[iFi audio]

The quality of the SE output is amazing, this is the smallest difference I encountered between balanced and unbalanced mode in any device.

Here it should be said that GO Bar's SE socket isn't really a standard SE, but our own S-Balanced connection as described in this document:

https://ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/iFi-audio-xCAN-S_BAL-Tech-Note.pdf

In short, our S-Balanced connections have the exceptional noisefloor of the balanced topology... but are single-ended. Thanks!

Dear friends here is my detailed review of both Go bar and Anniversary edition.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/ifi-go-bar.25909/review/28688/

More expensive than the competition but worth every penny.

Thank you very much for reading.

Thanks a lot for this well-written, through and all in all lovely review!

Yes, I can see that there are buttons and they are separated, but what I mean is whether the Go bar's volume is independent of windows.

Yes, using GO Bar's volume buttons won't change the volume level in Windows. Hope this helps, thanks!

This mighty copper chassis thing is getting quite some traction now, and therefore I assume that those 1000 pieces will be gone very soon. So take this excuse, among all other valid excuses, to pull the trigger now!

They're disappearing fast

My Gold Bar arrived today. So glad to see there is a Mac updater now!

However, no matter what I do I cannot get it to work with my iPhone 12 Pro Max (running iOS 15.5). lights just don't come on at all. The cables I'm trying to connect with work instantly connecting my iPhone to my Gryphon.

Is there any trick to get it to work? I've cleaned the lightning port, tried firmware 1.70 and 1.70a, every cable I have.... nothing

The Gold Bar works fine on my Mac and iPad Pro.

Anyone else having trouble connecting to Iphone? I upgraded firmware to 1.70a, connected to an Iphone 12 Pro Max running ios 15.5 and it doesn't turn on. Tested on my PC and my Mac and it works fine with those, but for the life of me I can't get it to work with the Iphone (which was the sole reason I got it. The portability so I don't need to lug my Diablo around).

It worked once, the second time i plugged it in using the cable that came with the Go Bar but since I've had trouble. @iFi audio @Sebastien Chiu ?

Is there a particular way to connect it, or maybe some sort of trick I haven't figured out?

Thanks for your feedback guys, our tech team is on it. In the meantime can you please make sure that:

1. your iPhone's battery is charged well
2. your iPhone has its OS up to date
3. the cable that came with GO Bar is used

Please let us know whether these tips solve the problem, thanks!

 

[igorski]

Yes, I can see that there are buttons and they are separated, but what I mean is whether the Go bar's volume is independent of windows.
With BTR5 if I set volume in Windows at max, and then use the BTR5's volume buttons, it changes the volume value on the BTR5 without affecting the volume set in Windows.
With XDuoo Link2 Bal, if I use the volume buttons, it directly adjusts the volume in windows.

Which of these modes of volume adjustment does the Go bar use?

Hi @Poganin on Windows it is possible to have DSP Volume control with GO bar. I have tried this with ROON and with HQPlayer Desktop, works fine.

iFi GO manual stipulates theres is a synchronisation feature. I have tried to enable this feature. This has no effect on Windows, i.e. does not work.

As such a) either set up the GO volume to max with buttons and use DSP Volume in Windows players b) Set device folume as fixed on Windows and use buttons. Or both...

 

[rafaelo]

In short, our S-Balanced connections have the exceptional noisefloor of the balanced topology... but are single-ended. Thanks!

I understand that but is not this the same as in xcan? I mean does the xcan has this topology for the 3.5 output like xdsd or is different?

What I am trying to say is that xcan I hear a difference: I have a strong preference for the balances output.

In the go bar the 3.5 is so good that I really do not care si much. Is only the small difference in the cable from the original sennheiser one to a silver coated one since I have a different cable for the balanced output.

It is a unique advantage of the go bar never encounter before in any product.

 

[YellowHatMan]

Thanks for your feedback guys, our tech team is on it. In the meantime can you please make sure that:

1. your iPhone's battery is charged well
2. your iPhone has its OS up to date
3. the cable that came with GO Bar is used

Please let us know whether these tips solve the problem, thanks!

