I've been using the iBasso DC04 Pro as my dongle DAC and I want to know your thoughts on it whenever you get your hands on them Its fairly cheap, compact, got balanced connection, configurable volume control etc. Basically feature packed for its price, I'd like to see your thoughts on them compared to the dacs you own and what's out there in that price range +its got a high res sticker so it has to sound good :D Nice review again, thank you for your insights and reviews
I bought this one today, but I am not able to find any difference with the audio quality. Probably I am doing something wrong. I just connected it to my Honor 8 Pro and iPhone 7 plus and played some music on VLC on both. The difference between connecting my KZ EDX Pro IEM directly to the phones or having the DAC in between made no difference to me. (My ear cannot perceive the difference!!??)
No offense but the KZ EDX Pro isn't a very good IEM that would reveal differences. But I haven't heard the iPhone 7 Plus or Honor 8 Pro so they may be better than the iFi Audio Go Link.
How timely! I’ve been looking at these. For all these years, I have been using a little gizmo called the Upstart Boostaroo. It’s about $25. You keep it in your pocket like this thing. It gives every speaker or headphone plugged into it a boost. It works especially well with nonplanar headphones under 150 ohm, but, it gives a satisfactory boost to my HD 600. And it sounds good! It boosts the Ananda, but to me, there is a little bit of fuzz at high volumes with that headphone It is a competitor to something like this. Takes two AA batteries, I am not kidding, the batteries last for months! In reality, I would say probably about 180 hours
Most of these dongle DAC/Amps seem to have one issue, a little low on power. Granted if they did have more power, they would more than likely drain the phone even faster than do already. I know a few have there own internal battery, but they are not that much better for there power output. Waiting for one that will bump up to maybe 300 to 400 milliwatts at 32 ohms and see what happens. ( with their own built in battery)
@@TheHonestAudiophile That's better, but do they drain your phone quicker? That's my biggest issue with these devices. Granted they are not really made to drive bigger/hard to drive over ear headphones, more on the IEM side for on the go listening. I know it's still somewhat early with these dongles and they will get better as long as the demand for them is still there. It is what it is and I'm glad these companies are making quality products out the gate and you have all these choices so far.
I've found that running them balanced seems to sip power a little more. Another thing to consider is the device being connected to may have bad battery management. If someone is planning on using a dongle as a long term source each day they better be prepared to have a charger handy.
Just for learning purpose i have a question - I do use aune ar5000 with this ifi go link into pc. Sounds quite good. But wondering if any desktop amp dac setup inder 500 usd would sound better?
@@TheHonestAudiophile It's so good, I bought two. One for the Nvidia Shield Pro for game streaming and the other for daily use with the Topping NX7. Brilliant stuff lad. Keep it up as your reviews are bloody honest and I appreciate that as do others.
@@michaelmacvittie6977 if it wants to compete with Apple dongle then it needs to passthru phone calls and only serve as a DAC for music. And respect phone volume control.
The differences are rather interesting,. The R70x is harder to drive. The 660s is warmer, has slight more bass impact, 660s has more forward mids, 660s has a little heavier note weight, R70x has more treble extension, R70x is edgy, 660s is rounded, R70x is more aggressive in presentation, R70x is airier, R70x is slightly better detailed and resolving, R70x has very wide stage, R70x has deeper stage, R70x is slightly better with imaging accuracy, 660s has slightly more natural tone, R70x is slightly better with timbre.. Overall both are exceptional but the R70x is more neutral and analytical and the 660s is more natural and musical.
@@TheHonestAudiophile Thanks for the answer)...and in which cases is it better to control complex compositions? And another question is, which of them are best suited for listening to music at a low volume? Judging by your recommendations, it begs to own both of these headphones plus supplement with planar ones. What kind of planar sounds would you recommend?
R70x is better controlled and both are good at low volume. The R70x needs a more powerful amplifier. Planars I recommend are the Hifiman Ananda, Audeze LCD-2 Closed, Hifiman Arya Stealth, Audeze LCD-X, Audeze LCD-5, Dan Clark Ether C.
I was using an earman eagle with my sennheiser momentum 3 headphones, which I use while taking my daily walks. I dropped my phone on a concrete surface, and the eagle cracked. Luckily my phone survived. Would the ifi go link be a good replacement, or would you recommend something else? Thanks for any insight you can give me on this.
do u know the dongle Sonata HD II ? i'm looking for a cheap dac to play my tangzu zetian wu, and i found this one for a good price. Another slightly more expensive option, but still within budget would be the 7hz 71, do you think that would be enough?
