iFi GO Blu

Headphone amplifier/bluetooth DAC

The new portable GO blu Bluetooth DAC/Headphone Amplifier is small enough to take with you wherever you go! It gives you the best sound wired, but also wirelessly because you no longer need to have a cable connection to your smartphone. GO blu is the perfect companion. It pairs wirelessly with your source device via Bluetooth, and you don't have to worry about having the right cable for your Android or Apple device. The device is really small at 55x34x13mm and weighs only 26g.

The iFi GO Blu uses Qualcomm's latest quad-core QCC5100 Bluetooth chip, which supports all current Bluetooth audio formats, including: aptX Adaptive and aptX HD, LDAC and HWA/LHDC. This means that all possible source devices are processed at the highest resolution that its Bluetooth specifications allow. No other pocket-sized DAC/amplifier offers such comprehensive codec support or high-quality sound over Bluetooth. The GO blu is Bluetooth v5.1 compatible, ensuring the best possible range, stability and performance. Its "Bluetooth engine" can be upgraded wirelessly.

Regardless of whether you use unbalanced or balanced headphones, you will get the least noise and the best channel separation for the most enjoyable music. The GO blu amplifier features a Pentaconn 4.4 mm output, which allows headphones with a balanced connection to fully utilize the GO blu's balanced amplifier design. In addition, there is a 3.5 mm output that uses iFi's own S-Balanced circuit. This reduces crosstalk and the associated distortion, which is especially useful with highly sensitive headphones. Both outputs are gold-plated to prevent contamination and thus maintain optimal contact.

The amplifier delivers up to 5.6V, which easily handles even relatively loud headphone loads. To match the signal strength to the sensitivity of the connected headphones, automatic gain adjusts the output by 6dB up or down. Further sound customization is provided by two user-selectable features that are familiar to users of iFi's other portable headphone amplifiers. The first is XBass, a sophisticated "bass boost" that enhances low frequencies without muddying the midrange, which is especially useful with headphones and open-back headphones that can lack deep bass. The second is XSpace, a setting designed to compensate for the "intra-head localization" that can occur when listening to music mixed with speakers on headphones, expanding the sound space of the headphones for a more spacious and speaker-like experience. Both optional settings operate entirely in the analog domain, rather than mixing the digital signal with DSP (Digital Signal Processing), and can be switched in or out of the signal path.

With a lightweight, soft polymer housing and copper-colored ChronoDial watch crown-style controls, the GO blu is a joy to use anywhere. iFi has even included a high-quality chip-based (CMOS-MEMS) microphone that allows for hands-free calling, voice chat for gaming, and access to voice assistants like Apple Siri and Google Assistant.

The USB-C charging port also doubles as an audio input, allowing USB connectivity from source devices that don't offer Bluetooth connectivity. Go blu supports high-resolution PCM audio data up to 24-bit/96 kHz when connected in this way. Battery life is approximately eight hours, depending on the power requirements of the headphones, volume, etc.

Specifications:

• Chipset Qualcomm QCC 5100 series
• Revenue:
  • Wireless Bluetooth 5.1 (AAC, SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX LL, LDAC, LHDC/HWA Codec)
  • Wired USB-C up to 24/96 kHz
• Headphone outputs:
  • Balanced 4.4 mm
  • UnBal 3.5 mm
• Output power:
  • Balanced 245mW @ 32Ω; 5.6V @ 600Ω
  • UnBal 165mW @ 32Ω; 2.8V @ 600Ω
• Output impedance:
  • Balanced <1Ω
  • UnBal <1Ω
• SNR:
  • Balanced 111dBA
  • UnBal 106.5 dBA
• DNR: 120dB (A) (BAL/UnBAL)
• THD+N:
  • Balanced <0.009% (6.5 mW/2.0 V @ 600 Ω)/
  • UnBal <0.03% (100 mW/1.27 V @ 16 Ω)
• Frequency response: 20Hz - 45kHz (-3dB)
• Battery: Lithium-polymer 450mAh approx. ~ 10 hours
• Power system: Charging via USB-C, BC V1.2 compliant with a maximum charging current of 1000 mA and 6.3 volts
• Dimensions: 55 x 34 x 13 mm
• Weight: 26g