iFiGO bar Kensei - Portable DAC/Headphone Amp Featuring K2HD Technology - Hi-Res PCM 384kHz/DSD256 - Analogue XBass+ and XSpace Processing

Before marrying a DAC, I dated a couple. Kensei was my final pick for several reasons: clarity and musicality, easy to learn and use, several options to enhance the sound quality, and it is just so easy to fall in love with it. It has all I was looking for in a DAC and more. I am using it with my MDR-MV1 SONY open-back headphones. I've tried the Mojo 2, I did not like it, it was so complicated to use, and the sound was not any better than the sound the Kensei offers. If anything, my ears enjoy the sound power even at a low volume setting, the Kensei offers. I also tried the Audio Engine DAC 3, even though it is a good one I kept going back to the Kensei; but music is very subjective, as the experts say, so if I were you, just give it a try. Make sure you buy it from a reputable store on Amazon with a good return policy, but me, I am staying with my Kensei :) BTW I place the cloth under so it does not scratch, I like to take care of things I buy because they cost money/effort, so I value them. But, I am hoping one day soon someone comes up with a nice case for the Kensei. Update: I just got the usb c to usbc cable DDHIFI And it’s the perfect match, cables matter. I feel like I’m in a concert. 🎵 enjoy it! I hope this helps. 😇

I took my Sennheiser HD 800 S cans with me on my latest road trip to try these out on the go. I normally use the Woo WA7 at home and I didn't have a good balanced 4.4mm setup for listening away from home until I got the iFi Kensei. This amp is incredibly responsive, and does well powered and sourced by my phone and laptop. It handles high bit rates well, has its own volume control, and this thing feels substantial and uses the metal case to dissipate heat. At any given time, it just feels warm and not hot to the touch. I loved having my amazing headphones with me and the Kensei made it worth taking with me. It won't replace my WA7 at home, but it will get a lot of use on the road. Awesome little amp.

Ifi Go Bar sounds clean and detailed, fills out instruments and voice well, has plenty of punch and nicely avoids treble glare. Xbass and Xspace are both useful, bass for lower level listening and Xspace does exactly what it's supposed to do, for example, Patty Griffen's Moses from Living With Ghosts can easily sound shrill but with xspace I get much more of the room acoustics and and it's a pleasant listen. The Go Bar sound is spacious and shockingly articulate for something this small and inexpensive. I gave sound quality 4 stars but in a device this small it deserves 5. So far I have listened to Redbook ALAC and MQA from Tidal using MacBook Pro as a source and 256k AAC from my iPhone which also sounds good. The only slight irritation are the stiff cables which can make it awkward to get to the buttons, but longevity is probably the object here. In my opinion it's $330 extremely well spent.Update - 2 weeks in - The above stands, however the supplied Ifi cable for iPhone has stopped working. First I had a level drop which had me scratching my head but soon it started to glitch when the cable was moved, so I need a new cable. My first thought was just to buy another and use the replacement cable I expected they would send as a spare. Well that was stymied because they don't market that cable independently of the Go Bar. Also you just cant get a quick response from ifi. So now I am returning the Gobar in order to get a new cable. Pretty exasperating.Update May 2023: Ifi contacted me and replaced the cable within 10 days, no problems since. I must say I really appreciate this little DAC. Listening through Audirvana on my Mac, using a pair of Meze 109 Pro's the sound is so good, sometimes I have to pinch myself. While my main system ($3200 streaming DAC with headphones amp) is has better resolution, the GoBar is not that far off and I really appreciate the Xbass boost and Xspace options - no eq directly on my Wattson Madison! I have changed rating to 5 stars.

Well this thing is incredible. I was skeptical given the cost and size, but it's legit. Using headphones (beyerdynamic dt700 pro x) hooked up to my iphone, listening to things at 24 bit/96 kHz, which I've heard 1000 times before at lower quality, and hearing things I've never heard before in just about everything.The filters are a nice touch for tweaking the sound and they really make a difference to the sound. It'll also get louder than you will probably ever need, which is a nice bonus. Far, far louder than it would without the DAC. The bitrate/volume indicator LEDs are useful but not intrusive. I actually like that the markings aren't super visible, although others have complained. It just makes the thing look a bit sleeker than it would if they were more obvious.I was worried that it would eat up the battery, but it doesn't seem to be too bad on an iphone 13 pro max, it just takes the battery life from ridiculously good to just pretty great.My only minor complaint is with the case. It's a bit too small to fit the DAC and both cables comfortably. You can do it, but it's too snug and not ideal. I would love to see a *slightly* larger case with openings at the top and bottom to route the input data cable and output cable, so I could keep the DAC in the case while using it, either in my pocket or using the belt loop.

Overpriced not worth it

Overall, this is a well made and extremely useful DAC and amplifier. Came with two dongles (one is for iPhone, which is what I use it with), along with a carrying case - nice touch! The unit itself is relatively easy to use, although figuring out the various modes, setting changes, and light meanings will require you to download the User Manual and take your time learning the set up options. The sound quality is excellent, and it translated everything in full detail, including MQA files. Even with the 6dB boost, it's not as loud as my Red Dragonfly DAC, but this should be plenty for most users in a variety of situations (note that I have not tried it with balanced 4.4mm headphones yet, only 3.5mm). A bit hard to figure out what all the lights and locations mean, but either way it sounds much better than the converters in your iPhone or iPad. Overall, definitely recommended for audiophiles.