The Japanese Kensei used a legendary sword with which to fight and iFi Audio claim this GO Bar Kensei is their DAC version of this legend. They’re focussing on;

‘purity, balance and refinement’ to; ‘reveal the true essence of your music’

Nice; iFi Audio has been pushing the boundaries recently in portable headphone amplification not only with this GO Bar but with the hip-dac 3, GO Blu and the recent Diablo 2 desktop solution.

Design

GO Bar Kensei is beautifully finished

The iFi Audio GO Bar Kensei is a balanced USB portable DAC/headphone amplifier featuring JVCKenwood cutting-edge K2HD audio processing technology. It represents a further step up on the original GO Bar and the GOld Bar. The K2HD idea is to improve the waveform processing in the DAC, restoring ‘emotion’ in the studio recorded source.

The iFi Audio GO Bar Kensei has a 32-bit Cirrus Logic DAC chipset using a 16-core XMOS microcontroller at the USB C input stage. It features full MQA coding.

iFi has an unrivalled set of DAC filters and features including their XBass and XSpace features that do what you would expect from them. Similarly, iFi offers their Impedance Matched output with the GO Bar, matching the output to the demand of the headphones/monitors.

GO Bar Kensei comes packaged in this lovely box

The GO Bar’s analogue circuitry features a balanced design with a symmetrical (mono) twin-channel output stage. Additionally, this contributes to iFi’s exclusive 3.5mm S-balanced technology that claims to cut crosstalk and noise by 50% with regular 3.5mm single-ended headphones. There is otherwise balanced Pentaconn 4.4mm output.

The GO Bar Kensei offers a maximum output power of up to 477mW (this is balanced output though), they claim this is about 10 times more powerful than an iPhone 15, implying a higher quality of delivery over a smartphone which is probably evident; it is of the order of three times that of an Audioquest Cobalt.

Quality

The DAC is beautifully presented in a bamboo box style with a slightly odd leather pouch included for carrying the GO Bar on your belt/in a rucksack. The unit itself is made of Japanese Stainless Steel (hence the Kensei edition) whereas the previous GO Bars were copper (GOld Bar) and Aluminium alloy (original GO Bar).

This GO Bar is 65 x 22 x 13.2 mm, about the size of a USB flash drive, and is 65.5g. It connects with a USB C cable, there is an iOS cable included as well.

The GO Bar Kensei is £449 in the UK here;

The full specification is here;

Performance

Review Equipment

I’m using my Pixel 7 Pro with Tidal and Qobuz with a pair of magnificent Meze Audio ADVAR in-ear monitors.

I’m also on the desktop using a new pair (though run-in) of Sendy Peacock planer magnetic headphones with 50 Ohms impedance. They are big and fun, and with incredible comfort, the GO Bar drives them with ease.

Physically

GO Bar Kensei v MoJo 2

On the move, this Kensei is at least as good a sound as the Chord Electronics MoJo 2, it is just a lot smaller. With the Pixel I’m using the short USB C-C cable offered in the box. It is pretty easy to carry around in your pocket.

Volume control is on the side of the GO Bar as are the filter controls. The Impedance Match switch button seems like a gain button, and I prefer it off with the ADVAR IEMs.

The GO Bar does get warm/hot after a while in the pocket, less so on the desktop.

Sound – Meze Audio ADVAR

… midrange is resolving, clear and detailed…

I am enjoying the dynamic and energetic output from this GO Bar wonder. I’d go so far as to say this is as good as I’ve heard the Meze Audio ADVAR in-ears which are in any case sparking. The full-size Meze Audio 109s are the same. The authority (the audio weight and size) in this smooth soundstage is remarkable for the size of this thing.

I’m finding beautiful, controlled bass in the ADVARS that is as good as I can recall. Trevor Horn/Lady Blackbird’s Slave to the Rhythm (Qobuz 24-bit, 192kHz) is immaculate in this setup. The midrange is resolving, clear and detailed. The treble is absolutely on point and crisp for me too. I would say urgent and bright, but that sadly has adverse connotations in HiFi on occasion, but it is lively and I’m happy with it, some might not be.

The 4.4mm balanced Sendy Peacock planer magnetic headphones tame some of this brightness in the Kensei with their warmer feel and maybe the super comfort of their ear pads lends a soporific tone to some calmer tracks.

Filters

There are plenty of filters to play with which is fun. There is to start with K2HD which is either a studio post-processing enhancement or a file-processing enhancement, such as in this Kensei.

I have no K2HD recorded music but the Kensei’s K2HD setting in the GO Bar does lift the streamed file presentation in the (higher) midrange and I prefer it. However, I am unclear how the K2HD processing is working (my understanding is it is adding transients above 22kHz by an algorithm?). The K2 story is in this presentation, it feels like another filter to me.

Additionally, there are 4 other filters, called Bit-Perfect, GTO, Standard and Minimum Phase. The manual indicates how to select them, it is pretty simple. Each filter offers to deliver natural tones or present a warmer sound etc. I just played with them and preferred the K2HD setting with the XBass on. XSpace and XBass are certainly clearer to hear, the other four, less so in my view.

Thoughts

There are many wired dongles out there including Audioquest’s Cobalt (£179), and the Earman Colibri with ESS’s flagship ES9281 DAC chip (£219, I loved the desktop Tradutto DAC) and A&K have few offerings. Don’t forget the brilliant iFi Audio hip-dac 3 (£199), which we said recently;

…hip-dac 3 is dynamic with a wonderfully detailed presentation, controlled bass and an easy-listening midrange…

The description sounds similar, doesn’t it? I would suggest this GO Bar Kensei has a little more excitement and weight in the midrange. iFi Audio is doing it at the minute on the portable Hi-Res audio side. And don’t forget the GO Blu (£199) if you love your IEMs but dislike the wired phone bit and don’t mind Bluetooth.

On the more grown-up portable DAC side, there’s only one to beat of course, the Chord MoJo 2 (£395), Here it is going to come down to what source flexibility and portability you want, there’s really nothing in it in terms of audio presentation in my view. As an aside, the GO Bar Kensei works a treat with an iPad and the Qobuz App, I must say.

Overall

This GO Bar Kensei has a stunning soundstage, it is authoritative, and it has a sparkling presentation, it is hard to fault on the move, in fact, it is now the only choice on the move for me with music.

Where to Buy

iFi Audio GO bar Kensei Portable USB DAC & Headphone Amplifier at Future Shop* here

*This is a sponsored link

Specification

GO Bar Kensei

Full details are on the company’s site.