@@TheHonestAudiophile I understand that it's not that the most powerful option, but i find the 7hz 71 for only $27... to play just in ear phones, like the Tangzu Zetian Wu or the S12 Pro, do you think the 7hz 71 will be able to play well at least 90% of them?
@@TheHonestAudiophile Yes it was recommended to me by DAC expert to my Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X headphones so I purchased it. I have now classic little DAC XDuoo link V2 and I enjoy the sound.
@@TheHonestAudiophile I know the Go link isn't Bluetooth, I'm just wondering that if the Sony is plugged in with the 3.5 mm cable provided would sound good without having to switch the headphones on for ANC?
Wired connections can make a difference and using a dongle dac/amp can improve performance. I don't know how this pairing will sound as I have no experience with the Sony.
my experience with iFi Go Link that nobody talk about: the connection with the 3.5mm all headphones was so hard to push all the way, and so so so hard to pull it off to chance for other headphone, drove me crazy, my unity WARM sooooo much even with low power hp. I've tried also iFi Uno which was amazing in my desk, but bad sound using the EQ and i could not accept pay the price to dont use the features. While Fiio Q11 so smooth the 3.5mm connection(nobody talk about it), amazing in my desk and neutral, no coloration sound, I am new in the hobbie and iFi products no more for me. Sorry for the big comment.
Decent product but most definitely not worth it, bought their hip dac 2 and six months later their usb cable started to malfunction and here the kicker..their 'technical support" is non existent, about 7 emails later directly through their website (only way to reach their "support") still getting some robot named jesse to no conclusion, its just a usb cable! Just ship the dam thing! You have my address! Jesus crocks!
As you stated, it's just a USB-C cable so use one you have laying around. I agree that customer service should be responsive and helpful but in this case it's just a cheap cable that you can replace yourself easily and cheaply. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Unfortunately the usb-A to type-c is a specific fit/design only to this dac, even if I was to find an off brand the audio quality would be compromised wich will defeat the purpose of the amp
![iFi Go Link: A $60 pocket DAC/Amp that’s actually GOOD?! Yes, BUT… [REVIEW]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/puJ7kOdI9es/mqdefault.jpg)
10:30 you say the FC3 is more neutral and analog, did you mean neutral and analytical?
Yes. Thanks for clarifying.
The price is right. Warm, analog sound……I’m in..! Thank you Dave.
My pleasure, you're welcome. Look forward to hearing your impressions.
Before I even watch this, I want to say I have been hoping you would get to this one.... look forward to your opinion.
Hi Dave, thanks for the review.I just want to thank you for posting the Stanley Clarke album At the movies. Terrific album ❗️👍💯🙋♂️
My pleasure, you're welcome. Glad you enjoy the music.
I've been using the iBasso DC04 Pro as my dongle DAC and I want to know your thoughts on it whenever you get your hands on them
Its fairly cheap, compact, got balanced connection, configurable volume control etc.
Basically feature packed for its price, I'd like to see your thoughts on them compared to the dacs you own and what's out there in that price range
+its got a high res sticker so it has to sound good :D
Nice review again, thank you for your insights and reviews
Thanks for the suggestion.
But does it have 2 Hi-Res stickers?
@@TheHonestAudiophile It actually has it on the box and on the dac itself
So it has to sound good HAHAHAHA
I bought this one today, but I am not able to find any difference with the audio quality. Probably I am doing something wrong.
I just connected it to my Honor 8 Pro and iPhone 7 plus and played some music on VLC on both. The difference between connecting my KZ EDX Pro IEM directly to the phones or having the DAC in between made no difference to me. (My ear cannot perceive the difference!!??)
No offense but the KZ EDX Pro isn't a very good IEM that would reveal differences. But I haven't heard the iPhone 7 Plus or Honor 8 Pro so they may be better than the iFi Audio Go Link.
@@TheHonestAudiophile Thank you very much for responding. I will try to test it with other IEMs that my friends might have and see. Thanks again.
@CB-bo3tm look forward to hearing about your findings
Which one is best Shanling UA1 Plus or Go Link
UA1 Plus is not as warm and is slightly better detailed and resolving.
How timely! I’ve been looking at these.
For all these years, I have been using a little gizmo called the Upstart Boostaroo. It’s about $25. You keep it in your pocket like this thing. It gives every speaker or headphone plugged into it a boost. It works especially well with nonplanar headphones under 150 ohm, but, it gives a satisfactory boost to my HD 600. And it sounds good!
