i Fi GO Link 2 review: the little DAC that delivers an enormous audio upgrade is smaller and better than ever | Tech Radar

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I spent 10 days testing the i Fi GO Link 2 — and this little DAC delivers an enormous audio upgrade for your phone or laptop audio at a great price

i Fi's diminutive DAC is a little delight and a big upgrade for smartphone sound

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The i Fi GO Link 2 takes everything that's great about the original and packs it into a dinky DAC that's even smaller and lighter than before. It's a fantastic audio upgrade and it's priced very keenly, too.

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Output power: ≥1.59V/79m W @ 32Ω / ≥2.0V/14m W @ 300Ω

The i Fi GO Link 2 is designed to do one thing, and it does it very well: it upgrades your laptop or smartphone's audio output to deliver impressive hi-res audio with no fuss and no unnecessary features.

It's a very good way to add wired headphone support to devices that have long since dropped the headphone jack, although if you want to connect 4.4mm headphones you'll need to look at one of i Fi's larger DACs: the tiny GO Link 2 has just enough space for one 3.5mm headphone output.

This model delivers lower harmonic distortion and a wider dynamic range, and it does so in a device that's even smaller than the already tiny original. With an unchanged price tag the second-generation GO Link is one of the most affordable ways to improve your audio experience, especially for music on the move.

The GO Link 2 was announced in February 2026 with a recommended retail prices of

Pricing is competitive with the likes of the Fii O KA11 and KA1 headphone DAC/amps.

The cable feels a little flimsy but it helps keep the GO Link 2 from being bulky. (Image credit: Future)

The GO Link 2 is based on the same ESS SABRE DAC as before, but this time around it comes with what i Fi calls Dynamic Range Enhancement, which adds up to 6d B between the loudest and quietest moments. It also features lower harmonic distortion — up to 62% lower than the first-gen model, i Fi says.

Although there's only a 3.5mm output, the GO Link 2 features i Fi's S-Balanced system which i Fi claims significantly reduces crosstalk between channels by "applying balanced circuitry principles to a single-ended headphone output".

This is the first GO Link model that's fully compatible with i Fi's Nexis app, which you can use to customize the filters and apply firmware updates — but only on Android so far. As an i Phone/i Pad user I wasn't able to take advantage of those features, as the i Phone app wouldn't communicate with the DAC. Hopefully an update is incoming.

i Fi keeps it simple: there's one output and a single color changing status light. (Image credit: Future)

The GO Link 2 will make you smile. It delivers excellent clarity, a spacious soundstage and a really inviting audio experience, especially on nice headphones. It's pretty great on budget ones, too.

I already have an i Fi desktop DAC/amp, and I was pleased by how close this comparatively microscopic model sounded to its much more expensive sibling at sensible listening levels. It's particularly impressive at the low end, which it handles with power and precision, and if you're upgrading your phone or laptop you'll be really pleased that you did.

One of my favourite songs for testing audio is the live version of Peter Gabriel's Digging in the Dirt. It's beautifully performed and recorded, but there's a lot going on from the very low end to the very high, with a subterranean percussive bass, all kinds of instruments, and powerful vocals from Gabriel and Paula Cole. The GO Link 2 took it all in its stride, delivering a deeply involving sound from an Apple Lossless stream. I had a lot of fun with FLACs too, for instance U2's remastered Achtung Baby and Talk Talk's various masterpieces.

The GO Link 2 is surprisingly loud, and louder still when you connect it to a computer: there was a noticeable increase in volume when I played the same Apple Lossless audio on my Mac compared to on my i Phone.

However, I did find that being able to push the headphones harder on my Mac was counter-productive: towards full volume, snare drums and distorted guitars became harsh, while deliberately loud-mastered pop music such as Kygo and Selina Gomez's It Ain't Me became too bright and noticeably distorted by the deep bass notes. The same thing didn't happen on i Phone.

If you like to listen loud on a computer then a desktop DAC or one of i Fi's more powerful DACs will have more headroom for your headphones.

Dongles don't get much dinkier than this. The GO Link 2 is absolutely tiny, with the main section smaller than half of a Biro pen. It's 8% smaller than the first generation model, and it's 29% lighter.

There are no buttons, no switches, nothing to turn or poke or press, and because it's too small to have a screen it has a colour-changing status LED instead. That LED is green for PCM audio from 44.1 to 96k Hz; yellow for PCM from 176.4 to 384k Hz; and blue for DSD256.

The USB-C connector is attached with a short braided cable to the main unit, which has a 3.5mm headphone socket. Although the GO Link 2 is USB-C it comes with adapters for USB-A and Lightning ports, covering all the bases.

The cable feels very thin and I'd worry about it fraying long term; it's a known issue with some of the first-generation models, so it's probably wise to treat the GO Link 2 with care.

It doesn't get much easier than this: plug it in and you're good to go, although as ever with USB audio devices if you're connecting to a Mac you'll need to tweak Audio and MIDI setup on your computer to enable higher quality than 16-bit/44.1KHz.

It's a shame that the app that enables you to adjust filters and other settings is currently Android-only, although I was quite happy with the out-of-box settings.

The original GO Link is much-loved, and i Fi has very sensibly decided not to mess with its winning formula. Instead it's refined it with more dynamic range, even smaller dimensions and the same plug-and-go ease of use. The GO Link 2 is cheap and it'll make you cheerful.

S-balanced 3.5mm output and good hi-res audio support. App compatibility is currently Android-only.

S-balanced 3.5mm output and good hi-res audio support. App compatibility is currently Android-only.

Function over form: tiny size means little room for design flair or fancy features.

Function over form: tiny size means little room for design flair or fancy features.

An instant, enjoyable audio upgrade that's perfect for phones.

An instant, enjoyable audio upgrade that's perfect for phones.

You travel light: DACs don't get much more diminutive than this. The GO Link 2 is a pocket rocket.

You're hungry for hi-res: The GO Link 2 supports DSD256 and up to 384k Hz PCM audio.

You're into IEMs Low noise, punchy lows and great clarity make this an excellent partner for IEMs.

You have hungry headphones The GO Link 2 is too small to pack the power output of a dedicated desktop DAC.

You keep losing your keys If you tend to misplace or lose small things, this is not the device for you.

Fii O's KA1 is similarly small and equally affordable, but unlike the GO Link 2 it also supports MQA rendering. It's available in both USB-C and Lightning options.

For an extra 20% over the GO Link 2 or KA1's price you could buy i Fi's larger but still eminently portable GO Link Max, which has higher power output and both 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced outputs.

Lossy streaming, lossless FLAC and multitrack Logic Pro projects

I tested the i Fi GO Link 2 for 10 days using my usual headphones and IEMs: Beyer Dynamic DT990 Pro open-back headphones, DT770 closed-back headphones, and the affordable and punchy Sound Magic E11C IEMs.

I listened to a range of music on my i Phone 16 Pro, my i Pad Pro and my Mac mini, with sources including lossy and lossless streaming, uncompressed multitrack projects on my Mac, and FLAC audio files.

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than twenty books. Her latest, a love letter to music titled Small Town Joy, is on sale now. She is the singer in spectacularly obscure Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.

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• I spent 10 days testing the i Fi GO Link 2 — and this little DAC delivers an enormous audio upgrade for your phone or laptop audio at a great price

• i Fi's diminutive DAC is a little delight and a big upgrade for smartphone sound