Experience your music in extraordinary fidelity wherever you are with the iFi GO Bar Kensei. A combination DAC, pre-amplifier and headphone amplifier, this compact device supports up to DSD256, 32-bit/384 kHz PCM and full MQA, making high-resolution a reality, while listening at home or on the road.
Housed in a Japanese stainless steel enclosure for excellent rigidity and EMI protection, GO bar Kensei offers two headphone outputs: 4.4 mm balanced with symmetrical dual mono and 3.5 mm S-balanced, as well as a USB-C input. Also on board: JVC's K2 HD technology, which extends bits, expands bandwidths and corrects waveforms to enhance every note you hear.
Very compact in size and highly lightweight thanks to its steel chassis, GO Bar Kensei manages to contain an ultra-low jitter clock and an audiophile-oriented power supply that makes possible its performance that belies its size. Four digital filters plus iFi's XBass+ and Space analogue processing modes allow you to tailor the sound of everything to your smartphones: IEMatch and Turbo modes await you to match the most demanding smartphones. An engraved wooden presentation box, a Lightning to USB-C cable, a USB-C OTG cable, a USB-C adapter and a leather travel case complete this unique device.
GO Bar Kensei is akin to a legendary sword meticulously forged for a Kensei. Embodying the dedication of a master blacksmith, Ifi focused on purity, balance and refinement to reveal the true essence of your music. With cutting-edge Japanese audio processing technology: K2HD and enhanced clock and power supply circuitry, the Kensei represents the pinnacle of our journey of refinement in the GO bar range.
Listen on demand thanks to four custom digital filters and two analogue processing modes, each designed to enhance your enjoyment of different genres of music.
The DAC section of the Kensei GO Bar uses a powerful 16-core XMOS microcontroller to process audio data received at the USB input. Our in-house team has programmed the XMOS firmware to optimise sound quality and ensure a perfect partnership with the 32-bit Cirrus Logic DAC chipset. A custom digital filter minimises pre-echoes and ringing artefacts. Our precision GMT (Global Master Timing) clocking system ensures ultra-low jitter.
The GO Bar Kensei is made of Japanese stainless steel for maximum rigidity. With its compact dimensions of 65 x 22 x 13.2 mm, it matches the size of a USB flash drive. This makes it the perfect travel companion for your mobile phone, tablet or MacBook Pro, and integrates into your life for headphone use. Its USB-C connectivity ensures plug-and-play convenience, allowing for hassle-free use.
The GO Bar Kensei offers a maximum output power of up to 477 mW, which is approximately 10 times more powerful than an iPhone 15*. It features two power adjustment technologies: iEMatch for high-sensitivity IEM and Turbo mode for power-hungry headphones. Turbo for power-hungry headphones. This allows you to easily drive a wide range of premium headphones and earphones.
Connect to the GO Kensei Bar via 3.5mm S-Balanced or 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs. IFi's exclusive 3.5mm S-Balanced* technology reduces crosstalk and noise by 50% over standard single-ended headphones.
The 16-core XMOS chip processes audio data received via the USB digital input. This low-latency XMOS microcontroller has greatly improved processing power. Compared to the current generation of eight-core chips, this 16-core IC offers twice the clock speed (2000 MIPS) and four times the memory (512 KB), 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 seamless partnership with the 32-bit Cirrus Logic DAC chipset.
K2HD processing revives rich, natural harmonics in emotionally flat and lifeless digital recordings. The unrivalled originality of K2HD lies in its advanced high-frequency extension, which allows the restoration of natural harmonics and overtones beyond 22 kHz, delivering audio quality close to the original master.
MQA is an award-winning British technology that delivers the sound of the original master recording. The master MQA file is fully authenticated and small enough to stream or download. The GO bar adopts MQA technology to receive and decode MQA audio and provide master level sound.
Extensive jitter eradication technologies are applied to the digital stage, including our femtoprecision GMT (Global Master Timing) clock and smart memory buffer. This represents a total systematic "out-of-the-box" digital solution that solves jitter once and for all.
It is a superior method to the traditional single-ended circuit approach. Balanced circuitry reduces noise and crosstalk. Less crosstalk - clearer sound. You'll normally find this configuration in products at a higher price point, such as the iCAN Pro Signature, but iFi is now using it across its entire range to produce the best quality audio for all our customers.
Rather than resorting to space- and money-saving integrated circuit solutions that compromise sound quality, iFi GO's circuitry bar high quality discrete components such as TDK C0G ceramic capacitors, Panasonic OS-CON aluminium polymer capacitors and high-density tantalum capacitors, plus Taiyo Yuden and Murata coils, all with excellent characteristics for high quality audio applications. Special attention has also been paid to power supply filtering, drastically reducing signal noise introduced via the USB input.
Features:
- Headphone amplifier with high-quality DAC.
- High-resolution audio: 32-bit/384 kHz PCM.
- 2xDXD and native DSD support.
- Full MQA decoding.
- Ultra-low jitter clock.
- Incorporates JVC's K2HD technology that optimises signal processing and improves audio quality.
- Balanced 4.4 mm output with dual symmetrical mono output stage.
- Output power (RMS): balanced (4.4 mm) 475 mW @ 32 O, 7.2 V @ 600 O; UnBAL (3.5 mm) 300 mW @ 32 O, 3.8 V @ 600 O.
- USB-C input.
- Four digital filters, XBass+ and XSpace analogue processing modes.
- IEMatch, Turbo, GTO, Minimum Phase, Standard, etc. sound modes.
- Stainless steel housing for rigidity and improved EMI shielding.
- Bit-Perfect modes: Provides natural tones, ideal for all genres.
- Dimensions: 65 mm x 22 mm x 13.2 mm.
- Weight: 28.5 grams.
- Included accessories: Leather travel case, Lightning to USB-C adapter, USB-C cable, USB-C to USB-A adapter, quick start guide and instruction manual.