It boosts the Ananda, but to me, there is a little bit of fuzz at high volumes with that headphone
It is a competitor to something like this. Takes two AA batteries, I am not kidding, the batteries last for months! In reality, I would say probably about 180 hours
Cool. Thanks for the impressions.
👍
Good job friend 👍
Thanks
Great thorough review! How does this ifi compare to the fiio ka1?
Sorry haven't heard the KA1. Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated.
Can it drive planner iems like dioko with full potential???
It'll get planar IEM to volume not necessarily to full potential.
Need a bit of time of yours..
Ifi audio uno mini dextop dac how good perform with 7hz dioko?
@user-se9sf7lg1n Sorry I've not heard the iFi Uno mini
Most of these dongle DAC/Amps seem to have one issue, a little low on power. Granted if they did have more power, they would more than likely drain the phone even faster than do already. I know a few have there own internal battery, but they are not that much better for there power output. Waiting for one that will bump up to maybe 300 to 400 milliwatts at 32 ohms and see what happens. ( with their own built in battery)
Hiby FC4 has 340mw
Moondrop Dawn 230mw
Hidizs S9 Pro 200mw
Hidizs XO 195mw per channel
There are many more, those are off the top of my head.
@@TheHonestAudiophile That's better, but do they drain your phone quicker? That's my biggest issue with these devices. Granted they are not really made to drive bigger/hard to drive over ear headphones, more on the IEM side for on the go listening. I know it's still somewhat early with these dongles and they will get better as long as the demand for them is still there. It is what it is and I'm glad these companies are making quality products out the gate and you have all these choices so far.
I've found that running them balanced seems to sip power a little more. Another thing to consider is the device being connected to may have bad battery management. If someone is planning on using a dongle as a long term source each day they better be prepared to have a charger handy.
Just for learning purpose i have a question -
I do use aune ar5000 with this ifi go link into pc. Sounds quite good. But wondering if any desktop amp dac setup inder 500 usd would sound better?
I recommend the Aune X1s GT, SMSL AO300, Fiio K11, Fiio K9 AKM as they all will pair well with the AR5000 in the $500ish price range.
How charge phone while using this?
Im not sure, you probably need an adapter of some kind.
Ouch. I'll stick with the Periodic Rhodium lad as per your current and past critiques.
Awesome 👍 Glad you enjoy the Periodic Audio Rhodium.
@@TheHonestAudiophile It's so good, I bought two. One for the Nvidia Shield Pro for game streaming and the other for daily use with the Topping NX7. Brilliant stuff lad. Keep it up as your reviews are bloody honest and I appreciate that as do others.
Awesome 👍 Thanks for the impressions
Dumb suggestion. Horrible quality. IFI is a proper device.
Will this be anough to power my hd 560s out of a samsung tablet for home listening ? Thanks
It will be adequate for a portable setup but the 560s sounds better with a desktop setup with more power.
The Apple adapter has my attention. So many things in this category basically say “don’t bother if you have an iphone.”
Nonsense. The iFI link bar is audibly much much better.
@@morespinach9832 what?
@@michaelmacvittie6977 if it wants to compete with Apple dongle then it needs to passthru phone calls and only serve as a DAC for music. And respect phone volume control.
The thing is the apple dongle is not a better choice in terms of audio quality.
Hi, can you confirm if the go link support cables with mic and play pause buttons ?
Microphone and remote doesn't work my Android phone.
It won’t.
Hello. I am interested in your professional opinion. Have you compared the sound of the HD660S headphones with the ATH-R70X?
The differences are rather interesting,. The R70x is harder to drive. The 660s is warmer, has slight more bass impact, 660s has more forward mids, 660s has a little heavier note weight, R70x has more treble extension, R70x is edgy, 660s is rounded, R70x is more aggressive in presentation, R70x is airier, R70x is slightly better detailed and resolving, R70x has very wide stage, R70x has deeper stage, R70x is slightly better with imaging accuracy, 660s has slightly more natural tone, R70x is slightly better with timbre.. Overall both are exceptional but the R70x is more neutral and analytical and the 660s is more natural and musical.
@@TheHonestAudiophile
Thanks for the answer)...and in which cases is it better to control complex compositions?
And another question is, which of them are best suited for listening to music at a low volume?
Judging by your recommendations, it begs to own both of these headphones plus supplement with planar ones.
What kind of planar sounds would you recommend?
R70x is better controlled and both are good at low volume. The R70x needs a more powerful amplifier.
Planars I recommend are the Hifiman Ananda, Audeze LCD-2 Closed, Hifiman Arya Stealth, Audeze LCD-X, Audeze LCD-5, Dan Clark Ether C.
