how many years later and Apple still hasn't fixed it's Bluetooth and Wifi on their devices especially Wifi is so BAD on iPhone and iPad it's just pathetic i can't figure how stupid someone has to be to still buy their devices
I purchased the Go Blu for £149 from Richer sounds. I updated the software and works perfectly with my iPhone wired. Bluetooth range is good. Regarding the noise floor or the hissing It got a lot better after the update. Very powerful tiny dongle that has a good battery life . Sounds very good for something small.
Have you tried the qudelix 5k? Loved my fiio but I wanted the Peq and has better range since my fiio kept dropping out even in close range. The only issue with the q5k is the build quality the buttons feel flimsy hopefully it lasts 2 to 3 years like my fiio and fiio does peq in their app through ldac later on
yeah Fiio btr5 range is a dissapointment, 10 feets away from one room to another through 2 walls, and no signal. But honestly, install UAPP on Android, turn on bitperfect, turn on Internal HiRes chip for bluetooth instead Android Audio, and use Qobuz, or Tidal (can use mqa software from uapp but thing is Tidal upsampling music like from 44.1 to 88.2 so I don't like Tidal's approach for mqa at all and hiding specs) - and your music sounds better 30% with your bluetoth headphones! I use Sony XM3 with UAPP --> HiRes chip --> Bluetooth - bitperfect - Qobuz - direct - LDAC and it's awesome.
Thanks for the reviews & thanks for introducing me to Mogwai, Howling Bells and Rone. Not (usually) a fan of Electronic but like Rone and LOVE the track Humans from "Room with a View". The "official video" on TH-cam is magic. Thanks.
It lacks good Bluetooth range but it's a winner in sound, power and xbass. I prefer it over my Fii0 k3, ka3 and Hidiz S3 Pro. I run it as a Dac into my Loxjie P20.
Thanks for the detailed review, I sent the one I had just after they came out back to Amazon yesterday after trying it b2b with my btr5 silver original version. Mine must have had an issue as the connection was terrible in LDAC by that I mean lost in 3 feet if my body was in between. Also on my Sundaras 2020 for instance it lacked any slam and middle to low bass was dead sounding above low/medium volume. I’m sticking with my BTR5 as also an iphone and iPad Air user which if I did use as a DAC/AMP 1 wasent as good a DAC as the btr5 and I also had to use the larger camera adapter so I could power it. I have the hipdac V1 and that sounds so much better, I am probably getting the gryphon so won’t upgrade to hipdac 2 if I do.
Topping BC3 is a good alternative to both the mentioned Bluetooth DACs. Only £60 with LDAC, no wired-DAC mode, but really good low noise floor for sensitive IEMs.
For me, Bluetooth is great for Podcasts, audio books and phone calls but for music, not so much. For music I would rather have a wired device that is self powered and universal compatibility. I still use a DAP for music for that reason.
Thanks for the review. I’ve heard others say that the noise on IEMs is annoying - and this iFi product is really for IEMs (that’s how they have advertised it). Suggests either future firmware upgrades (like they did with the original Hip Dac) or an iFi Go Blu 2 in 2023. Either way, at these prices compared to Chinese DACs (like the BTR5) iFi could start to look like they are taking customers for a bit of a ride. And I had no idea it didn’t work wired from an iPhone. Thanks for the heads-up!
Yeah the iPhone thing is annoying unless I'm missing something! There does not seem to be a way to stop it trying to charge from the iPhone and thus using too much power. Disappointing!
@@AudioFixation yes, and couple that with the AAC iPhone Blu codec (not iFi’s fault) and it doesn’t feel like a sensible £200 purchase for iPhone users. Seems we are a few years away from the ultimate DAC for iPhone users. Ultimately Apple will move away from the lightning port (no port), and move beyond the lossy AAC to a lossless Blutooth codec. Might happen with the iPhone 14. Will be interesting to see how the dongle DAC market adjusts at that point.