I have the same issue of connecting iPhone 13 Max Pro to GOld bar with bundled lightening-C cable (came with GOld bar). My iPhone was charged well and updated to the latest. GOld bar firmware was 1.7a. I think above three conditions are satisfied.

When connecting the iPhone and GOld bar with bundled lightening-C cable, no LED was on at all, and iPhone cannnot find GOld bar. In case iPhone was connected with bundled C-C cable via Audirect LTOCOTGADAPTER (lightening-C), it looks working and iPhone can play music with GOld bar. Also, I found that bundled lightening-C cable with Lotoo S1 also worked.

I also found weird thing. After kicking the GOld bar on with C-C cable & connector (or S1 bundled cable), played a couple musics, and switched from the C-C cable & adapter to bundled lightening-C cable, bundled cable works fine. But once it was disconnected and wait a while, above issue comes again.

Hope it helps, and looking forward your update to fix this. THX!

 

[ducnsh]

Go Bar is incredible, just some cons are
- Led and text are not easy to read.
- Buttons are not solid like the W2.

 

[jjxaker]

PCB’s of the GO Bar and GO Bar 10 (GOLD) as found on the internet. Not sure if these are final board revisions.

if the differences are only in the capacitors, then i can do it yourself in 5 minutes.
Everyone is afraid to disassemble it to make high-quality photos!!! the owners do not seem to be able to hold a screwdriver in their hands at all.

 

[ardexx]

if the differences are only in the capacitors, then i can do it yourself in 5 minutes.
Everyone is afraid to disassemble it to make high-quality photos!!! the owners do not seem to be able to hold a screwdriver in their hands at all.

Well, let us all know when you are done with the disassembly yourself Perhaps you can read the writing on the capacitor (can’t enlarge it enough on my phone) 270 and 6.3V I can read, not sure about the first line, H53? M53?

Apart from the caps, and perhaps some other values, the copper casing is hard to add later. But I am lucky I managed to get a anniversary edition!

 

[jjxaker]

Well, let us all know when you are done with the disassembly yourself Perhaps you can read the writing on the capacitor (can’t enlarge it enough on my phone) 270 and 6.3V I can read, not sure about the first line, H53? M53?

Apart from the caps, and perhaps some other values, the copper casing is hard to add later. But I am lucky I managed to get a anniversary edition!

I would love to, but it is currently impossible to buy it in China.
As soon as I buy it, I will immediately disassemble it and study all its components. it's a pity that no one can do this before. I'm very interested in what kind of operational amplifiers are here. I see that there are two of them, but which ones.

 

[gavinfabl]

It's been ten days since my review went live on YouTube, reviewing the Go Bar, then comparing the Gold Go Bar and Mojo 2. I'm now on firmware 1.70. Nice surprise to see its now possible to update on a mac. No more borrowing my next door neighbours laptop.

I've been trying out more headphones too. My Beyerdynamic DT700 Pro X sounded really good with the Gold Bar, so I bought the DT 900 Pro X and love this combo too.

 

[Marlowe]

if the differences are only in the capacitors, then i can do it yourself in 5 minutes.
Everyone is afraid to disassemble it to make high-quality photos!!! the owners do not seem to be able to hold a screwdriver in their hands at all.

If the difference is just in the capacitors than I can do it myself in precisely ... never.

And yes, since I have exactly zero (or less) technical expertise, I have no intention of taking a screwdriver in hand to open the Go bar in order to examine its innards. Ridiculing others for having different knowledge and skills than you do is not a good look. I'm a retired attorney in the US, how would you like it I disparaged you for your (probable) lesser knowledge of the US legal system?

