iFi Go Link Max Review – Simple and Incredibly Effective Audio Amplification

No matter how great your headphones are, there’s always room for improvement, right? It’s an expensive problem that there’s no end to, but a headphone amp is a cheaper and far more effective way to boost your audio quality. Nowhere else is there a better marriage of affordability and powerful technology than in the iFi Go Link Max.

Key Details

• Developer: iFi
• Compatibility: USB to 4.4mm
• Price: $79
• Sample Provided For Review: Yes

Simple Yet Satisfying

The iFi Go Link Max isn’t a colossal device that sits on your desk or requires its own pocket. It’s a tiny little dongle that goes between your computer or phone and whatever comfortable headphones you have. It’s capable of dragging even the most basic of headphones up ten notches, and you’ll barely even notice it’s there.

First things first, how does this device look? As I’ve already pointed out, it’s small, blue, and has a couple of outputs, converting your USB-C into 4.4mm Balanced and 3.5mm S-Balanced for whatever headphones you’ve got. The box also packs in a converter for direct USB output, though it’s just as effective from your phone.

Unlike the standard iFi Go Link, the Go Link Max’s connections are far firmer, meaning nothing falls out of place while you’re listening. There’s nothing worse than an entire train hearing your favorite song of the moment or a particularly gory game trailer at full volume without you realizing.

Function and Form

So, how does it work? It’s all good, me telling you that this little device can take you from listening to Johnny Cash’s CDs on a Sony Walkman in the early 2000s to being at the back of the room during his best performances, but what magic is this?

No magic at all, it’s dual ESS ES9219 Sabre DAC chips. Each one is a dedicated channel, and this helps with instrument separation and definition. It’s those chips that take a tired old recording and boost it to sound like you’re listening to the artist record it. While it’s not capable of making it into your own private live VIP performance, it’s pretty bloody close.

The best way I can explain all this is to start with the recording above. Yes, you’re learning a lot about me here. While I adore country music and will always put it first, I am also one of the biggest Ed Sheeran fans on the planet.

The video above is the highly produced version of You Need Me, I Don’t Need You. This song epitomizes Ed Sheeran’s journey and message to the world. I often listen to this song when I’m feeling down and out because it pulls me right back into whatever fight I think I’m losing.

However, if you know even a little about Ed Sheeran, you’ll know this isn’t the best version of the song you can catch. While SBTV is always going to have the original video that made this song famous, it’s the version below that the iFi Go Link Max transports you to.

Beats are crisper, the voice is clearer, and the guitar is loud and in your face. Not only that, though, there’s something intrinsically different between these two videos that makes the second superior: you’re present. Sure, you’re not in the room, but you’re as close as you could be to it.

I really do have to be clear here, at $79/£79, this is an absolute steal for a headphone amp. I’ve paid hundreds of pounds for high-quality headphones in the past, and the iFi Go Link Max keeps them feeling fresh and fully top of the line over a decade later.

It means I get to keep my style but hear music like I’ve never heard it before. If you’re in the market for a new set of headphones, I recommend getting this device first and saving up. You may never even need another upgrade.

Final Score – 8/10

The iFi Go Link Max goes above and beyond to make your headphones sound ten times better. It’s simple, sleek design is easy on the eyes and your pockets, while the horsepower it provides makes you think it’s drawing on the same source those who invented Rock and Blues were. This is your best budget headphone amp option, and a great baseline from which to start upgrading in the future.

A headphone amp is a brilliant next step, but you need a decent pair of headphones too. Check out our headphone reviews to find one that suits you. If you enjoy our independent journalism, please consider looking into our Patreon options to find one that suits you and supports us!

**Bonus Action was provided with a sample of the iFi Go Link Max for the purpose of this review**

About the Author

Jamie Moorcroft Sharp

Editor

Jamie adores the indie games that you don’t hear about until you’re on a video essay binge at 3AM and suddenly the sound of them changes your life. He’s played games all his life and loves looking at the intricate details that make them magical and different. If there’s a wierd list, embarrassing feature, or something else far too out there on Bonus Action, there’s a good chance he wrote it. But that’s not all! He’s also an absolute fiend who never knows when to stop when he puts on his dirty robes and takes on his D&D persona as a Mud Warlock who acts on that tiny voice in your head when it wonders what would happen if you did something really dumb right now. He’s easy to beat in a TGC, though, just keep an eye out for his crazy card combos.

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