@@jdavies7472 Apple are just about to move away from Bluetooth all together by the look of it, if you use the larger powered USB3 camera adapter the go blue works fine with that but makes a nonsense of it as a small easily portable/pocketable device then. Even though I was not impressed with the go blue value I did think it did the best sounding AAC playback I have heard so far.
@jdavies7472 Where have you seen notice of a new Go Blu 2, or are you speculating since iFi is always coming out with something new? As of current, there is nothing pertaining to a second updated edition, nor on iFi’s website. Thanks
First timer… a fantastic review! Your love & knowledge of music 🎶 is very special, especially as you describe these devices in their technical sense. I look forward to watching more of your content! Thank you 🙏🏽 so much! ❤🎶💯🎵
This was briefly on sale for £150 in the UK with Richer Sounds. Now back up to £199 and regret not buying it at the cheaper price. The convenience of the Bluetooth connection is very tempting, and the noise floor issue wouldn’t bother me too much. If you compare the Go Blu via Bluetooth to the hip DAC v2 how would you say they compare on sound?
I think the Hip Dac V2 sounds better, especially as it has more power for the lower sensitivity cans. Also, I love the analogue volume control on the Hip Dac.
@@hugogovea178 good morning ☕️..I run mine in Bluetooth mode..as for a hiss 🐍…can’t say that I have..then again I’ve got a bit of tinnitus going on. If your hearing is that good , please try and preserve it .
Looking forward to this. BTR5 isn't perfect: no music control with wired connection, no EQ with bitperfect or LDAC, MQA with Tidal on Laptop doesn't show up at all, UAPP also doesn't recognize MQA in BTR5 2021, it has same HID USB device name as old BTR 5 and they've disabled firmware update, which makes me feel that MQA on BTR 2021 is just software upgrade on the firmware level.Also BTR5 has unidirectional usbc-to usbc (if your device doesn't recognize it follow the arrows on cable out from phone to btr, if you plug it the wrong side it won't be recognized by your phone). Why making unidirectional cable? Also changing their cable improved sound quality significantly 0_0. Also BTR5 requires driver installation on the Laptop, why on Earth? Ify doesn't need any. In Bluetooth mode btr5 won't show bit rate, just codec :( So all in all what I'm saying, BTR5 isn't perfect at all. and IFi go Blue seems a good direction. My question though is it limited to 16 bit in Bluetooth, and what bit rate and frequency limitation for wired / bluetooth? They don't advertise it much. BTR5 wired has up to 384 KHz/32 bit which is awesome, and techically superior. But technically doesn't mean you'll enjoy sound. EQ on Go blue ia analogue so it will work with LDAC /bitperfct in comparison to BTR 5 where you can throw EQ out when using LDAC or bitperfect
I have the BTR 5 2020 and the sole fact you are mentioning the lack of support for that scam called MQA makes your comment pointless. Also, I never needed to install any Fiio driver on my laptops for BTR5 support.
I've seen reviews saying these all sound very similar. Ive had a btr 5 for 2 years and it sounds great but the Bluetooth is bad.I would pay extra for decent Bluetooth but wont buy blind.
I have iPhone 13 Pro Max, and got CCA CRA and Truthear Hexa IEMs. Bit confused which DAC+AMP combo should i buy, the below 2 are on my mind for now. 1. Audirect Beam 2 2. Ifi Go blue If u think there is something better, please suggest.
Nice video, thanx ! Seems that through a USB-C connection with my iPad mini 6 the iPad CHARGES the Go Blu at the same time as listening to music. Did you have the same experience with your iPad Pro ? Is there a way to avoid this charging ?
ifi put more xbass on go blu and hip dac then on zen can that's strange i have zen can and love that function it's perfect amount of bass only sub and little mid no upper base boost at all probably 2 to 3db on sub and 1.5db on mid bass with xbass and for games the xspace is very nice now i'm considering Go Blu, Hip Dac v2 or Fiio BTR7 for my IEMs
My Fiio BTR5's battery overheated, expanded and popped out the front of the case. Been using it for almost 3 years. I will go for iFi next as I've heard their stuff is more reliable.
