iFi audio announced the GO link 2 on February 26, positioning it as a simple USB dongle DAC for people who listen on a laptop, tablet, or phone and want higher-quality conversion than the built-in audio path. The core idea was straightforward: you plug it into a USB port, connect your wired headphones, and the GO link 2 handles the digital-to-analog conversion instead of the device’s internal DAC.
iFi framed it as a response to how many computers and phones ship with audio that is designed for basic playback, even as lossless and hi-res streaming options have become easier to access.
What GO link 2 did and what it supported
GO link 2 used an ESS Sabre DAC chipset and supported playback up to 32-bit 384kHz PCM and native DSD256. iFi also highlighted Dynamic Range Enhancement, which it said added 6dB of dynamic range, and THD compensation that it said reduced distortion by up to 62% compared to the original GO link.
From a day-to-day standpoint, this stayed in the plug-and-play category. iFi described it as an instant upgrade for headphone listening from any USB source device, meaning you did not need a separate desktop interface or a larger portable unit to get hi-res output to a 3.5mm headphone plug.
The press release also called out support for hi-res streaming services and mentioned Apple Music, Tidal, and Qobuz, plus a note that Spotify was bringing lossless audio to listeners. I treated that as a claim from the release, since streaming rollout details can shift by region and timing.
Smaller hardware and app control through iFi Nexis
iFi said GO link 2 was 8% smaller and 29% lighter than the original GO link, and it called it the most compact DAC in its lineup to date. If you keep a dongle DAC attached to a phone or laptop during commutes and travel days, size and weight changes like that can matter.
The other practical change was app support. GO link 2 was the first model in the GO link range with compatibility for the iFi Nexis app. iFi said Nexis enabled over-the-air firmware updates and allowed users to select digital filters. The GO link 2 included two filter options, hybrid and linear.
There was one important limitation that iFi made explicit. Nexis features including firmware updates, filter selection, and volume limiting were described as Android-only features. If you use iOS, you can still use GO link 2 as a DAC, but you should assume the extra control layer is not part of the experience.
S-Balanced output and why iFi leaned on it
GO link 2 used a 3.5mm output, and iFi emphasized its S-Balanced design. The point of S-Balanced was to apply balanced-circuit principles to a single-ended headphone connection. In the release, iFi said this reduced channel crosstalk by 50%, which it positioned as a way to improve separation and reduce interference without requiring a balanced headphone cable or connector.
If you already own standard 3.5mm headphones or IEMs and you do not want to change cables, S-Balanced was the piece iFi presented as the path to cleaner results inside that familiar format.
Price and availability
iFi said GO link 2 is available through its site and authorized dealers, priced at £59, $59 USD, $89 CAD, and €59.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