Nice review, do you think it would work well with some Bose QC20 buds?
I've not heard the Bose QC20. The Go Link isn't Bluetooth, only a wired option.
Does it ave power to run Sundara ?
It will drive the Sundara to volume but it isn't driving them to show their full potential.
@@TheHonestAudiophile oh ok any usb dac dongle that it can ?
@@Tripokaridos22 Hiby FC4 has good power and synergy with the Sundara on balanced output.
I was using an earman eagle with my sennheiser momentum 3 headphones, which I use while taking my daily walks. I dropped my phone on a concrete surface, and the eagle cracked. Luckily my phone survived. Would the ifi go link be a good replacement, or would you recommend something else? Thanks for any insight you can give me on this.
Sorry, I have no experience with the Earman Eagle.
This or Shanling UA1 plus?
I prefer the UA1 Plus as it isn't as warm and lush sounding.
do u know the dongle Sonata HD II ? i'm looking for a cheap dac to play my tangzu zetian wu, and i found this one for a good price. Another slightly more expensive option, but still within budget would be the 7hz 71, do you think that would be enough?
I've not heard the Sonata HD ii.
The 7hz 71 isn't the most powerful to drive planar IEM.
@@TheHonestAudiophile I understand that it's not that the most powerful option, but i find the 7hz 71 for only $27... to play just in ear phones, like the Tangzu Zetian Wu or the S12 Pro, do you think the 7hz 71 will be able to play well at least 90% of them?
The 71 will get you the volume but it won't present the overall potential of the S12 and Zetian Wu.
I believe the DAC is good, but I was unlucky. I bought it 3 weeks ago. Only mono was playing. I got defective product. I sent him back to sender.
That's a bummer. Sorry to hear about that.
@@TheHonestAudiophile Yes it was recommended to me by DAC expert to my Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X headphones so I purchased it. I have now classic little DAC XDuoo link V2 and I enjoy the sound.
xDuoo Link V2 is a good dongle, I'm glad you enjoy it.
@@TheHonestAudiophile Thanks.
@@Milo_Molnar my pleasure, you're welcome.
I was thinking of buying it for using with my Sony WH-1000XM5, should I buy?
The Go Link isn't Bluetooth. You'd have to use the Sony plugged in with a 3.5mm connection.
@@TheHonestAudiophile I know the Go link isn't Bluetooth, I'm just wondering that if the Sony is plugged in with the 3.5 mm cable provided would sound good without having to switch the headphones on for ANC?
I don't know I haven't heard or used the Sony WH-1000XM5
@@TheHonestAudiophile They are already good at 909/990 kbps wireless but I wonder if audio quality is better wired with the Go Link.
Wired connections can make a difference and using a dongle dac/amp can improve performance. I don't know how this pairing will sound as I have no experience with the Sony.
It’s enough to drive 250 with iPhone?
I am sorry I don't know, I don't have an iPhone.
@@TheHonestAudiophile and with Android phone?
It is borderline with 250ohm headphones. It will get to volume but might not drive to headphone potential.
my experience with iFi Go Link that nobody talk about: the connection with the 3.5mm all headphones was so hard to push all the way, and so so so hard to pull it off to chance for other headphone, drove me crazy, my unity WARM sooooo much even with low power hp. I've tried also iFi Uno which was amazing in my desk, but bad sound using the EQ and i could not accept pay the price to dont use the features. While Fiio Q11 so smooth the 3.5mm connection(nobody talk about it), amazing in my desk and neutral, no coloration sound, I am new in the hobbie and iFi products no more for me.
Sorry for the big comment.
Did you contact iFi customer service about the issue with the Go Link? I have no problem switching cables.
3 words MOONDROP DAWN PRO
Thanks for the suggestion. Hopefully I can get one in for review.
Can’t even take calls. So much a portable device. Useless.
Decent product but most definitely not worth it, bought their hip dac 2 and six months later their usb cable started to malfunction and here the kicker..their 'technical support" is non existent, about 7 emails later directly through their website (only way to reach their "support") still getting some robot named jesse to no conclusion, its just a usb cable! Just ship the dam thing! You have my address! Jesus crocks!
As you stated, it's just a USB-C cable so use one you have laying around.
I agree that customer service should be responsive and helpful but in this case it's just a cheap cable that you can replace yourself easily and cheaply.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Unfortunately the usb-A to type-c is a specific fit/design only to this dac, even if I was to find an off brand the audio quality would be compromised wich will defeat the purpose of the amp
What a miserable old sod😢😢
Thanks for watching and commenting 😎