GO blu – Portable Bluetooth 5.1 DAC/Headphone Amplifier with aptX Adaptive, LDAC, and 4.4mm & 3.5mm Headphone Outputs - Hi-Res Audio

I have owned this device for about a year now after previously owning other similar offerings from Fiio, iFi, and EarStudio. The first six months were spent paired with an iPhone and the second six months with a Samsung Z Flip 5 (more on that later). Fiio makes great sounding products but I wound up going with iFi again for this purchase for a few reasons: 1) There's a warmth to the sound from their devices that I always find myself coming back to, 2) they center their entire product design around a "no screen + analog controls" philosophy that on paper looks like a disadvantage compared to most competitors and their OLED displays but in reality it's a leg up (a screen means firmware is required and that means the device can brick) and 3) I find their X-Bass add-on to be a perfect feature for my own personal tastes. The bonus 4th item I would add to the above list after using this device for a while is perhaps it's unsung killer feature: unlike a lot of the "dongle with screens" everyone is throwing out there to get something out there in what is becoming a very hot product niche, iFi's Go Blu was clearly designed with a purpose in mind and that is to be the smallest, easiest to use, format agnostic and best sounding portable BLUETOOTH device out there. Yes, this will function over USB-C as a DAC and will sound great, but the bread and butter here is being able to work with any number of devices across any number of bluetooth codecs seamlessly. On this front I can say it succeeds in spades where all others have failed. I primarily use this between a desktop Windows machine with a Fiio BTR3 Pro bluetooth transmitter/receiver and my Samsung phone. It works with both flawlessly, but because of Apple's draconian insistence on using only their own proprietary bluetooth codec that prioritizes connection and latency over quality, you can't really flex the full specs of the Go Blu when paired with an iPhone unless you are connected to the phone as a dongle with a cable. Otherwise you're stuck at 16/44 in the SBC codec. Getting an Android phone that can match the GoBlu's 24/96 LDAC capabilities is where this really starts to shine. Pair it with high quality, lossless source material and only then do you realize just how high fidelity of a listening device this actually is. Thankfully, however, it is extremely forgiving on sources of lesser quality. It's not that 16/44 over SBC or even AptX sounds BAD, it's just that lossless at 24/96 over LDAC just sounds better in every way. I mainly listen using a pair of Fiio FD5's with their upgraded LC-RD Pro cable using the 4.4mm balanced plug. In all honesty even on direct A/B testing of the same song at the same time, I genuinely have a hard time hearing much of a difference between the 3.5mm unbalanced and 4.4mm balanced plugs featured on the GoBlu with regard to the Fiio earbuds. When using my Sennheiser HD660-S however, the story completely changes and the 4.4mm option adds a nice extra amount of sub-bass that is missing on the unbalanced option. And yes, it definitely has enough power to make those cans shine. Regardless of what I am listening with, I really love the X-Bass feature as it adds JUST enough bass to get a true sub-bass/woofer feeling with my FD5's and to add needed depth to the 660S's. It's usually the perfect amount of added bass when switching from listening to rock over to house music or hip hop. Never muddies things, either. Lastly, I will say that I absolutely love the volume knob iFi has come up with once I figured out the proper orientation to make it easy to use as it was intended: as a very precise, small-stepped way to increase the volume. It's great that this device always takes over the volume of whatever your BT source is and adds all the steps of precision as your primary volume control. I have spent a long, long time trying to piece together the ideal, portable, high quality listening setup for the way I listen to music today and I must say, I can't imagine anything else coming closer to checking basically every box as the GoBlu and Fiio FD5 pairing. Whether it's the Burr Brown circuitry or the insistence on bypassing any local Snapdragon on-chip Bluetooth and using their own internals even on low grade bluetooth codecs, there's just something about the iFi sound that is satisfying across the board for any type of music. It's also flawless in at the connecting/reconnecting game no matter how many devices you throw at it. There's a lot of great sounding options at this price point that you really can't go wrong with from purely a sound quality perspective. Where I think the iFi outshines all others is with its purposeful design toward doing one thing flawlessly and ensuring the longevity of the device by limiting exposure to firmware upgrades and the pitfalls of a screen-based device OS. Can't recommend this thing highly enough.

