iFi GO blu | Portable HD Bluetooth DAC/Amp
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Our Take |
Note: GO blu USB input is not compatible with some iPhone models and versions of iOS.
Blu Everyday
Our new GO blu, pocket-rocket portable HD DAC/amp, is diminutive enough to take with you wherever you go! It gives you best sound from wired but the convenience of wireless as you no longer need to have a cable connection to your smartphone.
Whether you’re exercising at the gym with your Apple watch clocking your every step or catching up on your MacBook at your favorite coffee shop, the GO blu is the perfect companion.
It pairs wirelessly with your source device via Bluetooth with no need to worry about whether you’ve got the right cable for your Android or Apple device. Just pair … and GO!
Superior sound. Unbound.
Wireless headphones or earphones of any kind integrate Bluetooth processing, D/A conversion and amplification onto one, standard ‘off the shelf’ chip. There is a ceiling to the sound quality that can be achieved.
Team good corded headphones or in-ear monitors, with a separate, high-quality portable DAC/headphone amp, and your sound quality will beat any pair of wireless headphone or earphones hands down.
Using the GO blu means no compromise on sound quality.
Pair the GO blu to your Apple/Android. Connect your favorite corded headphones to the GO blu and then tuck it away – it’s so petite it will slip into your running gear or suit pocket. It’s also gorgeous enough to show off by leaving it on the table at your favorite coffee shop!
Go beyond.
With its lightweight, soft-touch polymer enclosure (great for Bluetooth reception, unlike signal-blocking metal), copper-colored trim and ChronoDial watch crown-style control, the GO blu is a pleasure to use wherever you go.
iFi has even incorporated a high-quality chip-based (CMOS-MEMS) microphone, enabling hands-free calls, voice chat for gaming and access to voice assistants such as Apple Siri and Google Assistant.
Further flexibility is provided by the USB-C charging port, which doubles as an audio input enabling USB connection from source devices that don’t offer Bluetooth connectivity. Hi-res PCM audio data up to24-bit/96kHz is supported when the GO blu is connected in this way.
HD Bluetooth 5.1
The way iFi implements Bluetooth is anything but ‘run of the mill’ and despite its diminutive size the GO blu is no exception.
The use of Qualcomm’s latest four-core QCC5100 Bluetooth processing chip ensures that every current high-definition Bluetooth audio format is supported.
- aptX Adaptive and aptX HD
- LDAC and HWA/LHDC
- regular aptX and aptX Low Latency
- AAC
- SBC (plain vanilla Bluetooth)
This means that every possible source device is handled at the highest audio resolution its Bluetooth specification allows – no other pocket-size DAC/amp delivers such comprehensive codec support, or such high-quality sound over Bluetooth.
The GO blu is Bluetooth v5.1-compliant, ensuring the best possible range, stability and performance, and its ‘Bluetooth engine’ can be updated over the air.
Three. Unique. Stages.
Bluetooth. DAC. Amplifier.
Most pocket-size Bluetooth DAC/headphone amps incorporate all-in-one ‘system on a chip’ solutions to deliver input processing, digital-to-analogue signal conversion and amplification. These are simple and cost-effective, but they cannot compare with expertly designed, individually optimized circuit stages when it comes to sound quality.
Uniquely for a device of this type and size, the GO blu’s clever design packs in separate Bluetooth, DAC and amp stages, each engineered in distinct blocks to deliver the ideal combination of cutting-edge specification and superb sound.
The Bluetooth stage makes full use of Qualcomm’s latest four-core QCC5100 Bluetooth chip and supports every current high definition format.
This then feeds the DAC stage with a Cirrus Logic 32-bit DAC chip at its heart. This is coupled with a customized digital filter to minimize pre-echoes and ringing artifacts, and a precision clock system to ensure ultra-low jitter, thus reducing errors and distortion in the digital audio signal.
The amp circuitry benefits from symmetrical twin-mono signal paths and utilizes iFi’s Direct Drive design concept – direct-coupled to ensure a clean signal path without distortion-inducing output coupling capacitors. The amp stage delivers up to 5.6V – considerably more power than other similarly sized devices – handling even relatively tough headphone loads with ease. To ensure signal strength suits the sensitivity of the connected headphones or earphones, auto-gain adjusts output up or down by 6dB.
GO Balanced
Whether you use balanced or non-balanced headphones, you get the least noise and best channel separation for the most enjoyable music.
The GO blu boasts a Pentaconn 4.4mm output enabling headphones equipped with balanced connectivity to take full advantage of the GO blu’s balanced amp design.
In addition, the 3.5mm output benefits from iFi’s proprietary S-Balanced circuitry. This cuts crosstalk and related distortion in half when used with regular, single-ended headphone connections, this is especially beneficial with high-sensitivity in-ear monitors.
Both outputs are gold-plated to resist tarnishing and thereby maintain optimum contact quality.
Specs
| Chipset | Qualcomm QCC 5100 Series | |
| Inputs | Wireless Wired |
Bluetooth 5.1 ( AAC, SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX LL, LDAC, LHDC/HWA Codec) USB-C up to 24/96kHz |
| Headphone Outputs | Balanced UnBAL |
4.4mm 3.5mm |
| Power Output | Balanced UnBAL |
245mW @ 32Ω; 5.6V @ 600Ω 165mW @ 32Ω; 2.8V @ 600Ω |
| Output Impedance | Balanced UnBAL |
<1Ω <1Ω |
| SNR | Balanced UnBAL |
111dBA 106.5dBA |
| DNR | 120dB(A) (BAL/UnBAL) | |
| THD + N | Balanced UnBAL |
<0.009% (6.5mW/2.0V @ 600Ω)/ <0.03% (100mW/1.27V @ 16Ω) |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 45kHz (-3dB) | |
| Battery | Lithium-polymer 450mAh approx. ~10 hours | |
| Power System | Charging via USB-C, BC V1.2 compliant up to 1000mA charging current and 6.3 volts |
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| Dimensions | 55 x 34 x 13 mm 2.2" x 1.3" x 0.5” |
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| Weight | 26g (0.92 oz) | |
| Warranty period | 12 months |