Pocket USB-C DAC with 4.4 mm balanced output
The iFi Audio GO link 2 Max is a cable-style DAC and headphone amplifier that turns a phone, laptop or PC into a high-resolution source. Compared with the GO link 2 it adds balanced architecture and a 4.4 mm output, with power of up to 241 mW into 32 Ω: more dynamics, less noise and more control, even as the headphones move up in class.
It measures 143 x 15 x 9.4 mm and weighs 11.5 g. It plugs into a USB-C port; a USB-A to USB-C adapter is included in the box.
Two ESS Sabre DACs, one per channel
Conversion uses two ESS Sabre chips, chosen for their performance and low power draw, one dedicated to each channel: instrument separation improves and the soundstage becomes wider and more precise. The chips feature Quad DAC+ and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator technologies and work with iFi's GMT clock, based on a dedicated crystal oscillator.
PCM up to 384 kHz and DSD up to DSD256 are supported. Stated signal-to-noise ratio and dynamic range are at least 130 dB(A) on the balanced output and 125 dB(A) on the S-Balanced one; THD+N stays within 0.0007% on the balanced output (2.4 V into 32 Ω).
More dynamic range, half the distortion
iFi has unlocked the chips' Dynamic Range Enhancement function, which adds 6 dB of range between the quietest and the loudest passages. Further internal adjustments reduce the second and third harmonics and cut distortion by over 50% compared with the GO link Max.
Volume is controlled in hardware, so turning it down does not remove data from the signal as software controls do. The iFi Nexis app, in its Android version, provides over-the-air firmware updates and a choice of two digital filters, hybrid and linear.
4.4 mm and 3.5 mm S-Balanced outputs, twisted-pair cable
The 4.4 mm balanced output delivers at least 241 mW into 32 Ω and 4 V into 300 Ω; the 3.5 mm S-Balanced output at least 100 mW into 32 Ω and 2 V into 300 Ω, halving crosstalk between channels with ordinary single-ended headphones. Frequency response runs from 10 Hz to 80 kHz (-3 dB).
The cable is silver-plated copper with polymer insulation on each conductor and a twisted-pair design, which reduces inductance and capacitance and helps reject noise.
