iFi GO bar Kensei - Legendary

5⭐️

+ Premium sound

+ Impeccable build quality

+ Filter options

+ XBass and XSpace

+ IEMatch

+ Carrying/storage case included

+ Both lightning and USB-C cables + USB adapter included 

+ Unboxing experience 

- Price

- Case can't be used while device is connected 

- Finish prone to scratches/fingerprints

thaslaya's star rating system:

☆☆☆☆☆ - Best in class/buy it now

☆☆☆☆ - Highly recommended 

☆☆☆ - Sound for thee, 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 (https://ifi-audio.com/products/go-bar-kensei/).

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 1790ti - 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 "sword saint".