GO bar KENSEI Balanced USB Audio DAC Amplifier User Manual

GO bar KENSEI Balanced USB Audio DAC Amplifier

Thank you for purchasing the bar from the GO series. The bar is a balanced USB audio DAC amplifier.

Audio format, frequency and sound effects LED

The LED colour scheme indicates the current sampling frequency and audio format received by the GO bar Kensei from the music source. Sound effect modes are also indicated.
Different positions are lit to indicate the following corresponding audio formats

LED 1

Sound effects

LED                 Status
Blue                 XSpace*
Orange            XBass

The XSpace Matrix recreates a holographic sound field. It is a pure analogue signal processing circuit de signed for listening to headphones as if one was listening to speakers. This addresses the ‘music inside the e head’ sensation, which makes for unsettling listening.
XBass+ was uniquely designed to extend bass response to suit different headphones. It is a pure analogue signal circuit.

Tip : Sonically-hindering DSP is NOT used for XBass+ nor XSpace systems. They use the highest-quality discrete components and operate purely in the analogue domain. Hence all the clarity and resolution of the original music is retained.

K2HD LED

Featuring JVCKENWOOD’s “K2HD Technology”. “K2HD” achieves high sound quality by restoring altered or degraded digital sound sources to the same quality as the original master.
*”‘K2 TECHNOLOGY’ and “K2HD” are trademarks or registered trademarks of JVCKENWOOD Corporation.”

LED                 Status
White               Switch on
Off                   Close

MQA and Digital filter LED

MQA:

• Green              MQA
• Blue                 MQA Studio
• Magenta          Original Sample Rate
  _MQB_

Digital Filter for PCM Playback:

• LED                 Mode
• Cyan                 BP
• White               GTO
• Red                  STD
• Yellow              MIN
• Off                   DSD playback

iEMatch switch

iEMatch reduces the output level, so that even the most sensitive In-Ear- Monitors (IEMs) can be matched to the GO bar Kensei.

Tip : The GO bar Kensei and/or the headphone will not be damaged if the iEMatch switch is adjusted incorrectly, but the attenuation level will not be correct.

Volume control and gain

To increase volume, press the + button, and to decrease it, press the – button. Volume level is briefly displayed on the GO bar Kensei while pressing one of the volume buttons, shown by the number of white LEDs on at a time – from none to 6 (K2HD to PCM LED).
The increase or decrease of volume can be synchronised with the volume of the mobile phone/computer. The connected device will indicate a change of volume on its display if synchronisation is on, and the device’s volume controls can additionally be used to adjust volume. The GO bar Kensei’s volume buttons are still operational.

By default, the synchronisation feature is off. To switch this on or off, press the settings button (6) for > 8s. On is indicated by the 6 white LEDs switching on in sequence from PCM LED and K2HD LED to the centre. Off is indicated by the 6 white LEDs switching off in the opposite direction.

Turbo Mode increases the gain by 6dB. To switch this on or off, press the + and – volume buttons together for ≥ 2s. Turbo Mode on is indicated by 2 white LEDs (K2HD – DSD) increasing to 6 lighting up at the same time for 2s. Normal gain is indicated by 6 white LEDs (K2HD – PCM) diminishing to 2 lighting up for 2s.
Tip : For sensitive headphones and earphones, leave Turbo Mode off. For less sensitive headphones, it may be appropriate to switch Turbo Mode on.

Settings and Digital filter mode and K2HD mode

This button cycles between:
Off > XSpace > XBass+ > XSpace and XBass+ (short click).
Please refer to item 1 for sound effects LED indications.
Digital filter setting mode (long press ≥3s). Please see below.

K2HD setting mode (long press ≥3s). Please see below.
Please refer to item 2 for K2HD LED indications.

Digital filter
To enter digital filter setting mode, press and hold the button for ≥3s. The MQA LED will flash with the currently set digital filter colour (as shown in item 2). Press the – buttons (5b) to change the filter selection. A short press on the settings button (6) will select and exit the filter setting mode.

The following 4 digital filters are available:

• ‘BP’ (Cyan) Bit-Perfect: no digital filtering, no pre or post ringing
• ‘STD’ (Red) Standard, modest filtering, modest pre and post ringing
• ‘MIN’ (Yellow) Minimum phase, slow roll-off, minimum pre and post ringing
• ‘GTO’ (White) Gibbs Transient-Optimised: upsampled to 352/384kHz, minimum filtering, no pre-ringing, minimum post ringing

Note : If the GTO filter is selected, the only sample rate indicator showing will be 352.8/384kHz, indicating the upsampling operation of this filter.

K2HD
Long press and hold the Setup button (6) for ≥ 3s, after the MQA LED (3) starts to flash, press +(4a) and the K2HD LED lights up to indicate that K2HD
is enabled.

Tip : K2HD mode is only effective when the audio file format is PCM and the sampling frequency needs to be ≤ PCM 192kHz; K2HD mode is not effective when it is greater than PCM 192kHz. K2HD mode is invalid and cannot be enabled when the audio file format is DSD or MQA.

Tip : When both K2HD mode and GTO filter are enabled, the sampling frequency of GTO is 192kHz, and the sampling frequency of GTO is 384kHz when K2HD mode is not enabled.

S-Balanced* 3.5mm headphone output

For connecting 3.5mm headphones (compatible with standard TRS configuration, Single-Ended Compatible Balanced).
Tip : Single-Ended Compatible Balanced.

Balanced 4.4mm headphone output

For connecting balanced 4.4mm headphones. This is a fully balanced output.

USB-C input

The USB-C socket plays up to 32-bit 384kHz, has full MQA decoding, and native DSD up to DSD256.

Tip : When the phone battery is low (<30%), the GO bar Kensei on older iPhones (6S or before) may not be able to operate.
Warning : If the GO bar Kensei’s volume synchronisation function is on, and the music source is Tidal via Windows, please ensure that the Tidal setting of Forced Volume is off. With this function on, there is no volume control possible, and the volume will be at maximum. This has the potential to damage the connected headphone and/or your hearing.

Specifications

1. Single-Ended Compatible Balanced.
2. 12 months typical or as permitted/required by local reseller laws.
3. Specifications are subject to change without notice.
   “K2 TECHNOLOGY” and “K2HD” are trademarks or registered trademarks of JVCKENWOOD Corporation.

ifi-audio.com

References

• iFi audio | the Award-Winning Audio Technology Company

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