Latest Bluetooth DAC – Headphone AMP from iFi. Sized at 55x34x13mm and only 26g, iFi GO Blu uses Qualcomm’s four-core QCC5100 Bluetooth chip. Supported codecs are aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, aptX Low Latency, LDAC, and HWA/LHDC. AAC and SBC are also included. Cirrus Logic 32-bit DAC chip serves for Bluetooth connections.
iFi Go Blu’s AMP department has symmetrical twin-mono signal paths and utilizes iFi’s Direct Drive design concept. GO blu incorporates circuit components of high quality including TDK C0G multilayer ceramic capacitors and inductors from Taiyo Yuden and Murata.
XBass and XSpace which we know from other iFi products are also included on the Go Blu. As for headphone output, a single-ended 3.5mm and a 4.4mm Pentaconn for balanced connectivity is there, to take full advantage of the GO blu’s balanced amp design. iFi has also included a high-quality microphone, enabling hands-free calls, voice chat for gaming, or access to voice assistants.
Most pocket-size Bluetooth DAC/headphone amps incorporate all-in-one ‘system on a chip’ solutions to deliver input processing, digital-to-analog signal conversion and amplification. GO blu’s design packs in separate Bluetooth, DAC and AMP stages, each engineered in distinct blocks. The amp stage delivers up to 5.6V, Auto-gain adjusts output up or down by 6dB to ensure signal strength suits the sensitivity of the connected headphones/earphones.
| Chipset | Qualcomm QCC 5100 Series – Cirrus Logic CS43131 | |
| 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 |
|
| Dimensions | 55 x 34 x 13 mm 2.2″ x 1.3″ x 0.5” |
|
| Weight | 26g (0.92 oz) |
Price: 199$