“Kensei” is an honorary Japanese title bestowed upon swordsmen of legendary ability. The phrase interprets to “Sword Saint,” and it’s the relentless dedication to being the most effective that iFi channeled into the masterfully crafted product that’s the iFi Kensei.
That is actually a software for the audiophile, so with out getting too deep into the weeds, we’re going to get a bit extra technical on this evaluation than regular, with an eye fixed on retaining it accessible.
iFi GO bar Kensei: Value and availability
The iFi GO bar Kensei is obtainable from ifi-audio.com, Amazon and different on-line retailers like Sweetwater, for $449. Not like the iFi Gold bar, this isn’t a restricted run and will likely be round for some time in keeping with an iFi rep’s feedback on a HiFi person discussion board sponsored by iFi.
iFi GO bar Kensei: Construct and match
Unboxing the Kensei is an expertise. It’s set in a good looking, environmentally pleasant, carved wood field. You get two premium braided cables (USB-C, USB-C to Lightning with USB-A adapter) and a leather-based pouch. No larger than a USB flash drive, the GO bar Kensei is made with Japanese chrome steel and is deceptively heavy for its dimension. Its physique has chamfered edges and feels premium all the way in which round, although it does entice fingerprints like a magnet. It has branding fantastically etched into the underside of the bar, however the face is the place it will get thrilling.
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On the face, you’ll discover a panel with LEDs that point out quantity degree, audio format, frequency, and sound results. The appropriate aspect is the place you’ll discover the quantity and settings push buttons, in addition to the IEMatch swap. The highest of the gadget is the place the three.5mm and 4.4mm headphone outputs are discovered, and the underside is the place you’ll discover the USB-C enter, which helps as much as 32-bit/384kHz audio.
The Go bar Kensei will get a bit heat throughout use, however not uncomfortably. Although it’s dense and has good heft, the chrome steel is a bit mushy with regards to exterior put on and can present scratches and scuffs.
iFi GO bar Kensei: Options
The GO bar Kensei makes use of a 32-bit Cirrus Logic DAC chipset with Hi-Res True Native® playback of music codecs from MP3 to DSD256, PCM384, and DXD384. You additionally get full MQA decoding. The Kensei is chock stuffed with high-end capacitors, which offer you a clear sign, scale back potential distortion, and have premium noise-reduction capabilities. You’ll be able to examine these intimately right here.
The celebrities of the present are the 4 digital filters and two analog modes. The modes and their corresponding LEDs are:
Bit-Good (cyan) I ran this with the Sennheiser IE900 IEMs, and it was shiny with out sibilance and clear. This one provides you your Hi-Res or lossless audio simply because it was meant.
Commonplace (purple) got here throughout as “clean,” with heat within the vocals as an alternative of brightness.
Minimal section (yellow) is hotter however with tight bass. When you’re a basshead, that is the filter for you. Use it with the XBass filter turned on and the K2HD filter activated, and also you’ll get kick-you-in-the-face bass with no lack of mids and vocal readability.
Gibbs Transient-Optimised (white) upsamples your audio to 352/384kHz. I’d simply describe this one as “energetic” total. You’ll really feel it throughout the frequency vary.
The Kensei goes a protracted method to make certain each headphone or IEM you plug up is handled properly with their IEMatch swap, which reduces output for high-sensitivity IEMs just like the Campfire Audio Mammoths I performed with, and their Turbo Mode, which does the other and will increase achieve by 6dB to drive energy hungry headphones just like the HiFiMan Planar magnetics I used. It isn’t just like the Kensei lacks the ability to drive what you throw at it, with 477mW or 7.2V out of the 4.4mm output and 300mW or 8V out of the three.5 S-Balanced output.
Relating to quantity degree output, you’ll be able to management supply audio from the Kensei in sync with the supply gadget or bypass the supply gadget’s audio controls altogether.
