I picked up one of these dongles with a pair of KZ ZS10 Pros and an upgraded cable. I'm absolutely floored by the combination of the DAC dongle and cheap Chinese IEMs. For something that, in total, was right around $150 altogether; I got far more than my money's worth and exponentially so.
I have never used a dongle myself but it sounds pretty neat. I have a 50 wpc Yamaha receiver and a pair of Polk Audio speakers as my computer system. I'm sure it would boost the sound quality immensely. Nice review young man!
I’m a speaker person, yet occasionally when I walk the dog I throw the buds into the iphone and deal with the quality while thinking about an upgrade. Enjoy your reviews.
Greetings and good Saturday morning ☕️. I run the IFI Go Blue ..so I don’t drag my phone (IPhone 13 Pro) around. Also I tend to run my IEM’s in balanced mode via 4.4 connection. IFI has a great range of options in this area Have a great weekend ☕️🥓🍕🔥👍
I am curious about the iFi dongle as I have never used a DAC before - just doing streaming from IMac, but this makes me wonder if I should try to use one with my phone. Always watch your vids Mike. Great stuff
Your microphone sounds amazing. What equipment do you use? Also, I just got into purchasing iFi products, and I'm looking forward to trying them this week. Sign me up for the giveaway!
Your grip with cable is true, very touchy kind of thing; don't know whether at 3.5 mm jack level of UCB -C level. And it gives me sound on one side with my Apple earpods.
Thanks for another great video Mike. PS, it might be a good idea to say in the video how and when you will notify the winner so the scammers that will reach out to everyone that comments have less of a chance to fool someone. I know it’s in the comments but must people don’t read lol. Thanks and I’m in the US so please throw my name in the hat thanks.
I bought this one today, but I am not able to find any difference with the audio quality. Probably I am doing something wrong. I just connected it to my Honor 8 Pro and iPhone 7 plus and played some music on VLC on both. The difference between connecting my KZ EDX Pro IEM directly to the phones or having the DAC in between made no difference to me. (My ear cannot perceive the difference!!??)
Got a major 2. It is pretty finicky with the USB connection, too. With the first 2 cables I used, it either paused the stream constantly or it decided to blast my ears with white noise at full volume. Ruined a pair of nice items. Got a new USB cable and so far haven't had those problems anymore. Bought a dirt cheap moondrop click dongle, and though the sound is not nearly as good have had no connection errors at all
I am not sure I get it. The igo link is connected to the usb connection of the phone right? So why do you need a USB cable? I did a one hour walk yesterday with my phone and this DAC and had no issues at all.
Curious as to how the ifi compares to the Dragonfly Black. I know the Dragonfly sounds good, but the competition has had years to work on their versions.
I like the Ifi go Link more than my Dragonfly Cobalt that I owned for 2 years. I find the cobalt way too harsh in treble and not natural at all. Never tested the Dragonfly black tho.
Apologies if this is a stupid question, but can/should these dongles also be used to connect a phone to an integrated amp / hi fi setup? Or are there really only meant to be used to connect headphones?
That's a great question. 👍 They can definitely be used to connect to an integrated amplifier. I would probably recommend you use a USB-C connector to connect to the USB input on your integrated if it has one. This will allow you to use the amplifier DAC instead of a dongle.
@@audioarkitektsah that’s good to know, thanks Mike! My integrated amp is an older Cambridge Audio model and only has analogue inputs - a DAC Dongle seems like it would be an ideal way to conveniently connect my phone for streaming etc - I only have limited space so a bigger steaming box/unit isn’t really an option. 👍
Hi just about a new samsung tablet which of course doesn't have the headphone socket so got a usb c to 3.5mm dongle dac. I have the apple one and although it sounds ok it has very low maximum volume i find out now a compatability issue with android and samsung. I have a decent over ear headphones and want to basically just get back to the status quo as i only listen to youtube videos some of which are music. Could you suggest the best but cost effective dongle dac that will overcome the low volume issue. Many thanks
Does this dongle have eq? I’m asking because you can’t add a proper eq in Apple Music on iPhones (they just have stock presets and they’re terrible) and I’m looking for a hardware solution that lets me customise the eq
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Dongle? Don't love the word but I love the devices; they do fill a real need.
