iFi GO Link - Portable DAC & Headphone Amplifier-USB - C to 3.5mm Adapter

The iFi GO Link is a gem. I generally like iFi's products, and this ain't my first audio rodeo. As more devices go to the USB-C port, I found I wanted something inexpensive but solid, and a step above an Apple dongle. I give away a fair number of headphones and IEMs to friends and family and recently I've been including an iFi GO link with them, because wired still gives the best sound for the money. And the best sound period. I have used this DAC/AMP with my iPad, with a generic droid tablet, and with and adapter with iPhone 12. Friends have used it with various droid phones and computers. Nobody has had any problems. That alone is worth a few stars. I like that the parts are separated by a short length of quality wire. This reduces microphony and makes it easier to transport, even when on. Users should note that the fit of the female jack is quite firm and tight. You will need to push to properly plug in a TRS plug. This is desireable in a portable device. I've sourced this from ROON, QOBUZ, Apple Music, and local files. The indicator light DOES turn yellow when playing higher-res files, but is set to be green on flac at 44.1/16 and 24 and 96/24 files, so if you don't see it change color it's probably because it's performing as designed. As usual, the iFi sound signature is clean, no artifacts, and slightly warm, even though this is an ESS based device. I find that it provides adequate power for any of my IEMs, and most headphones. This is NOT the device to use for headphones that only sound their best with plenty of power. That said, I did not experience drop-outs or any power concerns from native USB-C devices, and I did not try to stress the system while using a lightning adapter (voltage limitations). I find myself going to this device ahead of more expensive devices such as the AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt, because the sound quality is similar, and because it has better connectivity (USB-C vs USB-A). It does NOT take the place of higher end desktop devices for those who are deeper in the rabbit hole - it's just a better choice for the times when you want ultra portable and simple to use. Amazon asks you to rate volume control, but that is entirely based on the device to which it is connected and the app you are using. It will mimic what you expect. Phone volume up and down buttons give coarser control, while in-app sliders allow fine adjustment. Just for the record, I've bought 4 of these so far, one for me, and have given away three. I wouldn't do that if I didn't think it was near bulletproof in its intended role.

The iFi Go Link provides improved sound for very little money. The braided wire seems fragile so be careful. So far, I'm enjoying it. Update: I was listening to some lossless rips of CDs I own and found one just didn't sound good. It sounded like a noisy recording so I decided to to a head-to-head comparison. I'm playing Taylor Guitar's Wood & Steel collection of artists playing beautifully recorded music. I ripped the CD into lossless FLAC files played through my Chromebook. My headphones are Sennheiser HD599. I plug the headphone jack into the analog jack of the Chromebook. The iFi GO Link goes into the USB 3 port. The difference isn't big but the iFi Go Link provides a clearer sound, a cleaner background, better stereo separation, cleaner details, and a more open sound; less tiring. The analog connection just doesn't sound as open. Does it make enough of a difference? I say yes.. For this price, I'm happy. Should you purchase the iFi Go Link? There are more important elements in the chain that should attend to first. 1. Make sure you have a good lossless recording or are listening to a CD directly. It can't get better than your source material. 2. The best headphones you want to purchase. I don't feel the need to purchase $600 headphones but these Sennheiser's are working for me. You can enter the discussion about in-ear vs headphones, over the ear vs around the ear, open back vs closed back, wireless vs wired, noise cancelling vs not, balanced vs unbalanced cables, and planar magnetic vs dynamic technology. There are pros and cons to each. This is where you should spend the most money and research time aside from the cost of the music itself. 3. The digital to analog converter (DAC)/amplifier hardware. You can spend a lot of money here but for my usage the iFi Go Link hit the right price point for my first foray into DACs. I think this matches what my headphones and ear send to my brain. 4. What's fourth? I guess it's your ear and your environment. Right now, while I'm listening I can still hear my air conditioner. As far as my ear, I've lost some upper midrange but the high end is still pretty good (audiologist tested). I'm experienced musically so I know what to listen for. Of course, you mileage will vary. I think that my audio chain is pretty well matched. If I chose a more expensive DAC/amp I might need better headphones and a better listening room. I don't feel tempted by the $200 DAC/amps out there.

I bought this to see if I could tell the difference between the Apple USB-C dongle and this device. I did notice a difference. I can't say it was night and day between the two. I recommend it if you do not already have the Apple adapter. My favorite feature was to see the light change based on the audio quality. They do work great for Tidal and their MQA songs. My only real bummer is that they only lasted about a month before it would no longer play audio. I tried my iPad Air current gen, Mac Mini M2 Pro, and Windows 11 PC. None of them will output audio anymore. I still get the light when you plug it in, but that's all it will do. Funny enough, I kept my Apple adapter and returned to using it. It was nice but insufficient to justify spending more money on a replacement.

