iFi Audio GO Bar Kensei

Introduction

I don’t think iFi-Audio need much introduction on head-fi anymore, over the last few years they have amassed an array of products covering almost every need you could need for your music and headphones, all bar a DAP!

I’ve liked and owned a few of their products, like a lot of products I own, I don’t always keep things a long time bar a few longer term items that just stay in my cycle. The original Go bar’s fall into that category for me. I owned both the standard first edition and the limited edition Gold Go bar.

In my quest to find the ideal portable solution for my needs I sold my Gold Go bar when I bought the iFi Go Pods (wireless adaptors) thinking I was done with dongles. A few months on and as much as I love my Go pods I found myself still trying new dongles. This led me here to trying the new Go Kensei bar.

Disclaimer

iFi-Audio provided me this unit to review and return when finished or choose to buy. This was/is not a gift



Unboxing/Packaging

Usually with all of the other iFi products I’ve owned the packaging is pretty standard, nice enough but functional boxes with all the cables and adaptors that you will need to get listening. The Kensei is the exception, as well as the normal packaging it also comes in really nice engraved wooden box. The quality of this box is really good and is a nice touch.





Design and Features

Detailed tech specs are on this showcase page as well on the iFi page so I won’t go into them here


iFi-Audio make some really well designed products that are on the whole easy to use and the Kensei is no different.

The size is just right for a USB-C Dongle, it is a lot smaller than you think it is going to be. It is very weighty which I’m fine with as it adds to the overall feeling of a high quality product. The Kensei is a slab of solid steel which feels very sturdy. Some nice Japanese engraving on the steel body.

Side of the Kensei has a function button along with volume up and down buttons. There is also a selector for the inbuilt IEMatch. I don’t personally have any really sensitive IEM’s that require the use of this but it’s nice feature to have included.

3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced earphone connections adorn the bottom of the Kensei. On the back of the Kensei is a row of small LED’s which indicate various functions.

Overall this looks, feels and functions like a premium product should.





The Kensei features a list of different filters to allow the listener to adjust sound, however I tend to use the filter that keeps what is a fairly neutral profile. I did listen with the other filters and they all make very small subtle differences, none are detrimental to the sound.

The biggest factor that iFi have emphasised for the Kensei has been the inclusion of JVC’s K2HD technology, from what I can understand this a processing feature that JVC say enhances the sound of a recording. It is not a new format but merely a process. It seems to have been around for over a decade and was used for a period of time in the mastering of some CD releases. I tried it and will comment on how I found it.

In addition to this there is the Xbass and Xspace. Xbass is designed to add some low level thump to the bass response and Xspace to open up the sound. Lastly there is the Turbo mode which is essentially a high gain mode




Gear used

For testing I used the following

Earphones

Sony IER Z1R

Fir Audio Rn6

Custom Art FIBAE 5

Headphones

Sennhieser HD660s

Grado RS1X


Source was my Samsung S24 Ultra smartphone using a mixture of streaming from Tidal and Qobuz and the UAPP app. Battery drain considering the power that this dongle can achieve is quite impressive. I listen for maybe an hour to two at a time and notice my battery life take a small hit but nothing that worries me too much.

Selecting the filters and sound enhancements are easy to do with a press of the function for 1-3 seconds and a press of the volume button dependant on usage, not having a screen is really no issue with the Kensei or any of the Go bars.



Sound

The majority of my listening was with the earphones listed above with some light headphone use. I tend to use a set playlist of certain songs that I always use when trying new gear. Most of my music taste is of an indie/alternative nature but do also like some electronic music.


Although I tried the different filters and found very minimal subtle differences I used the ‘BP’ Cyan filter for most listening which is the bit-perfect most neutral filter on the Kensei

In addition for most listening the 4.4mm balanced connection was used.


Fir Audio Radeon 6 (Rn6) – These earphones are probably the best earphone I have owned and when using with my normal DAP/Amp combo of Cayin N7/C9 they are just simply stunning with very little that seems to compete. So I was keen to see how the Kensei would fare as the Hip DAC 3 fared well when I tested that a few months ago.

First thing of note was that the bass rumble on the Rn6 was still very evident with the Kensei, and the mids were still majestic, detail in the highs was also presented extremely well. The Kensei and Rn6 played through my playlist of Bowie, The Smiths and others with ease, producing excellent results. The Cirrus Logic DAC chipset retains what I always consider to be the iFi ‘house sound’ which is to my ears, neutral yet detailed and warm without you ever really thinking it too much of either (really hope that makes sense!).

On most tracks that I tried with the Rn6/Kensei combo, the ability of the Kensei to get very close to the N7 in terms of detail and smoothness is not be underplayed.

