- The iFi’s Go Blu Air is a small battery-powered Bluetooth DAC
- Three-stage processing for optimal audio
- $129 / £129 / AU$229, available now
iFi has announced a new super-portable Bluetooth DAC, the iFi Go Blu Air. It’s extremely small even by iFi’s usual standards: if the firm’s portable DACs get much smaller, they’ll be able to sell them to ants.
The Go Blu Air may be small – it’s only 5cm tall – but its specification isn’t. It packs iFi’s signature three-stage audio system and both 3.5mm and balanced 4.4mm headphone outs, with iFi’s anti-crosstalk system on the 3.5mm output. And it puts out a very respectable 256mW of power, to connect to a range of the best wired headphones and best wired earbuds.
There’s also an integrated microphone for your calls and your phone’s digital assistant, and for wireless connectivity to your phone or other device, there’s LDAC and aptX Adaptive as well as regular Bluetooth.
iFi Go Blu Air: key features and pricing
iFi likes to keep the Bluetooth processing and the audio processing separate to deliver the best possible audio, and to achieve that the Qualcomm QCC5144 Bluetooth 5.2 chipset handles Bluetooth reception and nothing else.
The audio data is processed by a hi-res Cirrus Logic MasterHiFi DAC, which in turn passes the signal onto a dual-mono amplifier.
According to iFi the amp circuitry features “discrete, high-grade components to maximize sonic purity – from TDK C0G and muRata multilayer capacitors, to custom OV Series operational amplifiers with ultra-low distortion (0.0001%).”
In addition to the DAC, iFi has added its own analog XBass and XSpace systems and given them hardware controls so you don’t have to reach for your phone. There’s also a combined volume control and navigation dial for the same reason.
At just 30g in weight this is a real go-anywhere DAC, and in a nice touch it comes with a magnetic clip that you can use to attach it to your jacket, bag or belt. And according to iFi you can expect a decent 10 hours between charges.
The iFi Go Blu Air is available now with a recommended price of $129 / £129 / AU$229.