Keep in mind, I have only been a budget “audiophile” for around a month. I was looking for a portable solution for someone who didn’t want to drop $200+ on a portable DAC/AMP so I would feel comfortable taking it everywhere with me. I took a gamble (not a very big one at all tho) and bought the Go Link even though reviews were scarce and the product is so new that none of the audiophile creators I follow for advice had said anything about it. And in my humble, amateurish opinion, this is an incredible piece of tech that could have easily been up-charged $50-100. I read that iFi has been shooting for affordable portable high-res and I think they hit the bullseye with this little guy. This thing punches way above its weight class and includes enough attachments that it becomes an excellent AND versatile tool for people interested in hi-fi products. It comes with USB-C natively with Lightning and USB adapters. I’m not kidding when I say if you are new to this stuff, a good pair of headphones or IEMS and the Go Link are a perfect place to start. On testing the comparison in audio, I alternated between a Samsung USB-C dongle and the Go Link. I was listening on a Samsung tablet whose sound card is about as consumer grade as it gets. On my Sennheiser 86x headphones, the hardest to drive headphones I have at 150Ω, the sound went from pretty quiet even at high volumes to crisp, clear and deep with the Go Link. I’m not an expert just yet, but the difference was the most obvious with the 86x. I also used my Salnotes Zero IEMs and this is where it was most impressive since IEMs are significantly easier to drive. You could hear the musicians breathing in some tracks with the IEM Go Link combo. I also ran a test with my Koss Porta Pros and another noticeable difference there as well. Basically, this thing is unreal at this price. Not to mention it is so much smaller than i thought it was going to be, it’s portability is incredible. I have no idea how they fit the amount of oomf this thing has into such a small package. If you’re entry level, start here. Don’t spend the hours and hours of scouring I did to find the right option for someone who isn’t interested in spending thousands on Hi-Fi equipment. It’s not going to get better than this in terms of value and you aren’t going to get buyers remorse considering how affordable this is.

At his price point, it’s an amazing piece of tech. The sound quality is quite good and it’s easy to use. I also had excellent experience using iFi support. I did have 2 minor issues but neither were show-stoppers. One is that if you use it with inefficient headphones, it may not achieve the volume you want. If you push the volume too high, the Go Link will cause the sound to cut out. The one other issue is that I’m a bit Roon user. The Go Link is not Roon Ready nor Tested (which I knew going in). Using it with Roon and a Sonore microRendu endpoint, I did run into an occasional issue where switching music from one sample rate to another would cause a static like noise. Bottom line, I think it works great for use with my iPhone or out of my laptop USB. It does come with a USB-C to A adapter as well as an adapter for an iPhone.

I plugged this DAC into my iPhone and was really wowed by the sound upgrade that it provided. HOWEVER, the DAC -- about the size of a small thumb drive -- plugs directly into the lightning connector at the base of the phone so that what you're stuck with is a long stiff "tail" sticking out of the phone. In less than twenty-fours -- in normal usage -- the DAC had snapped off, leaving the remains of the plug stuck in the phone. Goodbye DAC. It needs some sort of flexible cord -- like what connects it to the headphone out plug -- or it's just an accident waiting to happen. Very disappointing.

Adds a lot of low end that wasn't there before. Sound is actually great when this thing is working correctly. When I first got it, I plugged it in and tried to play a song and there was an ear piercing HISS. It hurt to hear. I was like WHY?? So I looked and apparently you can update the go link's firmware. Cool maybe that's it!! Go through that process. Try them again and wow the music sounds amazing!! I brought it on a flight and it worked great. Then I just now plugged it in and the hiss happened AGAIN!!! Ouch! My ear hurts because it's so LOUD. It hissed for a sec and then the sound started working normally after I ripped my iem's out of my ears and re-plugged it in. I think it might be because my headphones have a built in microphone and buttons or something? I'm using a Pixel 8 Pro so not an old phone or anything. Idk!! But ouch!! Edit: I have recently learned this is NOT an issue with the iFi GoLink! So I have updated the rating to reflect the quality of the actual product. This is a problem with my phone and coincidentally ALL Pixel devices after the Pixel 6 (as far as I have found). So if you are planning on using this with a Pixel 7, Pixel 8, or Pixel 9 this device WILL NOT WORK. Look up which DAC's work specifically with your phone. Don't make the same mistake I did.