Hello sir, I am lover of Indian pop, classic, and bollywood songs mostly listen hip hop & other songs but my priority is mostly classical songs can you please suggest which one dac is better ifi go Blu or btr5? Thanks in advance
I find the high end on the GO Blu is far too prominent and not detailed enough, and the subbass slightly lacking. I prefer the sound of the Radsone ES100 and xCAN. The dropouts when it's pretty close still are still happening with me which is sad.
i'm weird and plugged in a sony XM4 into a go blu. actually strangely enough... it made the sony sound WAAAAYYYY better. wider sound stage. interesting impact. probably not designed to be used with an already bluetooth capable headphone, but it speaks to either the engineering of ifi or the crummy nature of the sony's bluetooth processing
Great review, thanks. I'd been considering the iFi Go Blu. My headphones and IEMs include the shure 846 (brilliant for sure), 7hz Timeless and edifier stax spirit s3. So your comments about the 846 very much appreciated. Also I'd use these with an LG v60 and an iPhone so the point about the power is handy (though I'd only be using the dac wirelessly. I do have the lightning cable (with dac) for the 846s (as well as 3.5mm cable and tw1 wireless earhooks for them).
@@AudioFixation out of curiosity are there any IEMs you've considered apart from the Shure 846s? (I have some 7Hz Timeless and a few odds and ends). I listen to a wide range of musicbwith different degrees of complexity (and most of my music is WAV formatg I was surprised with tracks there's a very noticeable difference with WAV compared to FLAC and Apple Losseless, particularly noticeable with the 846s..
I bought a BTR5 because Zeos went crazy over it. It works well as a bluetooth dac amp. If you want to use the equalizer at all, forget it. You can't use it when using it as a usb dac. You can't use it with LDAC. When you downgrade your connection enough to allow its functionality, the custom eq function does not work - at all (latest version of the app on a Galaxy s21 ultra). You can scroll through the presets and they affect the sound accordingly, they just all sound terrible. The custom eq setting will dramatically reduce the volume, but won't alter the frequencies regardless of where you put the sliders. WTF? The (original) ifi Hip Dac that I have definitely resolves more detail than the Fiio (even when used through usb). The problem with the Hip Dac is that the xbass is so heavy handed that it is unusable in my opinion. Rumor is the xbass on the 2 is the same but the go blu is more subtle. I'd like to be able to add a little bass to my Sundaras, something I currently cannot do with the BTR5 or the Hip Dac. I was hoping maybe the go blu could replace both of them.
@@telecaster-freechannel9405 It is entirely possible that they updated the app and/or firmware since I wrote this a year ago. At the time, I can promise it was all absolutely 100% fact and quite disappointing to boot. I would hope they fixed the problem of the custom EQ not working at all, but you’re telling me you can now use custom EQ on a usb connection and LDAC? That would be surprising, because it was never supposed to have that functionality - it wasn’t that it was just “broken” like custom EQ for all the other Bluetooth settings besides LDAC. That would be fabulous and I’d be very happy if it’s true.
how many years later and Apple still hasn't fixed it's Bluetooth and Wifi on their devices especially Wifi is so BAD on iPhone and iPad it's just pathetic i can't figure how stupid someone has to be to still buy their devices
I purchased the Go Blu for £149 from Richer sounds.
I updated the software and works perfectly with my iPhone wired.
Bluetooth range is good.
Regarding the noise floor or the hissing It got a lot better after the update.
Very powerful tiny dongle that has a good battery life .
Sounds very good for something small.
Thanks Glen. Interesting that the update improved the hiss.
How did you update the goblu software?
Have you tried the qudelix 5k? Loved my fiio but I wanted the Peq and has better range since my fiio kept dropping out even in close range. The only issue with the q5k is the build quality the buttons feel flimsy hopefully it lasts 2 to 3 years like my fiio and fiio does peq in their app through ldac later on
I've really been trying to get my hands on one.... Hard to find here in the UK
yeah Fiio btr5 range is a dissapointment, 10 feets away from one room to another through 2 walls, and no signal. But honestly, install UAPP on Android, turn on bitperfect, turn on Internal HiRes chip for bluetooth instead Android Audio, and use Qobuz, or Tidal (can use mqa software from uapp but thing is Tidal upsampling music like from 44.1 to 88.2 so I don't like Tidal's approach for mqa at all and hiding specs) - and your music sounds better 30% with your bluetoth headphones! I use Sony XM3 with UAPP --> HiRes chip --> Bluetooth - bitperfect - Qobuz - direct - LDAC and it's awesome.
