After inquiring with iFi’s tech support I got no fix for the Windows problems, and I got confirmed that Linux is indeed not supported “by design”. This is bad, as this de facto prevents GO Bar to be used in pretty much any Linux Client-Server configuration e.g. in a Roon, or LMS, or similar infrastructure, unless by slamming its volume to 100% via its HW buttons, and then actionate on host’s Digital Volume which is of course far from ideal in terms of output quality.

Sound differences: Both have a similar sound signature: Warm-Neutralish that at least goes up a few levels above the UA5 to me, more highs info than the RU6 and more defined lows also than the RU6. The mids to me on both dongles aren't tasty to me like the RU6 (since I prefer how the OG R2R sound handles mids), but they won't lie to you and is very defined with vocals and not sounding too upfront. GOld Bar however is the better unit than the regular Go Bar, it is at least two levels up IMO than the Go Bar and I see why people really like to get their hands on the GOld Bar. I think the GOld Bar is for the serious music listener who want the best a dongle can perform without lying to you if the recording is good or bad. The RU6 on the other hand has the OG R2R sound that messes together, and I prefer that if I had to be honest. Oh yes, RU6 has more sound staging over the Bar units but not a lot more. Consistently to this, GO Bar drives the likes of Final A3000, Tanchjim Darling, and even Final E5000 waaaay better then most other dongles, but does not have enough power for RHA CL2, nor of course any demanding planar overear. It’s likely no surprise to anyone who has heard of the Questyle M15 to see it top our ‘best-of’ list for this year. Liquid gold describes the M15 aptly, with musicality meeting technicality. To turn either or both features ON or OFF all is needed is short pressing the Multifunction button on GO Bar in sequence. The two bottom LEDs on the stripe on GO Bar’s bottom faceplate will light up or down accordingly. Once the Cirrus Logic has done its thing, the audio information is handed over to balanced analogue circuitry with a symmetrical two-channel output stage. The left and right-channel signals are kept entirely separate, reducing cross-talk and noise in the signal path.Both features are according to iFi’s documentation entirely implemented in the analog domain. No DSPs are involved which promises the minimal impact on sound quality.

Running some simple math it’s also quite clear that GO Bar issues its max power on Balanced Ended output vs circa 55Ω impedance, that being a bit less than 1W, and from there on down it rapidly starts winding down both voltage and current flow. I was probably most impressed with the Go bar when using the “Bit-Perfect” or no-filter mode. It sounded the most organic, with no significant emphasis in any part of the audioband. The Go bar is the most balanced and has the least coloration in this mode. In my opinion, every unit should come pre-set to this option.

Small. But mighty.

I had to look at my previous notes on this to see if I still agree. And yes I do agree that it is a quite powerful dongle with a great and musical sound and wide soundstage, but maybe not the most detailed.

Frankly, the only missing things are a replaceable cable and a Lightning-to-USB adapter for iOS devices. Of course, if you aren’t an Apple user, this will not impact you. GO Bar also has a +6dB High Gain mode. Unlike what happens e.g. on the GO Blu where gain selection follows an automatic system, on GO Bar it’s the user who has to manually set the device on High or Low Gain mode. For my direct experience, Host Volume Sync works as intended on my Android devices, and on my proprietary-Linux small transport, the Tempotec V1. It works “erratically” on my Windows 10 laptop. It does not work at all on any of my different-distro Linux boxes. One of the topmost 6 LEDs of the stripe will light up in white to indicate which digital resolution is being received by GO Bar: 44/48, 88/96, 172/192, 352/384, DSD64/128 or DSD256. Although unverified, (and I’ll open this up for discussion) my theory is that iFi made design choices with the Go Bar (like curiously going with the “unsexy” Cirrus Logic DAC chip and forgoing a flashy OLED screen) on what is clearly a premium priced dongle has probably has to do with allocating the maximum amount of power to the amp section. From the review, Archi has mentioned that the Cirrus Logic has low power consumption. Indeed, iFi typically uses Burr-Brown chips in their other offerings (which are all powered by internal battery) so perhaps they went with this chip alternative as they were constrained by the power draw limitations of the USB port.The build quality is flawless, and the manual volume knob is a pleasure to use. It uses Dethonray’s ‘Touch & Feel’ algorithm to make the volume adjustment smooth and accurate. As for voicing GO Bar definitely marks a diversion from that warm and midbass-accented iFi’s “house sound” typical of many other models e.g. Hip Dac, Nano iDSD BL, etc. In terms of filter options, the GObar has 4. Bit perfect, Standard, Minimum Phase, and the same GTO filter that is featured on the Pro iDSD. I ended up preferring the GTO filter, similar to my time with the Pro iDSD. My second favourite was the “Standard” filter. Also in keeping with iFi’s other equipment, the GObar includes the XBass+ and XSpace options. I really enjoy the XBass+ with most headphones, but do find the Xspace works better with some recordings than others. Thankfully, both options are easily switched on and off with a single button on the side of the unit, so you can try them out and see what works best for you and your ears.