I must say, the difference is night and day. I am no Audiophile, I am just looking for something to connect the headphones jack to the phone LOL. I even cheap out and get second hands one Fiio KA5 (yeah not much choice when you go second hands, LOL) But Boy....... The sound is so clearer, (and louder). Like I don't really know how muddy my phone sounds until I put on one of those. Yes, a dongle like this will make a difference. Will a super expensive one much better that a $40 one. That I don't know. But a $40 one is so much better than a $10 one LOL. Yes I am cheap.
I currently i have Samsung S10 which was the last S series phone with a headphone jack. I have been considering upgrading to a new S23, but would need a dongle done i still use several corded headphones so this video was good timing if i upgrade soon. Great videos Mike!
I know nothing about smart phones and I don't use mine except for emergency calls and such and if I am ever ill again and not allowed to even go to pharmacy to pick up medicine. Other than that I don't even turn on my phone half the time. As for DAC dongles, I don't know much about them either except to say that almost anything is an improvement over the built-in dacs on phones, PCs, tablets and the like. I have zero use for one. The Ifi is better than the Audioquest in regards to value. Both do the exact same thing and have the exact same sound quality per the specs, but the Ifi is half the price. Nothing Audioquest has is worth the price in my opinion and I have looked hard at their stuff. Personally, I would not even accept an Audioquest product for free, but that's me.
I agree with you,i have a auidoquest black and this go link at half the price is a higher resolution device,it drives my hifiman edition xs Shockingly good
I would like to know that too , i also have hd 560s ..i've been using it with oneplus dongle, which basically use phone's dac only .. would this dongle really improve audio quality over phones dac ?
Simple form logistics too. If, and it's a big if, the dongles are full of air & BS then the story ends right here. Now I don't believe that can be the case. There are simply thousands of electronic engineers out in the universe who just love to tear stuff down. They would tear a thing a new ass if they found nothing but BS & Snake Oil inside one of these things. Still with me? It follows therefore that phone designers are confined by each departments 'needs'...the battery boys need a dimension of X, the telecomms guys need a dimension of Y, the screen has to Zee thick? So... we look at the physical thickness feature necessary to create the 'Snake Oil' dongle and it's THICK...if that Thickness IS necessary to crank out sweeter fresher smelling chunes then...boys and girls...something doesn't fit does it? Something has to give doesn't it! Your pretty phone will have to be THAT thick just to 'sound right'...? SamAppell ain't gonna build that. My DC05 lives on a velvety sandbag, when it's not busy. I smell no BS when I kiss it Night Nighty...It and my SE535's sing to other and I weep before their song. That...and a little Feeder.
can it works both ways? i mean normally we use the type c for the source, but i want to use the 3.5mm as the source. so here's the idea. i connet the dac to MidasDP48 with the 3.5mm connector coupler to the aux port on the dac, then connect the dac type c to a dual female type c port which i'm gonna use as a coupler and connecting it to Soundcore VR P10 dongle to use it as a True Wireless Ear Monitor System on stage. Do you think it'll works?
I picked up one of these dongles with a pair of KZ ZS10 Pros and an upgraded cable. I'm absolutely floored by the combination of the DAC dongle and cheap Chinese IEMs. For something that, in total, was right around $150 altogether; I got far more than my money's worth and exponentially so.
Especially this dongle works good with V-shaped iems like KZ products.
I have never used a dongle myself but it sounds pretty neat. I have a 50 wpc Yamaha receiver and a pair of Polk Audio speakers as my computer system. I'm sure it would boost the sound quality immensely. Nice review young man!
Thank you so much my friend!
I’m a speaker person, yet occasionally when I walk the dog I throw the buds into the iphone and deal with the quality while thinking about an upgrade. Enjoy your reviews.
I use the Audioquest Dragonfly. From my iPod to the car stereo it’s make a difference you can really hear.
I have bought about 5 different dacs, and my dragonfly black 1.5 is still my favorite one. 👍🏻
Each iFi product I've owned has been very good quality.
Greetings and good Saturday
morning ☕️.
I run the IFI Go Blue ..so I don’t drag my phone (IPhone 13 Pro) around.
Also I tend to run my IEM’s in balanced mode via 4.4 connection.
IFI has a great range of options in this area
Have a great weekend ☕️🥓🍕🔥👍
Just received the fiio btr7 this morning to try with my quad era 1 .
