iFi Audio GO link 2 USB-C DAC Upgraded With ESS Sabre ES9219MQ/Q and 100 mW Output for Smartphones

The GO link 2 arrives into a landscape where the return to wired listening is less nostalgia and more pragmatism. One source frames it as a reaction to disappearing analog outputs, but the more interesting angle is how iFi continues to refine the “digital interposer” concept: not merely restoring a headphone jack, but reasserting control over the signal path. By doubling down on a discrete USB-to-analog stage rather than relying on phone-side audio, iFi positions the dongle as a way to bypass the variable quality of mobile SoCs, jitter management, and noisy power domains. The reinforced cable is more than a cosmetic tweak; mechanically stabilizing the USB connection reduces micro-disruptions that can translate into intermittent dropouts and long-term reliability issues—an unglamorous but very real concern among daily carry audiophiles.

At the silicon level, the choice of an ESS Sabre Quad DAC+ implementation hints at a tuning philosophy that prioritizes separation and low-level detail retrieval. ESS chips are often discussed on forums for their incisive transient response and black backgrounds, and iFi’s additional analog filtering and noise-suppression stages appear aimed at tempering the Sabre tendency toward glare when poorly implemented. The inclusion of an S-Balanced output topology, even on a single-ended connector, is a quietly technical move: lowering common-mode noise and crosstalk matters when the dongle is tethered to electrically noisy hosts like smartphones and ultrabooks. In that context, the GO link 2 reads less like a budget accessory and more like a scaled-down desktop DAC philosophy squeezed into a pocketable form, reflecting a broader shift toward serious listening on mobile devices without surrendering wired fidelity.