Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org

Hi! As you gave this unit five stars, which in your words means „Best in class/buy it now“ my question would be: why didn’t you compare it to other similar priced dongles as the L&P W4, Cayin Ru7, iBasso DC elite etc.) And what about the higher priced ones (Quloos MUB1, Questyle CM18P). Because best in class - at least for me - means that you should know how the contenders sound and be able to compare them to your unit. I too am curious how the Kensei sounds but without any comparisons it’s a bit of a gamble to follow your recommendation and „buy it now“
That being said, nice review!

You make a very valid point but the truth is I don't have access to any other similarly priced products and I don't have the means to buy everything to compare. I do know that the Kensei is by far the best product I've tried to date but at the end of the day it may be outclassed by a competitor. Maybe I should change the rating system to reflect that. Thanks for your input.

Excellent review sir

I’ve had the Kenzei for about a week. I love it a lot.
I previously had the Cayin RU7 (sold it). In my ears the Kenzei sounds way better. I also compared it with my Ibasso DC04 pro. Sound wise I think they’re close, but the Kenzei excels by having so many configuration options (I’m running an Iphone, and then you can’t use the Ibasso app).

Do you think that if one had to give up their desktop sytem, that a dongle like this could suffice.... assuming your stable of headphones were all medium to high efficiency?

I don't have much experience with full sized cans and next to no experience with desktop amps so I wouldn't be a great one to answer this question. The devout desktop gear users would probably tell you that nothing like a dongle could replace that kind of setup and I'd be inclined to agree. However if you just need something small to use with fairly easy to drive iems/headphones the Kensei is definitely all you would need and be very happy for a long time.

I tried it and elected to spend a bit more and get Mojo2

I've heard great things about the Mojo2. Hopefully I can try one in the future.

I previously had dragonfly red and cobalt, Mojo2 the upgrade that made most sense to me

Mojo 2 is the best portable DAC in the world, IMHO

I assume that Hugo2 is better but it's also 4x or 5x the price

Have you tried fiio KA17? it's new ES sabre flagship chip sounds much better imo
And it's rediculous cheap also
I wasn't impressed with the mojo II and the ifi go bar / hip dac 2
Guess we all hear differently

I haven't tried the KA17 but I've read good things. I really enjoy the Kensei and the hipdac 3 is also superb. We do all hear differently that's true

Does anybody have listen to Hugo2?

Cool, thanks a lot for the great review. I'd love to hear how it sounds if I have a chance.

Regarding the K2HD processing, can it be enabled/disabled independently of the filter selected?

BTW, I am confused with 2x DXD.

Based on my understanding, DXD is 352.8kHz / 24 bit. For "2x DXD", I would expect "705.6kHz". Is my understanding of 2x DXD correct?

I've heard Mojo 2, Hugo2, and Chord TT2.

I'd say the Mojo 2 is 90% there. Hugo2 is 94%. TT2 is 96% (+ M Scaler = 98%).
Of course this scale means nothing but it's meant to demonstrate the diminishing value of returns as the price doubles/triples with each upgrade.

That being said, I'd buy a Mojo 2 over this iFi GO Bar any day.

That's great news since sadly I don't have unlimited budget.
Sure Mojo2 is much better than that bar

@sunjam Yes the K2HD is independent of the 4 filter options and can be toggled on/off at any time. As for the 2xDXD...I'm not really sure sorry 

Chord anything is excellent. I've never had a bad experience with their products.

Hi. I have the iBasso DC Elite and Mojo2 and tried recently Go Bar Gold, Kensei and Questyle CMA18. Imo the Kensei surpasses Gold in technicalities. For some the warm character of the Gold could be better and for me vocals are sounding better („buttery“). But the Kensei is extremely refined and sounds for me like a Japanese amp (Yamaha, Accuphase). I like it also more than the DC Elite, because that one may has comparable technicalities, but it also sounds a little bit grainy, not that refined, and full/in your face. It’s like a Greatsword against a Katana if you will. DC Elite also has not that much soundstage depth (maybe because of the big width). Last but not least: Kensei is extremely elegant.