I initially purchased this for use with a computer but since it outdid any of my previous audio dongles portably, I enjoyed using it with my phone as well. My intial use case is why I wasn't too bothered about using an adapter with my phone and at first I appreciated that it came with one as well. But this morning the lightning plug snapped off in my pocket while I was cooking breakfast and it took a good amount of prying to dislodge it from my phone and that is just not acceptable quality for a $60 device. Either make sure your accesories are up to standards or don't include them . The reason I give 3 stars instead of 1 is because I suspect the main device is less fragile than the adapter. The reason I give 3 and not 5 is because I can't be sure of that.

pas beaucoup de points de comparaison mais la qualité audio est au rendez-vous (Qobuz + Casque B&W filaire)

J'ai attendu 1 an pour faire ce commentaire. Pas de soucis avec la tresse si on prend un minimum de précaution. Je l'utilise avec un casque HD598 sennheiser. Le son est très bon, meilleur qu'avec mon sony xm6. Je recommande donc ce DAC.

ligero, practico, materiales de muy buena calidad, robusto, preciso, y donde destaca es en su sonido, este DAC da un sonido cálido con muy buen balance en frecuencias, su chip da muy buena calidad de sonido, realmente escuchas la diferencia al usarlo. Excelente calidad-precio.

I recently acquired the iFi Audio GO Link Portable DAC and Amp, and it has been an absolute revelation for my music listening experience. This compact device has breathed new life into my audio setup, making me realize what I've been missing out on all these years. Firstly, the compatibility of the GO Link is outstanding. With both lightning and USB connectors included, I've seamlessly integrated it into my iPhone, Lenovo Laptop, and Desktop Computer setups. This flexibility alone sets it apart, as it caters to a wide range of devices, making it a versatile solution for any audiophile. The impact on the audio quality is nothing short of remarkable. I've noticed a remarkable improvement while streaming from platforms like Amazon HD and YouTube Music. It's like discovering a hidden layer of detail that was previously obscured. The music now feels immersive, alive, and incredibly enjoyable. The difference in sound quality is staggering, to say the least. What truly surprised me was how the GO Link bridged the gap between mid-tier audio setups and those high-end, expensive options. It's like taking a significant step closer to that elite league of audio equipment without breaking the bank. The way it enhances the sound quality, revealing nuances and subtleties, is a testament to the engineering prowess behind this device. From the moment I received the GO Link, I was captivated. I remember losing track of time as I kept indulging in my music library. The fact that I found myself listening for hours on end speaks volumes about the impact it had on me. It's not just a gadget; it's a gateway to a richer, more fulfilling sonic experience. In conclusion, the iFi Audio GO Link Portable DAC and Amp is a game changer for anyone who takes their music seriously. It's not just an accessory; it's a necessity. If you're looking to elevate your music listening to a whole new level, this device is your ticket. Kudos to the team behind this marvel for delivering an affordable solution that punches way above its weight. This is one purchase that I can confidently say is a keeper in my setup. Pros: Incredible compatibility with various devices. Immersive and detailed sound quality upgrade. Bridges the gap between mid-tier and high-end audio setups. Captivating and engaging listening experience. Great value for the price. Cons: Does not support the mic function on the headphone I wish there was a small carry/storage bag for the USB and lightning connectors, even the box could have been designed for this purpose. If you're seeking to unlock the full potential of your music library and headphones, the iFi Audio GO Link Portable DAC and Amp is a must-have addition to your setup. Prepare to be amazed by the enhanced sonic journey it offers.

Si, como yo, tienes un iPhone, este DAC es genial.. Pequeño, portable, sin necesidad de andar recargando baterías (tengo otros DACs, pero o hay que enchufarlos a la red o debes ir cargando la batería cada cierto tiempo), etc.. Quizá existan soluciones que ofrezcan mejor calidad sonora (p. ej. los Dragonfly, que tampoco requieren de conexión a red o recarga), pero no los he probado y no me puedo posicionar.. Lo que sí sé es que este que tengo entre manos me ofrece una calidad sonora que se ajusta a mis necesidades y que trae dentro de la caja todo lo que necesitas para conectarlo al iPhone (es usb c, que es lo que necesitas para los nuevos iPhones, pero también incluye un adaptador usb c a Lightning, que es el que yo necesito.. lo específico porque esto último no viene indicado en ningún sitio, ni en el anuncio, ni en la caja). En el caso del Dragonfly, salvo error, deberás buscarte adaptadores para poder conectarlo.. El hecho de que no requiera conexión a red ni recarga de batería es perfecto para el uso que le voy a dar, que no es otro que dejarlo fijo en el coche (hasta ahora iba con uno de batería.. cumplía su función, pero lo de quedarte sin batería cada dos por tres era un rollo). Lo dicho, relación calidad precio perfecta para el uso que preveo darle.