The same applies to the Sony IER Z1r, this earphone needs no introduction, an absolute classic that sometimes splits opinion. I was late to the party with the z1r, only getting them a few months ago used but they were worth the wait. Even after a few years they are rarely bettered (in my opinion) and produce a wonderful sound, which is even better when powered well. I wondered if the Kensei could provide that power and it does, needs quite a few notches over the Rn6 on the volume but the depth it gives is really good.

It’s a similar tale with the Custom Art FIBAE 5 and their dual planar drivers, on paper they shouldn’t need much power but they benefit from it and again the Kensei doesn’t disappoint.

The output power of 477mw through balanced is very impressive for this kind of dongle that takes it power from your USB-C device. Most that I have tried have been around the 230-300mw output power.

Xbass when I tried it does add a little low end into the mix and it feels well implemented but none of my earphones really need it so I didn’t really use it.


K2HD

What is it and what does it do?

I’m not going to lie and say that I knew what this was before and I’m not going to go into any kind of explanation as I won’t do it justice so here’s the link that iFi provide

https://ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/iFi_GO_bar_Kensei_K2HD_Tech_Note_2024_Mar.pdf

Does it work?

I’m going to say that for the most part it does seem to make a positive difference. I’m not normally one for using different enhancement options, I barely ever use Xspace or Xbass and haven’t really used anything in the past.

With the K2HD I used my normal test tracks along with a few others to see if I could hear a difference and I think that I did, and in a positive way. Notes felt a little more rounded and on some tracks there was more depth to the music, an example being a little more echo to the snare drum in the first minute or so of ‘I Know It’s Over’ by The Smiths. The drum is isolated slightly and the timbre/echo/depth seems better. I’d say the bass response on most tracks is also marginally more rounded. The one aspect that surprised me was that most of the tracks felt smoother with more of a natural feel however this is only to my ears and others might not experience the same.

I noticed small differences like this across most tracks and find myself having it turned on all the time.





Closing thoughts

Normally I would do some comparisons either from gear I still have or from notes on previous equipment.

This time I’ll just say that this is the best dongle I’ve tried to date, I can’t compare to the Gold Go but from memory and some notes I wrote they are much the same. I’ve tried a fair few dongles over the last 2-3 years and this one is by far (for me and my usage) the best I’ve used. It gets close to my main DAP at times but doesn’t surpass my Cayin N7 but I wouldn’t expect it to given they are different devices however if I had to give up a DAP and just have a dongle, the Kensei would be more than sufficient for my needs.

thaslaya's star rating system:
☆☆☆☆☆ - Fantastic!
☆☆☆☆ - Recommended
☆☆☆ - There are buyers but not for me
☆☆ - Can't see the appeal
☆ - Product is a failure

Disclaimer:
This product was provided to me by iFi Audio in exchange for my impartial and honest review. I recieve no compensation and all thoughts and opinions are my own. A special thanks to Karina at iFi for coordinating this unit for review.

Gear used:
● LG v30+
● Samsung Galaxy s22 Ultra
● Samsung dongle
● Various iems

Source:
● Listening was done through Amazon Music HD or Ultra HD.

Introduction:
Honestly iFi Audio needs little introduction for those in the audiophile community and, if you're looking to purchase the GO bar Kensei, chances are you're familiar with the brand. The Kensei is the third iteration of the GO bar dongle DAC/amplifier. The previous being the original GO bar and the 10th Anniversary gold edition. Kensei is a Japanese word that translates to "sword saint" - an honorary title bestowed on very few warriors who displayed legendary swordmanship. It's a catchy name for sure but does the newest model of the GO bar live up to it's namesake? A question I hope to answer in this review.

Unboxing:
The packaging isn't much different than other iFi products but once the outer box is open there is a nice surprise waiting. The Kensei comes in a beautifully engraved wooden box. It's a work of art in and of itself and makes a nice display piece to place on a shelf. Included with the usual paperwork and user manuals are both a USB-C and lightning cables. Also there's a small USB adapter for use with desktop setups. It's simple to include all the connections one could need but it's always appreciated as some companies make you choose between cable types when ordering.

Design:
I have seen pictures of the GO bar many times in listings on Head-fi and Reddit. I always assumed its length to be much longer so I was taken aback when I opened the box to find how little it really is. It's surprisingly small but very dense and much heavier than anticipated. Don't let it's size fool you though, this thing is an audiophile's dream tool whose size undercuts its power, not unlike the samurai swords of old. Made from Japanese stainless steel, the Kensei is sturdy, robust and lustrous. The build quality is absolutely superb. It feels great to hold in hand and premium to the touch. The only drawback may be the finish is a bit prone to fingerprints and scratches. On one end of the unit you'll find the USB-C connection and on the other are the 3.5mm and 4.4mm ports. Located on the side of the Kensei are the function button, + and - volume buttons, and the IEMatch toggle. On the back are a plethora of indicator lights to show the playback format and the current options being utilized.

