iFi GO bar Premium USB DAC
iFi - GO bar, Ultra Resolution Portable USB Stick Type DAC Interface
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Premium USB DAC
iFi - GO bar
World’s most powerful headphone amp of its sizeThe GO bar is our top-of-the-line ultraportable USB DAC/headphone amp. Whether you are commuting, working remotely or at your desk or simply travelling for pleasure, the GO bar is the perfectly portable way to make headphones sound heavenly.
Connect to your laptop, MacBook, tablet or smartphone or any other digital device with a USB port for sensational sound at home, in the office, or on the move. Accessories include a leather travel case and a Lightening to USB-C, no need to buy a Camera Connection Kit, plus a USB-C OTG cable and a USB-C to USB-A adapter.
Amazing Features
• Ultra-res PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz via USB
• Native playback up to DSD256
• 2x DXD
• Full MQA decoding
Small But Mighty
optimised qualityThe DAC section of the GO bar features a powerful 16-core XMOS micro controller to process the audio data received at the USB input. The in-house team at iFi has programmed the XMOS firmware to optimise sound quality and ensure a perfect partnership with the GO bar‘s 32-bit Cirrus Logic DAC chipset.
A customised digital filter minimises pre-echoes and ringing artefacts. iFi's GMT (Global Master Timing) precision clock system ensures ultra-low jitter.
External Affairs
accurate adjustmentThe GO bar’s smart alloy case features physical buttons for accurate volume adjustment plus controls to select between various sonic tuning options.
A column of coloured LEDs give you a handy guide to the format and sample rate of the digital audio currently playing, and if XBass+ and/or XSpace are engaged.
Balance of Power
ultimate qualityDespite its small size, the GO bar’s analogue circuitry uses a balanced circuit design with symmetrical twin-channel output stage. This reduces noise and crosstalk in the signal path by fully separating the left and right channels. This is often found in larger and more expensive amplifiers.
The circuitry is packed full of high quality discrete components and special attention has been paid to power supply filtering too, dramatically reducing signal noise introduced through the USB input.
Purity and Power
enhanced designThe amp’s design combines sonic purity with power at 475mW max. into 32 ohms, and 7.5V max. into 600 ohms. No headphone amp of such a diminutive size can match the GO bar’s ability to drive tricky headphone loads or work with a wider range of headphones.
The GO bar also incorporates two power tuning technologies: iEMatch – attenuates power to suit high-sensitivity headphones and IEMs, it removes background noise and increases usable volume range and Turbo – ramps up the gain by 6dB to satisfy more power-hungry headphones.
Premium Components
XMOS 16-Core chipThe XMOS 16-Core chip processes the audio data received via the USB digital input. This new low-latency XMOS microcontroller has greatly improved processing power. Compared to the current generation of eight-core chips, this new 16-core IC delivers double the clock speed (2000MIPS) and four times the memory (512KB), as well as the latest SuperSpeed USB standard. iFi’s in-house digital development team has programmed the XMOS firmware to optimise sound quality and ensure a perfect partnership with the 32-bit Cirrus Logic DAC chipset used in the GO bar.
GMT (Global Master Timing)Extensive jitter-eradication technologies are applied to the digital stage, including the GMT (Global Master Timing) femto-precision clock and intelligent memory buffer. This represents a total ‘out-of-the-box’ systematic digital solution that solves jitter once and for all.
Hi-Res True NativeHi-Res True Native® playback of all music formats from MP3 to DSD256, PCM384 and DXD384.
MQA (Master Quality Authenticated)MQA is an award-winning British technology that delivers the sound of the original master recording. The master MQA file is fully authenticated and is small enough to stream or download. The GO bar adopts MQA technology to receive and decode MQA audio and provide master-level sound.
TDK C0G (Class 1 ceramic) capacitorsTDK C0G (Class 1 ceramic) capacitors offer high stability and low losses for resonant circuit applications. Getting ever closer to the theoretical ideal of pure, frequency-constant capacitance, these capacitors reduce capacitor-induced distortion to vanishingly low levels.
Panasonic OS-CONPanasonic OS-CON caps totaling 5,410uF give very-low Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR), excellent noise reduction capability and frequency response characteristics. OS-CONs also have a long-life span and its ESR changes little even at low temperatures since the electrolyte is solid.
Tantalum capacitorsTantalum capacitors are another example of the premium components iFi use. These polarised electrolytic capacitors have superior frequency and stability characteristics, giving them a super high volumetric efficiency.
muRata control-typemuRata control-type, low-ESR high-Q multi-layer capacitors. The ‘ESR control’ aspect of the Murata is something special. Their noise suppression abilities are impressive.
balanced designThe GO bar’s analogue circuitry features balanced design with a symmetrical twin-channel output stage. This topology, usually reserved for larger and more expensive amplifiers owing to its cost and complexity, reduces noise and crosstalk in the signal path by fully separating the left and right channels.
The Tech Spec
| Features | Specification | Input | USB C |
|---|---|
| Formats | PCM: 44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192/35 DSD: 2.8/384kHz 2.8/3.1/5.6/6.1/11.3/12.3MHz DXD: 352.8/384kHz MQA: Full Decoder |
| DAC | Bit-Perfect DSD & DXD DAC by Cirrus Logic |
| Headphone Output | BAL 4.4mm/UnBAL 3.5mm |
| Power Output | Balanced: 475mW@32Ω; 7.2V@600Ω UnBAL: 300mW@32Ω; 3.8V@600Ω |
| Output Impedance | <1Ω (BAL/UnBAL) SNR: 132dBA / 108dBA (BAL/UnBAL) DNR: 109dB(A) / 108dB(A) (BAL/UnBAL |
| THD + N | Balanced: <0.002% (6.5mW/2.0V @ 600Ω) UnBAL: <0.09% (100mW/1.27V @ 16Ω) |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 45kHz (-3dB) |
| Power Consumption | <4W max. |
| Dimensions | 65 x 22 x 13.2 mm 2.6" x 0.9" x 0.5” |
| Weight | 28.5g 1.0 oz |