This is a marvelous little amplifier, with some terrific bonus features. I initially bought this only to use my audiophile Ananda planar headphones untethered with my phone (I typically used the HiFiman headphones wired to my Denon system or desktop DAC connected to my computer) but it has proved incredibly versatile. The sound quality through Bluetooth really surprised me, with a wide default soundstage and crisp, detailed instrumentation; it compares quite favorably to the sound when the GO blu is connected directly to my laptop via USB-C (dual input, another bonus!). The direct connection is brilliant but, honestly, I'm so pleased with the Bluetooth sound that I sometimes connect it to my main computer so I can wander around the house while listening to my full music collection. There are an array of easily accessible options too; "Xspace" provides an even more expansive feel and there's an "Xbass" booster of course, or you can combine both, while the default flat settings should please purists. In addition, there are balanced and unbalanced cable outputs and stellar battery life. One of my favorite features turns out to be the microphone; the ability to use voice control and take calls while tethered to my Ananda Headphones is not something I expected. And Friends and family say call quality is great. The real surprise is that all these features are packed into a truly tiny, lightweight device. Obviously lossless audio files are ideal when listening through amps and headphones like these, but the GO blu even manages to improve the sound of old mp3s. My only complaint is not with the GO blu itself but with the clip on their protective case which I purchased separately; the case may offer protection, but the clip does not hold or grip very well (it's too short and fits only very narrow belts while also tending to slide off or flip along the edge of pockets, owing perhaps to a weak spring). However, the GO blu is so small and portable, it is easy to just throw it in a pocket and forget about it. Even with the small caveat about the case, the GO blu is a remarkably convenient bit of kit that fills multiple needs and fills them well - I'd recommend this little gadget to anyone looking to improve their digital audio listening.

Makes using your wired IEMs even more versatile and useful. The sound quality is very good even better if you use a wired connection.I've had no problems with the Bluetooth whatsoever. Connected Right away without having to do anything right out of the box. I did have to do two firmware updates which was easy enough you have to download them from their website "just scan QR code on back of device "and install their installation app. As many as said there is definitely a little bit of background noise but after I did the update it's not as noticeable. It drives my IMs very well I usually listen at about half to 3/4 volume without any problems. The bass boost and soundstage boost is really useful and sounds amazing. I would highly recommend getting the case with the clip to go with this it is very small and makes it much easier to handle. It comes with a charging cable but no cable for connecting to a device. Which at this price point it definitely should come with one. If you're looking for a Bluetooth deck this one is definitely worth it. 4 Stars for no case with clip and no cable for connecting to devices included.

I am a very hard to please person when it comes to audio devices, i consider myself an audiophile and have owned several very high end DAPs, rangng from $400-1800 dollars. One of the very best digital audio players out there is not even an audio player, it is a cell phone the LG V60. That device packs all the features of the latest android phones, and also includes one of the finest soundprints i've heard in a DAP player. Well, as time pases, we must "upgrade" phones, and LG stopped making the V line, so no more new phones with wired high resolution audio. That forces us to the Blutooth audio arena, and to be honest, doesn't matter how much you pay for a Bluetooth device, or high end headphones with blutooth, the sound is pathetic when compared with a wired conection. To my surprise, that issue has been solved with this tiny mighty ifi go blu receiver. The device itself is tiny, you can just hang it from the cable and it will not fall. And boy does it pack a punch!, it connects to my Oneplus 9 Pro without any issues, and the audio is superb. It can even be used for movies and videos, as the audio is synchronized in real time, no delay whatsoever. I use this mostly with my Campfire Audio Andromedas, and they sing beautifully with this ifi receiver, doesn't matter if i use the Balanced or he standard 3.5mm connection, the result is always powerful beautiful sound, no dtistorion, no limit, nothing. Battery life is also phenomenal. The only thing i'm still wondering what they did not included on this device is a clip, cause is so lightweigt, that with a clip could be hung from anything, your shirt, the sleeve, the belt etc. Even better would be a shorter 4.4mm Blanced cable to MMCX in the form of necklace, so we can wear this thing hanging from the cable up to our chest. I do recomend this device, it is not very cheap, but it delivers a lot more than much more expensive devices, while staying on the portability side.

