Great video. Lots of helpful information about the product and use case. My wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas last night, I guess I have an answer for her today 😂

@NorbReviews

5 ай бұрын

Heh. Thats awesome. Thank you for watching and the kind words, and I hope you have a great Christmas!

@one-rv2bx

3 ай бұрын

Your wife asked you what you want for Christmas in January?

Thanks for the great review.I’ve Sennheiser HD 58x and using it with Apple Music lossless via Apple lightning to 3.5 converter. I’m new to this audiophile hobby, Is it going to make any difference if I use it with this ifi Go link?

@NorbReviews

3 ай бұрын

Probably not a huge difference. The 58x is pretty easy to drive, and this doesn’t really change the sound, so you may hear a SLIGHT difference, but you don’t really need it. In your case, if you’re looking for something, I’d suggest to at least spring for the Qudelix 5K (amzn.to/3SWMr6k shameless affiliate link). That’s because you’d then also have an EQ and access to the oratory1990 EQ database. Plus it outputs more power, so it might have a higher impact on the sound. Mostly, though, the Qudelix is a good jumping-off point for higher impedance headphones and balanced cables. You can also try other DACs like the iFi Hip DAC or iFi Zen DAC 2, which may warm up the sound a little, but in the case of Sennheiser’s, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

@jai-yadav

3 ай бұрын

@@NorbReviews Thanks for the detailed reply and the suggestion. It's really helpful. Keep up the good work.

@sonofsun3418

Ай бұрын

Can you please recommend me good dac amp with mic support.

Im in this same situation, using xm4 on passthrough mode, so which pair of entry wired headphones would you recommend to pair with this dongle?

@NorbReviews

6 ай бұрын

This is an unfairly tough question! As I mentioned, lower end (lower impedance / sensitivity) headphones won’t really be able to take a ton of advantage here, but the Koss Porta Pro ($35) are a decent, cheap start. Going up in price, depends on budget, but the PC38X might be a good start. You can find it for about $120 on eBay. If you have a little more spend, the HiFiMan Sundara, Focal Elegía (which has a habit of going on major sales about now), the Sennheiser HD6XX, should all keep you under the $300 mark. The Sennheiser’s are the only one that have a higher impedance, but these will all be able to take advantage of the extra power.

@razor.premium

6 ай бұрын

@@NorbReviews awesome! Thanks a lot! By the way tried the eq you shared and it really was day n night! 💪🏼

i already have the ifi dac and was thinking of buying HD600 as i am getting a really good deal on them, so do you think this could run them? ik they are 300 ohms but the dac can do 2v/14mw at 300 ohms so will it be good enough?

@NorbReviews

19 күн бұрын

It’ll drive them. It won’t be the best experience-you’ll need more power for that-but it will get you there. They do overheat after a while, though, so keep that in mind. For the HD600, I suggest maybe get something that will provide more power, like a Qudelix5k.

I'm flying from europe to asia next week. i'm taking my AirpodsMax with me for the long flight. I could connect them to this AMP/DAC with the Lightning to 3.5mm cable available as an accessory. Would this improve the sound and strength or is it futile due to the design of the AirpodsMax?

@NorbReviews

2 сағат бұрын

I don’t think that will offer any real benefit in sound quality over just using Apple’s own 3.5 to Lightning cable for the AirPods Max. It’s true that this would add an amp into the mix, so you might get a louder volume, but I’m not sure if that would then introduce distortion at higher volumes. I personally wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t already own it, but I also don’t see a reason not to try it if you have the funds.

i have the Truthear Hexa, this or the Apple Dac? i use Android

@NorbReviews

5 ай бұрын

I’d try the Apple DAC first based on cost alone. The iFi is MUCH better, mind you, but you don’t need to amp the Hexa, and whether you need 24-bit/48kHz or 32-bit/384kHz depends on your source and ears. If you have a good source, like FLAC files or services that use MQA, then I’d say go with the iFi. I’d you’re just using Spotify, or if lossless doesn’t matter to you, try the Apple connector.

Is ifi go link can drive planner iems like dioko, timeless with potential?? , if not suggest me any on budget ❤❤❤.