Qudelix 5K is sold out worldwide. I’ve been looking for the past two weeks. People are selling them on eBay for $300 usd. I’m not paying that
If the go blu goes down to 150-160, I'd get one. For now, I'm content with my BT3K.
Go blu is good fot BT but great for USB DAC. Firmware update can change the world.
Yes - the firmware update sorted the iPhone software
Thanks for the reviews & thanks for introducing me to Mogwai, Howling Bells and Rone. Not (usually) a fan of Electronic but like Rone and LOVE the track Humans from "Room with a View". The "official video" on TH-cam is magic. Thanks.
It lacks good Bluetooth range but it's a winner in sound, power and xbass. I prefer it over my Fii0 k3, ka3 and Hidiz S3 Pro. I run it as a Dac into my Loxjie P20.
Thanks for the comparison with the BTR5. It's a no brainer considering how much cheaper the BTR5 is. Cheers.
Thanks for the detailed review, I sent the one I had just after they came out back to Amazon yesterday after trying it b2b with my btr5 silver original version. Mine must have had an issue as the connection was terrible in LDAC by that I mean lost in 3 feet if my body was in between. Also on my Sundaras 2020 for instance it lacked any slam and middle to low bass was dead sounding above low/medium volume. I’m sticking with my BTR5 as also an iphone and iPad Air user which if I did use as a DAC/AMP 1 wasent as good a DAC as the btr5 and I also had to use the larger camera adapter so I could power it. I have the hipdac V1 and that sounds so much better, I am probably getting the gryphon so won’t upgrade to hipdac 2 if I do.
Topping BC3 is a good alternative to both the mentioned Bluetooth DACs. Only £60 with LDAC, no wired-DAC mode, but really good low noise floor for sensitive IEMs.
Thanks Alexander.
For me, Bluetooth is great for Podcasts, audio books and phone calls but for music, not so much. For music I would rather have a wired device that is self powered and universal compatibility. I still use a DAP for music for that reason.
What dap do you use?
@@AudioFixation I use the FiiO M11, Sony NW-55 and the FiiO M6. The M6 is primarily an AirPlay receiver for use around the house on Wi-Fi.
Superb review. Looking forward to hearing more from this channel.
Thanks for the review. I’ve heard others say that the noise on IEMs is annoying - and this iFi product is really for IEMs (that’s how they have advertised it). Suggests either future firmware upgrades (like they did with the original Hip Dac) or an iFi Go Blu 2 in 2023. Either way, at these prices compared to Chinese DACs (like the BTR5) iFi could start to look like they are taking customers for a bit of a ride. And I had no idea it didn’t work wired from an iPhone. Thanks for the heads-up!
Yeah the iPhone thing is annoying unless I'm missing something! There does not seem to be a way to stop it trying to charge from the iPhone and thus using too much power. Disappointing!
@@AudioFixation yes, and couple that with the AAC iPhone Blu codec (not iFi’s fault) and it doesn’t feel like a sensible £200 purchase for iPhone users. Seems we are a few years away from the ultimate DAC for iPhone users. Ultimately Apple will move away from the lightning port (no port), and move beyond the lossy AAC to a lossless Blutooth codec. Might happen with the iPhone 14. Will be interesting to see how the dongle DAC market adjusts at that point.
I am sure they are going to ditch the port at some point, that will be a scary step. Might stimulate the old school DAP market!
@@jdavies7472 Apple are just about to move away from Bluetooth all together by the look of it, if you use the larger powered USB3 camera adapter the go blue works fine with that but makes a nonsense of it as a small easily portable/pocketable device then. Even though I was not impressed with the go blue value I did think it did the best sounding AAC playback I have heard so far.