Technical Information:
The Kensei utilizes a 32-bit Cirrus Logic DAC chipset. It supports the following audio formats: PCM up to 32-bit/384 kHz, native DSD playback up to DSD256, 2x DXD, and full MQA decoding. I'm not a very tech savvy user so I will have to differ to iFi's website for all that mumbo jumbo. A full rundown of the internals and circuitry can be found here.


Features:
The list of features on the Kensei is very impressive, especially when you consider there's no companion app. There is, of course, iFi's staple XBass and XSpace. There's also a Turbo mode, essentially a high gain level, and 4 digital filters to toggle through that I'll touch on later. Specific to the Kensei version of the GO bar is the new K2HD mode that, according to iFi, "revives rich, natural harmonics into digital sound, adding an organic quality unlike any other". It essentially aims to make your music sound a bit less digital and more lifelike.

Power consumption:
With great power comes great...battery drain? I don't think that's quite right but in the case of the Kensei it's close. This thing does indeed drain your source's battery fairly quickly but it also depends on what options are enabled at the time. When using higher volumes, XBass, XSpace, and Turbo mode, the power consumption will be higher. My LG v30+ was only able to last about 2-3 hours of continuous use. My S22 Ultra faired better at around 4-5 hours but I was also browsing and utilizing other functions of the phone.

Sound impressions:
I don't know what magic is going on inside the Kensei but it elevates everything I've paired it with to another level. There's enough variety with the plethora of options that makes using any iem/headphone an easy and fun interaction. The 4 filter options are Bit- Perfect (cyan), Standard (red), Minimum Phase (yellow), and Gibbs Transient-Optimized or GTO (white). My filter of choice varied with each iem depending on the synergy. It's a bit hard to explain the subtleties that accompany each filter and compare them to each other. I believe the best way to convey what I hear is to share what settings I used with each individual pairing and how it affects the sound compared to the stock tuning.

●Aful MagicOne - Standard (red) filter, K2HD enabled, 4.4 connection with IEMatch, Turbo mode, and XBass and XSpace enabled. This added a touch of warmth to the vocals but still allowed them to shine. It also opened up the soundstage and added some much needed bass emphasis.

●Kiwi Ears x Crinacle: Singolo - Bit-Perfect (cyan) filter, 4.4 conncection with IEMatch, Turbo mode, and XSpace enabled. This added more vocal presence while preserving the excellent timbre of the mids, more tightness and speed to the bass, and an enhanced soundstage.

●Softears Volume - GTO (white) filter, 4.4 connection with IEMatch, Turbo mode, and K2HD enabled. There's a bigger midbass slam and texture, vocals had a slightly more organic timbre, and the entirety of the frequencies had more energy without any troublesome peaks.

●Truthear x Crinacle Zero:Red - Minimum Phase (yellow) filter, 4.4 connection with IEMatch, Turbo mode, K2HD, and XBass enabled. There's a deeper subbass rumble and presence bordering on basshead levels but overall the bass had more separation with no bleed. The overall warmer tuning was still present but vocals and mids had more clarity and were presented more forward on the stage.

●Accoustune HS1790ti - Bit-Perfect (cyan) filter, 3.5 connection with IEMatch, K2HD, and XBass enabled. The bass sounded more full with a bigger rumble, vocals were slightly more forward with a warmer organic tilt, and the upper mids/lower treble had better separation and overall better dynamics with more energy.

Final thoughts:
Honestly, this was an arduous review to get through. Not because I didn't like the Kensei. It's quite the opposite actually, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment! Reviewing was difficult because I found myself getting lost in the music due to the superb sound quality. I often felt drawn to hold the Kensei, relishing the weight and excellent build quality. Also somewhere deep in my subconscious I knew that with every word I typed I was closer to having to return the unit to iFi (maybe I should have drawn this one out a few weeks ). I have been a fan of iFi since I first tried the original hip dac. I'm now a full on disciple at the feet of the Kensei. Yes the price is high but the quality is absolutely there and in spades. The 4 distinct filters, K2HD, Xbass, XSpace, Turbo mode, and IEMatch all somehow add up to something that is more than the sum of their parts. I understand that a lot of consumers will probably never consider spending $450 for a dongle DAC. However, for those that can afford the cost of entry, the iFi GO bar Kensei is one of the finest products I've had the pleasure of using and easily the best portable DAC that I've come across. In my opinion, it has cemented it's legendary status and earned the moniker of "sword saint".