's Micro USB charging port not Micro USB C
You're correct! #I'mOnlyHuman
I want contact you for some reason how can i do it
Kis se
Well, I am a beginner, like a real noobie, I don't understand half of the things reviewers say about an IEM and to add salt to the wound, I am a student, so poor to boot.
I have a budget of 2000, I am confused between KZ-EDX PRO + a cheap DAC or buying just a IEM and buying a DAC later whenever i save up enough. Talking about just the earphones, I am confused between Moondrop Chu 2, Tangzhu Wan'er and 7Hz Salanotes Zero. I am also willing to extend my budget by a few hundred rupees to get the 7Hz Zero 2, if they are worth the jump. Having a mic would be a welcome bonus too
Would really appreciate some help :))
I'm not sure if the mic variant of the Truthear Hola has come back yet, but it's one of the better sounding mics I've heard on IEMs. I quite liked the detail of the Tangu Wan'er, but its tuning usually gravitated me toward more classical music than anything else. I haven't tried the Chu 2, Zero2 or EDX Pro + so I wouldn't want to give you any wrong information about them. It's worthwhile connecting with the folk at HeadphoneZone, they're pretty helpful with this kind of stuff.
Budget wise, get a nice pair of IEMs first. Save up for a nice DAC/Amp for later. Your IEMs will certainly open up by the time and sound richer when you plug into a good DAC/Amp. I've found higher end IEMs to be more transparent than lower end ones. The Simgot EW200 also being a great pair! Feel free to give my audiophile Playlist a look if you'd like to see my reviews on a few things.
@@PaulsPOV Thanks for the help :))
So...? What's the best have you got?
Help me too..😢 I don't even have salt to add up on my wound