@jdavies7472
Where have you seen notice of a new Go Blu 2, or are you speculating since iFi is always coming out with something new? As of current, there is nothing pertaining to a second updated edition, nor on iFi’s website. Thanks
First timer… a fantastic review! Your love & knowledge of music 🎶 is very special, especially as you describe these devices in their technical sense. I look forward to watching more of your content! Thank you 🙏🏽 so much! ❤🎶💯🎵
Thanks for the really kind comments Edmund
This was briefly on sale for £150 in the UK with Richer Sounds. Now back up to £199 and regret not buying it at the cheaper price. The convenience of the Bluetooth connection is very tempting, and the noise floor issue wouldn’t bother me too much.
If you compare the Go Blu via Bluetooth to the hip DAC v2 how would you say they compare on sound?
I think the Hip Dac V2 sounds better, especially as it has more power for the lower sensitivity cans. Also, I love the analogue volume control on the Hip Dac.
Great review! Has the error message issue been sorted with iOS devices so it can be hooked up wired?
Yes - the firmware update fixed it thank goodness!
Only review mentioning iPhone compatibility. Thank you, hero!
I seem to only be able to get 44.1 outta iPhone or iPad. Sounds good though
Just got one this week…so far quite impressive and QUITE.
My OH10’s love it .
Great review 🍻
Hi, have you noticed any hiss with the OH10´s, either using the single ended or balanced output?
@@hugogovea178 good morning ☕️..I run mine in Bluetooth mode..as for a hiss 🐍…can’t say that I have..then again I’ve got a bit of tinnitus going on.
If your hearing is that good , please try and preserve it .
Looking forward to this. BTR5 isn't perfect: no music control with wired connection, no EQ with bitperfect or LDAC, MQA with Tidal on Laptop doesn't show up at all, UAPP also doesn't recognize MQA in BTR5 2021, it has same HID USB device name as old BTR 5 and they've disabled firmware update, which makes me feel that MQA on BTR 2021 is just software upgrade on the firmware level.Also BTR5 has unidirectional usbc-to usbc (if your device doesn't recognize it follow the arrows on cable out from phone to btr, if you plug it the wrong side it won't be recognized by your phone). Why making unidirectional cable? Also changing their cable improved sound quality significantly 0_0. Also BTR5 requires driver installation on the Laptop, why on Earth? Ify doesn't need any. In Bluetooth mode btr5 won't show bit rate, just codec :( So all in all what I'm saying, BTR5 isn't perfect at all. and IFi go Blue seems a good direction. My question though is it limited to 16 bit in Bluetooth, and what bit rate and frequency limitation for wired / bluetooth? They don't advertise it much. BTR5 wired has up to 384 KHz/32 bit which is awesome, and techically superior. But technically doesn't mean you'll enjoy sound. EQ on Go blue ia analogue so it will work with LDAC /bitperfct in comparison to BTR 5 where you can throw EQ out when using LDAC or bitperfect
Really good post, lots of good points made 👍🏾
I have the BTR 5 2020 and the sole fact you are mentioning the lack of support for that scam called MQA makes your comment pointless.
Also, I never needed to install any Fiio driver on my laptops for BTR5 support.
@@telecaster-freechannel9405 are you delusional or something, absence of MFA both on laptop and UAPP wasnt the sole fact, try to read all points first
I've seen reviews saying these all sound very similar. Ive had a btr 5 for 2 years and it sounds great but the Bluetooth is bad.I would pay extra for decent Bluetooth but wont buy blind.
Chord Mojo2 💪😃
I have iPhone 13 Pro Max, and got CCA CRA and Truthear Hexa IEMs.
Bit confused which DAC+AMP combo should i buy, the below 2 are on my mind for now.
1. Audirect Beam 2
2. Ifi Go blue
If u think there is something better, please suggest.