I trusted Wirecutter and I definitely shouldn't have; they just can't keep up with how fast this market moves. If I had spent two minutes reading reviews a lot of my complaints are echoed in them including what caused me to return it. I've had the FiiO BTR3K and the Hidizs H2, so limited sample set, but this one is demonstrably inferior compared to that limited sample set. It costs A LOT more. Like well in the range of double or triple what the competition is selling theirs at. They should make it worth your while and they definitely don't. It did not provide noticeably better sound quality. Its Bluetooth connection was spottier than the competitors I've tried that are MUCH cheaper. Those are the two ultimate functions of the device, to receive a Bluetooth signal reliably, consistently, and convert that signal into a high quality analog audio signal. And it sucks at both yet still costs more. The plus column has two limited entries. Its battery is a bit bigger and capable of pulling off close to 12 h-- nice, but I already have a workaround for that, and that's not a huge difference justifying the cost. It has a built-in 4.4 mm balanced jack, which is rare for a Bluetooth DAC so far. That too I have a workaround for, an adapter cable, so this is a pretty minor plus. The last plus comes with a corresponding con: the volume knob would be a great feature if it worked right. Instead, it functions like a dressed up control of the source device's volume, completely dashing hopes of a granular adjustment without turning off absolute volume, which is annoying in its own right. And turning continuously in one direction doesn't yield a consistent volume adjustment in either direction. What about with absolute volume off? Same. With absolute volume off, the knob still applies only large incremental adjustments to the device's volume control and not consistently up or down corresponding with the direction you're turning. For these reasons, the volume knob is basically worthless and I always just adjusted on the source device instead. Actually, it's worse, because where I would wear the device on my person, the knob would occasionally get turned, which would alter the volume, and as far as I know there's no way to turn it off so that doesn't happen. The final nail in the coffin was driven in when 2 months after receiving, the device has irreparably split the housing sandwich. Unclear why without pulling apart the sandwich the rest of the way and investigating, but battery swelling is likely, and a death knell for the device if so. The best of the array so far for pure value purposes is the FiiO BTR3K which you can pick up for between $70-$80, best feature set for the best amount of money. My experience of that device is not perfect either, but profoundly better than this one. I'm still going for a competitor this time, but definitely nothing from this company, that's for sure. It's pretty rare that I return something, but with this poor of a product, even if it's a lemon, I don't even want to bother with the manufacturer trying to fix it because they won't be able to fix how bad of a product this is.

Why did you pick this product vs others?: The size is amazing. Using it with HD800s for gaming and films. Using wired with PC while gaming and listening to music and wireless while watching movies. Quality: I have schiit valhalla 2 and Bifrost. That I was using it against HD800s. Now that I have switched over to this tiny thing - I totally can not tell the difference. The other combo cost 1300 vs this one ~150. Also my room does not heat up as much 😀The bass is great even in wireless mode on my HD800s. Really satisfied with the quality. Bluetooth connectivity: Never had any issues with Bluetooth. Value for money: Money was not a problem for me. Just wanted to enjoy movies in wireless mode. Frankly, I do not think you are going to get anything better even with more money. iFi xDSD Gryphon probably has few things better than this one - but really hated the idea of having to connect two USB C cables.

I prefer the sound quality of this cute little dac/amp compared with the Fiio BTR3, which it replaced for me. However, I do not like the spotty BT connection, which is much worse than the Fiio. Originally I was putting the iFi in my pocket and it would struggle to stay connected with a laptop sitting right in front of me. I stuck a cheap adhesive clip on to the iFi's case and clipped it to the outside of my pocket, and this helped a lot. However, I don't much like the fact that the clip ruins the aesthetics and adds to the size of the unit. Perhaps there are dedicated aftermarket solutions now. Given the BT connection weakness, I don't feel I can really recommend this iFi unit for $200. If I had to replace this, I would go back to a Fiio even though they are not as cute and have a different sound signature.

Bought this guy in April 2022 and it lasted about 8 months until a seam started to appear in the case. It started just randomly shutting off after 10-15 mins of usage, and now it dies after about 1 minute. I am afraid to try and use it now in case the seam is from an expanding battery. At least one other person has left a similar review with 2 units having what looks like the same issue as mine. I did not register it with Ifi as you are apparently supposed to do within 30 days of purchase (!). If you are thinking of buying this guy, do consider registering it with them so that you have a chance at the warranty. I don't think I have the required serial # anymore anyway. I have not tried contacting them to see if I can still use the warranty anyway. Based on the other user's experience, I'm not expecting much luck there. When the unit worked, it was great! The sound is lovely and the battery life is great. There are some small design issues, such as the volume knob occasionally turning unintentionally in my pocket and the volume getting insanely loud, some small bluetooth pairing issues and such, but overall it was great. I just wish it didn't die. 200$ for 8 months of usage is not ok.

Good sound .. Plug and play . dont need to be a sound technition . Iam using it with IE900 ,and its fantastic !!!

Pequeño y robusto. No entiendo los comentarios sobre la fragilidad. La terminación es espectacular, la calidad de los materiales es muy buena. La calidad de DAC excelente. Muy sencillo de utilizar y de incorporar al sistema de sonido. Además totalmente portable.

me enjoy loud music so this is a joy to use. is simple i like it

Har liknande spelare sedan tidigare, men denna blev favoriten. Man slipper inställning i appar och den låter riktigt bra. Liten och lätt men robust byggd med kvalitetskänsla. Använder iPhone. Har även köpt till original skyddet. Nöjd med allt här.

低音が少し不足な感じ、これは好き好きか？全体的には綺麗な音で好き。250Ω程のヘッドフォンが丁度良いと思う。