iFi Go Bar review 2024: portable USB DAC

iFi Audio has made a name for itself by putting a lot of power into small devices, and this may be their best trick yet. The iFi GO bar headphone amp/DAC combo is about the size of a standard thumb drive, but it can put out up to 7.2 volts. I tried it out for a few weeks, and everything from professional in-ear monitors to extra-large over-ear headphones sounded great with it.

Plus, it comes with the cables needed to connect to most new computers, iPhones, and Android devices. The GO bar gets its power from your computer or phone, and its built-in digital-to-analog converter makes up for the poor audio circuitry of the linked device.

iFi Go Bar Specifications

iFi Go Bar: Design

Even though a product like this needs to be as small and unnoticeable as possible, iFi has still tried to Do Some Designing. The product is a USB “dongle” DAC that is bigger and heavier than most, but is also very well made and finished.

It weighs 29g, which is pretty heavy for a portable DAC, and it is 65 x 22 x 13mm, which is not the smallest size. Its alloy finish is smooth to the touch, though, and the shape of the case, with its many angles, makes it a little more interesting than many other similar things. You can buy this from its official website

Sound Quality

With the included USB-C to Lightning adaptor and an iPhone. I listened on the Sony MDR-7506 headphones, which cost less than $100, the Focal Celestee headphones, and the Carbon in-ear monitors from Periodic Audio. I compared the Go Bar to the recently reviewed Questyle M15 and the AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt, both of which are small, plug-in DACs.

If you unplug your iFi Go and then plug it back in, it will resume playing at the same volume you were using when you unplugged it. That’s an excellent precaution that deserves high marks.

iFi Go Bar: Performance

With the variety of cords that come with the package, you can be sure that it will work with most digital audio sources. And whether you connect your Go Bar to your laptop or your phone before putting in your headphones, the iFi’s effect on the sound is never less than clear, and sometimes it’s quite strong.

And the Go Bar can do its magic with any quality of digital music file you give it. It doesn’t care if the music on Spotify’s free tier isn’t very good or has a lot of information. It can still figure out what it’s about just as well as a full-fat DSD256 file. In all situations, music sounds bigger and more

Price and Availability

In the United Kingdom, you can buy an iFi Go Bar for £329 right now. The same product costs $329 in the US, which is less shocking than the price of AU$479 in Australia.

Yes, that’s a lot of money for not much product, but if my experience with portable DACs and iFi DACs has taught me anything, it’s that the size of your DAC isn’t the most important thing about it.

Final Words

The Go Bar works so well, you have to look past its size (both the size of the device itself and the price iFi wants to charge for it) and its very confusing user interface.

The iFi Go Bar can always have a big impact on the digital audio information saved on (or accessed by) your phone or computer, and sometimes it can be a real eye-opener.

iFi Go Bar review: The good and The bad

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