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0 As the world moves onto all things wireless, sound quality can be sacrificed by doing so. Depending on how much of an audiophile you are, wired is still the best way to listen to music. It is strange to think that an analogue signal can carry more data than its wireless digital counterpart. This is due to the analogue data being uncompressed rather than being sent through Bluetooth codecs. These will compress the audio data before sending it to your wireless listening device and it has a big effect on sound quality for certain audio formats such as ALAC/FLAC & WAV.
Cost-Effective Audio Enhancements
Ok, so you want to listen to some high-quality lossless music via Tidal or Amazon Music. You don’t want to use your wireless headset or buds. But your device doesn’t have a 3.5mm stereo jack socket. A very common problem at the moment! However, the team at iFi has produced a remarkable cost-effective DAC come amp that may be the answer to your issue. So what is a DAC? A DAC (Digital Analogue Converter) is a clever little device that translates digitally stored information and sound into an analogue sound.
Design
Measuring 135mm long by 12.6mm wide and 7.6mm high, the iFi GO Link is a USB C to 3.5mm stereo jack socket DAC. The unit is split into two parts, the USB C plug and the DAC. Both are housed by a durable Magnesium alloy. In between is 6cm of shielded twisted silver-plated copper cable to reduce stress on the USB C plug. This also allows the DAC to rest in a more practical position for your needs. As you all probably know, shielding is a must to prevent any interference with other electrical components, therefore the audio data will be as pure as it was when initially sent.
Simplicity
Other than the aforementioned USB C plug and jack socket, the only visible component is a small recessed LED that lights up to indicate what audio format is passing through it. There are no volume dials or other buttons to worry about. The iFi GO Link is a very simple-to-use device that just plugs and plays. A couple of additional plug converters are included to facilitate plugging in to either a Lightning port or a USB A socket.
The supported formats are:
- PCM to 32-bit/384kHz
- DSD to 11.2MHz (DSD256)
- MQA
Whether you have anything that has been recorded at the higher end of the sound quality spectrum is another matter. At the end of the day, you are still limited when listening to music as to what format quality it was originally recorded at. To put it mildly, the iFi GO Link goes way beyond the needs of the likes of Tidal, for example, that outputs lossless high-quality audio at a maximum of 24-bit 192kHz. Still, nice to have the tech available should you ever need it.
Why Do I Need A DAC?
I guess one of the questions that may be on your lips is “Why do I need a DAC?”. In simple terms, your smartphone or electronic device will have inbuilt a DAC of some type to process audio data. Saying that, not all DACs are made equally. The iFi GO Link provides the quality that your device may be lacking and the winning output is you listening to the music as it was once intended, without any losses.
The tech behind the Go Link is impressive to say the least. The heart is the ESS Technology Sabre HiFi series chip, the ES9219MQ/Q. This brings with it 32-bit HyperStream III architecture and unlocks for you, the world of great sound quality. Alongside this powerful unit are other components that further refine and produce amazing clarity providing, above all, balanced sound for your headphones or speakers. Hi-Res Audio, Dynamic Range Enhancement, TDK capacitors alongside MuRata for stability and noise suppression.
Performance
In practice, the iFi GO Link performs admirably, particularly for the low price of £59.99. There was a noticeable upgrade in the sound quality of my headphones as well as my speakers. I found this to be particularly evident when listening while attached to my Samsung S21 Ultra and Nintendo Switch. There was little to no heat generated by the DAC either.
When using Tidal, the sound quality of the songs was impeccable. Tracks played in the 16-bit 44.1 kHz range when in the high audio quality setting turned the GO Link DAC’s LED to green to indicate it was indeed performing in that range. The bass and treble was lovely and clear. Playing tracks such as David Bowie’s Starman and Toto’s Africa kicked everything up a notch when playing at 24-bit 192kHz. The LED changed to yellow, a recognition of the change in audio quality that was coming into the DAC. The sound quality is fantastic alone, however, through the iFi GO Link, the renditions were as if I was sitting in the studio with them. The clarity was amazing.
Conclusion
For a no-nonsense and cost-effective solution, the iFi GO Link DAC is a great buy. Especially if you want to enjoy audio as you were meant to hear it. While there are other more expensive DACS on the market, iFi has produced an affordable enhancement that brings with it versatility and quality.
The iFi GO Link DAC receives a Thumb Culture Platinum Award!
Disclaimer: A sample was received in order to write this review.
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