iFi GO bar – the sound
Let me start with a small yet interesting – in the context of this review – digression here. Just a few days ago I was discussing with some clever guy from the audio industry whether is there any correlation between the particular DAC chip brand used and the final sound of a certain device. And while it was obviously a generalization, out of the blue, I got an interesting response: “Generally TI/BB chips are on the smooth side, AKM in the middle and ESS/CL on the harsh side.” Please notice the word “generally” here, since I believe that it is very important both in the wider context and also particularly – relating to this review. Well, the GO bar may be based on the Cirrus Logic chip, but the sound is far from harsh, and also more on the saturated and laid-back side. In other words, this small piece of hardware made by company from Southport is just another proof that the DAC chip used is one thing, and the final sonic outcome is another. Other such example was recently reviewed Moon 791 which was based on the ESS chip, yet the sound was more reminiscent of a meticulously crafted discrete ladder converter.
Coming back to the GO bar, the other thing that is noticeable right from the beginning is that the sound is composed and has just the right amount of saturation. It’s not bright, yet not dull, the tonal balance is spot-on, and it will never have a tendency to sound brittle by itself. In other words, it has that calm-yet-powerful sonic trait of bigger, even desktop DAC/amps. Even when connected to Campfire Andromeda the whole balance was here. And when paired with HEDDphone One – it actually managed to get those headphones to reasonable levels without the need to resort to the Turbo mode.
Since this will be of interest to many, let’s talk power and driving ability first. Obviously, connecting the 2K Euro cans to the 329 Euro dongle might not be the best idea, yet what I can firmly say – the GO bar passed this test. This is worthy of note, since the German AMT-based headphones can be quite challenging. Not only in the terms of power delivery, but also because of their ability to reveal any granulation earlier in the chain. And while it should also be obvious that the GO bar will not be an end-game here – it was good enough that I would see it as a perfect travel companion for these cans so that I would not need to resort to carry few good kilograms of amplification in my suitcase. For somebody using far less demanding headphones like the Final Sonorus VI that I also tried with GO bar – the results will be really good. So, if you want to connect bigger cans Just keep in mind that for all those HE6 and such monsters there maybe just a better choice.
So, while we have all that “can it power my big cans” question dealt with, let’s talk about the GO bar’s sound in particular. I started my listening sessions with some of my favourite electronic music, without resorting to anything stereotypically audiophile. I kept the XBass+ and XSpace and didn’t use iEMatch, since I didn’t have to. And I used the “yellow” diode setting, which corresponds to the minimum phase filter, but more on that later.
On the “M4, Pt. 1” track by Faunts what surprised me the most was not the sheer power nor the actual ability to drive the HEDDphone One, but rather something else. It was the character of the sound as a whole, which was full yet clear, uncongested and with a really good timbre.
What should be also noted is that the sound offered by GO bar never verges on being brittle nor harsh – it rather lends to a little bit warmer and laid-back side. This doesn’t mean that overly warm, it’s just something else. Someone may be expecting any kind of a “small” sound from this kind of device just simply by the prism of it’s tiny dimensions. Or maybe a sound that is somehow struggling or brittle. And what a surprise – nothing like that. I will even emphasize this just to be clear: it’s not the driving ability of the GO bar per se that is the most astounding here. But rather the fullness and the composure of its sound that is more reminiscent of some bigger portable and even desktop sources.
After listening to more that a few albums with electronic and more experimental music I decided to reach for some usual suspects that may help me with getting closer to the GO bar’s limitations. And it turned out that it was not an easy feat. The whole “Diva” album by Annie Lennox was presented in a full-bodied manner and at the same time with definition while avoiding any unnecessary edge. On “Legend in My Living Room” the voice of Lennox was rendered almost suspiciously well. And when in “Bit-Perfect” mode was engaged the rendition of the first solo album of the ex-Eurythimics singer was actually quite on the multibit and R2R-like side.