@NorbReviews

Ай бұрын

I’ve used it with my Hifiman Ananda Stealth and works well enough, but doesn’t drive enough power to really bring out the bass on that one, if that’s what you’re after. (Doesn’t sound bad, though, and it still is good.) If you’re looking for more power, my favorite budget DAC/Amp still is the Qudelix 5k. Amazon link: amzn.to/3Qj8Mt1

Awesome tutorial, thanks a lot. I’ve ordered a Sennheiser Momentum 4 and want to pick up this dongle. Is it true that I shall have the best result if I listen to LDAC content with this dongle attached, instead of connecting directly via Bluetooth. If I remember correctly, SM4 doesn’t support LDAC, therefore this dongle etc should pretty much make up for that, right?

@NorbReviews

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for the kind words! So, I think there's some confusion here, and maybe I'm not understanding your question. 1. This isn't a wireless DAC, so you won't be able to get LDAC content through it. You need to connect this to a source, and if you're connecting it then codecs don't really matter, since LDAC is a bluetooth codec and you wouldn't be using bluetooth. You'll only get LDAC content if you connect this to another DAC which *IS* wireless. But then, why not just connect to that DAC directly? 2. The only reason to use something like this with the M4 is because you want to listen passively. But honestly, the M4 has such good options or sound -- USB-C, Aux, Wireless with aptX Adaptive -- that I don't know if that's necessary, unless you have a very special case. I think that if your source outputs to AptX Adaptive, you won't really miss LDAC. If you really, really want LDAC, then don't get the M4. Get something like the Sony XM5, instead OR consider getting a wired headphone and also get a wireless dongle like the Qudelix 5K, which DOES handle LDAC. I hope this was clear. My apologies if anything I said was confusing.

@DarthOeron

6 ай бұрын

@@NorbReviews I really appreciate your generous answer, I can’t thank enough 🙏🏼 Recently I’ve ordered an iBass AC03 Pro to use it with my iPhone. I know that sounds weird, but given the wired feature of the SM4 I wanted to enhance the sound quality as much as possible. But then, I’ve heard that it has a built in DAC. I’m not sure, maybe this dongle is not gonna make a noticeable difference. Some users report that they’re having great results with similar dongles and SM4. The codec situation though is clear to me know, you made a very detailed explanation 🙏🏼 My intention was to use the best quality streamer, like Apple Music rather than Spotify and listen wired with a DAC dongle. At least that’s what I’m going to try 🙂 Maybe a non-ANC headphone would do more justice to my use case scenario but I wanted to have ANC as well. So I went for the SM4.

@_ITonRoad

5 ай бұрын

@@DarthOerondid you find any improvements with SM4 with the dac you have purchased? I have also purchased SM4 and thinking about the same?

@DarthOeron

5 ай бұрын

@@NorbReviews Hi there. I just wanted to provide a short feedback. I’m using my dongle for a couple of days now and I have to say; there is a noticeable sound improvement. It is quite louder, all volume controls must be operated from the dongle itself. It drains the phone battery ever so slightly. I’m using an iPhone 14 Pro and the iBasso works great. At max volume the bass gets distorted so I tweaked the EQ settings and everything felt much better. The difference is there and sound great.

@DarthOeron

5 ай бұрын

@@_ITonRoad Hi there. I just wanted to provide a short feedback. I’m using my dongle for a couple of days now and I have to say; there is a noticeable sound improvement. It is quite louder, all volume controls must be operated from the dongle itself. It drains the phone battery ever so slightly. I’m using an iPhone 14 Pro and the iBasso works great. At max volume the bass gets distorted so I tweaked the EQ settings and everything felt much better. The difference is there and sound great.

Hi can it drive dt 990 pro 250 ohm for fps gaming?

@NorbReviews

Ай бұрын

Probably, but not all that well. At 250 ohm you’ll probably want something with more power if you want a full sound. TBH, I’d get something like a Questyle M15, or even a Qudelix 5K, at least if you need something ultraportable. Even better if you can use the balanced output.

I already am knee deep into audio, yeah I sold my whole collection not long ago because idk I wanna recollect it all, but when I had my collection I had a hd600 (original marble colour way), arya stealth, an old stax earspeaker I got from my grandpa, etc etc

@ashleybugler215

4 ай бұрын

What are you trying to say in relation to this video?