Sorry, I'm in a pissy mood. I should have had the standard Go bar in hand by now but do not because the Fed Ex driver is either a lazy liar or incompetent. Tracking shows that s/he claims to have attempted delivery a couple of hours ago but no one was available (the package requires a signature) even though I have been in my apartment at all times awaiting delivery. Following the options given me on their tracking page, I asked for it to be left for pickup at a commercial location suggested by Fed Ex just a few blocks away; this option stated it would be available after 5PM today. Tracking now shows delivery to be "on time" and scheduled to be made in three days! (OK, I vented and feel a little better. But not much.)

 

[jjxaker]

If the difference is just in the capacitors than I can do it myself in precisely ... never.

And yes, since I have exactly zero (or less) technical expertise, I have no intention of taking a screwdriver in hand to open the Go bar in order to examine its innards. Ridiculing others for having different knowledge and skills than you do is not a good look. I'm a retired attorney in the US, how would you like it I disparaged you for your (probable) lesser knowledge of the US legal system?

Sorry, I'm in a pissy mood. I should have had the standard Go bar in hand by now but do not because the Fed Ex driver is either a lazy liar or incompetent. Tracking shows that s/he claims to have attempted delivery a couple of hours ago but no one was available (the package requires a signature) even though I have been in my apartment at all times awaiting delivery. Following the options given me on their tracking page, I asked for it to be left for pickup at a commercial location suggested by Fed Ex just a few blocks away; this option stated it would be available after 5PM today. Tracking now shows delivery to be "on time" and scheduled to be made in three days! (OK, I vented and feel a little better. But not much.)

Perhaps. it's just that I've always believed that those who are fond of sound, they have at least minimal knowledge about the components and their characteristics, and therefore ways to visually study the components.
In all DAC and DAP, the most important thing is op-amp. but unfortunately, manufacturers are increasingly not even mentioning this, and it's terribly annoying because before buying a device, you can understand what to count on.
Therefore, having knowledge of the components, it is not necessary to buy a device to understand what its sound will be. It's a pity that manufacturers make a useless secret out of this, and users do not want to delve into the essence, but want to buy everything and just listen.
It is clear that many people are not interested in all this, but I did not think that everyone.
If the manufacturer had indicated the marking of the converter and the op-amp, there would have been no questions.
it's just that the device is decently expensive, if there are two penny op-amp installed there, then this is an uninteresting device. I expect to see a level no lower than OPA16xx there.

 

[ardexx]

If the difference is just in the capacitors than I can do it myself in precisely ... never.

And yes, since I have exactly zero (or less) technical expertise, I have no intention of taking a screwdriver in hand to open the Go bar in order to examine its innards. Ridiculing others for having different knowledge and skills than you do is not a good look. I'm a retired attorney in the US, how would you like it I disparaged you for your (probable) lesser knowledge of the US legal system?

Sorry, I'm in a pissy mood. I should have had the standard Go bar in hand by now but do not because the Fed Ex driver is either a lazy liar or incompetent. Tracking shows that s/he claims to have attempted delivery a couple of hours ago but no one was available (the package requires a signature) even though I have been in my apartment at all times awaiting delivery. Following the options given me on their tracking page, I asked for it to be left for pickup at a commercial location suggested by Fed Ex just a few blocks away; this option stated it would be available after 5PM today. Tracking now shows delivery to be "on time" and scheduled to be made in three days! (OK, I vented and feel a little better. But not much.)

That’s bad, and I would feel exactly the same. Delays can happen, but being screwed is different. Hope your GO Bar still miraculously shows up today at 5 pm at your ‘chosen’ location!

 

[jmwant]

A tiny dongle that can drive hd6xx, pretty impressive!

 

[ardexx]

Is there a way to see the FW version of the GO Bar while being connected to an iPhone (running 15.5)?
In other words: is there an app for that?

Volume synchronisation with the Pi 4 does not work as expected (by me…) The GO Bar starts with a low volume, even when I have Volumio at 100% (hardware mixer) at start up.

Just wondering if this is due to having not the latest FW installed. Currently I have no possibility to update (if needed).

 

[McCol]

Gold Go Bar ordered this evening, hopefully here by mon/Tuesday