The draw back to all the superb energy unleashed upon your ears is that you simply’ll expertise an honest quantity of battery drain out of your telephones and tablets since that’s what powers the Kensei by way of that USB-C port. Your laptops gained’t be as noticeable since they’ve bigger batteries, and you’ll simply cost whereas listening, however that drain is there. There is no such thing as a inside battery right here just like the iFi GO blu.
iFi GO bar Kensei: Sound high quality
The “Sword Saint” produces audio that’s, in a phrase, “ethereal” however full-bodied. It’s all there. The sound high quality out of each the three.5mm and 4.4mm ports is easy, with lovely musicality.
This clear DAC/Amp permits you to take pleasure in each nuance of a stereo picture. Pair the Kensei with analytical headphones or IEMs, and it’s like turning on a floodlight in a big house beforehand lit by a small 40-watt bulb. That’s precisely what I skilled once I plugged Sennheieser’s IE900 IEMs into the 4.4mm balanced output with the bit-perfect digital filter.
Listening to “Violin Duel” from the Chevalier OST was illuminating. You possibly can hear artifacts and nuances I’d beforehand missed. The stress of the bow towards the violin strings. The assault on the chord modifications, whereas earlier than, I actually solely heard the assault in several actions. Identical with Beyonce’s “Texas Maintain ‘Em” the place the plucking of the banjo and guitars, nonetheless layered towards the again, was richly detailed.
In the case of bass and sub-bass, the transparency actually exhibits how a observe was engineered. The IE900 isn’t a bass-heavy IEM, however its 7mm dynamic drivers can energetically play again deep, darkish bass by way of PEQ or digital filter tuning, as was the case with iFi’s XBass filter activated. Skrillex’s “Mumbai Energy” and “Begin A Riot” from the Spider-Man: Throughout the Spider-Verse soundtrack each growled and rumbled with sufficient authority and aggression that that they had me making the “stank face” whereas bobbing my head to that nasty bass and sub-bass. That led me down the rabbit gap of sampling a dozen or so hip-hop tracks with this IEM/DAC filter combo.
What’s vital right here is that the digital filters I discussed within the options part might make your music sound even higher relying on which IEMs or headphones you’ve paired to the Kensei. For instance, I ran the $120 1MORE Penta Driver IEMs, which don’t have almost the extent of transparency of the IE900, however with the K2HD, XBass, and XSpace filters activated, they open up and provides the listening expertise fairly a bit greater than what their default tuning affords.
iFi GO bar Kensei: Competitors
The GO bar Kensei is exclusive in that it’s extra like a collector’s version DAC, with its ornate field, equipment, and match and end. On this worth level, there are nonetheless rivals with varied function choices. Fiio makes wonderful merchandise and the Q15 could also be a greater match for some of us’ listening habits because it has a built-in IPS show and a Bluetooth SoC, providing you with entry to wi-fi hi-res audio connectivity.
Then there’s the iBasso DC-Elite, which I attempted unsuccessfully to get my palms on for a separate evaluation. It has a function set that matches intently the Kensei, and a design that’s eye-catching. On paper, it seems to be a worthy competitor and is usually thought to be a strong piece of equipment.
iFi GO bar Kensei: Do you have to purchase it?
You should purchase the iFi GO bar Kensei if…
- You don’t want Bluetooth
- You want DACs with clear sound
- You don’t need PEQ
You should not purchase the iFi GO bar Kensei if…
- Value is a priority
- You want Bluetooth
- You need PEQ
The GO bar Kensie is clear with out being harsh or overly clean. It pairs completely with musical IEMs, it is digital filters offer you higher choices as you pair it with completely different headphones or IEMs and the analog processing modes XBass Plus and XSpace breathe new bass and sub-bass life into open-back over-ears. All of this whereas effectively driving every little thing I’ve thrown at it, though that comes at the price of your cell audio supply’s battery life.
This DAC/Amp will likely be expensive for informal music customers. For audio hobbyists, it’s feature-rich and constructed like a tank, so it ought to offer you years of listening pleasure on the go.
Superb sound and options!
For it is transparency, skill to kick up the bass enjoyment, and balanced output, the GO bar Kensei is likely one of the greatest cell DACs you should buy!