@Omar_ZX

4 ай бұрын

@@ashleybugler215 he said something in the video like share your opinion if you're knee deep into audio or just a beginner, I don't remember exactly

@NorbReviews

4 ай бұрын

Two, I asked if you were already into wired headphones or just starting out. That’s because I tend to focus on wireless headphones, so I wanted to see what people said. HD600 + Arya Stealth is a GOOD mix! And that old Stax! Wow! That’s awesome! I started getting more tediously into wired headphones this year, so I’m definitely curious. My next few videos are on the Meze 109 Pro and the Meze Liric, and comparing them to the Focal Clear and try Hifiman Ananda Stealth. Now I just have to find a better amp / DAC stack, maybe something a little warmer and with more power, to really bring out the bass in the Anandas.

@Omar_ZX

4 ай бұрын

@@NorbReviews oh dam you got some nice cans fine sir

can this dongle drive he 1000v2 and whats your thoughts on he 1000v2

@NorbReviews

2 ай бұрын

I haven’t tried the he 1000v2 so I can’t say. Sorry about that!

@sumanthduggirala1887

2 ай бұрын

​@NorbReviews thank you, did you try any hifiman or any other headphones

@NorbReviews

Ай бұрын

Yep. I have the Hifiman Amanda Stealth. It’s OK for those, ask the volume is good, but I find that the power output isn’t quite enough to really drive the bass response the Amanda is capable of. It isn’t bad, it just isn’t optimal.

Im new to all these technical stuff, so can you explain why these wouldn't be worth it for headphones like the Sony XM4, when used in wired mode?

@NorbReviews

7 ай бұрын

If turned on and wired (which is the way to get the best possible sound out of the XM4), the internal DAC already does all the processing, and delivers enough power for the headphones themselves. Processing the signal twice won’t help, nor will amplifying it. If on passthrough mode (wired, but not powered on), there may be a bit of an improvement with some sets, but not enough to really justify the cost. For the heck of it, though, now I think I’ll test out a bunch of wireless headphones with the iFi and see what level of difference it makes with some. It’ll make for a fun video (or short).

@pravinv1161

5 ай бұрын

​@@NorbReviewsplease do! Just got the Sony XM5 and I like to use it wired and powered on rather than using it on bluetooth. And I don't know what EQ settings it's on but I prefer it for all types of music.

@NorbReviews

5 ай бұрын

@@pravinv1161 - I’ve put this on my to-do list. I don’t know when it’ll come out, but I *will* be doing this video. Thank you for the idea! 💡

@victoralarcon6351

2 ай бұрын

I also have the XM4 and it's sad that this DAC won't improve the sound and that we'll have to spend some extra money to get more juice.

so if I got iphone 15 pro max and sony xm5 it is useful?

@NorbReviews

2 ай бұрын

Sort of. If you’re listening to it on passive mode than yeah, it’ll help because it’ll provide more power. But TBH, it’s probably better just to turn the XM5 on while it’s wired to your iPhone.

@andreacobain6484

2 ай бұрын

@@NorbReviews so if I turned on with aux and ifi go link is still useful?

@NorbReviews

2 ай бұрын

@@andreacobain6484 - if you turned XM5 on and used the iFi, the difference would be minimal. If you leave the headphones off and use the iFi, then it’ll make a difference. That’s because it provides more power than a headphone jack alone.

@andreacobain6484

2 ай бұрын

@@NorbReviews But what if they don't allow me to pass more data compared to the Apple dongle, which stops at 24-bit 48kHz or something similar? And then, not being able to listen to music in lossless, unlike the Apple dongle? Could you explain a bit, please? 😅 sorry for the ignorance but I’m from italy

@NorbReviews

2 ай бұрын

@@andreacobain6484 - no worries. A pleasure to help. The iFi will transmit more data than the Apple Dongle, so that’s one thing. But just as importantly, Sony’s headphones will play hi-res if you power them. The iFi would supply that power. (But I still think the best way is to turn them on and plug them in: it’s cheaper and it delivers excellent sound.) The question isn’t whether the data can’t pass. The question is whether the drivers can handle that level of detail.