Nice video, thanx ! Seems that through a USB-C connection with my iPad mini 6 the iPad CHARGES the Go Blu at the same time as listening to music. Did you have the same experience with your iPad Pro ? Is there a way to avoid this charging ?
ifi put more xbass on go blu and hip dac then on zen can that's strange
i have zen can and love that function it's perfect amount of bass only sub and little mid no upper base boost at all probably 2 to 3db on sub and 1.5db on mid bass with xbass and for games the xspace is very nice now i'm considering Go Blu, Hip Dac v2 or Fiio BTR7 for my IEMs
My Fiio BTR5's battery overheated, expanded and popped out the front of the case. Been using it for almost 3 years. I will go for iFi next as I've heard their stuff is more reliable.
Using it with a 50 cm Forza hybrid Noire to Meze Elite!
Why Not🤣
Hello sir, I am lover of Indian pop, classic, and bollywood songs mostly listen hip hop & other songs but my priority is mostly classical songs can you please suggest which one dac is better ifi go Blu or btr5? Thanks in advance
I find the high end on the GO Blu is far too prominent and not detailed enough, and the subbass slightly lacking.
I prefer the sound of the Radsone ES100 and xCAN.
The dropouts when it's pretty close still are still happening with me which is sad.
Thanks for rhe review, now is clear for me what portabile DAC/Amp I will buy
I update the firmware to my Go Blu and it resolved the issue connecting via usb to my iPhone.
Thank you. Love and blessings. Youve got taste and character.
good lord i just bought the SE 846 and ordered this to go with it lol
i'm weird and plugged in a sony XM4 into a go blu. actually strangely enough... it made the sony sound WAAAAYYYY better. wider sound stage. interesting impact. probably not designed to be used with an already bluetooth capable headphone, but it speaks to either the engineering of ifi or the crummy nature of the sony's bluetooth processing
its great and above my expectation actually, the dap
Great review, thanks. I'd been considering the iFi Go Blu. My headphones and IEMs include the shure 846 (brilliant for sure), 7hz Timeless and edifier stax spirit s3. So your comments about the 846 very much appreciated. Also I'd use these with an LG v60 and an iPhone so the point about the power is handy (though I'd only be using the dac wirelessly. I do have the lightning cable (with dac) for the 846s (as well as 3.5mm cable and tw1 wireless earhooks for them).
Glad you found it useful Andrew
@@AudioFixation out of curiosity are there any IEMs you've considered apart from the Shure 846s? (I have some 7Hz Timeless and a few odds and ends). I listen to a wide range of musicbwith different degrees of complexity (and most of my music is WAV formatg I was surprised with tracks there's a very noticeable difference with WAV compared to FLAC and Apple Losseless, particularly noticeable with the 846s..
I bought a BTR5 because Zeos went crazy over it. It works well as a bluetooth dac amp. If you want to use the equalizer at all, forget it. You can't use it when using it as a usb dac. You can't use it with LDAC. When you downgrade your connection enough to allow its functionality, the custom eq function does not work - at all (latest version of the app on a Galaxy s21 ultra). You can scroll through the presets and they affect the sound accordingly, they just all sound terrible. The custom eq setting will dramatically reduce the volume, but won't alter the frequencies regardless of where you put the sliders. WTF? The (original) ifi Hip Dac that I have definitely resolves more detail than the Fiio (even when used through usb). The problem with the Hip Dac is that the xbass is so heavy handed that it is unusable in my opinion. Rumor is the xbass on the 2 is the same but the go blu is more subtle. I'd like to be able to add a little bass to my Sundaras, something I currently cannot do with the BTR5 or the Hip Dac. I was hoping maybe the go blu could replace both of them.
I have the BTR5 and absolutely nothing of what you described happened to me.
@@telecaster-freechannel9405 It is entirely possible that they updated the app and/or firmware since I wrote this a year ago. At the time, I can promise it was all absolutely 100% fact and quite disappointing to boot. I would hope they fixed the problem of the custom EQ not working at all, but you’re telling me you can now use custom EQ on a usb connection and LDAC? That would be surprising, because it was never supposed to have that functionality - it wasn’t that it was just “broken” like custom EQ for all the other Bluetooth settings besides LDAC. That would be fabulous and I’d be very happy if it’s true.