iFi Audio GO Link

The missing link

The GO link is the missing link in your listening experience.

Firstly, it will enable corded headphones and earphones to connect to digital devices that don’t have a 3.5mm headphone output.

Secondly, even if your device does have a headphone socket, the GO link delivers a big sonic upgrade. This is because its sophisticated DAC (Digital-to-Analogue Converter) and headphone amp circuitry are superior to the audio tech contained within smart devices and computers.

Go forward with GO link.

Flexible friend

At one end of the GO link is a USB-C connector, and at the other is the DAC and headphone amp circuitry, both housed in robust yet lightweight magnesium alloy enclosures.

In between is a 6cm length of flexible cable – this aids practicality, allowing the DAC/amp section to be angled towards the listener and reducing stress on the USB port to which the GO link is connected.

DAC’s the ticket

At the heart of the GO link lies a power-efficient, high-performance DAC chip from ESS Technology’s Sabre HiFi series – the ES9219MQ/Q – benefiting from 32-bit HyperStream III architecture.

This combines with Quad DAC+ and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator technologies, plus our dedicated clock circuitry utilising a specialised crystal oscillator, to deliver ultra-low distortion, excellent clarity and impressive dynamic range.

Rarely implemented high-end features such as adjustable analogue gain with DRE (Dynamic Range Enhancement) plus technologies to minimise THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) and crosstalk are possible due to the DAC chip’s advanced specification.

It is also possible to choose between a choice of digital filters via downloadable software.

Do the twist

The cable linking both sections together uses silver-plated copper conductors with individual polymer insulation in a ‘twisted pair’ configuration.

This rotational twist helps to optimise inductance and capacitance and also aids noise rejection. The GO link’s sound isn’t affected by electromagnetic interference picked up from nearby electrical sources.

No distortion means you’re ready to dance without disturbance.

Move with the music

Unlike other headphone dongles, the GO link doesn’t rely on the software-based volume controls in connected digital devices. This can adversely affect audio resolution.

Instead, adjusting the volume on the connected device controls the volume level in the GO link’s DAC, not in the phone, tablet or computer. This hardware-based volume control is another feature that helps to deliver the GO link’s superior sonic performance.

Hi-res in glorious colour

The GO link’s hi-res audio credentials are highly impressive given its diminutive size and price tag.

• PCM to 32-bit/384kHz
• DSD to 11.2MHz (DSD256)
• MQA

An LED changes colour to indicate the incoming audio format – PCM, DSD or MQA – and the PCM/DSD sample rate.

Headphone heaven

The GO link’s headphone amp feeds a gold-plated 3.5mm socket, incorporating our S-Balanced configuration to reduce noise and crosstalk.

It delivers a power output of 70mW into 32 ohms, and a maximum voltage output of 2.05V into 600 ohms. This gives it plenty of oomph to drive the kind of headphones and earphones likely to be used with the GO link and easily outclasses the headphone outputs built into smart devices and computers.

• Hi-Res try Native® playback of all music formats from MP3 to DSD256, PCM384 and DXD384.
• Discrete ESS Sabre Hyperstream DAC chipset with time domain jitter eliminator, discrete oscillator and 112dB dynamic range for discerning listeners.
• Extensive jitter-eradication technologies are applied to the digital stage, including our GMT (Global Master Timing) femto-precision clock and intelligent memory buffer. This represents a total ‘out-of-the-box’ systematic digital solution that solves jitter once and for all.
• In music production, dynamic range means the difference between the loudest and quietest sounds. It’s measured in decibels, or dB for short. In a single audio track, dynamic range means the dB difference between the loudest and quietest moment in the audio file.
• You can think of the dynamic range in a system as the space between the noise floor and the clipping point. When a sound goes below the noise floor you won’t be able to tell the difference between the signal and the system noise of the medium. When a sound goes above the clipping point, the tops of its waveform will get abruptly cut off, causing harshness and distortion.
• iFi’s proprietary technology extends the Dynamic Range by 6 dB or more, for an improved listening experience.
• iFi’s exclusive S-Balanced® circuit delivers maximum performance from single-ended and balanced headphones alike.
• See our Tech Note to dig deeper.
• TDK C0G (Class 1 ceramic) capacitors offer high stability and low losses for resonant circuit applications.
• Getting ever closer to the theoretical ideal of pure, frequency-constant capacitance, these capacitors reduce capacitor-induced distortion to vanishingly low levels.
• They are pricey but are a perfect addition to our products.
• muRata control-type, low-ESR high-Q multi-layer capacitors. The ‘ESR control’ aspect of the Murata is something special. Their noise suppression abilities are impressive.