Always looking for better sound. This would be a nice accessory to use on the go, or the work desk
It's a cool little dongle
Very pleased with the Go link and Sennheiser IE 200 iems. Ive had none of cut outs that some have mentioned.
Count me in....I am using the ifi zen dac on my modest system.....and really need a dongle dac to help my android phone...
Love your Videos Mike. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much!
I am curious about the iFi dongle as I have never used a DAC before - just doing streaming from IMac, but this makes me wonder if I should try to use one with my phone. Always watch your vids Mike. Great stuff
Thanks for the kind words. It's worth a try to improve the sound. I am curious how this compares to the Audioquest stuff.
Your microphone sounds amazing. What equipment do you use? Also, I just got into purchasing iFi products, and I'm looking forward to trying them this week. Sign me up for the giveaway!
Hey Nick, you're all signed up. I have a list of all my gear in the description of the video with links 😉
Your grip with cable is true, very touchy kind of thing; don't know whether at 3.5 mm jack level of UCB -C level. And it gives me sound on one side with my Apple earpods.
Thanks for this, can you do one with one or two steps up in terms of features/cost?
I need more experience with a variety of them but I definitely will
Thanks for another great video Mike. PS, it might be a good idea to say in the video how and when you will notify the winner so the scammers that will reach out to everyone that comments have less of a chance to fool someone. I know it’s in the comments but must people don’t read lol. Thanks and I’m in the US so please throw my name in the hat thanks.
You are good to go!
Portable iFi? Count me in, sir. 👍
A replacement for my IPhone dongle would be great with my Denon AH DH600 headphones. Thanks for the video!
I bought this one today, but I am not able to find any difference with the audio quality. Probably I am doing something wrong.
I just connected it to my Honor 8 Pro and iPhone 7 plus and played some music on VLC on both. The difference between connecting my KZ EDX Pro IEM directly to the phones or having the DAC in between made no difference to me. (My ear cannot perceive the difference!!??)
I love my Meze 99 neo and Emotiva GR1
Those are nice!
Got a major 2. It is pretty finicky with the USB connection, too. With the first 2 cables I used, it either paused the stream constantly or it decided to blast my ears with white noise at full volume. Ruined a pair of nice items. Got a new USB cable and so far haven't had those problems anymore. Bought a dirt cheap moondrop click dongle, and though the sound is not nearly as good have had no connection errors at all
Meant mojo 2, not major 2 😂
I am not sure I get it. The igo link is connected to the usb connection of the phone right? So why do you need a USB cable? I did a one hour walk yesterday with my phone and this DAC and had no issues at all.
Nice video! Count me in.
Excellent thanks!
Curious as to how the ifi compares to the Dragonfly Black. I know the Dragonfly sounds good, but the competition has had years to work on their versions.
I am curious as well.
I like the Ifi go Link more than my Dragonfly Cobalt that I owned for 2 years.
I find the cobalt way too harsh in treble and not natural at all. Never tested the Dragonfly black tho.
Is the connection really a problem or not you said it was kind of loose😊
I’m hoping this DAC can drive my Sennheiser 560S headphones with my iPad Air 3. 🙂
I need this type of dongle to power my Soundcore Q30.
did it improve your sound ??i have a q30 too
Can Go Link drive correct my AKG K701 and HD600 Senn? Thanks
Apologies if this is a stupid question, but can/should these dongles also be used to connect a phone to an integrated amp / hi fi setup? Or are there really only meant to be used to connect headphones?
That's a great question. 👍 They can definitely be used to connect to an integrated amplifier. I would probably recommend you use a USB-C connector to connect to the USB input on your integrated if it has one. This will allow you to use the amplifier DAC instead of a dongle.
@@audioarkitektsah that’s good to know, thanks Mike! My integrated amp is an older Cambridge Audio model and only has analogue inputs - a DAC Dongle seems like it would be an ideal way to conveniently connect my phone for streaming etc - I only have limited space so a bigger steaming box/unit isn’t really an option. 👍
Yes so you need an aux in on the front or 3.55 to rca cable. I also got UAPP running on Android device. Usb audio player pro)
iFi Audio Go Link or UA1s which one is better ?
