šŸ”· ifi GO blu BT Dac/Amp

Custom cable for the iFi go blu, 11" dual 3.5mm ending in a 4.4mm balanced connector:



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I must say the GO blu is really nice and I appreciate it more and more the longer i use it.

It is a perfect match with the kinda lava and I use X-Bass, X-Space and both of them combined A LOT!

These features are perfectly implemented and not overdone and make the kinda lava a better and more versatile IEM.

It also easily drives my Denon AH-D9200 from time to time which profits from the X-Bass the most.

I donĀ“t miss an equalizier function at all and prefer making small adjustments by pressing a button instead of using my phone.

All in all I must say I highly recommend the ifi GO blu!

The additional leather case or at least some sort of clamp or hook that you glue on is mandatory though.

This should or better MUST be improved in the next generation as it is not a big deal to attach a tiny hook or whatever :wink:

edit: The bluetooth reach sucks. no problem for my usecase though

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Yeah I really like it, I usually keep my phone on meā€¦ or nearby so havent really run into bluetooth reception issues, I just really like the convenience of not being tied to a desk, even with a set of high performance headphonesā€¦ Its a small thing but having decent wireless makes me use some of my headphones quite a bit moreā€¦

It doesnt quite compare to my other cabled dac amp setups, but it sounds decent

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Just my thoughts on the Go Blu. I love that cable posted above for it!

3 Likes

Thanks for the review!

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Thank you! Iā€™ll have the Go Bar review up hopefully no later then Saturday. It was fun comparing the Bar and Blu!

I sprung for a Go Blu to use with my iPhone XR. I rather like that there is no companion app to fool with. I plug my recently-received Penon Vortex into it (balanced jack), and listen on the go (mostly walking the dog for 2+ hours or so each day). Darned if it isnā€™t the catā€™s pajamas! I pushed the bass button, but couldnā€™t really hear any difference, so now I leave it off.

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I was reading more often now that people donā€™t hear much difference with x-bass, maybe it is less significant if the can or IEM already got plenty of it!?
I for myself can hear the difference clearly and sometimes even wished for x-bass light with half the elevation :grin:
I think x-bass boosts +6db in the subbass (Mark from Super*Review shows graphs in his video)

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Iā€™ve found that like most things it is track dependant. For bass light tracks I really donā€™t notice much differenceā€¦but then with some heavy hitting bass tracks I can definitely notice it. Also depends on the IEM/headphone as you said. On my T3Plus I can definitely hear the xbass at times as its an IEM that can do some bass (not a ton).

However, when I use xbass on my Focal Radianceā€¦thatā€™s another story. Bass for days haha and itā€™s good bass (to me).

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In my case, itā€™s probably because Iā€™m so old now that my hearing is mostly kaput.

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[Ifi Go Blu] Has anyone noticed sound drops, like sound just going away and coming back on fast forward 30-60 seconds later, or if you restart device?

I noticed it on my PC and Android phone, so 2 totally different setups:
Android phone (Android 11 and 12) - IfiGoBlu + Hifiman Deva: Here I could replicate the issue when switching audio players: eg from youtube to Netflix - no sound, from built in music player to youtube - no sound.
Pc + BTA 30 Pro - IfiGoBlu + Hifiman Deva: here I notice sound drops with no pattern. I can 100% replicate it if i donā€™t listen to music for a long time, so it might be related to a sleep function, but et even happens when listening to music, mid song with no trigger.

The case looks very nice, but it adds to the bulk of the device and the clip is an absolute joke for the price, itā€™s a plastic clip with a weak metal pin, and itā€™s built in such a way that if you have a T-short that is just a bit thicker, the head of clip remains suspended, and no longer grips it properly. Major disapointment, why would they not use a decent metal clip i do not now, but definetly too expensive and poorly designed.

Could you elaborate a bit more on the issue the GO Blu seems to be experiencing?
If you hadnā€™t since purchase, update the firmware to whatā€™s available here: Download Hub | Software and firmware for your iFi audio devices (ifi-audio.com)
Let me know, thanks. ~Brandon

Hi Brandon, updating the firmware is the first thing I did when I received them a couple of weeks ago. Iā€™ve even tried factory reset. I will send a longer message in a minute with more details about my issue.

I have an issue with my Ifi Go Blu where the audio just turns off, even though the Go Blu is on. I believe it goes into a sleep like function, because I can replicate it 100% of the situations when I just not use them for a longer period of time, but it also happens randomly during use, and if there is a way to wake them up without restarting, I just have not found it.

When it happens:

  • Iā€™ve managed to replicate them constantly on my Android Phone (LG G8X - Android 11), the audio shuts down when switching applications.
  • It happens randomly on my PC (PC - BTA 30 PRO, or PC directly), or I could not find a pattern, I could be in a teams meeting, or watching a YouTube video, sound randomly goes away, seemingly with no trigger.

Workaround:

  • To fix it, the only way I found is to keep the power button pressed - I get the message turning off - keep it pressed again, it turns on again and reconnects. This whole action takes about 30-40 sections, which is quite allot if you are in a meeting presentingā€¦

What iā€™ve tried, unsuccesfully:

  • Iā€™ve updated the sofware on them.
  • Factory reset by pressing the small button.
  • Contacted support, and they were useless, said they will pass this to the developers.

That is quite strange. So your workaround is turning it off and on when switching applications otherwise youā€™ll experience dropouts?
Have you contacted ifi audio support here yet? Support Desk | iFi audio (ifi-audio.com)
Did you buy the product second hand or has it been purchased new within the last year or so?

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Iā€™ve bought it for less than 1 month, new from a local HiFi shop. I did contact support, they were useless, said they will pass this on to the developers.
My question is: is this something that other users experience (known issue)? If not, than I will send it to warranty.

Ah I see. Your best bet is to swap it out via warranty if our support staff hasnā€™t recommended any further troubleshooting.

Had my ifi go blu for a while now and dropped it in water recently and
the microphone broke is there a way to use the built in microphone on
the headphone cable while still being connected to the go blu. When i
try to use the microphone now it just uses the defunct microphone on the
ifi go blu, I could use the phone microphone but that would be too much
of a hassleā€¦

Welcome.

No chance to use the Inline mic unfortunately.