iFi GO Link 2 - Smaller, Lighter, Big Shoes to Fill

iFi’s GO Link has been one of the brand’s most affordable DACs, and it also earned an Applause Award when we reviewed it in 2023. Now, the new iFi GO Link 2 is here. Boasting to be even smaller (8%) and lighter (29%) than the original, the GO Link 2 is iFi’s smallest and lightest DAC and is also now compatible with the Nexis app.

Pitched as a plug-and-play, compact, and inexpensive way to improve headphone audio from your laptop or phone, the GO Link 2 is a dinky DAC dongle with USB-C on one end and an S-Balanced 3.5 mm headphone jack on the other. Weighing just 7.8g (0.30oz), it ships with a USB-A adapter, should you need the option.

iFi says its S-Balanced tech applies balanced circuitry principles to a single-ended headphone output, cutting crosstalk between headphone channels in half for maximum performance and minimum interference.

Equipped with an ESS Sabre “bit-Perfect DSD & DXD” DAC, the GO Link 2 supports hi-res audio up to 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256. A colour-changing kHz LED indicates the sample rate of the music being streamed.

Listeners are told to check out DRE - 'Dynamic Range Enhancement'. Here we’re told engineers at iFi audio have unlocked an impressive 6dB of additional dynamic range between the loudest and quietest moments in music through the GO Link, resulting in “a greater distinction between moody moments of quiet and soaring crescendos”.

The GO Link 2 claims a THD+N figure of ≤0.0015% (1.27V @ 32Ω) thanks to clever ‘Total Harmonic Distortion’ tech, which results in a 63% improvement over its predecessor and should translate to a “cleaner, purer sound.”

The GO Link 2 is also the first model in its range to offer full support from the iFi Nexis app (iOS and Android), with the new platform granting access to customisation options, two digital filters (linear and hybrid), software updates, and volume control.

The iFi GO Link 2 is available now, priced at £59 | €69 | US$59.

For more information visit iFi Audio