iFi Audio GO Bar Kensei... The Ultimate GO Bar Has Arrived!

[Polky74]

Well said. The Kensei is quite special. Other than not having a display it has amazing versatility- K2HD, XSpace, and XBass features allow for much more customization of the sound than the typical dongle.

Don't forget the GTO filter (Gibbs Transient Optimized) that no other dongle has... and which I find truly phenomenal as a perfect compromise between musicality, resolution/details and positioning/air between the instruments.

 

[alexsh1]

Hi all,

Are there any comparison of the Kensei to Go Bar and Go Bar Gold as well as competitors RU7 and FC6?
I am not looking at XBass, XSpace, and K2HD settings - I can have these settings with any dongle connected to my phone using an equalizer.
I am only interested in the sound quality.
And I would like to see a blind audition - can people tell the difference? Or this is just yet another marketing gimmick?

 

[Ferdinando1968]

Hi all,

Are there any comparison of the Kensei to Go Bar and Go Bar Gold as well as competitors RU7 and FC6?
I am not looking at XBass, XSpace, and K2HD settings - I can have these settings with any dongle connected to my phone using an equalizer.
I am only interested in the sound quality.
And I would like to see a blind audition - can people tell the difference? Or this is just yet another marketing gimmick?

Marketing always matters, because companies must sell and cover both the R&D costs they incur and the expenses for structures and personnel.

That said, I use both GOLD BAR and RU6 and RU7
(no KENSEI, sorry).
They are 3 excellent machines, with a sound that tends
(in my opinion) towards a warm and impactful sound rather than a neutral sound.
Furthermore, they are three circuitally very different machines.

In any case, using IEMs with detailed sound performance (e.g. EA1000), I think I can recognize the 3 DACs with my eyes closed.

My settings are:
GOLD-BAR with bit-perfect filter,
RU6 without oversampling
and RU7 in DSD256 mode.

 

[alexsh1]

Marketing always matters, because companies must sell and cover both the R&D costs they incur and the expenses for structures and personnel.

That said, I use both GOLD BAR and RU6 and RU7
(no KENSEI, sorry).
They are 3 excellent machines, with a sound that tends
(in my opinion) towards a warm and impactful sound rather than a neutral sound.
Furthermore, they are three circuitally very different machines.

In any case, using IEMs with detailed sound performance (e.g. EA1000), I think I can recognize the 3 DACs with my eyes closed.

My settings are:
GOLD-BAR with bit-perfect filter,
RU6 without oversampling
and RU7 in DSD256 mode.

Very nice photo!
Well, marketing is marketing. A lot of talk over a little improvement. If any at all.

However, I would be very curious if you are going to buy Kensei? In this case you can compare all four DACs lol ))
So you are saying that with Simgot EA1000 you could definitely recognise DACs? Ok, I am going to order EA1000 and see if I can do the same )) I would think one needs Moondrop Variations.
If I can make a difference with EA1000. I’ll order Kensei myself.

 

[KaiFi]

Don't forget the GTO filter (Gibbs Transient Optimized) that no other dongle has... and which I find truly phenomenal as a perfect compromise between musicality, resolution/details and positioning/air between the instruments.

Speaking of this...not to spam my comment from the previous page, but can anyone with the Kensei please test if having the GTO filter enabled causes an audible "pop" in the output when removing the Kensei from the source.

It happens when unplugging it from my MacBook Pro. I'd like to know if this is a "me problem" or if it is replicable on other units.

Thanks.

 

[Polky74]

Speaking of this...not to spam my comment from the previous page, but can anyone with the Kensei please test if having the GTO filter enabled causes an audible "pop" in the output when removing the Kensei from the source.

It happens when unplugging it from my MacBook Pro. I'd like to know if this is a "me problem" or if it is replicable on other units.

Thanks.

Many of my dongles do this and I don't think it depends on the filter used (although I could be wrong), but the real reason is that the correct way to disconnect a dongle would be to disconnect the IEM first, which I never do anyway. Having said that, the correct way to disconnect the equipment is to first disconnect the IEM/headphones and this is also valid when talking about desktop headphone amplifiers, then almost all of us, in order not to waste time, disconnect the dongle and the pop is the price to pay.

 

[KaiFi]

I would agree that's the correct way to do it, and with a desktop amp or a larger portable amp I probably would. With a dongle I think it's different; I kind of leave the dongle attached to my headphone and connect when necessary, as if the dongle is just an extension of the headphone.

I'd be willing to accept that's a price to pay; the issue is I have not encountered it at all with the Fiio KA17 and I've only encountered it on the Kensei with the GTO filter enabled (tested it many times, switching to other filters and back, and there is no pop with the Standard or other filters, only with GTO, at least on balanced output, and the pop is quite loud and jarring), which tells me it's possibly fixable with a firmware update.

 

[vladzakhar]

I have the same pop sound when disconnecting, but I could care less.

 

[jsmiller58]

I would agree that's the correct way to do it, and with a desktop amp or a larger portable amp I probably would. With a dongle I think it's different; I kind of leave the dongle attached to my headphone and connect when necessary, as if the dongle is just an extension of the headphone.

I'd be willing to accept that's a price to pay; the issue is I have not encountered it at all with the Fiio KA17 and I've only encountered it on the Kensei with the GTO filter enabled (tested it many times, switching to other filters and back, and there is no pop with the Standard or other filters, only with GTO, at least on balanced output, and the pop is quite loud and jarring), which tells me it's possibly fixable with a firmware update.

I'll check later under what conditions I hear the pop. I do every time I disconnect the Kensei, but I am not sure what filter I have enabled.

 

[stuck limo]

K2 HD has been around for a long time. See https://www.jvckenwood.com/en/technology/k2/history.html#01.

@iFi audio will you be implementing the K2HD tech into other DACs?

 

[iFi audio]

@iFi audio will you be implementing the K2HD tech into other DACs?

Thanks for the question...

As I look into the future the short answer would be no, however, the correct answer would be more like "Never say Never"

Cheers!!

 

[McCol]

I'm a couple of weeks into using the Kensei and have to say it really is a great little unit. I'm in the process of writing a review but I'm loving it so far and finding the match with Sony z1r is particuarly sweet. The K2HD option is alot better than I was expecting and on certian albums I find it a great option to be able to use

 

[iFi audio]

I'm a couple of weeks into using the Kensei and have to say it really is a great little unit. I'm in the process of writing a review but I'm loving it so far and finding the match with Sony z1r is particuarly sweet. The K2HD option is alot better than I was expecting and on certian albums I find it a great option to be able to use

When I had the unit here I was listening to "The Final Cut" by Pink Floyd and was very impressed with the K2 HD tech on that, looking forward to your review!

Cheers!!

 

[Ferdinando1968]

Very nice photo!
Well, marketing is marketing. A lot of talk over a little improvement. If any at all.

However, I would be very curious if you are going to buy Kensei? In this case you can compare all four DACs lol ))
So you are saying that with Simgot EA1000 you could definitely recognise DACs? Ok, I am going to order EA1000 and see if I can do the same )) I would think one needs Moondrop Variations.
If I can make a difference with EA1000. I’ll order Kensei myself.

I can't buy KANSEI at the moment, but I might in the future.

 

[thaslaya]

Got to spend a couple hours listening yesterday with the Kensei and my first impressions are that this thing is great! It really brings out something special in a few of my iems although some others it revealed some flaws that other DACs didn't. So I'd say getting the right pairing is important