Hi just about a new samsung tablet which of course doesn't have the headphone socket so got a usb c to 3.5mm dongle dac. I have the apple one and although it sounds ok it has very low maximum volume i find out now a compatability issue with android and samsung. I have a decent over ear headphones and want to basically just get back to the status quo as i only listen to youtube videos some of which are music. Could you suggest the best but cost effective dongle dac that will overcome the low volume issue. Many thanks
Does this dongle have eq? I’m asking because you can’t add a proper eq in Apple Music on iPhones (they just have stock presets and they’re terrible) and I’m looking for a hardware solution that lets me customise the eq
Dongle? Don't love the word but I love the devices; they do fill a real need.
your videos were awsome mate
I must say, the difference is night and day. I am no Audiophile, I am just looking for something to connect the headphones jack to the phone LOL. I even cheap out and get second hands one Fiio KA5 (yeah not much choice when you go second hands, LOL) But Boy....... The sound is so clearer, (and louder). Like I don't really know how muddy my phone sounds until I put on one of those. Yes, a dongle like this will make a difference. Will a super expensive one much better that a $40 one. That I don't know. But a $40 one is so much better than a $10 one LOL. Yes I am cheap.
Sign me up for the give away. I have an Ifi headphone dac/amp and love their products.
Sounds great 👍
I currently i have Samsung S10 which was the last S series phone with a headphone jack. I have been considering upgrading to a new S23, but would need a dongle done i still use several corded headphones so this video was good timing if i upgrade soon.
Great videos Mike!
Nice review
Thank you my friend!
Interesting product.
It's a great little device!
Nice video!
Thank you!
I know nothing about smart phones and I don't use mine except for emergency calls and such and if I am ever ill again and not allowed to even go to pharmacy to pick up medicine. Other than that I don't even turn on my phone half the time.
As for DAC dongles, I don't know much about them either except to say that almost anything is an improvement over the built-in dacs on phones, PCs, tablets and the like. I have zero use for one.
The Ifi is better than the Audioquest in regards to value. Both do the exact same thing and have the exact same sound quality per the specs, but the Ifi is half the price. Nothing Audioquest has is worth the price in my opinion and I have looked hard at their stuff. Personally, I would not even accept an Audioquest product for free, but that's me.
I agree with you,i have a auidoquest black and this go link at half the price is a higher resolution device,it drives my hifiman edition xs Shockingly good
Will this device power my hd 560s for home listening? I dont play music outside. Thanks
I would like to know that too , i also have hd 560s ..i've been using it with oneplus dongle, which basically use phone's dac only .. would this dongle really improve audio quality over phones dac ?
👍🏻😎I'm loving my LG V30 for lossless music listening.
Me too!!!
thank u sir
thanks for sharing , sign me up
You won! Email me so I can have IFI ship you one! mike@mikeonaudio.com
I'm in the US
Sounds good to me!
but if it disconnects so easily then it is useless
Этот продукт (DAC) должен быть взят в серию для iPhone!
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you my dear friend
constantly loosing connection make this thing useless in my opinion
Can't you reconnect it?
Simple form logistics too.
If, and it's a big if, the dongles are full of air & BS then the story ends right here. Now I don't believe that can be the case. There are simply thousands of electronic engineers out in the universe who just love to tear stuff down. They would tear a thing a new ass if they found nothing but BS & Snake Oil inside one of these things. Still with me? It follows therefore that phone designers are confined by each departments 'needs'...the battery boys need a dimension of X, the telecomms guys need a dimension of Y, the screen has to Zee thick? So... we look at the physical thickness feature necessary to create the 'Snake Oil' dongle and it's THICK...if that Thickness IS necessary to crank out sweeter fresher smelling chunes then...boys and girls...something doesn't fit does it? Something has to give doesn't it! Your pretty phone will have to be THAT thick just to 'sound right'...? SamAppell ain't gonna build that.
My DC05 lives on a velvety sandbag, when it's not busy. I smell no BS when I kiss it Night Nighty...It and my SE535's sing to other and I weep before their song. That...and a little Feeder.
so much bass added to your voice it's standing out like a separate instrument to your voice... distracting me lol
great presenting though!
I'll tone the bass down lol
Have you tried the dragonfly?
can it works both ways? i mean normally we use the type c for the source, but i want to use the 3.5mm as the source. so here's the idea. i connet the dac to MidasDP48 with the 3.5mm connector coupler to the aux port on the dac, then connect the dac type c to a dual female type c port which i'm gonna use as a coupler and connecting it to Soundcore VR P10 dongle to use it as a True Wireless Ear Monitor System on stage. Do you think it'll works?